Fantasy Football: Fallout from Andrew Luck retirement
By Drew DeLuca
Wide Receiver
T.Y. Hilton, Devin Funchess, Parris Campbell and Deon Cain: Those who have crossed Hilton off of their lists based on irrelevant 2017 numbers are making a mistake, for reasons outlined above. He is still a serviceable WR2 on teams who are strong at running back, as well as those that field an elite tight end. For those wondering about tiers, I’ve ranked Hilton between Tyler Lockett and ahead of Chris Godwin.
I was never especially high on Funchess from a fantasy perspective, given his fairly suspect hands. His size presents tremendous upside as a red zone target, but his prospects of becoming one were already tempered by two talented tight ends, Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle.
Campbell remains an attractive target in dynasty leagues, though his ceiling for 2019 was already limited by a hamstring injury, as Frank Reich told Kevin Hickey of ColtsWire.com (USA Today):
"“Yeah, it will definitely limit. I mean, we can still, when he’s full speed, he’s full speed. So, rather than having eight plays designed for him, it might be three plays designed for him,” Reich told reporters Wednesday. “And trying to pick, hey, what are the best three or four or five ways to try to use Parris in this game? Rather than play him 40 plays a game, maybe he gets 10 or 15 plays a game and then he gradually builds up from there.”"
Cain was on my radar as a deep sleeper, especially in deep dynasty leagues. The former Clemson product flashed at times during training camp, but he’s a fantasy non-factor unless Campbell’s hamstring injury continues to linger.
Overall Rankings: Hilton: WR21 – Funchess: WR59 – Campbell: WR83 – Cain: WR91