Welcome to my fourth installment of the Decoding Backfields series. In my last three pieces, I broke down the backfields for the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and Miami Dolphins. Next up, an aging star and an underused, unappreciated asset. How will the Houston Texans backfield look heading into this upcoming season? Let’s take a closer look. David Johnson Peak David Johnson was a sight…...

In my first two articles of this series, I did my best to decode the San Francisco 49ers backfield and the Baltimore Ravens backfield heading into this season. Those two offenses have significant fantasy value, especially on the ground. Identifying the best player for his specific value can make a big difference in the success of your fantasy team. As difficult as it is to…...

Running back-heavy constructions are all the rage in 2020. This is despite research that repeatedly shows the flaws in this approach. One persistent narrative may be the culprit: wide receiver is deep. This is certainly not the case from an evidence-based perspective. The Win the Flex tool shows you how many points have been scored relative to ADP by the different positions. After the megastar…...

In my last piece, I took a closer look at the San Francisco 49ers backfield and how you should approach that fantasy goldmine this upcoming season. Talented players, unique opportunities, and changing ADP all factor into making the best decision for your roster. Decoding it correctly can lend you league-winning upside. If there is a team with as much wealth in the ground game as…...

Last year, Curtis Patrick gave you Austin Ekeler long before anyone else had solved the Chargers backfield riddle. Now, he shares his 2020 fantasy running backs who won’t cost you an early pick but could land you a championship.  This isn’t an article that focuses on the no-brainer, high-volume running backs being selected in the first handful of rounds of every fantasy draft. You can’t…...

The calendar turning to June means the redraft season is about to pick up. If you are starting to begin your research and gather insight to prepare for your upcoming draft, you may notice some names and orders of names near the top of current ADP lists from what you may have remembered at the end of last season. Offseason hype, coach speak, free agency…...

Teams that win fantasy championships have one, often multiple, player(s) that significantly outperform ADP. Conservatism rarely pushes teams to the top of their leagues’ standings. In fact, it often works against them, anchoring them to the middle of the pack. This isn’t a new idea and we often talk about upside on the site. Historically, we’ve offered a number of tools that provide snapshots of…...

Welcome to summer! Well, not officially yet, I suppose, but Memorial Day Weekend is often seen as the unofficial start of summer. With that in mind, I figured I would debut my first redraft-focused piece of the offseason. For all you dynasty players, no worries. There will still be plenty of content coming for you. Besides, focusing on one-year cycles (like redraft) is a useful…...

Dave Caban shares his initial 2020 redraft rankings, discusses his process, and identifies three values currently available in bast ball and redraft leagues. The draft is behind us, depth charts are falling in to place, and the majority of major offseason moves have been made. It’s time to gear up for the 2020 fantasy football season! With that in mind, let’s take a look at…...

Every year the NFL draft offers depth-chart surprises at running back. Veterans dodge the rookie bullet and suddenly have new life. Solid starters find themselves in a battle with young upstarts. Even rising stars get more committee help than they really wanted. Nine runners are going in the first round of FFPC and Fanball best-ball leagues, and all of them offer workloads that appear immune…...

Shawn Siegele looks at the biggest winners and losers in superflex formats after a wild week of free agency at the quarterback position. The first week of free agency has brought a flurry of fantasy stories, from the DeAndre Hopkins trade that inspired a fantasy tidal wave to Stefon Diggs’ controversial arrival in Buffalo. But the central narrative in 2020 has focused on the unprecedented…...

Jordan Howard has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins for more than $10 million. The 10th back selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, Howard has wildly outperformed those original expectations, but his career immediately entered a downward trajectory after a fantastic rookie season. Can he do more than play spoiler to the Dolphins eventual selection in the 2020 affair? Back in…...

The Buffalo Bills have reportedly acquired Stefon Diggs for first, fourth, fifth, and sixth-round picks spread across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Diggs now joins an ascending Bills offense, while escaping the Vikings throwback approach. Can he succeed with Josh Allen at the helm? Of all current fantasy players, no one is associated with RotoViz quite like Stefon Diggs. A fantastic but unheralded prospect out…...

Austin Hooper has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. The move keeps him from building on the 2019 breakout in Atlanta and muddies the ceilings for Baker Mayfield’s loaded cast of weapons. After slowly growing his game from 2016 to 2018, Hooper burst into the spotlight with a 2019 campaign that saw him join the league’s elite. The numbers…...

Ryan Tannehill re-signed with the Tennessee Titans on a four-year pact reported at $118 million. With Tannehill staying in Tennessee, the first domino falls in a wild quarterback market. Tannehill resurrected his career in 2019 in a wild comeback season that included seven QB1 finishes in his last eight games. His reality impact was even larger, with the team exploding in a wide variety of…...