Fantasy Football is not all about your first round picks. The late round picks and the sleeper picks can be just as important.
Eli Manning and the New York Giants were terrible in 2017. The Giants offense dealt with poor play by Manning, a terrible offensive line, a bad run game, and a load of injuries. Manning did not play his best, but the situation around him was a bad one.
Manning Among QB Fantasy Sleepers
Manning still showed he can throw the football. He threw seven touchdowns and for 800 yards in two games against the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants offense is loaded with weapons. Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram will all be in one offense. Barkley will finally give the Giants a stable ground game, and the three pass-catchers will create miss matches all over the field. Manning may just have one more big run in him. If Beckham and Barkley are the first round picks we expect, and Evan Engram is a top-five tight end, Manning will certainly have great value.
Matt Ryan had trouble finding the end zone and was considered a fantasy football bust coming off his MVP season. His touchdowns fell from 38 to 20, his interceptions went up from 7 to 12, and he finished the season with almost 900 fewer passing yards. The Falcons offense struggled under new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Atlanta’s offense struggled as a whole, but like the Giants, the offense has plenty of weapons. Last year, the Falcons offense was good. They just didn’t find the end zone efficiently. Ryan should have a big year with a healthy running back tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The Falcons, of course, have one of the best wide receivers in football in Julio Jones. They also have Mohamed Sanu and added first-round pick Calvin Ridley. Atlanta also has one of the league’s best offensive lines.
RB Fantasy Sleepers
Jamaal Williams has the inside track on the starting running back spot for the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Jones has a two-game suspension, and the Packers can’t be happy about that because of Ty Montgomery’s injury history. Green Bay may look to move his role to a pass-catching back role. Williams is currently listed as the team’s first-string running back on Green Bay’s depth chart. The second-year back out of BYU had four games of over 60 yards rushing and one game over 100 yards. It is possible he could grab hold of the long-term job with Jones out.
New York Giants
Lamar Miller seems to be the forgotten man in fantasy football, but he will be the lead back for a Texans offense that should be very good. Miller did not top 100 yards rushing once in the 2017 season and had just three rushing touchdowns. He was a major disappointment but with an injury to D’Onta Foreman and hopefully, a full season of Deshaun Watson, Miller could look more like the 2015 and 2016 guy. In 2016, Miller rushed over 1,000 yards and he scored eight touchdowns on the ground in 2015. He will still be involved in the passing game.
WR Fantasy Sleepers
Corey Davis was a disappointment in his rookie year but raised some eyebrows with a two-touchdown performance in the playoffs. Wide receivers are generally better players in year two of their NFL careers. Davis had just 34 catches, 375 yards, and no regular season touchdowns. He should be more comfortable and used to the Titans offense in his second season. A healthy Marcus Mariota will be better for him also. Mariota played 15 games but dealt with various injuries. His health and Davis’ health will be very important for the Titans.
Mike Williams was even more of a disappointment in his rookie season than Davis. Reports out of Chargers camp have been very positive about Williams. He could benefit the most from the injury of tight end Hunter Henry. Williams is a big body receiver and could take the role as the Chargers No. 2 pass-catcher. Williams had just 11 catches for 95 yards as a rookie. He dealt with injuries, inconsistency, and struggled to adjust to the NFL. Philip Rivers throws the football a lot, and Williams could be one of his best red zone options, making him a fantasy sleeper to keep an eye on.
TE Fantasy Sleepers
Trey Burton was involved in one of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history, “The Philly Special.” Burton signed with the Chicago Bears in the offseason and will now be the starting tight end rather than Zach Ertz’s backup in Philadelphia. Burton caught just 23 balls in 2017. In Week 14 when Ertz was injured, Burton had five catches for 71 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The Bears offense is the trendy pick to be this year’s breakout offense, much like the Rams last year. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the Bears offense should be much improved. Burton could be a huge part of Chicago’s new-look offense. He could end up being a great value and should be drafted as a top 10 tight end in fantasy drafts.