Sports – 2022 Fantasy Football: RBs & WRs

With the season beginning soon and many fantasy drafts planned for the next few weekends, it’s time to prep for your 2022 Fantasy Football team. Here is my advice/predictions as it relates to running backs and wide receivers:

RBs

• CMC – I grabbed Christian McCaffrey in a trade last year, hoping he would make it back from his injury, and even though that didn’t work out, I have no hard feelings.  He is a spectacular running back, almost as good a wide receiver, and can take your fantasy team to the playoffs almost single-handedly.  There are few better options this year for the first RB picked, assuming that he can stay healthy.  Now, that’s been a problem, that’s a real concern, but it McCaffrey falls to you late you may have to roll the dice; the ceiling is that high.
• Second Tier – If CMC is on a level all his own because of his potential usage, then the guys right with him aren’t that far behind, and may be better because they might be less likely to get hurt.  Grab a guy from the next bunch as soon as you possibly can, probably in Round 1 and potentially before CMac, because they may be worth more.  Taylor, Henry, Ekeler, Mixon; you’d be lucky to have any from this group on your team, and I think they’re capable of leading your club, assuming you can give them some support.  If you miss out, grab Cook, Kamara, Chubb, or Connor, and you’ll still have a solid back to build a team on the back of.
• Middle of the Pack – There is a great group of young RBs right in the middle of the pack that could be incredible assets this year, so grab one or two and thank me later.  Especially for the value, because they aren’t super high up the list, these guys will be killer picks if they work out the way they’re capable of.  Najee, Javonte, Cam, Antonio; this is a value group, because they all have great potential and they won’t cost you an arm & a leg.  Last but not least, try out D’Andre Swift, the quick back for Detroit; his team might not be good but he sure is, if he can stay healthy.
• New Roles – Then there’s a group that have new roles, whether by free agency or the draft or injury to another player, so their value is questionable, and I wouldn’t pick them as more than backups.  Eli Mitchell, Breece Hall, JK Dobbins back from a year out with an injury; it’s anyone’s guess how these dudes will do, but they have potential to be impact players on their teams, as well as part of your fantasy squad.  If Javonte Williams ever gets hurt, Melvin Gordon could be a steal, and look out for AJ Dillon slowly taking over the GB job from Aaron Jones.
• Deep Dives – If you want to take a bigger chance, go down the list and nab some backs who won’t be on many radars and just might prove to be diamonds in the rough.  David Montgomery in lackluster Chicago, Saquon Barkley on the rebound, Josh Jacobs who just keeps trucking, Zeke who people have forgotten about, Damien Harris the sneaky back in NE, CEH under the radar in KC; if you’re willing to roll the dice in a later round one of these guys might just come up a winner, just don’t reach too early because there will be safer bets available.

WRs

• LAR – If you’re lucky enough to get Cooper Kupp and Matt Stafford on your team, I think you’ve got a winning pair that might take you all the way to the championship.  Kupp is by far the best fantasy receiver in the league, and he could be the top league wideout as well.  He is incredible, off the charts, so good, and could catapult you toward a trophy.  I also think he works even better as a companion piece to Stafford in LA, so try to get ’em both if you can; you won’t regret it.
• The Chefs – A couple years ago it was a surprise, but this year don’t be caught without players from Kansas City, because that team scores.  Mahomes & Kelce & whatever running back they throw in there (Clyde E-H) we know about, but don’t forget about all the new WRs, now that Hill is gone and that void needs filled.  Someone has to step up, catch Mahomes’ passes, and score his TDs, so who’s it gonna be?  Grab Juju or Mecole or whoever emerges as #1 & #2 after preseason is over, because those guys are going to rack up points, it’s inevitable.
• Pair Up – I’m a big believer in pairing a QB with the WR; I understand that having too many players from one team on your fantasy team can lead to let downs if that one team has a bad day, but I don’t think one QB/WR combo is too much; if your QB has a bad day you’re in for trouble anyway.  So pick one of these top duos: Mahomes/JuJu, Herbert/Allen, Carr/Adams, Brady/Evans, Burrow/Chase, Stafford/Kupp, Wilson/Sutton, Dak/Lamb, Allen/Diggs.
• Unpaired – The good thing about getting a top wideout is that, when you play a team with your WR’s QB, you have them blocked, like playing a team with Allen you know he’s gonna throw to your Diggs, so you don’t have as much to worry about.  The opposite is true about the Cardinals, the Ravens the Eagles, the Saints, the Titans; they have two or three receivers who all rank the same, and not extremely high, so you have no idea which one will score and block a team who trots out their QB.  That’s a good reason to get a passer who you can’t predict, but it’s a bad reason to get one of a group of receivers who might score or get blanked on any given day.
• Avoidance – And now for some team’s receivers to avoid, for various reasons.  Cleveland is a mess, so don’t even trust Cooper, who’s good otherwise.  McLaurin will take a major hit with Carson the Dud throwing to him, so avoid.  Who knows how Matt Ryan will do, he’s getting kinda old, so be careful with Indy receivers until one proves himself.  Tyreek Hill is a gamble in Miami, we just don’t know how that will work.  I wouldn’t draft any GB WRs, not early anyway, Rodgers doesn’t have another Adams waiting in the wings.  And Seattle’s wideouts are completely wasted on either Lock or Geno.

Hope this helped!  Good luck!

Sports – 2022 Fantasy Football: QBs

With the season beginning soon, and many fantasy drafts planned for the next few weekends, it’s time to prep for your 2022 Fantasy Football team. Here is my advice/predictions as it relates to quarterbacks:

• Numero Uno – There is no better QB prospect this season than Josh Allen, the stud who has lit up the league the last couple years.  His numbers are consistent, even a step down would still land him near the top of the list, and you can trust in Allen.  Pick Josh (but few other Bills) to start for your team; you’ll be thanking him during your playoffs.  The only other real #1 option is Patrick Mahomes, so pick your favorite and roll the dice.
• Teamwork – While you don’t want to get too many players from one team in case they have a bad game, a lot of top tier QBs have a top tier wideout to go with them, and picking the pair might not be a bad idea.  Stafford-Kupp, Herbert-Allen, Carr-Adams, Allen-Diggs, Wilson-Sutton, Dak-Lamb, Brady-Evans, Burrow-Chase; you could do much worse than to have these duos on your team.
• Red Zone – And speaking of Wilson, there’s reason to believe that Russ could have a killer year.  The first reason is obviously his transfer to a better team, but there’s also the fact that Wilson has simply grown into an excellent QB, is surrounded by a solid roster, with coaches who are hell-bent on winning.  With Sutton & Jeudy on the team as well, the sky’s the limit for this versatile quarterback.  He could reach 35-40 total TDs, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.
• Father Time – But now for the bad news; not every famous QB deserves a spot on top of your fantasy depth chart.  The older they get the more their skill falls off, that’s just proven fact, so be mindful of the senior class.  Brady is going to take a step back this year, it has to happen, I think that’s inevitable …right? …no? …and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirk Cousins and maybe even Matt Ryan step back with him.  Guys like Tannehill, Goff, Mariota, and Wentz might be falling off the radar or at least suspect, and they aren’t even that old; father time is undefeated.
• Bounce Back – There are a few signal callers who aren’t as coveted as perhaps they once were, but there’s a chance they bounce back up to the top, so be there to nab them if you think they might trend upward.  Dak could have a resurgent year after his injuries and missteps, but perhaps he’s not a surprise any longer, so someone will take him too high; get one of the guys who might come a little cheaper.  Murray, Jackson, Winston, Hurts, Brissett; you could do worse than someone from this group, just be willing to wait a while before making the move.
• The Untouchables – Unfortunately, every year there is a group of guys who you just simply can’t draft, at least not until they’ve proven themselves surprisingly worthy, and in that case you just pick them up from the waiver wire.  Lawrence, Fields, Lock, Mills, Zach Wilson, either Jones; they don’t have enough talent around them to score enough points for you to consider (except maybe Trey).

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Sports – 2022 NFL Predictions

The 2022 NFL season is almost upon us, with Free Agency and the Draft complete, Training Camps beginning, and the Regular Season right around the corner.  It’s time for Olie’s Too-Early-To-Tell Season Predictions!  Here’s to another great year!

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