As we turn the calendar over to August, we finally find ourselves in the throes of deciphering training camp news. Long-time football fans know this is a tricky part of the year. What reports have merit? Which blurbs are simply coach speak? Knowing the difference between news and noise is valuable for every skilled fantasy manager. In this piece, we will discuss a few players who have been the subject of recent news cycles with seemingly real steam behind them.
With all of these players still ranked modestly in our Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) here at FantasyPros, identifying them now can pay massive draft day dividends later. Despite the possible objections of hip-hop legend Flavor Flav, here are the athletes with early buzz and reasons to believe the hype.
George Pickens (WR – PIT): ECR WR79
On talent and production alone, Pickens would have been a slam dunk first-round pick; however, between injuries in college (most notably an ACL injury in 2021) and ‘red flags‘ that sprung up during the scouting process, the wideout fell further in the 2022 NFL Draft (20th pick of round two; 52nd overall pick) than expected. In addition to his impressive 18.9% college dominator rating per PlayerProfiler, Pickens led all Georgia Bulldogs in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in 2019 as a true freshman. Speaking plainly, the selection of Pickens can best be characterized as a high-risk/high-reward move by Pittsburgh, and to date, the Steelers’ decision seems to have yielded positive returns.
Per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pickens has captured the attention of his new teammates as a standout performer, including quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. While it is still early in camp, those who cover the team feel it is pretty clear how good Pickens has been.
If the first three practices are any indication, George Pickens is going to be a huge factor in this offense. He’s had some monster catches each day, including a nice one over the middle from Trubisky for about a 20-yard gain
– Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) July 29, 2022
To add to the not-so-well-kept secret of Pickens’ early standout ability, fourth-year wideout Diontae Johnson is still in the midst of a contract ‘hold-in’ as he hopes to negotiate a long-term deal with Pittsburgh ahead of reaching free agency in 2023. By Johnson not participating in several team activities and the previously mentioned Claypool still dealing with a shoulder injury keeping him sidelined, Pickens is gaining a valuable advantage of early availability and rapport-building with Trubisky.
In essence, Pickens could find himself as an immediate impact player on a team with a track record of rookie pass-catchers making a big impact in point-per-reception scoring (PPR) formats (see: JuJu Smith-Schuster WR22 in 2017, Chase Claypool WR23 in 2020, Diontae Johnson WR39 in 2019). Currently being drafted as WR67 per 4for4, fantasy managers too can take on the same high-reward the Steelers have without the high-risk component.
Isaiah McKenzie (WR – BUF): ECR WR101
Not for nothing, Cole Beasley averaged the 46th-most PPR points per game (11.99) and the 27th-most points overall from 2019 to 2021 during his career in Buffalo per Stathead. The former Bills slot receiver’s production in a high-powered offense paints the picture of a role that, at minimum, could be a flex consideration and, at best, has shown to be a high-end WR3 for fantasy managers everywhere. While Beasley himself sits patiently still in the free agent pool, the battle for who takes his role wages on with one seemingly clear winner so far.
The biggest adjustment for Isaiah McKenzie is “potentially stepping into a full-time role” and teams game-planning for him. – Sean McDermott.
– Sal Capaccio ? (@SalSports) August 1, 2022
With the keyword ‘potential’ in mind, whoever wins the battle for the slot receiver in Buffalo will saunter into an underappreciated-but-viable situation. While he did miss early reps due to injury, former New York Jets slot receiver and offseason signee Jamison Crowder himself ranks tied with Beasley in points per game and 35th-highest overall in the same timespan outlined previously via Stathead, and as such, ruling him out would be misguided. That said, it seems as though McKenzie’s initial showings have inspired a level of confidence that cannot be ignored.
Isaiah McKenzie is the ‘twitchiest’ players on the Bills offense.
He’s going to be asked to do a lot more than just run ‘gadget’ plays this season.
Looking more and more comfortable in the slot every day. #BillsMafia
– Dan Fetes (@danfetes) July 29, 2022
Perhaps this could be viewed as a backdoor into rear-end coverage should something go awry, but the point here is that regardless of what transpires moving forward, one of McKenzie or Crowder (ECR WR68) should emerge as a viable depth piece for any fantasy manager’s roster. That said, the former is categorically the favorite to seize the role at this time.
While anecdotal evidence is not the strongest varietal, here is something to consider before we move on to the final player on this list:
I see it’s Isaiah McKenzie day.
McKenzie played more than 33% of the snaps once all year in 2021. That was Week 16 when Beasley was out. In that game, McKenzie caught 11 of 12 targets for 125 yards and a touchdown.
– Heath Cummings (@heathcummingssr) July 25, 2022
Travis Etienne (RB – JAX): ECR RB20
As outlined in my recent update of the best values on FFPC as part of the FantasyPros Redraft Kit, Etienne has all the makings of an Alvin Kamara-type in an offense that should see a dramatic, positive shift under the tutelage of new head coach Doug Pederson. Perhaps a bit off-beat considering the beat nature of this piece, but here is some good insight from industry titan Brad Evans for readers who participate in sports betting:
Travis Etienne is drawing rave reviews with his initial performance in training camp.
His current total yardage prop sits at 1025.5 (-135/+100) @BetMGM.
James Robinson early season absence combined with opportunity and scoreboard chasing says he’ll be very active.
OVER
– Brad Evans (@NoisyHuevos) July 31, 2022
In addition to reading my previous update in regard to the possible fantasy impact that Etienne carries, take a chance on the pseudo-redshirt rookie in your drafts as an easy breakout RB1 candidate.
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