By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
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Hunter Henry, TE, Chargers Henry was the best tight end in the 2016 NFL Draft, and the Chargers needed a replacement for Ladarius Green this season and Antonio Gates next season. For fantasy, that puts Henry behind the Gates-ball this year, but in dynasty, Henry looks to be an attractive player as he’ll be in line to start in 2017. It usually takes rookie tight ends a year or two to get up to NFL speed anyway and sometimes longer, so consider him a dynasty grab only.
Sterling Shepard, WR, Giants Shepard couldn’t have landed in a better spot than with the Giants. Coach Ben McAdoo loves to throw the ball, and at the moment, the only receiver guaranteed targets in New York is Odell Beckham Jr. Shepard will line up in the slot, and since the Giants use three-wide receiver sets often, he’ll get plenty of snaps. His route running and hands are possibly the best in this year’s draft, and he should easily beat out Victor Cruz’s ghost for the starting job. With no tight end to speak of, Shepard should be in line for the second-most targets on the team, which could easily make him a WR2 in fantasy this season.
Derrick Henry, RB, Titans Unlike Shepard, Henry did not land in a great spot since the Titans had already signed DeMarco Murray this offseason. It appears they are planning on running the ball early and often this year, but unless they become a juggernaut offense and quickly, there just won’t be enough touches for Henry as long as Murray is in the mix. Murray does have a lot of miles on the old speedometer, and Henry should be involved in the run-heavy offense. I see no reason to pass on him as a handcuff or possible flex option this season. His upside isn’t as high as some due to his lack of passing-down skills, but he should be able to get into the end zone and pile up early down carries when the opportunity knocks.
Michael Thomas, WR, Saints Another great landing spot for a wide receiver this year is the New Orleans Saints. Over the last two seasons, they’ve attempted 1,325 passes, the most in the league. Thomas isn’t the top receiver from the 2016 NFL Draft, but he’s a tall, big-bodied receiver who has a similar skill set to Marques Colston. Right now, Thomas does have Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Coby Fleener ahead of him on the probable targets list, but he could compete with Snead for outside work, while also being the main slot guy, plus he has Drew Brees and Sean Payton leading the way. I’ll be grabbing Thomas late in re-draft leagues.
Christian Hackenberg, QB, Jets Hackenberg is very much a project for the Jets. He has the physical attributes, but has yet to show consistent ability in accuracy and decision-making. Right now, the Jets have Geno Smith as their No. 1 quarterback, but they will surely add someone like Brian Hoyer or re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick. I probably wouldn’t even use a deep pick in dynasty leagues on Hackenberg at this point.
Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals The Bengals lost their wide receiver depth to free agency this year when Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu skipped town. That leaves a void to fill behind A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert. Boyd’s main rival for targets will be Brandon LaFell. LaFell supposedly was playing hurt much of last season, so there is a chance that he’ll be in better shape to compete this year, but Boyd still has a decent shot of winning that competition. I’m not too high on Boyd as a top talent, but given the opportunity he should stick as a WR2 or 3 in this league.
Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4
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2016 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Video - 8/31 (Walt)
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2016 Fantasy Football Forecast: Wide Receivers - 1/14 (Chet)
2016 Fantasy Football Forecast: Running Backs - 1/13 (Chet)
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