samStartup drafts can get long and tedious once you hit a certain point. The eight-hour timer between picks, the endless negotiating and postering for every selection, and the seemingly fewer options the deeper you go. You may find yourself taking guys to keep things moving after a while. Here’s something that we all know to be true but often find hard to remember and put into practice: there are values found in even the latest rounds. Identifying players in promising situations who could offer potential starting value in a pinch can help win those heavy bye-week matchups or save you…...

As the dust has settled following the NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency, we can start to project how we think players and offenses will look heading into next season. It’s a tedious exercise, and much can (and likely will) change between now and the fall. However, it provides a chance to uncover some potential values that can be acquired below cost. Last season, Chris Godwin found himself in a unique situation. Not having reached the breakout threshold for wide receivers (200 PPR points) heading into his third season, many wondered if he was ready to make the…...

The offseason never fails to produce intriguing storylines. Teams release established assets to free up cap space or make room for incoming rookies. High profile players are traded to new teams, and the fantasy community does its best to determine who benefits and who is looking like the odd man out.  One more prominent player who transitioned to a new offense this offseason was Robby Anderson. Formerly of the New York Jets, he signed a two year/$20 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers, in their own right, have been busy retooling their franchise over the past few months…....

As teams around the league begin to feature a more pass-heavy approach on offense, more wide receivers are becoming relevant for fantasy owners. It’s been talked about how the wide receiver position is the deepest it’s ever been, both with current players extending their careers and talented rookies coming in each spring. The challenge for fantasy owners is identifying the best value for their investment. Becoming too fixated on one player can blind you to other values within a given tier. Chasing the WR2 or even the WR3 on specific teams can yield an advantage that allows you to build…...

We are officially into the month of May, and the 2020 NFL Draft is firmly behind us. Now that we’ve had a decent length of time to get over the shock and surprise of a few picks, I wanted to circle back and provide some insight into what I believe in having been one of the more surprising picks in the first round, besides the Jordan Love pick. The Dallas Cowboys had one of the premier wide receivers from this class fall into their lap at 17th overall. Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy made CeeDee Lamb the third wideout taken…...

Finally. It seems to have taken almost forever, but we finally had something sports-related that could bring us together. In a time filled with uncertainty, and a distinct lack of sports, the NFL Draft provided us the cup of water in the desert, just enough to keep going. It’s been an exciting first two days of the NFL Draft. Questions have been answered, and there is beginning to be some clarity to a wide range of long-debated offseason topics. It’s easy to have gut-reactions to landing spots. The fantasy community is excellent at overreacting. On the first day of the…...

One of the biggest second-half storylines last year was the Tennessee Titans’ run to the AFC Championship Game. We’ve all heard how impressive Ryan Tannehill was when he became the full-time starter (noted in the chart below) and how Derrick Henry bulldozed his way to a rushing title. The A.J. Brown truthers (myself included) have been out in full force this offseason and expectations are high for this team. One under-the-radar player for the Titans over the second-half of 2019 was their second-string tight end, Jonnu Smith. Smith, who took over for the injured Delanie Walker after Week 6, finished…...

Sometimes, all a guy needs is a chance. This is especially true for an undrafted free agent. To not even be among the top 250-ish players drafted does not often signify future success. Past undrafted players have broken the mold into fantasy relevance, including Phillip Lindsay and Preston Williams, but they are the exception rather than the norm. When an undrafted player gets a chance and performs well on the field, teams and fantasy owners tend to take notice. However, when that same player lands himself an excellent contract on a quality team, that tends to mean something even more…....

There are multiple ways to build a competitive fantasy roster. Some owners prefer to lock up elite options at quarterback or tight end, others try to trade up into the early rounds as much as possible, and still, others decide to trade back and rely on depth to fall to them in later rounds. Regardless of your preferred method of roster construction, identifying usable depth at a discounted price is critical. Targeting players who are in favorable situations and may not have much of a surface-level role, especially in a dynasty league, can keep you a step ahead of your…...

As we inch closer to the 2020 NFL Draft, another splash trade was announced when the Houston Texans made yet another move at the wide receiver position: they acquired Brandin Cooks from the Los Angeles Rams. Here are the details of the trade: Texans get – Brandin Cooks, 2022 4th-round pick Rams get – 2020 2nd-round pick (57th overall) This move makes it four different teams for Cooks as he prepares to enter his seventh season in the league. At 26-years old, his athleticism and history of consistent, high-end production offer a high ceiling for fantasy owners as he becomes…...