Before we get into Issue 2 of the newsletter, I want to say thanks a mill to all of you that have supported, shared posts, subscribed and sent me feedback on Issue 1 over the last few days, it means so much. Homies for life.

Just an FYI… the format for release will be Fantasy on a Tuesday evening and my gambling picks on a Sunday afternoon. I am bringing forward this issue of Fantasy just in case people are drafting this weekend. Now, on to football material.

News Updates

Some key news updates that you might want to consider in your upcoming draft.

• Jameis Winston has been named the starting for the Saints ‘Smirking Emoji’ (sorry no emojis on Substack…).
• Teddy Bridgewater has been named the starting QB for the Broncos, which is great news for one of my WR value picks below.
• Sony Michel has been traded to the Rams, which opens up the door even more for Patriots RB, Damian Harris.
• Dak Prescott’s injury seems to be clearing, but still sounds worrying.

Issue 1 focused on QBs, RBs and TEs, so naturally enough Issue 2 will look at WRs, Ds and Kickers, and if you’re in a half PPR or PPR league like myself, you will be very interested in the WR position. As the depth at the WR position is so deep this year, I am going to review five potential breakout/value stars. You’re welcome.

Wide Receivers – The Divas

1. Ceedee Lamb **NAP – Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones nearly needed mouth-to-mouth when he drafted Ceedee Lamb at 17 in the 2020 draft. Jones couldn’t believe his luck that Lamb had fallen that far and for good reason. Lamb came out of the gates electric in his rookie year, going for 59, 106, 65, 79 and 124 yards, along with two touchdowns in his first five games. Then QB Dak Prescott got injured and Lamb’s production dropped off significantly. Event still, Lamb finished with 74, 935, 5 (receptions, yards, touchdowns) in 2020, which is a serious return for a rookie playing with a backup QB for the majority of the year. Dak is now back(ish), and Lamb is entering his second season, which can only mean good things for the rising star playing on the star. All the Fantasy experts have Lamb near the top, if not at the top, of their breakout star lists for 2021. You should probably listen to them. Fantasy Pros have Lamb as WR12.

Elijah Moore – I have been switching Moore and DeVonta Smith back and forth, so this one was close to for my WR Rookie of the Year. Apparently, Moore has been doing serious bits in training camp, ‘making plays every day in training camp and might end up being the franchise’s best draft choice in years’ writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. I wonder would our Brian be a little biased here…

Moore was the 6th WR taken in the 2021 draft, 34th overall. Moore a consensus All American in 2020, was number two in receiving yards (1193) and receptions (86) in the NCAA in the same year, only trailing DeVonta Smith. To go along with premium college form, Moore comes from the same college as DK Metcalf and AJ Brown, so he has been coached well.

DeVonta Smith – where do I start with the Slim Reaper? The first WR to win the Heisman trophy since 1991. He has more receiving yards AND touchdowns for Alabama than Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, Julio Jones and Jaylen Waddle. It is being argued, well argued, that he is the greatest college wide receiver of all time. In 2020, he led the NCAA in receptions (117), yards (1856) and receiving touchdowns (23). No one was any way close to those numbers in the same year. For context, Elijah Moore was second in yards in 2020 with 1193.

Terry McLaurin – Scary Terry is so high on the lists of all Fantasy experts in 2021. Every article and podcast have him in the top ten of WRs. The reason being the guy has produced with mediocre at best at the QB position. In his 2019 rookie season, McLaurin had Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins as his QBs, producing 58, 919, 7. In 2020, McLaurin had Haskins, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke and Alex Smith (shout out for a ridiculous comeback), producing 87, 1118, 4. He is trending upwards and is projected by Fantasy Pros to have 92, 1236 , 7 in 2021. The addition of Ryan Fitzpatrick is a huge plus for McLaurin and has been a massive factor in his projections for 2021, along with his talent. It would be very hard to look elsewhere once the big boys like Hill, Adams, Diggs, etc. have been taken off the board. Look for him to come off the board late second round, early third in a ten-man league. Fantasy Pros have Scary Terry as WR9.

Jerry Jeudy – one of the slickest route runners in the league (McGrath, 2021). Jeudy had a very solid year last year with Drew ‘I’m not very good’ Lock as his QB, with 52, 856, 3. He had two games of over 125 yards, producing a career best 140 yards in the final game of the season, against the Raiders. He is therefore primed for a breakout season in 2021 and with the news of Teddy ‘Two Gloves’ being announced as the starting QB for the Broncos, his draft stock has only gone up. Another positive for Jeudy’s outlook is that Courtland Sutton, WR2 with the Broncos, is only just returning from tearing his ACL last year, which means he’ll likely take a few more games to get into the swing of things. The talent is there with Jeudy, he has an upgrade at quarter back, and he doesn’t have that much competition in the way of supply. He just needs to cancel out some drops (12 last year) and he should be a decent WR2/Flex for your team. Fantasy Pros has Jeudy as WR29.

Honourable mentions:

• Amon Ra St. Brown – he is literally the only receiver on the Lions team. He will be their WR1.
• Michael Pittman – Dependent on Carson Wentz being healthy. Not bad in 2020, with 40,503,3 (Rec, Yards, TDs). Interesting potential because he likes to stretch the field and had Philip Rivers as his QB last year, who looks like he throws a balloon instead of football.
• Brandon Aiyuk – Mr. Aiyuk balled out last year from weeks 4-16, finishing as WR15 during that period and you would expect him to improve even further this season. Just be careful with drafting him too early, he will experience a QB switch over at some point from Jimmy G to Lance, so that might affect his production.

D – Insert Joke

Washington Football Team – In general football stats, the WFT defence finished second overall and sixth in sacks in 2020. Their edge rushers, Montez Sweat and Chase Young are absolute monsters. They just signed interior D-Lineman, Jonathan Allen to a four-year $72 million extension. They have a top ten CB in Kendall Fuller who had 50 tackles and four interceptions in 2020. On the other side, William Jackson III is also a legitimate CB1. Finally, they also filled a need at the LB position drafting Jamin Davis in the 2021 draft. WFT is certainly up there with the best in the biz.

Broncos – probably not the best idea selecting a defence in Pat Mahomes’ division, but I have high hopes for the Broncos. The Broncos of old are known for their defence and with Von Millar back, a healthy Bradley Chubb who was an absolute monster in his 2018 rookie season with 12 sacks, and one of the best secondaries in the league, the Broncos are definitely going to up there as one of defences you are going to take off the board.

Cardinals – as a Texans fan (pray for me), it was tough to watch JJ Watt depart for Arizona in the off season. The three-time defensive player of the year is probably past his best but having him the locker room will be quality for the younger guys. Pairing him with Chandler Jones will give the Cardinals decent pass rushing abilities. The Cardinals also have All-Pro Budda Baker lurking in the backfield. Finally, throw in 2021 first round, freaky athletic line backer, Zaven Collins and you have yourself a decent defensive unit.

Kickers – Double Doinkers

Stream your kickers! Here is my top three anyway. They’re obvious.

• 

  Rodrigo Blankenship

• 

  Younghoe Koo

• 

  Daniel Carlson

Issue 3 coming soon. Stay tuned.

J.