Lovi's League Winners: Aug. 6, 2021
Believe or disregard the hype, First-round draft order, Daily draft sleeper
With training camp in full swing, we are hearing all the whispers coming out of different camps. Teams promoting certain players, others leaving practice with nagging injuries and rookies getting reps with the first team.
Today I’m going to fill you in on whether I’m buying the hype or chalking it up to typical training camp chatter.
Believe the hype
Trey Lance - QB - San Francisco 49ers
I’m buying all the Trey Lance stock for a number of reasons.
The 49ers traded up to the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft to get their guy.
Multiple reports are saying he is impressing even more so than expected.
Jimmy Garoppolo is injury-prone.
If you aren’t satisfied with the first quarterback you draft, spending your last pick on Lance is a solid backup plan. Let him marinate on your bench for a couple of weeks until he inevitably takes over the starting role in San Francisco. And if Garoppolo ends up looking good and holding onto the job, simply cut bait with Lance at a low cost.
Rashod Bateman - WR - Baltimore Ravens
A first-round pick by the Ravens in this year’s draft, Bateman is poised to see a good amount of time on the field. Baltimore let Willie Snead walk, brought in Sammy Watkins (only 37 receptions for 421 yards last year) and Marquise Brown is already dealing with injuries.
Bateman did leave practice early last week with muscle tightness but is expected to be ready for preseason action, while Brown could miss the first few weeks of the season.
As of now, Bateman is still going undrafted in mock drafts but his ADP is on the rise. Granted, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is known for his running ability more than his passing ability and his No. 1 target is tight end Mark Andrews, but I still think Bateman has a chance to be a valuable piece on a fantasy roster. He is worth a late-round gamble or look to scoop him up off the waiver wire if he goes undrafted, but the price might be high if he explodes against a suspect Las Vegas Raiders defense on Monday Night Football.
Disregard the hype
Kenny Golladay - WR - New York Giants
To be fair, this is more of an indictment of the Giants’ offense than Golladay himself, but you are only as good as the team surrounding you.
Star running back Saquon Barkley could start off the year slow, quarterback Daniel Jones is still getting acclimated as a pro and the Giants might arguably have the worst offensive line in the league.
I was higher on Golladay when news broke in the offseason he’d be joining the Giants, but with horror stories coming out early from training camp (including a huge team fight), plus a hamstring injury that will sideline him for 2-3 weeks, I’m starting to sour on the fifth-year receiver quickly.
DeVonta Smith - WR - Philadelphia Eagles
Similar to Golladay, I’m more concerned about the pieces of the puzzle surrounding Smith than the player himself. There is no doubt he is an explosive playmaker, as evidenced by his outstanding college career. The Eagles obviously think highly of him, spending a No. 10 pick on the talented wideout. But when it comes to the Eagles’ offense, there’s just not a lot to be excited about.
Miles Sanders has shown little to no improvement over the course of two seasons (he is one of the worst-rated RBs in the passing game), Jalen Hurts brings with him question marks in his first full year as the starting QB and first-time head coach Nick Sirianni is unproven.
On top of all that, Smith injured his knee in practice, and while we don’t know the severity of the injury, a rookie missing time in training camp and potentially preseason action is never a good sign.
His ADP is starting to level out after being way higher just a few short weeks ago, but there are several other players I’m selecting before him who are going around the same time in drafts.
Fantasy drafts are just around the corner and we’re starting to find out where we will be picking. If you’re like me, even before finding out your draft position, you're hitting the mock drafts from every position.
I’ve done several mock drafts from every position, and based on my rankings, this is the order I’ve landed on in a standard 12-team .5PPR league, barring injuries.
Christian McCaffrey
Dalvin Cook
Derrick Henry
Alvin Kamara
Ezekiel Elliot
Nick Chubb
Davante Adams
Tyreek Hill
Aaron Jones
Saquon Barkley
Stefon Diggs
Travis Kelce
Disclaimer: This is based on my personal rankings and each of you should weigh your decisions based on the info you have and your gut feeling. Most experts don’t want to admit it, but a lot of fantasy decisions are based on a gut feeling.
Am I a little biased because Saquon Barkley burned me last year? Probably.
Do I have Nick Chubb higher than most because I’m bullish on the Browns’ offense? Maybe.
My advice is to always go with your gut. If you think Aaron Jones is going to explode this season and you value him more than Chubb, Zeke or Adams, go for it! If you have the No. 7 pick and want to shore up your TE spot early, go ahead and draft Kelce.
Always remember, it’s your team and you can construct it however you please.
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 must be later than Round 10. That’s it!
Arizona Cardinals WR: A.J. Green
You might be saying to yourself, “No way. There is no way I am drafting A.J. Green.”
I don’t blame you. You want someone else to take that risk.
I for one am willing to take that risk depending on my roster construction.
Before getting injured in 2018 and missing the entire 2019 season, Green was well on his way toward a Hall of Fame career. He returned in 2020, and while his receptions and touchdowns don’t jump off the page, he did receive 104 targets in a Cincinnati Bengals offense that featured two high-impact WRs in Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
Green has a fresh start in Arizona with a quarterback in Kyler Murray who loves to sling the rock and an offense that favors three and four wide receiver sets. With all the attention on DeAndre Hopkins, Green will have an opportunity to shine opposite of him.
No doubt there will be some frustrating weeks, but if Green can return to just 75 percent of his former self, he could offer flex value at certain times throughout the season.