Lorenzo Taliaferro may surprise many in the second half of the season

The season is officially in the second half now with the Thursday game played. There have certainly been some surprises from the first half, perhaps none bigger than DeMarco Murray who is fifth in fantasy scoring across all positions. Only Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers are ahead of Murray. Speaking of Rivers, he is on pace for 40+ touchdowns which would be a career high for the Chargers QB. On the flip side, there have certainly been some highly drafted players that have unperformed to no one’s expectations. LeSean McCoy anyone?

We’re at that point in the season where some players may come back down to earth while others shoot through the roof with a strong second half. We’ve asked our experts two questions to answer exactly what some are hoping for and fearing. Who is it that will be a surprise stud in the second half, and who will be a surprise dud. Read on for their picks and explanations.

Q1. Give us one player that will be a surprise stud in the second half of the season.

LORENZO TALIAFERRO (RB, BAL)
“I think the Baltimore Ravens are going to find out they have a gem in rookie RB Lorenzo Taliaferro. Justin Forsett‘s history dictates he won’t be able to stay healthy and the Ravens have seen enough of Bernard Pierce this season to realize he isn’t cut out to be more than a role player. The Ravens know they aren’t really a high powered passing team and as it gets colder in Baltimore, they’ll lean more on their rushing attack. The guy they’re going to lean on is Taliaferro. He’s a powerful RB that’s going to be touching the football 20 times a game very soon and with smaller WRs and suspect TEs, he’s going to be their guy at the goal line. He’s on fantasy benches now, but he’ll be in starting lineups very soon.”
– Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters)

JEREMY HILL (RB, CIN)
“Giovani Bernard has been taking some SERIOUS shots the last few weeks and for a small framed player, that doesn’t bode well for his long-term value in 2014. At worst, the Bengals will utilize Hill more in the rushing attack. At best Bernard misses some time and Hill gets all the action. With cupcake matchups against the Jags, Saints, Texans, and Bucs in the next month, Cincy will get their running game going thanks to the 2nd round rookie.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)

TERRANCE WILLIAMS (WR, DAL)
“Williams has not only been an emerging fantasy option in 2014, he’s also seen his role evolve. He’s typically been a burner type that has produced by making big plays for touchdowns, but has seen limited targets. In recent weeks his targets have gone up. He’s failed to see the end zone of late, but that will come around. Going into the second half of the season I expect to see Williams become a key weapon in the Cowboys offense and should emerge as a mid-to-high end WR2 for fantasy rosters.”
– Kelly Smelser (Punch Drunk Wonderland)

PIERRE GARCON (WR, WAS)
“The Redskins have passed for over 305 yards per game (YPG), which is the third highest in the league and 51 more YPG than last season. Garcon has yet to tap into that success, ranking 35th in fantasy points per game among wide receivers. The return of Robert Griffin III will restore the strong quarterback-to-receiver connection that Garcon benefited from last season, elevating him back to WR2 status.”
– Austin Lee (FootballGuys)

DOUG BALDWIN (WR, SEA)
“Baldwin inherited the No. 1 wideout spot once the Seahawks sent Percy Harvin to the Jets. The Seahawks offense has changed a bit recently, relying more on the passing game. Russell Wilson threw 30 passes in a game four times last season, and he has already thrown 30 passes in three games this year. Baldwin has been targeted 18 times in his first two games without Harvin, which ties Baldwin’s career high for a two-game span. The Seahawks also have the third-most favorable schedule for fantasy WRs from Weeks 11-15, with a game against the Eagles, and two games against both the Cardinals and 49ers. All three of those defenses rank among the 10 worst against fantasy WRs.”
– David Gonos (DavidGonos.com)

MARTAVIS BRYANT (WR, PIT)
“My surprise stud is Martavis Bryant. He faces the Jets in Week 10, and the Saints and Falcons in weeks 13 and 15 respectively. All three teams are in the Top 10 for most fantasy points allowed to receivers, with his matchups against New Orleans and Atlanta coming in the fantasy playoffs.”
– Brian Dezelske (Sports Radio 105 The Ticket)

 
Q2. Give us one player that will be a surprise dud the second half of the season.

AHMAD BRADSHAW (RB, IND)
“I’m going with Bradshaw as my surprise dud for the second half of the season. He’s making his money out of the passing game, with six of his eight touchdowns coming through the air. With the emergence of Donte Moncrief as another legitimate receiving threat in that offense, Bradshaw simply won’t continue seeing enough targets to sustain his current pace.”
– Brian Dezelske (Sports Radio 105 The Ticket)

LARRY FITZGERALD (WR, ARI)
“He may say they are the San Antonio Spurs of the NFL, but that doesn’t change the fact that Fitzgerald’s days as an elite fantasy wide receiver are waning. To be certain, Fitz has star power and the ability to make big plays, but I see him continuing to struggle to put up the kind of consistency we’ve seen in the past. With other options in Arizona like Michael Floyd and big play burner John Brown, Fitzgerald will likely not get the targets and opportunities to put together a strong rest of 2014. I predict he’ll finish the 2014 fantasy season as more of a WR3 or FLEX option, than a reliable #1 or #2 wide receiver on fantasy rosters.”
– Kelly Smelser (Punch Drunk Wonderland)

JOSH GORDON (WR, CLE)
“Josh Gordon is eligible to play for the Browns in Week 12, but his over-hyped return will exceed the returns his owners will see during the fantasy playoffs. Norv Turner’s high-flying 2013 Browns passed 43 times per game, while Kyle Shanahan’s run-focused offense produces only 31 attempts per game. Sell high to the owner chasing last year’s stats. Gordon won’t be a top-20 receiver.”
– Austin Lee (FootballGuys)

JEREMY MACLIN (WR, PHI)
“Jeremy Maclin has played out of this world so far this season, ranking as a top-five wide receiver despite entering the year as a questionable top 30 WR coming back from a torn ACL. Unfortunately, the Eagles face one of the toughest passing game schedules in the second half, after Sunday’s game at Houston. Specifically, from Weeks 13-17, Philadelphia faces Dallas twice (third-toughest against WRs), Seattle (fifth) and the Giants (ninth).”
– David Gonos (DavidGonos.com)

LAMAR MILLER (RB, MIA)
“On pace for 1,072 yards and nine TDs, Miller has the benefit of being the lone man in the Dolphins backfield. He’s had the benefit of playing against weak defenses the last few weeks and had success, scoring four TDs in his last four games. That’s where the fun times end… Miller has the Lions, Bills, Broncos, Jets, and Ravens in five of his next six games, all of whom boast Top 10 run defenses.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)

MONTEE BALL (RB, DEN)
“Those who have held onto Denver Broncos RB Montee Ball in hopes he’s going to come back and be worth that 1st round pick he cost in fantasy drafts are in for a real disappointment. Even before injury, Ball was not producing anywhere near what was expected. Now he’s taking longer than expected to return. A groin injury is likely to linger and bother him the remainder of the season, limiting his production. While he’s been gone, the Broncos have seen Ronnie Hillman live up to the expectations they had for him two years ago. Add in rookie Juwan Thompson showing well as the power compliment to Hillman, and I think Ball is likely to find himself in a full blown RBBC at best when he returns. Fantasy owners should strongly consider moving him to another team in a trade before he comes back.”
– Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters)

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Thank you to our experts for giving us their surprise studs and duds for the second half of the season. For more from these experts, you can find them on Twitter.