Rookie Wide Receivers To Draft In Fantasy Football

Every fantasy footballer wants to draft the player who ends up breaking out in the upcoming fantasy football year. With wide receivers such as Victor Cruz, AJ Green, and Julio Jones being picked up in the late rounds in most fantasy drafts last year, who will be the steals of this draft? Below are some rookies that were drafted in this year’s NFL Draft who I believe are capable of producing fantasy numbers in the top 10 or 15 at the wide receiver position.

Stephen Hill (New York Jets) – Hill played two years at Georgia Tech where he became known as a game changing deep threat. With nearly 30 receiving yards per catch, Hill can open up the defense with his outstanding speed. Not only that but, he is also quite tall at 6’4” so, he has the capabilities to jump above the opposing defenders when the ball is in the air at the point of catch, something he did quite well at Georgia Tech. Hill (who had a 40-yard dash time of 4.36 seconds at the NFL Combine) is comparable to a bigger and stronger version of DeSean Jackson (who had a 40-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds at the NFL combine) due to his explosiveness off the line and his big play abilities.

The New York Jets picked Hill in the second round (45^th overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft. With Plaxico Burress no longer on the team, Hill can fill in opposite to Santonio Holmes in the Jets starting lineup. I would consider Hill to be a No. 3 fantasy wideout, with less emphasis in PPR leagues but, who has the potential to be a high end No. 2 or low end No. 1 fantasy wideout.

Mohamed Sanu (Cincinnati Bengals) – Sanu played three season at Rutgers piling up 210 receptions and was picked in the third round (83 overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanu even broke the Big-East single season reception record with 115 receptions. The record was previously held by Arizona Cardinals’ receiver, Lary Fitzgerald. Sanu does not have overwhelming speed but, what he does posses is the ability to find the open areas in the middle of the field. He is not afraid to put his body in the way of an opposing defender so he can make the catch. With his great body positioning, as well as excellent hands, Sanu will be thrown to often in the young Cincinnati Bengals’ passing game.

With Jerome Simpson gone, AJ Green is now seen as the sole deep threat, so there will be more of an opportunity for Sanu to run routes down the middle of the field, and provide a set of reliable hands on 3^rd down. I would consider Sanu to be a No. 2 fantasy wide receiver in standard leagues, and a No. 1/No. 2 fantasy wide receiver in PPR leagues.

Alshon Jeffery (Chicago Bears) – Jeffery, two time All-American, played three years with South Carolina where he averaged over a touchdown a game in his final two seasons. He is a powerful receiver with great jumping ability and precise body positioning, which will make him a threat in the red-zone for the Chicago Bears, who drafted Jeffery in the second round (45^th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Although the Chicago offense already has names like Brandon Marshall and Johnny Knox in the lineup, the overwhelming potential Jeffery brings to the passing game is undeniable. It is hard for opposing defense’s to contain a receiver of his size (6’4” and 230 lbs) in the end-zone so expect him to see a large amount of red-zone passing thrown his way.

With an experienced quarterback such as Jay Cutler behind center, I believe Jeffery has the potential to produce for the Bears’ offense, especially in the red-zone. I would consider Jeffery to be a No. 3 fantasy wide receiver with the potential of being a high end No. 2 fantasy wide receiver.

For more Fantasy Football advice follow me on twitter @DannyFantasyFB

Top Fantasy Quarterbacks, Why Not Andy Dalton?

With all the talk about picking up a top end quarterback in the first couple rounds, a player I’ve noticed that has been left out of the discussion is Cincinnati Bengals QB, Andy Dalton. Dalton surprised everyone last year by putting up 3,398 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in the 15 games that he started as a rookie. he is only the third rookie quarterback to ever surpass the 3,000 yard mark. Putting up numbers such as these while being a rookie quarterback is uncommon but, to do it while playing against three of the top four passing defenses in the league (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Baltimore) for a third of his games is even more incredible. Looking at the stats I believe Dalton can not only match his fantasy total of last year but, improve on it in his sophomore year.

During the 2011 regular season, the combined average of the three defenses would allow for 184.9 passing yards to opposing quarterbacks. Dalton was, on average, able to put up 236 passing yards against these teams during the five games he played against them. For a rookie quarterback to have the poise and skill set to consistently do well against the top defenses in the league is remarkable.

What makes me think that Dalton can do even better is that 1) he will already have a full season under his belt and 2) the Bengals organization has quietly put in place some key players to balance the offense out. Having those 15 games of experience, plus some postseason experience, gives Dalton the confidence and reassurement that he belongs with the rest of the top signal callers of the league.

I know Cincinnati lost two key offensive linemen in Bobbie Williams and Nate Livings but, they added Travelle Warton and Kevin Zeitler. Williams and Livings are great pass blocking guards as well as Warton and Zeitler but, Warton and Zeitler offer more to the run protection than the other two. Former New England Patriots running back, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who has never fumbled in his NFL carrier, also signed with the Bengals this off season. Green-Ellis will more than likely be splitting the carries with aging Cedric Benson (30 years old), which will allow for a much improved running game. While the running game has seen improvements, this will also benefit Dalton.

If you look at the five games mentioned before against the top defenses, the Bengals only won one of them, and that was against the Browns. In each of the games they lost, a running back never put up more than 57 yards in a game but, if you look at the game they won, a running back broke the 100 yard mark. I believe that with this improved running game Dalton will find more success in running the play action more than he did in the 2011 year, which will allow for big plays to be made down the field. From a fantasy perspective, the more big plays that are made - the more fantasy points your player will receive.

Also, opposing defenses will have to focus more on the running game by stacking the box which would allow for Dalton to find the one-on-one match up down the field. This would allow for a greater amount of plays to be made to receivers up the middle since the opposing linebackers would be forced to play the run first, thus taking them out of position to break up the pass over the top. With receivers such as AJ Green, Andrew Hawkings, Mohamed Sanu, and Jermaine Gresham in the starting lineup, Dalton should be able to find the open target and make plays down the field.

Dalton has already proved that he is capable of playing against the best defenses, and he will have to do so again in 2012 if he wants to increase on his numbers from last year. With a year under his belt and some newly added talent around him, I believe Dalton is a legitimate starting QB in fantasy land who will be a great value pick as he won’t come off the board until the 11^th – 14^th round (if he even gets drafted). Don’t sleep on this sophomore QB!

For more Fantasy Football advice follow me on twitter @DannyFantasyFB