Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers…Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter runs a downfield passing offense that suits Jameis Winton’s stature and arm strength. Add that fact to the excellent big body down field receivers at his disposal in Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson and you have Fantasy goodness right? Not so fast. The issue that will stifle Jameis’ fantasy output will be the Bucs’ lack of running game and the offensive line that will be protecting him. The Bucs’ line was horrendous last season but looked to improve in this year’s draft by selecting Donovan Smith and Ali Mapret. Even with these additions the line is still suspect and will result in Winston turnovers as he attempts to make a play downfield.
Fantasy Value – QB2
Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans…The Titans decided to stay put and select Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick in the draft. At first glance you would think Mariota has no fantasy value because of how much he will need to improve his pocket presence, ability to read an NFL defense, and overall knowledge of pro concepts. But what Mariota possess that will have an immediate impact for your fantasy team is his legs. He will be able to make up points on the ground that he lacks through the air. Remember Tim Tebow was a viable fantasy starting quarterback even when he completed less than 50% of his passes.
Fantasy Value – QB2
Amari Cooper – Oakland Raiders…The first wide receiver selected in the 2015 draft gets to play for the Oakland Raiders. Oh No!!! The Raiders are known to be a black hole for NFL receivers, as they even made the great Randy Moss look average. But this is not that same Raiders team and by all accounts got the draft right the last two seasons giving them a potential franchise quarterback in Derek Carr. Cooper, the best route runner in the draft comes to town and immediately becomes Carr’s number one option in the passing game and should have success early and often.
Fantasy Value – WR2
Kevin White – Chicago Bears…If you haven’t seen Kevin White’s tape at West Virginia please go ahead and do yourself a favor and watch it. White is an explosive wide receiver who has the potential to explode on the fantasy scene playing opposite Alshon Jeffrey. Jay Cutler has his shortcomings but he will put it up in the air and give both his receiver and the defense a chance to make a play. White will come down with his share of jump balls and can vault himself to being named the offensive rookie of the year.
Fantasy Value – WR2
Todd Gurley – St Louis Rams…With the 10th pick in the draft the Rams had quite a decision to make, draft a position of need (offensive line or wide receiver) or draft the best player on their board in Todd Gurley. Jeff Fisher and the Rams decided on the latter pairing Gurley with last season rookie standout running back Tre Mason. The competition of Mason doesn’t really scare me away from Gurley as he is definitely the number one back in a Jeff Fisher run first offense. But what does temper my expectations is the Rams’ woeful offensive line coupled with the conservative approach the Rams will have early on with Gurley recovering from his ACL injury. Once he gets going Gurley will not look back as he is a rare breed with the ability to power through defenses and put on the jets in the open field.
Fantasy Value – RB2
DeVante Parker – Miami Dolphins…The Dolphins have been doing their best this off-season to surround quarterback Ryan Tannenhill with offensive weapons. They get the large catch radius, big body wideout who high points and snags passes in Parker that Tannenhill hasn’t had in his career thus far. Parker is an instant red zone threat with the ability to lead all rookie receivers in TDs. The addition of Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings, and Jordan Cameron to go along with second year standout Jarvis Landry will limit Parker’s targets. Therefore, I do not have him as high as White or Cooper.
Fantasy Value – WR3
Melvin Gordon – San Diego Chargers…The Chargers traded up in the first round to ensure they get the back they coveted. This pick to me is great on so many levels. Great for the Chargers, great for Rivers, great for Gordon, and great for fantasy owners. All isn’t great though as Gordon has two major question marks that can limit his fantasy production and playing time. Ball security (second highest fumble rate in this year’s class) and pass protection (wasn’t asked to do this much at Wisconsin). Once Gordon proves these are none issues he will eventually thrive in San Diego’s offense with his game breaking talent and open field prowess. Dynasty league owners should be salivating to get Gordon as the sky is the limit.
Fantasy Value – RB2
Nelson Agholor – Philadelphia Eagles…Pac 12 love is definitely in the house when Chip Kelly decided to select USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor with the 20th pick in the draft. What a great situation for Agholor as he will try and fill former Eagle Jeremy Maclin’s shoes who mind you put up an 85/1318/10 line last season in Kelly’s offense. The Eagles spread offense will give the rookie a lot of space to operate in huge passing windows where he can use his explosiveness to rack up yards in bunches after the catch. Don’t be surprised if Agholor leads all rookie WRs in fantasy points at the end of the season. He will be one of my top targets in fantasy drafts as you will be able to get him later than the “Big 3” WRs above.
Fantasy Value – WR3
Breshad Perriman – Baltimore Ravens…Baltimore desperately needed to fill the deep threat void vacated by Torrey Smith in the off-season and wasted no time selecting UCF’s Breshard Perriman in the first round. The 4.24 40 yard dash Perriman ran at his pro day turned heads causing his stock to rise but will he be able to produce out the gate? Perriman essentially is a Torrey Smith 2.0 with a high college drop rate and very raw tools when it comes to route running. He will have big fantasy weeks but I’m not confident he will be consistent enough to be rosterable on your fantasy teams. I would let someone else in your league take the gamble on this high risk, low reward player.
Fantasy Value – WR5
Phillip Dorsett – Indianapolis Colts…What will opposing defenses do with T.Y. Hilton on one side and speedster Phillip Dorsett on the other side. Well I have the answer, double team Hilton. T.Y. which will open up the field for Andrew Luck to take advantage everywhere else on the field making Dorsett a very interesting name to target in your fantasy drafts. However, I am not bullish on Dorsett mainly because the Colts have perhaps the most offensive weapons in the NFL. The Colts predominately run two tight end sets limiting the amount of snaps Dorsett will play. Add that to the fact they already have Hilton, Andre Johnson, and Donte Moncrief already on the roster. Unless injuries take a toll on the offense, I see Dorsett as a player to be kept on your bench.
Fantasy Value – WR4
