The clock continues to tick! We're into the SINGLE DIGITS (in weeks) to the upcoming season. Have you locked in your team? Or are you waiting for the last possible second again? If you need a little push, maybe try taking a look at our 2.0 Bubble Keepers list!
Kenneth Walker III RB SEA 15 Games | 176.9pts | 11.79VpGP | 94% Start | 0.56RelVal Kenneth Walker III burst onto the scene last year after a few injuries bumped him up the depth chart. He didn't look back either, sparking 88yds on 8 carries and a TD against New Orleans in Week 5, 97yds on 21 touches with another TD in Week 6 vs Arizona - and his blow up game of 23pts against the Chargers (167yds, 23 carries, 2TD). One of the biggest notes? 0 fumbles. Walker had 228 touches last season for 1050yds, 9TDs and 27 catches on 35 targets for 165 yds. He's a machine as an RB, and his value could still be low to those who aren't paying too close attention.
Tua Tagovailoa QB MIA 13 Games | 254.92pts | 19.61VpGP | 81% Start | 0.75RelVal The biggest concerns around Tua is health. But his ceiling for Fantasy purposes is HIGH! Miami's explosive offense will give Tua the ability to move the ball to a playmaker in just about any situation. Waddle and Hill on the outside, a speedy Running Back Committee (and potentially Free Agent Dalvin Cook), but they lost Mike Gesicki to New England. Still - Tua was on an MVP pace last year before getting hurt. His track record from college says he's got the skill to do it again... just keep him upright and he could carry you to a championship.
Kirk Cousins QB MIN 16 Games | 297.48pts | 18.59VpGP | 100% Start | 0.71RelVal Cousins gets a lot of hate for someone who doesn't really do too many bad things. He's got quite the receiving corps in Minnesota too: Justin Jefferson leads the charge with now 1st Rd Pick Jordan Addison being welcomed into the mix. Don't forget TJ Hockenson and specialty WR's KJ Osborn and Jalen Reagor. Cousins' completion rate for deep throws shows he wasn't very successful (14% on throws 20yds+), but he was hitting his target more than half the time. It's just a matter of time before he has more than one receiver who can corral the ball. Hockenson should help with that - along with Addison's reach. Jefferson's overall value may drop a little because the ball is getting spread around more - but if all goes right, Cousins could find himself as a Top-10 QB this year.
Jamaal Williams RB NO 16 Games | 200.7pts | 12.54VpGP | 100% Start | 0.60RelVal He's moved down to the bayou, but Jamaal Williams still brings that Detroit Muscle to your backfield. Williams led the NFL in rushing TD's last year and decided to make a change of scenery away from Detroit to New Orleans. He's sneaking onto the list as a quiet keeper candidate because although Alvin Kamara is still technically the #1 in New Orleans, the successful teams are starting to approach offense with a Running Back Committee. What better way to do that with a quick back on the outside in Kamara, and a back who can pound the ball down the middle of their defense with Williams? Especially earlier on in the season, you can expect Williams to be scoring you points. Derek Carr is the new QB under center, and Michael Thomas will be hopefully lining up opposite Chris Olave all season long. Once this offense finds their groove, they will be dangerous. Williams could find himself near the top of the RB pool once again - but he will be a top-heavy candidate for production this season.
Rhamondre Stevenson RB NE 16 Games | 206.3pts | 12.89VpGP | 100% Start | 0.61RelVal Stevenson is currently listed as RB1 in New England, and with the current state of the Patriots Offense I would say they will probably be running the football quite a bit this year. Last year, Rhamondre finished as RB9 and a respectable 0.61RelVal for a lead back. Still, there will be a fine scope on New England. They haven't been able to put together a decent showing since Tom Brady left town, and Mac Jones may be on his last chance. DaVante Parker is returning, while JuJu Smith-Schuster welcomes himself into the fold. Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton are going to have high expectations, while Mike Gesicki will lead the TE room. Can New England do it? It's possible, sure. But I have them projected to finish at the bottom of the division for a reason. Stevenson may be the only player of value on the Patriots this year.
DeVonta Smith WR PHI 16 Games | 204.9pts | 12.81VpGP | 100% Start | 0.59RelVal DeVonta Smith outperformed his 2021 pace last year by 143%, raising the bar and the Eagles offense to be one of the most dynamic groups in the league. With their WR group led by AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, TE Dallas Goedert and WR Quez Watkins as the next up on the downfield checks. Add in Deandre Swift from Detroit and now your entire field opens up because the defense has to respect BOTH ways you move the ball down the field. Smith's versatility may once again sky rocket this year as Jalen Hurts continues to mold himself into a franchise QB. Smith finished last year as WR17... if he stays healthy, he can climb to a Top-12 WR.
Garrett Wilson WR NYJ 16 Games | 167.1pts | 10.44VpGP | 100% Start | 0.48RelVal Garrett Wilson's upside vs Garrett Wilson's utilization will be the gamble for fantasy owners putting faith in the Second-Year Jets WR. Wilson has undeniable talent after working with Zach Wilson for an impressive rookie season (WR18). Now, he has an experienced QB under center - who knows how to move the ball and score. Allen Lazard's relationship with Rodgers from Green Bay will highlight this offense, followed by Breece Hall and his return from tearing his ACL. Wilson is going to be battling Tyler Conklin for the #3 role in this offense until he builds some chemistry with the former NFL MVP. Once that relationship is established though, his projections could range similar to Davante Adams.
TJ Hockenson TE MIN 16 Games | 174.3pts | 10.89VpGP | 100% Start | 0.74RelVal Hock was one of the big targets on the trade block coming into Dan Campbell's second season as head coach in Detroit. Hock is due a BIG payday, and it started becoming more clear that TJ wasn't going to cut his financials short to play football. While he (and ARSB) was leaned on heavily in Detroit's passing game, Hock found himself in space in Minnesota thanks to Justin Jefferson taking most of the attention. It lead to TJ's TE2 finish and a very impressive 0.74RelVal. With Addison in the fold, as mentioned above, Hock could be battling Mark Andrews for TE2 this year.
James Conner RB ARI 13 Games | 177.2pts | 13.63VpGP | 81% Start | 0.65RelVal James Conner may be one of the only guys who holds an RB1 tag but doesn't have 100% rostering in leagues. His injury history causes some people to steer away from him (he did miss three games last year). That being said... he still finished as RB22. Imagine if he is able to add another 40pts to that total with his three extra healthy games. That would put him in Top-10 territory for RB's. Absolutely a steal in late-round drafts.
Evan Engram TE JAC 16 Games | 132.3pts | 8.27VpGP | 100% Start | 0.56RelVal The last TE who isn't named Travis Kelce that might be worth keeping. Evan Engram's upside is tremendous. He made his way down to the swamp with Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson's Jaguars and had himself a career year. Engram's TE5 finish was left with a large gap between him and 4th (George Kittle - 162pts), as well as him and 6th (Juwan Johnson - 117pts). He really found his form later in the season, and it should carry into this year as well. The chemistry is growing with Lawrence, and the experience is coming. They've already made a surprisingly deep run for a young team in the post-season, my money is on them to take another run at the AFC Championship this year. Expect big things from Engram if they want to achieve their goals.
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