Preseason football is upon us, which means fantasy football season is quickly approaching. It’s time to get ahead of the game and be prepared for which aging veterans will be valuable assets to your team.
Ah, the “old” guys. Every year it is easy to forget about the aging veterans when drafting your fantasy football squad. While owners in your league are trying to look smart by drafting the young guy with potential, you can easily get great value with some solid veterans. These guys may not have an incredibly high ceiling, but you definitely should not forget about entirely on draft day.
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Let’s take a look at which of these aging veterans you should avoid in the draft, and which ones could end up helping you win a championship.
Avoid
RB Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers): Although it doesn’t seem like it, Stewart is only 29 years old. Entering his ninth season in the NFL, he has a lot of wear and tear on his body. Over the past four years he is averaging just over 10 games a season. You cannot count on him for a full season, and he is being drafted too high as a RB2 to be taken with so much risk.
In addition to health, I can see backup Cameron Artis-Payne getting a lot more touches this season. His major issue during his rookie season was pass protection which the Panthers made an emphasis for him to work on this offseason. His 4.1 YPC average wasn’t as good as expected but I can see a big leap forward in year two.
WR Vincent Jackson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Only totaling five touchdowns over the last two seasons, Jackson has highly under performed for his fantasy owners. During his 10 year career he has been very healthy and consistent, but did miss 6 games last year. Jackson can still perform well, as you could saw last year with his solid 16.5 average yards per catch last season.
I’m worried that he will suffer a big decline will this season, yet will still be way over drafted on his name alone. Mike Evans is the clear number one wide receiver and will garner the most targets from Jameis Winston.
RB Danny Woodhead (San Diego Chargers): Why avoid a running back who just had his career high in receiving yards last season with an impressive 756 yards? The answer is Melvin Gordon. Woodhead and his fantasy owners were the beneficiaries of the rookie struggles by Gordon last season. After working with Adrian Peterson on his fumbles, and getting Ken Whisenhunt as his offensive coordinator, you can expect Gordon to be far more involved in the offense.
Woodhead will still be in the mix, especially on third down and some red zone opportunities. However, he will not come close to the production he compiled last season. The Chargers will better this season, and won’t be dumping off all the time to running backs in garbage time. Also, Woodhead is 31 years old now, even though it feels like just yesterday he was fighting for a roster spot every year with the Jets.
Target
WR Anquan Boldin (Detroit Lions): Despite being the oldest (35 years old) on this list, I am the most confident in Boldin being someone you should absolutely target, and get great value in the later rounds. I was shocked at how long Boldin remained unsigned during free agency. The Lions got a steal this late in the offseason, and he will be a big part of the offense.
Golden Tate may still get the most targets, but it could be close. Boldin is expected to play out of the slot, with Tate and Marvin Jones on the outside. Even at this stage of his career, Boldin is the superior player to Jones. Especially in PPR leagues, you can play Boldin as a WR3 and reap the benefits. With Calvin Johnson gone, and Eric Ebron recovering with an ankle injury, there are plenty of targets to go around.
RB Rashad Jennings (New York Giants): The Giants rushing attack was awful last year, but there is some hope for improvement. The offensive line will be much better, and Jennings is 100% healthy at the moment. Andre Williams is penciled in now as the backup, but he has done nothing to prove he should be on the field more than a few plays a game. Shane Vereen is still around, but will only get third down opportunities.
This leaves Jennings to get the majority of plays out of the backfield. He had a solid 4.4 YPC last season. John Schmeelk of Giants.com believes Rashad Jennings will “get around 15-18 carries a game.” Rookie Paul Perkins will needs some time to develop, so Jennings will be a great value as a RB2/flex option at his current value. Of course, he does need to stay healthy.
RB Matt Forte (New York Jets): Being traded to the Jets provides a great opportunity for Forte at this point of his career. Chan Gailey’s spread offense is a perfect fit for him. Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker garner enough attention on the outside to create holes in the defense that a veteran like Forte will salivate over. With Fitzpatrick’s ability to find running backs, he will thrive in PPR leagues.
Unfortunately Forte is currently dealing with a slight hamstring injury, but the Jets are just being overly cautious with their veteran running back. Forte has been around long enough that training camp reps aren’t necessary. If he doesn’t play in any preseason games then there should be cause for concern. But for now, expect Forte and teammate Bilal Powell to both be great flex options in PPR league formats.
Good luck with your upcoming drafts, and don’t forget about those “old” veterans!