Every veteran fantasy football manager knows that their league is won in the later rounds. Sure it’s nice to get the #1 overall pick and take Adrian Peterson or Jamaal Charles, but the experienced fantasy football players know that it’s all about those mid to late round steals that will take you to the promise land. Without further a-due here are my top fantasy football steals for 2015 in standard leagues.
1. RB Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have had a dismal offseason with the loss of many veteran all-pro players, including all time 49ers leading rusher Frank Gore. The departure of Gore opens up the starting role to second-year pro Carlos Hyde. The former Buckeye weighs in at 220 pounds, standing 6 feet tall, and packs in a punch with his physical style of running. Since 2011, it’s been apparent that the 49ers had been a run first offense and as a result they have made a habit of handing the ball off to Gore more than 250 times over the course of each season.
There is no doubt in my mind that Hyde will be the workhorse back in San Francisco and get a similar amount of carries in 2015. If the offensive line can manage to stay healthy, I can see Hyde being projected as a top 10 RB in 2016. Currently, Hyde is projected to go in the 3rd to 4th round in most fantasy leagues. With the potential to put up numbers like Frank Gore had while in his prime in SF, I don’t see why one should hesitate to roll the dice on Hyde being a solid RB 1 or 2 in a standard fantasy league.
2. WR Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
Last week we saw Jordy Nelson go down with a torn ACL in a preseason game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Randall Cobb owners should be excited to see him take over the #1 WR roll in Green Bay with Nelson being sidelined for the year. However, this means that the #3 WR Davante Adams will start getting many looks his way as well. The 2nd year man is due for a breakout year as he possess many similar traits as his counterpart Randall Cobb. With a very potent passing offense headed by Aaron Rodgers, expect Parker to get many red zone looks as Rodgers will seek to spread the wealth to his wide receivers.
Keep in mind, Cobb posted 91 receptions, 1,287 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns in the #2 WR roll in 2014. With Parker being an explosive post catch playmaker like Cobb, he can very well post similar numbers. In 2015, Adams is projected to go around the 6th round in a standard fantasy league. He can be an outstanding WR 2 that can possibly post up WR 1 numbers, so don’t be scared to pull the trigger on Davante Adams.
3. WR Andre Johnson, Indianapolis Colts
Whoever thinks 34-year-old Andre Johnson is no longer a viable fantasy pick is deeply mistaken. Although he’s caught no more than 5 touchdowns in the past 4 years, Johnson is set to have a revival season. Since 2011, Johnson has been in the middle of multiple QB controversies. He’s seen six different QB’s start over the course of this time! We all know chemistry between a quarterback and wide receiver is vital and this is a huge reason why Johnson’s numbers had regressed. Now he’s in a great situation in Indianapolis with one of the leagues best young QB talents in Andrew Luck.
Alongside Luck, Johnson is paired up with one of the best young wide receivers in T.Y. Hilton. Many team managers maybe hesitant in drafting Johnson with him entering his 13th NFL season at age 34. Let me remind you of a guy named Reggie Wayne. Two years ago, he entered his 11th season in the NFL at age 34 with Andrew Luck at QB. What were his numbers that year? 106 receptions, 1,355 yards and 5 touchdowns. Age and health should not be an issue as Johnson has only missed 1 game in the past 3 years. He’s currently projected to go in the 6th round in standard leagues, but Johnson is due for one of the biggest seasons in his career and can easily put in great numbers for a manager in need for an above average WR 2.
4. QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
Ahh, the QB position, without doubt the most interesting/hardest position to draft in a standard fantasy football league. Some prefer to take a QB in the first round, others prefer to let several rounds go by and take one in the mid to late rounds. My advice is to wait. To some it might feel wrong, incomplete, or absurd to let QB’s such as Rodgers, Wilson, Brady, and Romo come off the board. Trust me, it’s worth it. The #1 though #10 projected QB’s in standard fantasy leagues according to ESPN only fluctuate between 45 points over the course of a season.
Basically, it’s not going to make a tremendous difference to snag a QB in the first couple rounds if you are in a 1 QB league. And I think the best QB to wait on until the later rounds is Ryan Tannehill. Coming off his best season with 27 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 4,045 passing yards, I believe Tannehill is due for a breakout season. Those numbers are quite spectacular, due to the fact that he has been one of the most sacked QB’s since he entered the league in 2012. The addition of Jamil Douglas and return of Pro Bowlers Mike Pouncey and Branden Albert will definitely give Tannehill much more time in the pocket than what he is accustomed to. Also, Tannehill has a revamped plethora of weapons on offense.
The Dolphins went ahead and added Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker, and Jordan Cameron while reattaining the young and promising Jarvis Landry. Add all of that with Tannehill’s ability to make plays with his legs, and I think he’s set to make a run at being a top 5 fantasy QB. Don’t be surprised to see him pass for over 4,000 yards, throw around 35 TDs, and add another 300 yards with his legs; it’s very possible. So go ahead and stock up on depth players in the earlier rounds, then steal Tannehill in one of the late rounds of your draft, it is a low risk high reward pick in my book.
