I am very sick. No seriously, I am really sick writing this. But hey the NFL Draft is in 48 hours, woohay! On Sunday, we looked at the Best Fantasy Football Fits for NFL Draft Prospects. I know, I can read and type out that entire title character-for-character. I am great at what I do.
Today, it is time to review the situations that could become ugly for fantasy managers if teams draft players of a certain position. While some will have players in, others will have just general positions. I tend to worry about a player being drafted to a spot with a pick that is a 3rd or higher. So I wouldn’t worry about 4th round picks coming in to mess up a situation.
We are almost there. Two.
A Running Back to the Denver Broncos
Now this would make me incredibly sad. Fantasy managers have a dream that Javonte Williams will be the number one option for the Broncos this year, and nobody like Melvin Gordon will come in and swipe touches from him. Sadly, even Gordon is being rumored to go back to Denver. Now a rookie going there would make me incredibly sad. Melvin Gordon going back there would make me distraught.
I do however expect the Broncos to bring in a complimentary piece, the question is when. Williams is being drafted as the RB6 right now at 9th overall (too high in my estimation). If the Broncos bring in a running back, that price will settle down a bit. I would expect Williams to become the primary ball toter this year for the Broncos, but he probably won’t register much over 20 touches per contest any way.
If the Broncos spend a 2nd or a 3rd round pick on a young running back, I will be totally out on Javonte Williams as a top-18 pick. I still could get on board with him towards the round 2-3 turn, but before that may be a tad rich for my blood.
Malik Willis to the Carolina Panthers
In the immediate future, this would be a train wreck. HC Matt Rhule is fighting for his job, and Willis is not ready to go right away. In Carolina, he probably would be thrusted into a starting role rather quickly. That wouldn’t end well for anyone. Willis is not consistent enough yet as a passer, and while I love the rushing upside he brings to the table, I wouldn’t love it for other members of his offense.
I am not huge on Christian McCaffrey given his recent injury red flags. McCaffrey is currently going as the RB4, and I am sorry but that is too high. Even if McCaffrey is back to his elite level, I won’t be taking him this year given the ineptitude of this offense. The team is bad, and while McCaffrey is a fantasy superstar he has presented more headaches over the last two seasons than reward.
Willis in Carolina would create all sorts of problems for Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore. I have always been a fan of Moore, as he has gotten an unfair label placed on him since he stepped onto the scene. Get Moore a legit quarterback and he is a star, that’s it. Anderson is a solid number two for Carolina. He shouldn’t be someone that is on your fantasy radar, with or without Willis, unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Garrett Wilson to the Atlanta Falcons
Very easily could have just put down “any wide receiver to the Falcons” for this entry, but we will name some names. Marcus Mariota stands to be the next starting quarterback for the team. While he had his moments a year ago as a passer whilst in Las Vegas coming in for Derek Carr, I don’t trust him over an entire season.
Kyle Pitts is coming off boards in early round 4 in twelve team setups, and that is too high for my liking. Cordarrelle Patterson at his current price in round 10 is something I could be particularly interested in. Anything higher than that and I would have to have a real think about Patterson.
Wilson would immediately step in as the go-to playmaker at wide receiver, but how much do I really want to invest into this offense is the ultimate question. The Falcons do need receiver help, with their current number one receiver being Olamide Zaccheaus. I expect Atlanta to take multiple receivers in this draft. Wilson is a very solid receiver, with safe hands and a wide array of tricks up his sleeve. Yet investing in an offense where Marcus Mariota holds the keys to success? Yup, no thank you!
