3 NFL Players Who Will Be Drafted Too Early in Fantasy
We’re still about a month away from the barrage of NFL season-long fantasy drafts, but it is certainly not too early to start thinking about players to target, or players to avoid. The craziness of the offseason has subsided, and for the most part, fans know who will appear on the depth chart for all 32 NFL teams, even if we may not know what the workload for those players might look like.
Every year, there are players whose hype trains are in full steam ahead mode during the summer, when legitimate concerns about their ability to produce are overlooked or mitigated. We will take a look at three players who will likely not return the type of value many fantasy football players expect.
Tyreek Hill
There’s been a lot of attention paid to the Miami Dolphins quarterback situation in the last few months. It is absolutely fair to point out that Tua Tagovailoa is nowhere near the player that Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes has been, or comparable to a lot of other promising young quarterbacks . To that end, prized offseason acquisition wide receiver Tyreek Hill has taken to various forms of media to defend his new signal-caller as accurate and talented.
Be that as it may, it would be quite surprising if Hill posted numbers anywhere close to what he recorded with the Chiefs. The questions surrounding Tagovailoa’s ability to get the ball down the field are legitimate. Even if the former Alabama quarterback is able to deliver accurate deep shots to Hill, Miami does not figure to be a predominantly pass-heavy offense. New head coach Mike McDaniel’s offensive background is centered around running the ball, which may mean less opportunities for pass catchers like Hill and teammate Jaylen Waddle.
Alvin Kamara
A lot has changed for the New Orleans Saints and star running back Alvin Kamara in the last year and a half. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees retired, and offensive guru head coach Sean Payton stepped down from the post he manned since 2006. Defensive-minded head coach Dennis Allen will run the team this season, and the Saints offense will hope that quarterback Jameis Winston can return to form after an ACL injury.
In addition, Kamara may be subjected to a suspension. All of these question marks paint a cloudy picture for Kamara’s ability to be among the elite fantasy producers this season. If he has to miss games, and be the focal point of an offense without a distinctive scheme or other weapons, Kamara’s value can sink to the middle of the pack.
Amari Cooper
There may be no team that is harder to predict heading into the year than the Cleveland Browns. NFL odds can shift dramatically based on if and when new quarterback Deshaun Watson receives a suspension from the league. The organization certainly seems to view the 2022 season as a win-now opportunity, given their notable trade for former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper.
There’s no questioning Cooper’s talent, but the uncertainty under center for Cleveland dampens the receiver’s fantasy prospects. Head coach Kevin Stefanski would probably like to open up the offense a little bit more than he did when Baker Mayfield was the quarterback, but his hands will be tied if Watson can’t get on the field. Jacoby Brissett is a solid NFL backup, but isn’t reliable enough to make Cooper one of the premier pass catchers in fantasy football.
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