The 2015-16 NFL season is nearly upon us which means the fantasy football season is approaching as well. With that the case, it’s time to go over some players that could come out of nowhere and lead your squad to fantasy riches.
Some examples of those player types last year were Justin Forsett of the Baltimore Ravens who finished up as the No. 8 ranked running back and went undrafted in many fantasy drafts, and Odell Beckham Jr. who missed the first month of the season but still went on to haul in 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The purpose of this piece is to target players that could once again come from out of nowhere and have big fantasy seasons for both their season long and DFS supporters.
QB
Sam Bradford – Chip Kelly is an offensive genius. Everywhere the man has gone, his offenses have always flourished. That will likely once again be the case this season even with the injury hampered Sam Bradford leading the charge. When the former OU product has been healthy, he’s been a competent fantasy performer.
Though he’s only managed to play in all 16 games in just two of his four NFL seasons, those two campaigns saw him combine for 7,214 yards and a 39:28 TD/INT ratio. Average it out and you’re looking at over 3,600 yards passing and a 20:14 TD/INT ratio. That was with a pedestrian at best receiving corps.
Add to the mix a much favorable receiving cast with the likes of Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper and newcomer Nelson Agholor, we’re finally gonna get a chance to see what kind of tools 2010’s No. 1 draft pick has in the shed. DeMarco Murray also forcing defenses hands by putting more in the box should also help open up some lanes for big passing outputs.
If Bradford stays healthy and doesn’t put on a show with this arsenal, there’s simply no hope for the former No. 1 draft pick at this level. I’m expecting big things from him in 2015, and expect his DFS salary to be on the rise every passing week.
RB
Joseph Randle – With most teams moving further and further away from the ground and pound game that dominated the league since its existence, it’s tough to find running backs that you can more or less set it and forget it when putting a DFS roster together.
Sure, the aforementioned Murray, Le’Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson, and Jamaal Charles are the cream of the crop, but you’re hard pressed to find many established runners after that. With that the case, why not lean on one of the most dominant offensive lines in the league and figure it could pave the way for another 1,000 yard 10 TD back in its sleep.
Most expect the Cowboys to look to the air more often now that Murray’s toting the rock for their division rival, but I’m not buying it. When you got earth movers like that, you have no choice but to run the pill.
Joseph averaged 6.7 YPC in his limited work a season ago, and has the body frame and shiftiness to get the job done. With only the injury riddled Darren McFadden and change of pace back Lance Dunbar behind him, he figures to get the lion’s share of carries in 2015. His DFS salary will also be quite low to start the season, which makes him a prime RB1 to target early on until his stock skyrockets.
WR
Mike Wallace – Those days in Pittsburgh with Wallace racing up and down the field reeling in deep bombs from Big Ben seem like eons ago. He went from being a guaranteed 1000+ yard receiver to one that was nothing short of a head case that suffered a bit from the dropsies.
Miami’s offense isn’t vertically oriented, and because of it, his SportsCenter clips were few and far between the last two seasons. But after being traded to the Vikings in the offseason, I immediately made note of it knowing full well a marriage between him, Teddy Bridgewater, and offensive coordinator Norv Turner would equate to some huge fantasy tallies.
In GPPs, you’re looking for guys that can go berserk and get you into some bonus point categories. Bridgewater showed well in his rookie campaign in throwing the deep ball, and now he’s got a viable threat to do even better with Wallace well versed in chasing down deep passes. He ranked out as the No. 26 WR a year ago, so his DFS salary to start the season will be on the lower end of the spectrum making him a top target early on that will be a key cog in cash games and GPPs all season long.
TE
Travis Kelce – The former Cincinnati Bearcat was forced to compete for snaps with Anthony Fasano throughout all of 2015. He ended up playing fewer snaps than that of his teammate but still wound up sixth among all TEs in catches and yards.
Now, this freak of nature has the position all to himself and I’m expecting Andy Reid to lean on him a ton with the Chiefs excellent one-two punch in the backfield opening up the middle of the field repeatedly.
Now this is more a recommendation to pony up and pay whatever his salary is in DFS, and look to draft him in the upper echelon of TEs in season long leagues. Kelce can be the next Gronk or Jimmy Graham, and if that turns out to be the case, you’re gonna be kicking yourself every passing week if you don’t make “Zeus” a part of your fantasy football plans in 2015-16.
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