The 2016 NFL season is right around the corner which means another year of fantasy football is upon us as well, and a google search about fantasy content yields countless hits of writers and analysts offering their opinions on preseason projections, draft strategies, and the like. Being the fantasy football buff that I am, I figured I'd add my two cents, picking a few commonly projective categories and selecting five players who I believe will fit into that category this season.
Of course, it's fantasy football, and nobody knows for certain what will happen. This is all speculation and for all we know, it could all be completely moot in a few weeks. Here are my top five rookies:
1. Ezekiel Elliot
I'm not nearly as high on him as the experts from ESPN seem to be, but you can't ignore the fact that he has every-down, workhorse potential behind one of the best offensive lines in pro football.
2. Laquon Treadwell
Stefon Diggs looks like an emerging player in that offense, and they're certainly still looking to ride Adrian Peterson into the sunset, but Treadwell has a chance to make an instant impact.
3. Corey Coleman
Call me crazy for putting a Brown on this list, but I really do like Corey Coleman. Cleveland is quietly putting together an athletic receiving corps with Coleman, Terrell Pryor, and Josh Gordon once he returns from suspension. Coleman is a burner and if RG3 can bounce back this year then maybe Coleman could be someone to keep an eye on.
4. Tyler Boyd
The Bengals lost two of their top three receivers in free agency and although they brought in the veteran Brandon Lafell, Boyd has looked good in camp and preseason action and with Lafell currently nursing a hand injury, Boyd might go ahead and slide into that #2 role alongside AJ Green.
5. Kenyan Drake
This one is a bit of a deep sleeper pick and especially when you consider Drake has missed a chunk of time dealing with a groin injury. But I'm not very high on Jay Ajayi, and Arian Foster, who I mention later in the Risk/Reward section, is almost never healthy enough to play. I've been a fan of Drake's ever since his gruesome leg injury at Alabama, and obviously the Dolphins are too as they grabbed him in the third round of the draft in the spring. I think he has a chance to make a statement in South Beach.
