Tyler Boyd will get a chance to make an immediate impact with the Bengals
It may be June, and your draft may not be for another two months, but that doesn’t mean advice around this time of year is useless. There are many drafts that have already been completed and our Composite ADP is just the place to see how things have shaken up.
After all, who doesn’t want the next David Johnson, Doug Baldwin or Allen Hurns? To help sort through the names in the lower depths of the ADP, we had a couple of questions for our featured pundits in preparation for the upcoming draft season. It’s not too early to begin your draft research and here’s a great place to start as you begin to think about possible sleepers.
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Q1. Name one under-the-radar RB that you plan to target in all drafts as a late-round lottery ticket?
Theo Riddick (DET)
Overall ADP: #132
“Riddick is worth the gamble in the 14th round. What do you have to lose, especially in PPR leagues? The Lions must replace 150 Calvin Johnson targets, and Riddick led all RBs with 80 receptions. He was also 2nd among RBs with 14 redzone targets. Game flow could help too if the Lions play from behind often and/or the rest of the Lions RBs struggle again. Riddick has flex or maybe RB2 upside in PPR for a guy that’s barely being drafted.”
– Steve Andress (4for4.com)
“It’s tough to find a RB after round 10 that is a league leader in any beneficial FF statistical category. Unless, of course, you’re staring at Theo Riddick who hauled in a league-high 80 receptions in 2015. Ameer Abdullah is getting major hype in the Lions backfield this offseason, but he hasn’t participated in OTAs or Minicamp. If you play in a PPR format, Riddick is good for double-digit points a game (he averaged 11.3, 18th most at the position in 2015). Plus, he should see an increase in carries in 2016, especially if Abdullah can’t stay healthy.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)
Jordan Howard (CHI)
Overall ADP: #150
“Of all the current late-round ADP RBs out there, I believe Howard is the one who can/will win the primary role for his team without an injury scenario forcing it to happen. Folks, Jeremy Langford is not good. He posted a flimsy 3.6 yards per carry last year in extended work, and a shockingly low 52% of his targets caught (because he has bad hands). Langford is not a power runner, nor is he a reliable receiver. Howard is a monster, arguably the best power runner from the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s a patient, savvy, instinctual, and violent runner. He can be a team’s workhorse, and will definitely take the short yardage TDs regardless. Howard is not a superstar, and is so-so in the pass game, but he’s a more talented runner than Langford or Ka’Deem Carey. My prediction: He’ll be the Bears’ opening day starter.”
– R.C. Fischer (Fantasy Football Metrics)
Jerick McKinnon (MIN)
Overall ADP: #162
“Lottery tickets don’t come with much of a higher potential payoff than in the case of Adrian Peterson’s backup, who has shown plenty of talent in his own right (4.9 average on 165 rushes over two seasons). AP had another great season last year, but he is 31, after all, and might simply be due for a major injury. McKinnon, who is reportedly slated for a bigger role this season, makes for an ideal target with your last pick before going defense-kicker.”
– Des Bieler (The Washington Post)
Chris Thompson (WAS)
Overall ADP: #220
“He’s a PPR-specific target, but give me Chris Thompson, who sometimes ran and always caught the ball better than both Matt Jones and Alfred Morris last season. Morris has been replaced by the younger Keith Marshall, but Thompson has incumbent experience in Washington’s offensive system. I expect him to outproduce his ADP and be a real asset in PPR leagues.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
Q2. Name one under-the-radar WR that you plan to target in all drafts as a late-round lottery ticket?
Torrey Smith (SF)
Overall ADP: #138
“I get it, we’ve all been burned by him at various points, but guess what? So have opposing defensive backs, to the tune of a 17.3 career yards-per-reception average, second-best among all active players, and a league-leading 20.1 average last season. With Anquan Boldin’s departure, Smith takes over as the No. 1 WR in San Francisco, whose offense is now in the creative hands of Chip Kelly. Smith may never give you volume, but he has always offered big plays, and there is every reason to expect a steadier stream of those in 2016.”
– Des Bieler (The Washington Post)
“49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith is a good lottery ticket in the 11th round. Two words: Chip Kelly. This is what the top WR did in Kelly’s offense the past three years with less than stellar QBs: 85-997-8, 85-1318-10, and 82-1332-9. Those three seasons were by 3 different WRs too, illustrating Chip Kelly’s system helps his top wideout. Smith was quiet last year but suffered from a run-heavy scheme more than his efficiency, evidenced by more than 20 yards per reception. Kelly’s uptempo offense and system should result in an increase of quality targets for Smith, in addition to potentially playing from behind and needing to pass. After all, Vegas has the 49ers as the biggest underdog in the league, but playing from behind helps your fantasy team. Ask the 2015 Jaguars.”
– Steve Andress (4for4.com)
Tyler Boyd (CIN)
Overall ADP: #203
“Talk about an ideal landing spot… Boyd joins a Bengals team that lost their No. 2 and No. 3 wide receivers to free agency and will likely be without Tyler Eifert for the first few weeks while he recovers from ankle surgery. Eifert, of course, led the league in TDs a year ago. That’s A LOT of production up for grabs! Boyd will easily win the team’s No. 3 job and could certainly overtake Brandon LaFell for the No. 2 role by the time the season starts.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)
Rishard Matthews (TEN)
Overall ADP: #249
“There was a good reason why the Patriots were trying to land Rishard Matthews in free agency (but Tennessee won the bidding war) – he is a Pro Bowl-level talent who was wasted away for years in Miami. You saw a glimpse of his potential in 2015, when he finally could not be denied by the Dolphins. He played so well he kept Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker on the bench. Matthews averaged 4.7 catches, 71.9 yards, and 0.4 TDs per game in his first nine games last season (a 75 catch, 1,150+ yards, 7 TD full season pace), but then he was banged up the following week, and placed on I.R. a week after that. Matthews is the most talented wide receiver on the Titans. He’s a bigger and better version of Kendall Wright, and you’re kidding me with Dorial Green-Beckham and Justin Hunter, right? Matthews may well be his team’s No. 1 wide receiver this season, and he may not get drafted in some 15-round, 12-team redrafts going on right now.”
– R.C. Fischer (Fantasy Football Metrics)
DeAndre Smelter (SF)
Overall ADP: #NR
“It will surely end in tears, but I can’t resist hitching my fantasy football wagon to the 49ers’ passing offense this offseason. As a result, I’ve landed DeAndre Smelter in most of my drafts to date. San Francisco’s defense promises to be porous yet again in 2016, so they’ll frequently be playing from behind. The arrival of Chip Kelly and his rapid-fire offense further cements the likelihood of high volume for the Niners’ receivers. Aside from Torrey Smith, all of those receivers are unproven, Smelter included, but the second-year wideout has the pedigree to succeed if given the opportunity I anticipate he’ll have this season.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
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Thank you to the experts for giving their lottery picks for the upcoming draft season. Start prepping for your draft with our Mock Draft Simulator.
