By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Each offseason brings change to NFL rosters, and those changes often have fantasy implications. Below, I lay out the changes at the skill positions and how those moves impact the fantasy status of the new roster.
2017
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QB: Tom Savage, Deshaun Watson
RB: Lamar Miller, D’Onta Foreman, Tyler Ervin
WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Braxton Miller, Bruce Ellington
TE: Ryan Griffin, Stephen Anderson. C.J. Fiedorowicz
2018
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QB: Deshaun Watson, Brandon Weeden
RB: Lamar Miller, D’Onta Foreman, Tyler Ervin
WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, Braxton Miller, Bruce Ellington
TE: Ryan Griffin, Stephen Anderson, Jordan Akins, Jordan Thomas
Pre-Draft Offseason:
DeShaun Watson put on a show early last season before his injury, which has many people ready for a full year from Watson for fantasy. He wasn’t perfect, but he sure was great for a rookie and his rushing numbers pushed him into elite fantasy status even in down games. With him back, there is no doubt that Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins get boosts, even when factoring in that Hopkins was great even with Tom Savage at quarterback.
There haven’t been any major offensive skill player moves this offseason. There could be a change in touches for the top-two running backs, as Lamar Miller hasn’t lived up to his hype and D’Onta Foreman showed enough to be given an opportunity for more touches. That of course is a problem in fantasy, though not one we aren’t used to.
DeAndre Hopkins is a highlight machine and was absolute on fire with Watson at quarterback and then was able to still put up good numbers with Savage throwing him the ball over 12 times per game. Under Watson, the whole offense was more efficient, and we can feel much better about going after players like Fuller and Foreman due to that fact.
Post-Draft Update
Houston picked two tight ends, Jordan Akins in Round 3 and Jordan Thomas in Round 6. Akins is the guy who can put a lot of pressure on defenses and has the best shot at being the No. 1 tight end going into next season. It will be tough for the Texans to get him enough work this season with Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson in front of him, but it will be interesting to see if he can get into games this year.
The Texans also took a wide receiver with their 103rd-overall pick, Keke Coutee out of Texas Tech. Coutee is a play-maker out of the slot and should mesh well with DeShaun Watson’s deep ball skills. He’ll be third on the depth chart, but has the potential to pass Will Fuller at some point, although I’m not going to bank on that this season.
It looks like Houston will stick with Lamar Miller and D’Onta Foreman at running back this season, which keeps our hopes pinned to just two backs instead of something like the Eagles’ backfield, but I really expect we’ll see these two cancel each other out as a strong fantasy play. Miller remains the safer pick. but he’s also underperformed and left the door open for Foreman. I’ll avoid both unless either’s ADP looks too good.
2018 Fantasy Outlook:
Stud: Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins
Solid: None
Sleeper: D’Onta Foreman
For more recommendations, check out WalterFootball.com’s Fantasy Football Rankings.
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