Friday bold predictions. The way Fridays are meant to be celebrated:
(17) Keenan Allen (WR-14 ADP) will be a top 8 WR. One can question Allen’s ability to play a 16-game season, but one can’t objectively question Allen’s elite upside. Even with the addition of Travis Benjamin, Philip Rivers and the Chargers know exactly who their biggest playmaker is. If his three partial seasons were condensed into one 16-game season, Allen would have 1,104 yards and seven TDs. But last year he was on pace for 1,450/8—in other words, top 8 WR numbers. The 24-year-old clearly hasn’t reached his prime. A third-round steal, Allen simply needs to stay healthy to make good on his potential. I’m betting he will.
(18) Tom Brady will not be a top 8 QB between weeks 5 and 17 (of course, he’s suspended in weeks 1-4). I missed badly on Brady last preseason, and several of you wisely called me out at the time. But this season will be different. In 2015 he beat up on four of the league’s five worst past defenses: the Eagles (28th), Jaguars (29th), Steelers (30th), and Giants (32nd). Another six games featured the Bills (19th), Dolphins (21st), Colts (24th), and Redskins (25th). His schedule this season is much tougher. Candidly, it’s difficult to poke holes in an offense that’s proven me wrong several times over the years. Bill Belichick & company always find a way, regardless of injuries, age, and counter-adjustments. But I believe 2015 will prove to be a late-career outlier as the 38-year-old QB reverts to somewhere between his more modest 2013 and 2014 averages.
(17) Keenan Allen (WR-14 ADP) will be a top 8 WR. One can question Allen’s ability to play a 16-game season, but one can’t objectively question Allen’s elite upside. Even with the addition of Travis Benjamin, Philip Rivers and the Chargers know exactly who their biggest playmaker is. If his three partial seasons were condensed into one 16-game season, Allen would have 1,104 yards and seven TDs. But last year he was on pace for 1,450/8—in other words, top 8 WR numbers. The 24-year-old clearly hasn’t reached his prime. A third-round steal, Allen simply needs to stay healthy to make good on his potential. I’m betting he will.
(18) Tom Brady will not be a top 8 QB between weeks 5 and 17 (of course, he’s suspended in weeks 1-4). I missed badly on Brady last preseason, and several of you wisely called me out at the time. But this season will be different. In 2015 he beat up on four of the league’s five worst past defenses: the Eagles (28th), Jaguars (29th), Steelers (30th), and Giants (32nd). Another six games featured the Bills (19th), Dolphins (21st), Colts (24th), and Redskins (25th). His schedule this season is much tougher. Candidly, it’s difficult to poke holes in an offense that’s proven me wrong several times over the years. Bill Belichick & company always find a way, regardless of injuries, age, and counter-adjustments. But I believe 2015 will prove to be a late-career outlier as the 38-year-old QB reverts to somewhere between his more modest 2013 and 2014 averages.