Sleepers To Keep Your Eye On
Jameis Winston– QB- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite posting over 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, Winston continues to get undervalued. Not only in the real world, but in fantasy as well. Hard Knocks will do wonders to open up the eyes of millions across the country as to how good Jameis is.
Winston threw 28 touchdowns in his sophomore season, and really started to develop into a bona-fide leader for the Bucs. This season, he has been gifted an entire arsenal of weapons and his leadership game seems to be on point. His community believes in him, teammates and coaches have nothing but respect and praise for him, and you should too.
Winston has the highest fantasy upside of any quarterback this season, and with the way he has blossomed in the last two seasons, there is no reason to doubt he will post career best numbers across the board.
Winston will continue to be overlooked by coaches in fantasy draft by guys like Andrew Luck and Kirk Cousins, but he shouldn’t. The Pug wouldn’t even be surprised to see Winston in the top 5 fantasy quarterbacks come the seasons’ end.
Kareem Hunt– RB- Kansas City Chiefs
From today's 7 on 7 drills: Rookie RB Kareem Hunt hauls in a one-handed grab from QB Tyler Bray. Fans greet him in the end zone with cheers. pic.twitter.com/xqg7YkLkfg
— KCTV5 News (@KCTV5) July 30, 2017
Sure the video above is just training camp and it isn’t the first-team guys, but this kid is making a serious bid to become the lead back in Kansas City. They have Spencer Ware who is one year removed from being a waiver wire gem, but he slowed down in the second half of the season last year and seems to have an issue with the injury bug. All it takes is one injury or mistake and Hunt is going to get his chance.
From everything coming out of Chiefs camp, he will be ready to seize that moment.
It appears some owners are starting to take notice of Hunt now, but he is still a late round pick up that has the upside to become a RB1 within a few weeks. The Chiefs may have the steal of the draft on their hands drafting Hunt in the third round, and if you play your cards right, he may just be the steal of your fantasy draft.
Cameron Meredith– WR- Chicago Bears
From Week 4 on last year, Cameron Meredith was WR18 in fantasy. Little competition for targets. Coming off the board as WR44.
Yes please. pic.twitter.com/d9LQvqqQii
— Adam Pfeifer (@APfeifer24) August 3, 2017
The caption for that picture is spot on. Not only was he a WR2 option after week four last season, the talent level around him falls off a cliff. With Alshon Jeffery skipping town to play in Philadelphia, Cameron Meredith has the chance to shine as the high man on the depth chart.
Helping out his cause is a new sheriff in town, former Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon. With Glennon under center and first round pick Mitch Trubisky waiting in the shadows to replace him, don’t be surprised to see Glennon make Meredith a target monster this season. Won’t see a surprised look on The Pug’s face if Meredith breaks 80 receptions this season or if you can nab him after round seven.
Hint: Do it!!
Bilal Powell– RB- New York Jets
Bilal Powell was a beast towards the end of last year pic.twitter.com/GlgMsk7b1X
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) July 30, 2017
Ok, time to read your mind again. ‘This Pug guy has a Jets player on his list.’ ‘There goes his credibility. Hear this one out.
Everyone fully expects the Jets to be awful this year, but that doesn’t mean they were much better last season. Still there was a bright spot in Bilal Powell. There were only four games last season when Powell was fed the rock more than ten times, the last four of the season. During that four game stretch, he averaged nearly 103 yards per game on the ground and scored three times. Powell makes a ton of sense in a PPR league, as he saw 23 targets over that four game stretch, and the Jets are going to be looking for a safety valve. Especially after losing Quincy Enunwa to injury for the season.
With the upside to be a high RB2 selecting him before the 8th round (his average) may not be the worst move in the world.
Corey Coleman– WR- Cleveland Browns
Corey Coleman with the one-handed catch in Browns practice today. (via @StSPodcasts) pic.twitter.com/cY3Y80H8lT
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) August 7, 2017
….’And now a Browns player? Is this guy serious?’
First of all, the Browns have finally taken a step forward this offseason after what has seemingly felt like a century to ‘rebuild’. The Browns as a team may not be ready to hang with the big boys, but The Pug’s bold prediction this year is the Browns will not be the laughing-stock of the NFL this year. Pretty bold prediction since they have been the laughing-stock for so long you almost have to feel bad form them.
Last season, the Browns drafted Corey Coleman in the first round, looking for an explosive wide receiver. They actually did find a productive wide out, but from the hands of converted quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Unfortunately for Coleman, his injury riddled rookie season was a little less than stellar.
This season, however, Coleman’s fantasy value has skyrocketed. There is a little more stability at the quarterback position in Cleveland this season, and he is also the clear-cut top receiver on the team. Pair that with Coleman turning heads in training camp and Coleman reeks of sleeping potential.
Coleman seems to be going in the late 9th, early 10th round, but taking a stab at him in the 8th-9th round could pay some handsome dividends.
Other Players To Keep An Eye On
Jamaal Williams– RB- Green Bay Packers
Zay Jones– WR- Buffalo Bills
Cameron Brate– TE- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marcus Mariota– QB- Tennessee Titans
Hunter Henry– TE- San Diego Chargers
