Jaguars coach Gus Bradley announces that Kelvin Beachum is the starter at left tackle and Luke Joeckel is the starter at left guard. Neither will play Thursday.
The Panthers have released punter Mike Scifres, defensive end Rakim Cox, safety Trenton Robinson and wide receiver LaRon Byrd. They have place Leonard Johnson on PUP/NFL. The roster is at 74.
The Redskins have cut linebacker Perry Riley and defensive end Stephen Paea, a source said. Riley was in danger because he didn't play special teams and had a cap number of $5 million. Paea was made expendable with the arrival of Cullen Jenkins.
Cardinals get down to 75 players by reaching an injury settlement with CB Alan Ball, who's been dealing with a quad injury for the last couple of weeks, and placing CB Elie Bouka (leg) on IR.
Moved to Wednesday in an effort to avoid severe weather.
The lazy person's guide to fantasy football drafts.
You're lazy.
I get it, you want to play fantasy football but don't want to put the work in. You also don't want to come in last because, well ... coming in last sucks.
You don't want to scour the waiver wire or read about practice reports or listen to some analyst drone on about yards generated after contact in press coverage against the AFC West during primetime games.
And at the same time, you basically need to play fantasy so you and your buddies/co-workers have something to talk about other than your feelings and/or that new bread knife you bought from Amazon.
You want to play, you want to put in the least amount of work possible but you also don't want to be the laughing stock of the league.
It's cool, I got you. Here's your guide to have a totally respectable team (that probably isn't going to win, but you never know, fantasy is weird) that will require the least amount of work on your end once the season starts.
***This assumes 10-team standard scoring snake formats obviously. If you're lazy, you're almost assuredly not playing in one of those hipster 14-team PPR auction draft super-flex leagues.***
Go RB-RB to start your draft
This goes counter to popular draft strategies today which say go receiver heavy early. But here's the thing, going wide receiver crazy to start means you have to manage the running back position on an almost weekly basis and who the hell has time for that?
If you want to minimize management, you need workhorses at the running back position and quite frankly there aren't many of them in the league.
In order of who you should grab with your first couple picks, based off of guaranteed workload and the least likelihood of getting hurt: David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley, Adrian Peterson, Lamar Miller, Eddie Lacy, Devonta Freeman, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy. One or more of these guys will be available regardless of where you're drafting.
Get Aaron Rodgers in Round 3
If he stays healthy, Rodgers will almost assuredly finish as a top-five fantasy signal caller. The former Cal product finished either first or second in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks in four out of his past six seasons. The only times he didn't? In 2013 when he suffered an injury and only played nine games and in 2015 when Jordy Nelson went down and Eddie Lacy almost ate himself out of the league. Even then, Rodgers still finished seventh among quarterbacks.
If you play in a midwest league it's very possible Rodgers goes somewhere in the first two rounds and that's okay. Cam Newton should be there in the third round as well. If he's not? Bruh we got backup plans for days. Snap up Russell Wilson or Andrew Luck in Round 5.
Again, is this the best strategy? Probably not, but if you get one of those four guys you can set it and forget it at quarterback. Playing matchups? Analyzing FPA? More like F(orget) that, amirite?
Load up on high-upside WRs
If you missed on Rodgers/Cam, Mike Evans or Alshon Jeffery will be there in Round 3. Take one or both if possible. Both dudes should see stupid high levels of targets and targets equal production.
If you got Rodgers/Cam, cool, go get Randall Cobb or Jarvis Landry in the fourth. Again, guaranteed targets in high-volume passing games.
From there target Donte Moncrief, Doug Baldwin and Marvin Jones, probably in that order, though you may see Baldwin go first of the three due to name value.
And yes, you're reaching on just about every pick here but whatever, if you want value, offensive line grades and aDOT-style advanced stats to find hidden gems, this article ain't for you.
The bottom line is that the trio of Moncrief, Baldwin and Jones possess high touchdown upside and should see consistent targets in above-average offenses. Basically what I'm saying is that they all have pretty safe floors and good to great upside.
Denver D/ST and the Barnyard Dog
We're approaching the double-digit rounds and at this point you are starting to struggle to recognize names. Normally, I'd advocate going sleepers here but more than likely you have roughly two more picks in you at most before you ditch the draft app and let the computer auto-draft for you. Let's make sure you get a good defense and a solid tight end before setting your queue, bouncing and firing up Netflix.
If Gary Barnidge is there in Round 9, obviously go and get him. If he's not, get the Denver defense in Round 9 and then Antonio Gates in Round 10. Gates is an unbelievably unsexy pick but he's also one of the safest. Gates had 50 yards or more in nine of the 11 games he played in last year. That doesn't sound that great but it'll be very rare occurrence indeed where he is a pox on your scoring. You'll come to appreciate that consistency from his position group.
Plus Philip Rivers loves him and the offense will be better this year, despite the age (36) you can mark him down for 800 yards and six touchdowns. And if he goes down there are like five other tight ends you can pick up off the wire.
Corey Coleman, rando (not random, rando) RBs and Dan Bailey
Queue up the rookie in Cleveland if he's still there. By Round 11 there's a pretty good chance he's gone but if he's not, don't be scared off by the stink of the 2015 Browns. Coleman will look at 120-plus targets in this offense and with his skills, there's almost no chance in hell he doesn't finish at least as a reliable, every-week flex starter.
At this point your starting lineup is pretty much set but given the rate at which running backs get injured, you need some solid backup options. Melvin Gordon has injury/productivity concerns but by Round 11, it's a moot point for a starting running back. Same goes for Rashad Jennings. Circle Charles Sims and James White, they both will get a fair amount of snaps this year.
In Round 14 just go and get Dan Bailey. Stephen Gostkowski is probably gone and that's fine, Bailey has a big enough leg, is super accurate and plays for a super solid offense against a super weak division. Since he came into the league in 2011, Bailey has been a top-10 fantasy kicker every year except last season when both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant missed significant time. Even in a down year, he was still fantasy's 11th-best kicker.
Other super sleepers? Michael Thomas in New Orleans. Camp reports have been amazing and he legit has Marques-Colston upside.
Travis Benjamin is an awesome down-field threat (won't bore you with the specific numbers) and Philly Rivers loves chucking it deep. Benjamin could easily be a 1,000-yard, eight-touchdown guy.
Finally, Bilal Powell and Jerick McKinnon are two of your better high-upside handcuffs this year. They both have pass-catching skills and back up aging running backs (Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson respectively).
You're welcome, you're done. Kick up your feet, get some double-crusted blueberry pie and chill. You had a super hard day of doing nothing.
You're lazy.
I get it, you want to play fantasy football but don't want to put the work in. You also don't want to come in last because, well ... coming in last sucks.
You don't want to scour the waiver wire or read about practice reports or listen to some analyst drone on about yards generated after contact in press coverage against the AFC West during primetime games.
And at the same time, you basically need to play fantasy so you and your buddies/co-workers have something to talk about other than your feelings and/or that new bread knife you bought from Amazon.
You want to play, you want to put in the least amount of work possible but you also don't want to be the laughing stock of the league.
It's cool, I got you. Here's your guide to have a totally respectable team (that probably isn't going to win, but you never know, fantasy is weird) that will require the least amount of work on your end once the season starts.
***This assumes 10-team standard scoring snake formats obviously. If you're lazy, you're almost assuredly not playing in one of those hipster 14-team PPR auction draft super-flex leagues.***
Go RB-RB to start your draft
This goes counter to popular draft strategies today which say go receiver heavy early. But here's the thing, going wide receiver crazy to start means you have to manage the running back position on an almost weekly basis and who the hell has time for that?
If you want to minimize management, you need workhorses at the running back position and quite frankly there aren't many of them in the league.
In order of who you should grab with your first couple picks, based off of guaranteed workload and the least likelihood of getting hurt: David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley, Adrian Peterson, Lamar Miller, Eddie Lacy, Devonta Freeman, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy. One or more of these guys will be available regardless of where you're drafting.
Get Aaron Rodgers in Round 3
If he stays healthy, Rodgers will almost assuredly finish as a top-five fantasy signal caller. The former Cal product finished either first or second in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks in four out of his past six seasons. The only times he didn't? In 2013 when he suffered an injury and only played nine games and in 2015 when Jordy Nelson went down and Eddie Lacy almost ate himself out of the league. Even then, Rodgers still finished seventh among quarterbacks.
If you play in a midwest league it's very possible Rodgers goes somewhere in the first two rounds and that's okay. Cam Newton should be there in the third round as well. If he's not? Bruh we got backup plans for days. Snap up Russell Wilson or Andrew Luck in Round 5.
Again, is this the best strategy? Probably not, but if you get one of those four guys you can set it and forget it at quarterback. Playing matchups? Analyzing FPA? More like F(orget) that, amirite?
Load up on high-upside WRs
If you missed on Rodgers/Cam, Mike Evans or Alshon Jeffery will be there in Round 3. Take one or both if possible. Both dudes should see stupid high levels of targets and targets equal production.
If you got Rodgers/Cam, cool, go get Randall Cobb or Jarvis Landry in the fourth. Again, guaranteed targets in high-volume passing games.
From there target Donte Moncrief, Doug Baldwin and Marvin Jones, probably in that order, though you may see Baldwin go first of the three due to name value.
And yes, you're reaching on just about every pick here but whatever, if you want value, offensive line grades and aDOT-style advanced stats to find hidden gems, this article ain't for you.
The bottom line is that the trio of Moncrief, Baldwin and Jones possess high touchdown upside and should see consistent targets in above-average offenses. Basically what I'm saying is that they all have pretty safe floors and good to great upside.
Denver D/ST and the Barnyard Dog
We're approaching the double-digit rounds and at this point you are starting to struggle to recognize names. Normally, I'd advocate going sleepers here but more than likely you have roughly two more picks in you at most before you ditch the draft app and let the computer auto-draft for you. Let's make sure you get a good defense and a solid tight end before setting your queue, bouncing and firing up Netflix.
If Gary Barnidge is there in Round 9, obviously go and get him. If he's not, get the Denver defense in Round 9 and then Antonio Gates in Round 10. Gates is an unbelievably unsexy pick but he's also one of the safest. Gates had 50 yards or more in nine of the 11 games he played in last year. That doesn't sound that great but it'll be very rare occurrence indeed where he is a pox on your scoring. You'll come to appreciate that consistency from his position group.
Plus Philip Rivers loves him and the offense will be better this year, despite the age (36) you can mark him down for 800 yards and six touchdowns. And if he goes down there are like five other tight ends you can pick up off the wire.
Corey Coleman, rando (not random, rando) RBs and Dan Bailey
Queue up the rookie in Cleveland if he's still there. By Round 11 there's a pretty good chance he's gone but if he's not, don't be scared off by the stink of the 2015 Browns. Coleman will look at 120-plus targets in this offense and with his skills, there's almost no chance in hell he doesn't finish at least as a reliable, every-week flex starter.
At this point your starting lineup is pretty much set but given the rate at which running backs get injured, you need some solid backup options. Melvin Gordon has injury/productivity concerns but by Round 11, it's a moot point for a starting running back. Same goes for Rashad Jennings. Circle Charles Sims and James White, they both will get a fair amount of snaps this year.
In Round 14 just go and get Dan Bailey. Stephen Gostkowski is probably gone and that's fine, Bailey has a big enough leg, is super accurate and plays for a super solid offense against a super weak division. Since he came into the league in 2011, Bailey has been a top-10 fantasy kicker every year except last season when both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant missed significant time. Even in a down year, he was still fantasy's 11th-best kicker.
Other super sleepers? Michael Thomas in New Orleans. Camp reports have been amazing and he legit has Marques-Colston upside.
Travis Benjamin is an awesome down-field threat (won't bore you with the specific numbers) and Philly Rivers loves chucking it deep. Benjamin could easily be a 1,000-yard, eight-touchdown guy.
Finally, Bilal Powell and Jerick McKinnon are two of your better high-upside handcuffs this year. They both have pass-catching skills and back up aging running backs (Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson respectively).
You're welcome, you're done. Kick up your feet, get some double-crusted blueberry pie and chill. You had a super hard day of doing nothing.
15 players to target in fantasy drafts.
Often times the key to building a winning fantasy roster in the draft comes down to finding the right value at the right time. With that in mind, I've highlighted a player in each round I feel great about at their current average draft position (ADP), based on the data provided by fantasyfootballcalculator.com. These aren't the only players to target in each round, but I try to provide context as to why you should target the following 15 fantasy options at each spot. Lastly, this isn't necessarily a round-by-round draft strategy, though looking at it I'd be pretty happy walking away from a draft with this team.
Often times the key to building a winning fantasy roster in the draft comes down to finding the right value at the right time. With that in mind, I've highlighted a player in each round I feel great about at their current average draft position (ADP), based on the data provided by fantasyfootballcalculator.com. These aren't the only players to target in each round, but I try to provide context as to why you should target the following 15 fantasy options at each spot. Lastly, this isn't necessarily a round-by-round draft strategy, though looking at it I'd be pretty happy walking away from a draft with this team.
[h=4]Round 1: Lamar Miller, RB, Texans[/h] Miller just sneaks into the first round (ADP 1.09), and I think he's a prime player to target there if the elite wide receivers are gone. Last year he averaged just shy of 16 fantasy points per game when he received 15-plus touches, but just 7.14 fppg when receiving fewer than 15 touches. That includes his 12-touch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Giants in Week 14, where he scored twice on his first seven touches. Bill O'Brien, his new head coach in Houston, has given one running back 15-plus touches in 26 of 32 games with the Texans. Arian Foster crossed that mark in virtually every game in which he was fully healthy, so had he been injured less that total would likely be higher. O'Brien wants a featured running back to take pressure off of Brock Osweiler, and that burden will fall on Miller's shoulders. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the mix to lead the league in yards from scrimmage by the end of the year.
[h=4]Round 2: Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars[/h] It's hard to find a safer pick than Allen Robinson in Round 2. Many of the other players are returning from injury (Dez Bryant, Jamaal Charles) or carry other question marks into the season (Devonta Freeman: workload, Eddie Lacy: fitness). Robinson truly broke out last year, but early indications this offseason and preseason are that he's taken his game to another level in 2016. While Robinson isn't likely to see 18 targets within the 10-yard line again, he's still an elite red zone option in a young offense that should be able to move the football. The worries of regression around Robinson are far overblown. He'll put up WR1 totals again, making him an ideal second-round choice.
[h=4]Round 3: Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers[/h] I'm simply baffled by Allen carrying a third-round ADP on both fantasyfootballcalculator.com and NFL.com. Prior to his season-ending lacerated kindey last year (a freak injury), the Cal product was on pace for 134 catches and 1,450 yards. He's an elite wide receiver reuniting with the offensive coordinator (Ken Whisenhunt) who helped make him a fantasy darling as a rookie. Add in that Stevie Johnson is on injured reserve, and Allen's target share of the Chargers offense could reach astronomical heights. His touchdown upside is a bit lower than other wideouts, but Allen's share of the targets in this offense will make him a consistent weekly contributor to any lineup.
[h=4]Round 4: Randall Cobb, WR, Packers[/h] The disrespect shown towards Randall Cobb in fantasy drafts right now makes no sense to me. Throw out last year, as Cobb was playing out of position in an offense lacking surrounding talent while dealing with a nagging shoulder injury. That's a recipe for fantasy disaster ... as we saw. The biggest boon for Cobb is the return of Jordy Nelson. Per the Rotoviz Game Splits app, Cobb averages 4.08 more PPR points per game and 3.59 standard points per game when Nelson plays alongside him, since 2012. He's a high-end WR2 being drafted like a high-end WR3, so be sure to take advantage of this oversight.
[h=4]Round 5: Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals[/h] Earlier in the offseason I was higher on Giovani Bernard than Jeremy Hill given Hill's 2015 performance (it wasn't great) and the losses the Bengals suffered to their wide receiving corps (Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones). However, seeing Hill run in the preseason and hearing rumblings that he could be set for a breakout season have me re-thinking how I see this backfield. Rather than Bernard gaining a wealth of additional passing game targets, the team could lean on a more run-heavy approach with a reinvigorated Hill. That's why I love him in Round 5 -- he has RB1 upside again in a good offense, but at worst offers a touchdown-dependent floor as one of the team's top red-zone options.
[h=4]Round 6: Donte Moncrief, WR, Colts[/h] Donte Moncrief is probably the year's most obvious breakout candidate, so his sixth-round price tag in most drafts is an absolute steal. It's all lining up for Moncrief after he emerged last year as a dynamic, polished receiver with immense physical gifts. Add in a healthy Andrew Luck and Phillip Dorsett, and the Colts passing offense looks ready to take flight. It'd honestly be an upset if Moncrief failed to finish as a top-24 wide receiver in 2016.
[h=4]Round 7: Frank Gore, RB, Colts[/h] This wasn't the prettiest round based on ADPs, but the hate has gone too far on Frank Gore. You can look at his 2015 campaign as a sign that Father Time finally caught up to Gore, or you can look at it realistically. Gore averaged over 18 touches per game behind an abysmal offensive line with no passing game for much of the season to keep defenses honest. It's a wonder he even managed 3.7 yards per carry and played in all 16 games. With Andrew Luck back under center and an improved offensive line in front of him, Gore should be smack in the middle of the RB2 tier by the season's end. He's an epic bargain in Round 7.
[h=4]Round 8: Marvin Jones, WR, Lions[/h] No one is expecting Marvin Jones to replace Calvin Johnson, but to let what could be the No. 1 wide receiver on a pass-happy offense fall to the eighth round is insane. Jones and Tate figure to be at worst a 1a-1b duo, with Jones having a bit more of an edge as a boundary and deep threat. Look for Jones to far out-perform his ADP, and it's not crazy to reach for him a round or two earlier than he's currently going.
[h=4]Round 9: Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals[/h] I went back and forth a lot with Eifert here, but his upside is simply too great to pass up in Round 9. We don't know exactly how many games he'll miss to start the season, but once he comes back he'll immediately be the No. 2 option in an efficient offense with a solid quarterback. You can grab a tight end in the final rounds to hold out for Eifert (Jared Cook, Zach Miller, Vance McDonald, etc.) very easily. Eifert is near uncoverable around the goal line thanks to his size and natural ability. Last year he converted six of his seven targets inside the 10-yard line into touchdowns, and scored 11 times on 15 red-zone targets overall.
[h=4]Round 10: Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers[/h] To me, Philip Rivers is the crown-jewel of the late-round quarterback options for two main reasons. First, he welcomes back a healthy Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates, as well as new arrival and field-stretcher in Travis Benjamin. Second, he is reunited with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. The last time these two were together (2013), Rivers completed a career-high 69.5 percent of his passes, finished fourth in the league in yards (4,478), fifth in passing touchdowns (32), and sixth in fantasy scoring (18 fppg average), despite finishing 22nd in pass attempts. Rivers will be a QB1 in 2016 and comes at a steep discount.
[h=4]Round 11: Torrey Smith, WR, 49ers[/h] Since he made the jump to the NFL in 2013, Chip Kelly has never had a No. 1 wide receiver finish worse than 20th in fantasy scoring at his position (Jordan Matthews, 2015). DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin had career years in Kelly's high-volume offenses, and Torrey Smith fits that mold. Sure, the quarterback position in San Francisco isn't ideal, but was Sam Bradford all that great in Philadelphia? The 49ers also figure to see a number of pass-heavy game scripts while trailing this year, setting up Smith for a potentially huge year.
[h=4]Round 12: Tyrod Taylor, QB, Bills[/h] If you miss out on Philip Rivers, look to land Tyrod Taylor a few rounds later. Or grab both, if you're into that sort of thing. Taylor missed two games with injury last season, but from Weeks 1-4 (pre-injury) he was the fourth-highest scoring quarterback, and from Weeks 9-17 (returning from injury), he was the ninth-highest scoring quarterback. Had he played 16 games and kept his 19.33 fppg average, he would have finished as the QB5 on the year. His running ability gives him a safe weekly floor, and he boasts a great connection with No. 1 wideout Sammy Watkins. Taylor is a steal in the double-digit rounds.
[h=4]Round 13: Zach Miller, TE, Bears[/h] With Martellus Bennett now in New England, Zach Miller is the starting tight end for the Bears, a position that sees an average of 24 percent of Jay Cutler's targets over the last three years. Miller could very likely end up the second-most targeted player in Chicago behind Alshon Jeffery, and offers TE1 upside in Round 13. It's tough to find too many better bargains than Miller right now in fantasy.
