Le’Veon Bell ran away from the competition all season long and should be 2015’s top pick.
In case you missed it, we released our accuracy report last week and want to congratulate all that participated and contributed their rankings throughout the season. Of course with the season over for most, it’s time to start looking forward to next year as it’s never too early to start thinking about who you would want to draft or who your sleepers may be for next season.
Naturally, with us knowing who the most accurate experts for 2014 are now, we thought it’d be best to ask the top experts to rank their top 10 players for next season’s draft. Read on to view the pundits’ consensus advice as well as who their sleeper is heading into next season.
Featured Pros
Sean Koerner (Bloomberg Sports)
Justin Boone (The Score)
Jake Ciely (RotoExperts)
Sablich Brothers (The New York Times)
Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)
2015 Top 10 Players (Standard Scoring)
| Player | Position | Team | Consensus Rank | Best Rank | Worst Rank |
| Le’Veon Bell | RB | PIT | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jamaal Charles | RB | KC | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Eddie Lacy | RB | GB | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| DeMarco Murray | RB | DAL | 4 | 2 | NR |
| Matt Forte | RB | CHI | 5 | 3 | NR |
| Antonio Brown | WR | PIT | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Demaryius Thomas | WR | DEN | 7 | 5 | NR |
| Dez Bryant | WR | DAL | 8 | 5 | NR |
| LeSean McCoy | RB | PHI | 9 | 6 | NR |
| Rob Gronkowski | TE | NE | 10 | 6 | NR |
Also receiving top 10 votes: J. Jones (#11), C. Johnson (#12), O. Beckham Jr. (#13), J, Nelson (#14), A. Rodgers (#15), M. Lynch (#16), A. Green (#17), A. Luck (#18)
2015 Draft Advice
We’ve asked each expert to share advice for next year’s draft. Here are their suggestions for who you should target.
Q1. Tell us why the person you ranked at #1 is the best fantasy option in 2015.
Sean Koerner – Bloomberg Sports
Le’Veon Bell would be my first choice overall hands down. He is in his own Tier 1 especially in a PPR league. The reason why I love RBs that are heavily involved in their team’s passing game is they are “blowout proof” as I like to call them. This means if their team is up a lot, they will feed their RB the ball and run some clock. If they are playing comeback mode by throwing a lot, their RB will still get dump off passes to add to their yardage. Bell even has room to improve as he was a bit unlucky in red zone situations and should see an increase in touchdowns next season.
Justin Boone – The Score
Le’Veon Bell has transformed himself into an elite back and will be at the top of most draft boards for 2015. It took Bell just 14 games this season to compile over 2,000 total yards, and on the year, he’s averaging 4.8 yards per carry and five receptions per game. Perhaps most importantly, the 22-year-old passes the eye test. All you have to do is watch one Steelers game to understand that Bell is a special talent and someone you want leading your fantasy team.
Jake Ciely – RotoExperts
Bell is No. 1 simply because he’ll likely beat out Murray after Week 17 and doesn’t have the same injury and wear-and-tear concerns. But, since I expect everyone to say Bell, I’ll take a moment to point out the two that could surpass Bell: Forte and Lacy. If Marc Trestman is gone and the new Bears coach, you know, actually runs the ball with one of the most talented running backs, Forte could have a Charles-like year. As for Lacy, just look at his game-log since Week 7. If Randall Cobb leaves, Lacy could see a bigger share (or at least the share he’s seen late this year) for a full 16 games and top the list in 2015.
Sablich Brothers – The New York Times
An already thin running back position projects to be even sketchier next season when you factor in all of the busts and uncertainty of last year’s popular early round selections (Peterson, McCoy, Lynch, Ball, etc). There’s no safer running back pick in both standard/PPR formats considering Bell’s age (turns 23 in 2015) and his unchallenged role in all aspects of the Steelers’ rushing attack (run/pass/goal-line).
Patrick Thorman – Pro Football Focus
Bell is arguably the league’s most dynamic young back, is strong in the passing game, and has a workload that should to continue to be enormous. He was a carry and target monster even when the Steelers had a solid backup, so even when they deepen their running back corps, the risk of fewer touches for Bell isn’t high. If they skew a little more run-heavy, especially in the red zone, it will only add to his value.
Q2. Tell us who your top sleeper candidate to draft will be next season.
Jake Ciely – RotoExperts
Odell Beckham. Oh, wait, you’ve heard of him? Okay, I’ll switch coasts and tell you that Carlos Hyde will be a top 10 running back and didn’t miss my top 10 overall by much. Hyde has great size/speed combination, and he looks to have improved on my main concern out of college (happy feet). With Frank Gore all but out the door in San Fran, Hyde will be a true bell cow back and put up Gore 2009-like numbers.
Sablich Brothers – The New York Times
Carlos Hyde has the makeup to be a beastly workhorse in this league. Soon to be free agent Frank Gore could be out of the picture completely if he can’t come to grips with a lesser contract this offseason. Considering he turns 32 in May, a backseat to Hyde would be the next logical step for this offense should he remain in San Francisco.
Sean Koerner – Bloomberg Sports
One sleeper I already have my eyes on is Jarvis Landry. He was a target monster towards the end of the season once he was a clear cut starter for the Dolphins. The touchdowns weren’t there towards the end of the season, but luck will shift his way and he will be producing solid WR3 numbers next year while coming at a cheaper price tag than other WRs of his caliber.
Justin Boone – The Score
Devonta Freeman has shown well in limited action during his rookie season, including a season-high 84 total yards and a score on eight touches, while Steven Jackson was sidelined in Week 16. With Jackson on the wrong side of 30, Freeman should see more opportunities moving forward, eventually taking over as the starter. The Falcons offensive line was decimated by injuries this season, so with a healthy set of blockers, Freeman could have a breakout year in 2015.
Patrick Thorman – Pro Football Focus
Digging deeper than Donte Moncrief, Carlos Hyde or Jerick McKinnon, all of whom I love – I think Jonas Gray will break out. The Patriots began an offensive line transformation by picking beefier rookies, they have an ascending defense, and Tom Brady isn’t getting younger. Their top backs are set to hit free agency, and Gray is a powerful runner who’s shown elite tackle-breaking ability (0.2 forced missed tackles per touch when he’s received 10+ touches).
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If you’re still playing a meaningful game this weekend, best of luck and may 2014 end with a championship win. Congratulations to the experts who contributed above for being part of the top experts across the entire 2014 season.
Happy New Year to all of our FantasyPros fans!
