Lovi's League Winners: Aug. 4, 2021
Carson Wentz and Quenton Nelson out, Running back battles, Daily draft sleeper
Carson Wentz’s tenure with the Indianapolis Colts has started off on the wrong foot, literally.
The six-year veteran, who is in his first season with his new team, will be sidelined 5-12 weeks after having surgery on his left foot earlier this week.
On top of that, the Colts announced on Tuesday that All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson will also miss 5-12 weeks with a similar foot injury that requires surgery.
Translation: Downgrade all Colts skill players.
Thinking about drafting Michael Pittman Jr.?
Think again.
Wanted to take a flyer on TY Hilton or Parris Campbell with a late-round pick?
Waiver wire here they come.
The biggest loser is Jonathan Taylor, the second-year running back who most experts had going in the mid-to-late first round in fantasy drafts. Taylor will surely drop to the second round now, and personally, I would stay away.
With only a handful of true bell cow backs in the league, and with many teams shifting to a RB rotation, it’s hard to find a reliable ball carrier in the middle and late rounds.
Several teams have entered camp with two more-than-capable backs in their stable.
Arizona Cardinals
Presumed starter: Chase Edmonds
Primary backup: James Conner
Buffalo Bills
Presumed starter: Zack Moss
Primary backup: Devin Singletary
Denver Broncos
Presumed starter: Melvin Gordon
Primary backup: Javonte Williams
Las Vegas Raiders
Presumed starter: Josh Jacobs
Primary backup: Kenyan Drake
San Francisco 49ers
Presumed starter: Raheem Mostert
Primary backup: Trey Sermon
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Presumed starter: Ronald Jones II
Primary backup: Leonard Fournette
While a couple of these players have a solid grip on their starting job, like Jacobs and Mostert, their backups were brought in for a reason.
If one of these backups stands out at the beginning of the season, or if injuries hamper their counterpart, these RBs could end up as a key contributor on your team.
With the majority of fantasy drafts firing up at the end of this month, each of my columns for the month will include a Daily Draft Sleeper.
To qualify as one of my draft sleepers, a player’s ADP (average draft position) must be later than Round 10. That’s it!
Seattle Seahawks RB: Rashaad Penny
Don’t get me wrong, I am a Chris Carson truther. In 2017 I drafted Carson with my last pick, back before he became a well-known name. I even got lucky and traded him after his terrific three-game spree to start his career, before getting injured and missing the rest of his rookie campaign. But the Seahawks spent a first-round pick on Penny back in 2018 for a reason. Penny was supposed to be the guy.
Injuries derailed Penny in his first few seasons, but Carson hasn’t always been healthy either. With a new offensive coordinator who is looking to relieve pressure off of Russell Wilson, I can see Carson and Penny both getting a hefty workload. And if Carson were to miss time, Penny would vault into clear borderline RB1 territory.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said this about Penny this past weekend:
“He looks really the best we’ve seen him. He looks really light on his feet. He’s really confident in his burst and changing direction and all that. He’s off to a great start. It’s really comforting to see that all of the work he did paid off. He stayed in town for the bulk of the offseason and worked with our guys. He maxed out here. You can see it. It’s big pay back here. Really anxious to see him and get going as we get into ball games and all.”
With one of my last picks, I am keying in on Rashaad Penny.