Five Biggest Questions
1. Is Jared Goff draftable?
2. Can Cam Akers take over the backfield?
3. Are Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods reliable weekly starters?
4. Can Josh Reynolds be fantasy relevant?
5. Will Tyler Higbee be a top-8 TE?
Entering December last season, Jared Goff had been a fantasy disaster: under 3,000 passing yards and an 11/12 TD/INT ratio. He finally put it all together--including surprisingly competent outings in Dallas and then in San Francisco--to finish 13th among fantasy QBs. I believed in him last summer, and it burned me (and anyone who listened). This year I'm doubling down on his QB-19 ADP, which would assume a continued regression. A free agent after this season, Goff is playing for his future and has plenty of weapons to comfortably finish in the top 16--and enough talent to return to the top 10. And with no Todd Gurley efficiently punching it in from near the goal line, I think Goff will be more fantasy-friendly than usual inside the 5. Bank on 4,500/25/20 at worst, and 5,000/32/16 if things break right.
The Gurley era has given way to the Malcolm Brown . . . no, scratch that, the Darrell Henderson . . . no, wait, the Cam Akers era. To be clear, there probably never would have been a Malcolm Brown era. A career barely-par runner with limited pass-catching chops, Brown (RB-71) has handcuff value at best--and even then, L.A. probably would bring someone in rather than entrust the 27-year-old with a prominent role. Meanwhile, Henderson (RB-46) was a popular fantasy lottery ticket last summer, as Gurley's health combined with Brown's capped upside presented Henderson with bona fide bellcow potential. But he'll enter his sophomore year still looking to prove himself. While both he and Akers are capable in the passing game, Akers arguably is the most complete back, which is why he leads the pack in ADP (RB-27). If you can snag Akers at his current price (a sixth rounder in 12-team leagues), his upside alone makes him worth the investment, even if he begins the season in a timeshare.
At wideout, the 28-year-old Robert Woods (WR-19) and 27-year-old Cooper Kupp (WR-15) are among fantasy's top receiving tandems. Not much needs to be said, except that Woods finished 14th last year despite missing a game, while Kupp finished at #5. So the same millions of fantasy managers who somehow believe Goff will be fantasy irrelevant also anticipate setbacks for these exceptional WRs. I'm not buying it. Honestly, if I can get Kupp or Woods at their fourth-round value and Goff with one of my final picks, I'd be happy. Elsewhere, Josh Reynolds (WR-84) proved he's ready to handle #3 duties, making him a terrific Best Ball get and a solid final pick in deep leagues (i.e. he should pop if Woods or Kupp goes down). And rookie Van Jefferson (WR-100) is worth monitoring, and nothing more for now.
Finally, few "backup" TEs have done more with an injury opportunity than Tyler Higbee did last December, compiling an insane 43/522/2 in December after Gerald Everett's injury. Kudos to those who jumped on the Higbee train. He was a fundamental reason why Goff's season turned around, and is the reason why so many are overlooking Goff's potential this year. A healthy dose of Higbee should keep this offense moving, and I like him at his TE-7 ADP. Put it this way: 10 or 11 TEs easily could post top-5 numbers this season, and Higbee has as good a shot as any not named Travis Kelce.