Looking ahead to next year's fantasy draft and who's behind Adrian Peterson in the first round
Published: 12/10/2012 9:00 AM
Last Modified: 12/9/2012 8:42 PM
If I had to mock up a first round, this is how I would see it:
Adrian Peterson: Just think if this team could give him fewer linebackers who are crowding the line of scrimmage. Percy Harvin being gone and Christian Ponder imploding only “helped” Peterson, which makes no sense in any universe. When teams know the only thing they have to do is stop you and they can’t, that means you get to be the No. 1 pick.
Arian Foster: Not losing much love for Foster, who is a lot younger than Peterson. But he’s not been incredible like he has been in years past. His quarterback took over a couple games and Ben Tate stole some. He’s the best vegetarian in fantasy football, but just a little off the top.
Doug Martin: Yes, he took it to another level for two games and then cooled off. But if you watch him play (hard to do when he plays for Tampa) you can see a spark that many running backs don’t have. And just think about this: His offensive line is minus three starters, two of whom are All-Pro linemen. I think with a good offseason he will come in even stronger and dominate.
Trent Richardson: What people don’t talk about is that he catches the ball as much as Ray Rice does. He is getting the ball a lot, but the Browns finally have something to be proud of. I am not a fan of a couple things: His yards per carry, his tough division and the new owner of the team who might blow up the coaching staff.
Ray Rice: He didn’t do a lot this season but he’s the last of the safe picks when it comes to fantasy. I though the Ravens defense sinking would have helped his value, but it hasn’t. Joe Flacco’s lack of getting first downs has hurt and he’s likely to sign a long-term deal this offseason. I like him, just don’t love him.
Calvin Johnson: He did has a tough time getting into the end zone for the first half of the season, but finally found his way. He won’t have the Madden Curse to deal with and the Lions are only going to keep throwing it.
Marshawn Lynch: I like his team. Russell Wilson is smart and only going to get better. A serious wide receiver will help Lynch have some room to run.
Stevan Ridley: He was able to keep a lot of people away from the ball, even though the likes of Danny Woodhead would steal a touchdown or two.
Jamaal Charles: No idea what this team is going to look like, but Charles is someone who performs when he gets the ball. He will have a whole offseason where he is not recovering from a knee injury and also a schedule that he will be able to exploit.
Maurice Jones-Drew: He might get traded or he’s going to be stay put and have the job all to himself in Jacksonville. Either way, he comes back only two years since a rushing title and with plenty of gas in the tank.
Where are the quarterbacks, you ask? This season proved that there are not four elite quarterbacks anymore. There are about 10 guys who don’t have a lot separating them.
5 random facts ...
Here’s something you don’t see in this week’s top 5 fantasy scorers: Cam Newton, the Seahawks defense, Nick Foles, Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson. That would be one of the biggest busts so far, a decent defense, a quarterback who look like CFL material two weeks ago, someone who was arrested and almost suspended for the season and a freak who blew his knee out so badly no one thought he would be back to full strength. This is why we play, people.
By the way, it was Foles who broke all of Drew Brees' records at his high school.
Robert Griffin III shouldn’t have come back in the game. But he did and he helped the Redskins get the win with a little help from Kirk Cousins (KC1 if you will). RG3 will get smarter, but until then it is really hard to hate this guy. Another receiver to go with Pierre Garcon and RG3 will be even more valuable. Wish Larry Fitzgerald could be traded there.
Brandon Marshall will end up as a top 5 wide receiver next season, after his seventh game with 9 or more receptions. He ranks second in the league in total targets, receptions and end zone targets. He can’t be covered.
Darren Sproles is the reason you never drop an injured star who isn’t put on injured reserve. His two touchdowns helped a team win a playoff game in one of my leagues after he was picked up Sunday morning off waivers.
Written by
Jason Collington
Web Editor
