Football is back!
Intro
The NFL is back! After a week of training camp, teams are ready to hit the field and get things started. The preseason is a great time to get familiar with some new faces and see how teams are looking so far. Here’s what you should be watching for in this season:
Teams to Watch
New Orleans Saints
Indianapolis Colts
Buffalo Bills
The New Orleans Saints are a team to watch this season. They have the most enigmatic quarterback in the league, Jameis Winston, and he is joined by Alvin Kamara, Jarvis Landry, Taysom Hill, Chris Olave,, and Michael Thomas on offense. Defensively they should be even better than last year with players like Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, and Cam Jordan leading the way in the NFC South.
If you're looking for a team that could shock everyone and win it all this year, look no farther than the Indianapolis Colts. Matt Ryan has always shown flashes of being an elite quarterback over his career but hasn't had much help around him lately until now. After being traded to Indy this past offseason, Ryan will look to re-enter the Elite QB Conversation. With offensive weapons Johnathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Michael Pittman Jr, Mo Alie-Cox, Alec Pierce, and Michael Pittman Jr. joining him in Indy this season, if Quenton Nelson and the Indy O-line keep him upright, there's no reason why Ryan can't put up numbers comparable to Rodgers or Brady.
And finally, if you want some good old-fashioned fun football then look no further than the Buffalo Bills! Sean McDermott has assembled one of the best rosters seen in recent Bills history; led by Josh Allen, who threw for 4407 yards last season along with 36 touchdowns as well as 763 rushing yards & 6 rushing touchdowns! This offseason, the Bills added more talent to surround Allen both on offense and defense. They brought in 2-time Super Bowl Champion Von Miller, drafted Kaiir Elam and James Cook, and added OJ Howard and Jamison Crowder to bolster a roster that already featured Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Devin Singletary, and Dawson Knox. The Bills also feature one of the top Safety duos in Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. The Bills' defense is loaded up with talent, names like Tremaine Edmunds, Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, Greg Rousseau, Shaq Lawson, Carlos Basham Jr, Jordan Phillips, DaQuan Jones, AJ Epenesa
So there you have it: 3 teams worth watching this coming season.
Teams to Avoid
You'll want to steer clear of the teams that are rebuilding.
Look out for the teams with the worst records.
The less talent a team has, the more likely they are to be bad in 2022 and beyond.
Just because a team has depth doesn't mean they aren't tanking.
Fantasy Sleepers
A sleeper is a player that is expected to perform better than expected. For example, if a player has an ADP (Average Draft Position) of 50 but will be able to produce at least as well as players with ADPs in the 20s, then he is a fantasy sleeper.
Fantasy sleepers are not necessarily unknown players; they can be big-time names that were undervalued for one reason or another. For example, Antonio Brown had an ADP of 40 in 2017 and finished as the WR9. Even though he was a top-10 wide receiver last season, his salary was likely too low based on his production when compared with other wide receivers who had similar ADPs (e.g., Keenan Allen). A sleeper is not always someone who costs less than everyone else—it just means you have access to more value relative to your competitors because you're able to identify opportunities earlier than others do
Name | Position | Team | 2021 Fantasy (PPR) |
Kendrick Bourne | WR | NE | 125.5 (180.5) |
Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | IND | 150.6 (238.6) |
Kyle Pitts | TE | ATL | 108.6 (176.6) |
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ |
Fantasy Busts
There are a number of players who will be overvalued based on last year's performance and projected stats. In short, these players are "fantasy busts" because they're not worth the high price tag they'll command in 2022. Here's a list of some top players to avoid:
Ezekiel Elliot (RB - DAL) Why: Will be sharing the load with Tony Pollard
DK Metcalf (WR - SEA) Why: Who Will be throwing him the ball?
Diontae Johnson (WR - PIT) Why: Same as DK, Who Will be throwing him the ball?
Tune in for our newsletters every week for more info about the NFL.
The NFL season is back! To be the most informed NFL fan, you'll want to tune in for our newsletters every week for more info about the league.
Conclusion
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