The 2018 NFL season has officially started as of Wednesday the 14th of March. What better time to talk about who’s going to do worse this season?
A lot of people listed in this article are coming off of career years. Some are simply getting too old to keep putting up numbers.
Here’s my rundown on what fantasy options are going to regress in 2018.
Alex Smith
http://gty.im/903087998
Alex Smith is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. However, Smith was traded to a Redskins team with a lot fewer weapons than Kansas City. Don’t expect Smith to put up the same numbers he had last year as he’ll regress into a middle of the pack QB fantasy wise again. He might not be worth drafting in a 10-man leagues, but should be a good streaming option from week to week.
Jimmy Graham
http://gty.im/898127644
Jimmy Graham had a pretty good year with my Seattle Seahawks and now he recently signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are notorious for having good tight ends and not using them effectively, and I don’t see why Graham would be the exception. He’ll be worth rostering in every league but shouldn’t post up anywhere near the numbers he did this year.
Case Keenum
http://gty.im/908733558
Case Keenum is coming off a season that nobody would have ever expected. Right down to the Minnesota Miracle, Keenum defied all logic in 2017. He’ll now go to the Broncos, where I believe he’ll be the best quarterback they’ve seen since Manning. I simply don’t think Keenum has the horses to put up the numbers he did in 2017.
Demarco Murray
http://gty.im/899195326
At the time of writing this article, we don’t know where Demarco Murray will be running in 2018. He just finished a visit with the Dolphins ,but left town without a contract. I don’t believe he’ll get a primary back role anywhere in the league at this point in his career so his overall production should go down. I do think there is flex value with him inside a committee.
Jarvis Landry
http://gty.im/900115960
It’s no secret that Jarvis Landry might be the best slot receiver in the NFL, and while Jay Cutler isn’t the greatest QB in the world, Landry might be going to a team that has a QB that throws the ball worse than Cutler. I don’t have much faith in the Cleveland offence as it stands before the draft. They have shored up their receiver depth and while Tyrod Taylor isn’t terrible at throwing the ball, he’s just never been in an offence that utilizes that aspect of his game.
Landry will still be fantastic in PPR leagues, but in standard formats expect his value to go down a bit.
Carlos Hyde
http://gty.im/900139360
I don’t want to become a broken record in this article, but I don’t have much faith in the Cleveland offence. Carlos Hyde by all lengths might not even be the starting RB when the draft is all said and done. If Saquon Barkley ends up on the Browns, I’d fully expect Hyde to play second fiddle. Cleveland in the past has liked to run the ball often so he should still hold flex value in most leagues.
Dion Lewis
http://gty.im/908458482
Dion Lewis won’t be featured as often in the Titans offence as he was in the Patriots offence. Lewis thrived in a Patriots offence that likes to get the ball out of Brady’s hands as soon as possible. Tennessee however, has a quarterback that can extend the play with his legs. Lewis should be able to get some flex considerations in PPR formats as he’ll be catching balls out of the backfield still. Derrick Henry will be the primary back in Tennessee though.
Seahawks D/ST
http://gty.im/623078600
It’s safe to say the Legion of Boom is dead. It’s also safe to say that the Seahawks chances of going to the Super Bowl are dead. The once very safe fantasy option at defence is no longer. I fully expect the Seahawks defence to be a lot worse in 2018; while they may not be the worst in the league, as a fantasy option they’ll be relegated to a streaming option.
Greg Zuerlein
http://gty.im/884954228
I have a kicker in this article because I wanted to get a player out of mostly every position. Greg Zuerlein or “Legatron” had an absolutely insane year, in 2017 making 38/40 kicks for a staggering 95% completion percentage. I think teams will key in more on the Rams offence and they’ll struggle to move the ball more in 2018 bringing Legatron’s effectiveness down.
Saints RB’s
http://gty.im/904352750
The Cinderella story of 2017 for Fantasy Football, if you were one of the lucky people to pick up Alvin Kamara off the waiver wire you know exactly what I mean.
Ingram and Kamara became the first running back duo in NFL history to register more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 2017. That simply will not happen again.
Both running backs should be rostered, but don’t expect them to combine for over 3,000 yards again.
Do you agree with the players I have in the article, do you think somebody else should have been on here? Let me know! http://twitter.com/KrauseArik
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