Over the past few weeks, we have noticed several players slipping in Fantasy Football Drafts that simply shouldn’t be. Below are a list of options that we recommend targeting later in your drafts.
James White – A Belichick backfield can be as frustrating as a Shanahan backfield. Steven Ridley was plagued by fumbles last season and opened up the pre-season with the same issues. Shane Vereen is no-serious threat in the backfield as he will be an active flex/receiving option similar to a Darren Sproles styled role. Many have questioned the thought that Ridley could even be cut from the roster bubble in New England. Either way, White is a flier worth landing late in drafts that many owners will be unaware about.
Jonathan Grimes – A must own handcuff to the injury-plagued Arian Foster who contemplated retirement last season due to a back injury. Foster is still nursing a hamstring injury which he has had recurring issues with. In 2011, Foster tore his hamstring and pulled another in Week 7 last season. Foster has only practiced one time since July 27th. Ultimately, draft Grimes based on the fact that Foster will not complete a full sixteen-game season.
Rueben Randle – Randle was viewed as a top sleeper this off-season, however his ADP is not climbing with hype. The regressing ADP is a result of the anemic offense in New York as they have been a disaster this pre-season. With Odell Beckham injury-riddled and their tight end situation being a question mark, the 6’3″ Randle is a no-doubt red zone target in New York. There are several holes in their offense this season, but we feel that the options are limited in New York behind a very shaky offensive line. Sure, the problems exist for Eli Manning, but we feel that at the current ADP, Randle can exceed expected numbers this year. We aren’t as hot about him as we once were, but consider Randle a late round option who offers a high ceiling of value.
Justin Hunter -What Ken Whisenhunt did with rookie WR Keenan Allen last season was impressive, however Jake Locker is not the QB Rivers is. Justin Hunter possesses the physical ability, speed and size to have a breakout season, but we don’t forsee his breakout season just yet. With Jake Locker throwing him the ball in a Run Heavy Offensive Scheme alongside Kendall Hunter and Nate Washington, it’s hard to suggest consistent play out of Hunter (at least not until 2015). Hunter will see big games as he is a main Red Zone Target. He is worth a flier with High-Reward type value.
Terrance Williams – Consider Williams a breakout candidate in 2014 as he is locked in as the WR2 Option in Dallas. Williams will be the Number 3 Option this season behind Dez Bryant and Jason Witten in the pass-heavy offense led by New Offensive Coordinator – Scott Linehan. Williams should be viewed as a strong WR3 for Fantasy Owners and we fully expect him to exceed 1000 Receiving Yards this season in a Dallas Offense that will find themselves in many shootouts.
Travis Kelce – It’s mind-bending to remember back when the Kansas City Chiefs offered potent receiving options. This is more of a Keeper/Dynasty League play as Kelce should be rostered as a back-up option than primary starter. Anthony Fasano us currently pegged above Kelce on the roster, but it’s only a matter of time. Kelce has erupted this pre-season and with extremely limited options in KC, it wouldn’t be a longshot for Kelce to lead in multiple Chiefs receiving categories.
Heath Miller – At 6’5″ and 256 lbs., Miller is the only Pittsburg receiving option standing above 6 Feet in height (Antonio Brown – 5’10”, Markus Wheaton – 5’11” and Lance Moore – 5’9″). It’s evident that the chemistry Miller possesses with long-time quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, he will see a strong amount of Targets and will be a major red-zone threat in 2014. Miller has been slipping in drafts and should be viewed as a solid option and an elite backup TE that you will consistently want to plug into weekly lineups.