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4 Must-Own Players in 2016 (Fantasy Football)

4 Must-Own Players in 2016 (Fantasy Football)
Will 2016 be the year Donte Moncrief pushes into the upper echelon of fantasy WRs?

Will 2016 be the year Donte Moncrief pushes into the upper echelon of fantasy WRs?

There comes a point in all drafts where you face some tough decisions. Often times, it happens after the first few rounds where picks begin to be more about value than they do about need. Things become less cut and dry and this is where you can make or break your draft.

With that in mind, we looked at our composite ADP and wanted to know, what players do the experts feel are must-haves after the initial rounds? They replied with their picks and these are names the pundits will target in most of their leagues based on current ADP value and upside.

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Q. Once you get past the first few rounds (ADP #36), who is one ‘must-have’ player you’ll be targeting in all drafts?

Donte Moncrief (WR – IND)
Overall ADP: #78
“I’m way into Donte Moncrief, especially in more general purpose leagues where his ADP is much lower than current MFL10 leagues (where I still like his cost). His splits with Luck last year aren’t phenomenal at face value, as he was dependent on touchdowns (scoring in 5-of-7 games with Luck) while being held under 50 receiving yards five times; but I’m not overly concerned with that lower yardage output because of the consistent volume he should receive. He plays in what projects to be a pass heavy offense helmed by a quarterback that has fantasy QB1 in his range of outcomes. It’s hard to envision a scenario where Moncrief doesn’t push past 120 targets, health permitting. And if you’re giving me that many targets in an offense that has the Colts’ scoring capability as a probable floor, I’m going to make a play on that lower end yardage efficiency taking an upward spike rather than staying neutral or going down. Moncrief’s current ADP is priced closely to where I view his floor, and that doesn’t even include the potentially massive elevation were T.Y. Hilton to miss any time.”
Rich Hribar (The Fake Football)

“While there are several obvious (Golden Tate, Jeremy Maclin, Carlos Hyde, Andrew Luck, Eric Decker) and other less obvious (DeVante Parker, Sterling Shepard, Duke Johnson) players who come immediately to mind, I’ll stand on the table for Donte Moncrief in all formats. There should be plenty of opportunities in Indianapolis, which needs to replace over 200 targets from a season ago (opportunity), doesn’t possess a great defense (shootout potential) and just signed its quarterback to a $140 million contract. Furthermore, Moncrief may already be the Colts’ best option in the red zone. After giving owners a first-half glimpse of what he could do before Luck’s season-ending injury in Week 9, the third-year pro should offer WR2 upside in 2016 with about 75 catches, 1,000-plus yards and 10 or more touchdowns.”
Doug Orth (FFToday)

Jeremy Maclin (WR – KC)
Overall ADP: #49
“A player that I have been targeting on a regular basis outside the top 36 in ADP is Chiefs WR Jeremy Maclin. He finished last season in the top-16 in both standard and PPR scoring formats as the No. 1 WR for the Chiefs. He saw roughly 47% of the passes thrown to Kansas City WRs last season and remains QB Alex Smith’s favorite option at the position. Maclin put up three games with over 140 receiving yards and led the team in red zone targets. It would not be surprising to see him reach double digit TDs for the third time in his career. Maclin is currently coming off the board as the 22nd WR and is poised to outperform that position.”
Walton Spurlin (FantasySharks)

Michael Floyd (WR – ARI)
Overall ADP: #60
“The Cardinals’ Michael Floyd is currently ranked 60th overall and WR26 in the consensus. If I’m going to get that type of ADP value out of him, he’d be my “must-have” target. A slow start to the 2015 season due to hand surgery somewhat muted Floyd’s strong kick down the stretch. He may have finished with six touchdowns and less than 1,000 receiving yards, but he averaged 80 receiving yards on five receptions (eight targets) per game with four touchdowns the final two months of the season. Bonus: late-round buy when I can is Karlos Williams as I don’t believe LeSean McCoy can stay healthy all season.”
Ryan Fowler (Fox Sports)

Randall Cobb (WR – GB)
Overall ADP: #42
“One player I will be targeting in all many fantasy drafts this season is Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb. He is undervalued heading into this season after a lackluster 2015. Cobb dealt with a nagging shoulder injury throughout the season and the entire Packers offense struggled mightily without Jordy Nelson. He has produced 1.72 fantasy points per touch over his five-year career. Cobb will be in a position to replicate his 2014 production where he had 127 targets, 91 receptions, 1,287 yards, and 12 touchdowns. The Packers offense scored points on 46.7 percent of their offensive drives and had the third most touchdown passes (38) in the NFL back in 2014. Nelson’s return will allow the Packers to attack defenses vertically and Cobb will thrive on the short to intermediate routes. Cobb has the potential to finish as a top-six fantasy wide receiver in 2016.”
Eric Moody (FFLockerRoom)

More fantasy advice:

Thank you to the experts for taking the time to name their must-have players. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter.

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