Rolling into round 7 of this preseason's round-by-round "Biggest Bargain and Bust" feature, we're suddenly short on RBs and long on the other three core positions:
73 Julian Edelman NE (6) WR32
74 Michael Gallup DAL (10) WR33
75 Will Fuller HOU (8) WR34
76 Ronald Jones II TB (13) RB30
77 Tyler Higbee LAR (9) TE7
78 Rob Gronkowski TB (13) TE8
79 Tom Brady TB (13) QB7
80 Hunter Henry LAC (10) TE9
81 James White NE (6) RB31
82 Matt Ryan ATL (10) QB8
83 Drew Brees NO (6) QB9
84 Marvin Jones DET (5) WR35
I'm betting Ryan is a trendy pick here. Gotta love that offense, even with the loss of Austin Hooper. Still, I'm not buying him as a top-5 QB, so there's no reason to over-reach. Some of you also might lunch for Fuller or Gallup--the former a potential #1 target, and the latter an ascending talent who could close the gap with Amari Cooper. Can Marvin Jones remain healthy and still carve out a WR3 role alongside rising talents Kenny Golladay and T.J. Hockenson? And of course, could Higbee--and for that matter, Gronk--pick up where they left off?
If this were about highest upside, Fuller or Gronk or possibly someone else would be my pick. But this is about best bargain. Who's a near-lock to outperform expectations, giving you an easy win in round 7? That would be Hunter Henry. Henry was last year's ninth best fantasy TE despite missing four games. With no Melvin Gordon and a hobbled Mike Williams, Henry could start the season as the #2 receiving weapon (yes, even above Austin Ekeler). Playing for a contract and still in his prime, Henry has top-4 potential and in my view is a sure-fire top-7 option. I'm eyeing at least 70/900/7, making him a straight-up bargain at pick #80.
On the bust side, I'm torn between Higbee and Brady. There's no conceivable way Higbee can be top-5, right? I mean, not playing alongside Gerald Everett. Late last season was a perfect storm for Higbee. I don't see that repeating, and the question is how far below 7 he ends up. As for Brady, we can't bet against him, right? I mean, he's in a near-perfect situation throwing to three elite receivers. But does he still have the talent to do, from a fantasy perspective, roughly what Jameis Winston did last year? You'd think the answer would be "yes," but Brady's at that age where we're just waiting for the decline to be painfully visible.
My pick has to be Higbee. The offense won't run through him like it often seemed to late last year. He might be top 12 if he's the de facto weekly starter, but even that will be hard fought. Avoid Higbee at all costs in round 7.
73 Julian Edelman NE (6) WR32
74 Michael Gallup DAL (10) WR33
75 Will Fuller HOU (8) WR34
76 Ronald Jones II TB (13) RB30
77 Tyler Higbee LAR (9) TE7
78 Rob Gronkowski TB (13) TE8
79 Tom Brady TB (13) QB7
80 Hunter Henry LAC (10) TE9
81 James White NE (6) RB31
82 Matt Ryan ATL (10) QB8
83 Drew Brees NO (6) QB9
84 Marvin Jones DET (5) WR35
I'm betting Ryan is a trendy pick here. Gotta love that offense, even with the loss of Austin Hooper. Still, I'm not buying him as a top-5 QB, so there's no reason to over-reach. Some of you also might lunch for Fuller or Gallup--the former a potential #1 target, and the latter an ascending talent who could close the gap with Amari Cooper. Can Marvin Jones remain healthy and still carve out a WR3 role alongside rising talents Kenny Golladay and T.J. Hockenson? And of course, could Higbee--and for that matter, Gronk--pick up where they left off?
If this were about highest upside, Fuller or Gronk or possibly someone else would be my pick. But this is about best bargain. Who's a near-lock to outperform expectations, giving you an easy win in round 7? That would be Hunter Henry. Henry was last year's ninth best fantasy TE despite missing four games. With no Melvin Gordon and a hobbled Mike Williams, Henry could start the season as the #2 receiving weapon (yes, even above Austin Ekeler). Playing for a contract and still in his prime, Henry has top-4 potential and in my view is a sure-fire top-7 option. I'm eyeing at least 70/900/7, making him a straight-up bargain at pick #80.
On the bust side, I'm torn between Higbee and Brady. There's no conceivable way Higbee can be top-5, right? I mean, not playing alongside Gerald Everett. Late last season was a perfect storm for Higbee. I don't see that repeating, and the question is how far below 7 he ends up. As for Brady, we can't bet against him, right? I mean, he's in a near-perfect situation throwing to three elite receivers. But does he still have the talent to do, from a fantasy perspective, roughly what Jameis Winston did last year? You'd think the answer would be "yes," but Brady's at that age where we're just waiting for the decline to be painfully visible.
My pick has to be Higbee. The offense won't run through him like it often seemed to late last year. He might be top 12 if he's the de facto weekly starter, but even that will be hard fought. Avoid Higbee at all costs in round 7.