Last-minute fantasy football advice for all 32 NFL teams

Atlanta Falcons fantasy advice

Great fantasy quarterbacks do two things: They run a lot and they throw a lot. Matt Ryan doesn’t run much, but man, he throws the ball a ton. With Ryan, you know you’re sacrificing a seventh-round pick for double-digit points each week. Ryan won’t win you your league, but he probably won’t cost you it, either.

Todd Gurley could do either of those things. I don’t think Gurley has lost as big of a step as many people suggest — he averaged 14.8 points last year and only dipped below double-digits twice. However, his injury history scares me, as does his ability to maintain high-level production. He’s not the old Gurley, but if healthy, he can be a solid third running back to have on your team. Brian Hill is the backup to watch.

I love Calvin Ridley. Read my thread below to see why. I’m only higher on Clyde Edwards-Helaire this year. I wouldn’t touch Julio Jones at his current ADP. I’ve always said he’s a top wide receiver, but I’m not a  fan of him as a fantasy receiver. The reason is he’s surprisingly inconsistent — most of his points come from certain weeks. And like I’ve said, drafting receivers early is usually a mistake. That means you’ll need to hit on running backs later, which rarely happens. My bold prediction is Ridley outperforms Jones in fantasy this year.

I get the hype around Hayden Hurst, but I don’t buy it. He could take over Austin Hooper’s role, which could mean roughly seven targets a game. The big question for me: Who says Hurst is even good?

Carolina Panthers fantasy advice

Best of luck to you, Teddy Bridgewater, but fantasy rosters may not be your place, yet. My issue with Christian McCaffrey is it’s nearly impossible for him to finish as the No. 1 player in fantasy football again. In the last 11 years, the leading scorer in fantasy football has never repeated that feat the following year, per NFL.com. McCaffrey is worthy of the first pick, and he should still be a top fantasy player. But if you take him, you likely won’t be getting 2020’s best fantasy football player.

As a big fan of D.J. Moore, it pains me to not draft him after taking him in every league last season. I expect him to flourish in a revamped offense under Matt Rhule and Joe Brady. The problem is Moore’s ceiling may be a top-ten receiver, but his ADP is WR9. Unlike most of the top 15 receivers, he doesn’t have a good quarterback nor is he the lone man to eat targets. I love Moore as a player, but by drafting him, you’re not leaving much room for him to improve.

Curtis Samuel is talented and could blow past his ADP, if the new offense works (questionable) and Robby Anderson doesn’t eat into too many targets (unlikely). No Anderson for me, by the way. He has no upside, unlike tight end Ian Thomas. In the past two seasons, Thomas paced out to TE12 in games without Greg Olsen. He’s a flier I love taking if I really need a backup tight end late.

New Orleans Saints fantasy advice

I’m just not the type of person to have a starting quarterback who’s 40 years old with no running ability. Drew Brees is no longer a weekly starter, though he’ll definitely win you some weeks. If you pick Brees, make sure you have a solid backup to fill in for certain weeks.

Alvin Kamara is great. Even with lingering injury issues and two missed games, he finished as RB9 in 2019. For fantasy, he’s so close to Dalvin Cook for me that his possible holdout is enough to raise Cook above Kamara for now. Health aside, Cook has a slightly better chance to finish higher than Kamara due to Cook’s increased usage as a pure running back and in goal-line instances. Latavius Murray is a fine fourth running back, just don’t pair him with Kamara. The only way one of them will be good is if the other isn’t. Stop getting your players’ handcuffs unless you absolutely have room for them to sit on your bench.

I like Michael Thomas, but he won’t be the third-highest scoring player again. He could still be a top-three receiver, and if he falls out of the top-nine, I’d consider taking him. However, as I keep saying, you can get good receivers later. Shoot for a running back early. Why take Emmanuel Sanders when younger players with higher ceilings are in that range, like Jalen Reagor or Diontae Johnson?

Jared Cook is the only mid-round tight end I’d consider taking and that’s because you know what you’ll get with him. While I don’t expect the 33-year-old to be TE7 again, there’s nothing to suggest Cook takes too big of a step back.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fantasy advice

The same thing I said about Drew Brees applies to Tom Brady. That’s not saying Brady won’t be a bad quarterback this year. After all, Jameis Winston threw 30 interceptions and was still QB5. He has the best weapons he’s ever had and is still one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Bet on him if you must, I’ll take Josh Allen instead. (I never thought I’d say something like that.)

I’m also not touching any of the Bucs’ running backs. Ronald Jones has some upside, though the addition of Leonard Fournette puts a damper on any Jones hype. This may be a running back committee, even though Bruce Arians swears it’s Jones’ job. (Just like he swore the same thing about Andre Ellington, and Chris Johnson, and Peyton Barber).

I don’t see Chris Godwin repeating his WR2 success from last season, though he’s still a good option for your starting wide receiver. Unfortunately, I won’t be taking him or Mike Evans because of the dramatic drop-off in running backs. I say this every year, and every year I’m never proven wrong: Get running backs early because the rest are dart throws. You can always find productive receivers in the later rounds, too. Nonetheless, Godwin and Evans are worth a pick in the third round if you’re eyeing a wide receiver.

I get that Rob Gronkowski was an elite tight end, but the keyword is “was.” Why should you trust a 31-year-old tight end who took a year off and has major injury issues? Gronk lies in the dead zone for tight ends — avoid that whole group (Gronk, Henry, Higbee, Hooper, Hurst) until they prove they can stay healthy or be consistent. Instead, take a better player at another position.