Stars of Week 15
QB: Eli Manning, NYG: 37-57, 434 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RB: Todd Gurley, LAR: 21 carries, 152 yards, 3 TDs (3 catches, 28 yards, 1 TD)
WR: Keelan Cole, JAX: 7 catches, 186 yards, 1 TD
TE: Greg Olsen, CAR: 9 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD
With Eli Manning’s future with the Giants in question, he made sure to return to fantasy relevance at least one last time in the royal blue jersey. Manning threw for more than four hundred yards against the Eagles, while also tossing three TD passes in the loss. It will be interesting to see what team Manning lands on next season. In what was the changing of the guard in the NFC West, Todd Gurley scored four TDs in an absolute dismantling of the Seahawks. Gurley is comfortably a top 5 RB, and his growth in the passing game has elevated him to the next level. Jumping from two well known names to another who was started in a small percent of fantasy leagues – Keelan Cole of the Jaguars! The rookie from Western Kentucky now has TDs in three straight games, and he could be appealing especially if Marqise Lee has to miss any time due to his ankle injury. And we end the honor roll with Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who hauled in 9 passes for 116 yards, while finding the end zone once. Olsen looks back to health, which means he returns to top 5 TE status.
Week 15 Special – Projection of First Two Rounds of 2018 Fantasy Football Drafts
Each week we’ve taken a close look at noteworthy performances and sorted out what they meant for the season and beyond. With the NFL regular season nearly done, as hinted above I’m mixing it up this week and throwing in a way too early mock draft for 2018 – the first two rounds.
Round 1
Team 1: Le’Veon Bell
Team 2: Todd Gurley
Team 3: Antonio Brown
Team 4: David Johnson
Team 5: Ezekiel Elliott
Team 6: Leonard Fournette
Team 7: DeAndre Hopkins
Team 8: Kareem Hunt
Team 9: Odell Beckham Jr.
Team 10: Julio Jones
Team 11: Devonta Freeman
Team 12: Alvin Kamara
Comments: Continuing the trend from last year, more top RBs will ascend into the first round slots. This is the result of a rebound season from Gurley, along with strong rookie seasons for Fournette, Hunt and Kamara. I may be too low on Kamara here. On the flip side, wide receivers have caused increased concern for owners due to injury (Odell Beckham), lack of production (Mike Evans) or uneven weekly production (Julio Jones). I prefer Hopkins as the second receiver off the board behind Antonio Brown. I also may be a bit high on Kareem Hunt here, but I consider him a strong first round value.
Round 2
Team 12: Mark Ingram
Team 11: AJ Green
Team 10: Mike Evans
Team 9: Mike Thomas
Team 8: Rob Gronkowski
Team 7: LeSean McCoy
Team 6: Adam Thielen
Team 5: Keenan Allen
Team 4: Melvin Gordon
Team 3: Jordan Howard
Team 2: Davante Adams
Team 1: Brandin Cooks
Comments: Starting at the top of round two, there’s a chance that Mark Ingram could become a free agent, in which case of course he could land with a new team. We’ll assume for our mock purposes that he returns to the Saints. The top half of round two should be where Gronk and a glut of wide receivers are selected. Adam Thielen belongs in the second round, but we’ll need to keep an eye out for the Vikings quarterback situation. If not for injury concerns, Keenan Allen could go even higher than mid-second round. Davante Adams’ ranking assumes that he returns to the Packers, although he’s a free agent as well – so it bears watching. Last point here – Penn State rookie RB Saquon Barkley could find himself in round 2 as well, depending on what team selects him. Alright, so that’s an early peak at a mock draft for 2018 leagues.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we throw out potential free agent pickups from each position, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.
QB: Jimmy Garoppolo, SF
RB: Kerwynn Williams, ARZ
RB: Mike Davis, SEA
WR: Damiere Byrd, CAR
WR: Dede Westbrook, JAX
TE: Eric Ebron, DET
Final Note:
With Week 16 serving as the championship week for most leagues, this will be my last write up for the 2017 season. For those of you with your championship round next week, tweet me and I’ll give you my thoughts on who to start/sit. Thanks to all of you for yet another great year and for engaging with me on Twitter – it’s been a blast connecting with so many of you and to see you do so well in your leagues! And to those of you competing for titles – I’m pulling for you! Lastly, keep an eye out for my fantasy football podcasts, which will resume in the spring. Best of luck and talk soon.
Week 16 Rankings
[to come on Weds]