In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:
The news is flying from training camp and I’ve never felt more alive.
Yesterday’s flurry of news nuggets centered around the QB position. Here are 5 things to know…
1. How long until we see J.J. McCarthy? The Vikings have been pretty clear this offseason that Sam Darnold will be their starting QB in Week 1. Sometimes this type of rhetoric feels like lip service (I’m looking at you, New England), but in this case the sentiment seems truly bearish on McCarthy being pro-ready. If the Vikings tread water offensively, we might not see the rookie until deep into the year.
2. Full systems go for Joe Burrow. Despite some early offseason concerns about his recovery from season-ending wrist surgery, Zac Taylor confirmed yesterday that Burrow has been fully cleared for contact. Burrow is regularly available after pick 100 in drafts and is a slam dunk stack partner with either Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins.
3. Caleb is delivering in Chicago. On the flip side of the rookie coin, Caleb Williams is turning heads at Bears camp. Shane Waldron gushed about his improvement since OTAs and praised his command of the offense. We’ve never seen a rookie QB set up as well as Williams, so this is very encouraging for both the team and his fantasy prospects. He was taken as high as 2.01 as the overall QB5 in Scott Fish Bowl drafts, which are a SuperFlex format. For comparison, Jared Goff wasn't taken until 2.09 as the QB13, which can be found with our Scott Fish Bowl Tool.
4. A hold out brewing in Green Bay? Jordan Love says he will not practice until he gets a new deal, although Adam Schefter thinks something will get done soon. Doesn’t seem like anything to panic about here, unless you are a Brink’s truck in charge of delivering Love his forthcoming cash.
5. Daniel Jones good to go. Jones, who is coming off a torn ACL, expects to be a full-go at training camp next week. This is very positive news for those of us who select Malik Nabers at every opportunity.
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Sam Wallace has veteran RBs to target
- Watercooler: Should Trey McBride be the TE1?
Veteran RBs To Target
by Sam Wallace
Their best seasons might be behind them but each of these veteran players offers value this upcoming season (and maybe beyond). Here are six RBs for competing dynasty managers to target.
🎯 Derrick Henry
Let's not overthink this one. Yes, Derrick Henry is 30 years old and that's a near-death sentence for an average RB. However, Henry is not your average NFL RB. He spends nearly $250,000 on his body each year and is now the feature-back for one of the league's most dominant rushing attacks in Baltimore.
Fantasy Life's projections (which you can access as part of our FantasyLife+ membership) have him finishing as the:
- RB2 in rushing attempts
- RB4 in rushing yards
- RB1 in rushing TDs
Is that something you might be interested in?
Yes, in dynasty formats, trading FOR a 30-year-old RB seems counter-intuitive, but we have to keep the bigger picture in mind: you play to win the game. Championship banners hang forever.
Here's a fun mental exercise. Using the Fantasy Life Trade Rater, assuming 0.5 PPR scoring, you could theoretically trade away disgruntled WR Brandon Aiyuk for Henry and WIN the trade for this season.
How about that? There's no guarantee that Aiyuk lands somewhere better than San Francisco and securing Henry now could help shore up your lineup for a championship run for both this season and next.
🎯 Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon has quickly become one of my favorite offseason values in both redraft and dynasty. After spending his entire career with the Bengals, he joins a young Texans squad that is looking to make noise in the AFC.
Mixon has finished as a top-10 RB (PPR) in three straight seasons and we project him to finish there again in Houston.
The biggest thing that stands out for me is where Mixon is going in ADP relative to our projections.
Of the top-10 projected RBs, his ADP is well below everyone else (specifically on Underdog), including those projected to finish in a similar range as him. I trust our rankings and projections so this tells me that Mixon carries an enticing blend of value and upside both this year and next.
Mixon is projected to carry the ball more than 230 times and score seven TDs. With no real competition for meaningful volume, it's wheels up for both Mixon and dynasty managers.
🍋 Want an Ice Cold Mike's Hard Lemonade?
Ask yourself this...was your day hard enough?
Slow drafts that won't end, getting sniped in draft rooms, lopsided trade offers, that one league-mate that is always so extra...we know living the fantasy life is hard and Hard Days Deserve a Hard Lemonade.
To find a Mike’s near you go to www.MikesHard.com.
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:
🚨 ICYMI: This QB going in the late-middle rounds has QB1 overall upside. Are you in or out?
👀 Will Joe Burrow be the comeback story of 2024? Let’s find out.
🤔 Should Trey McBride be ranked as the TE1? Let us know…
😠 If you are holding out hope for a starting Colts TE. Don’t hold your breath.
🏆️ The future G.O.A.T. QB? This coach is gassing up his guy.
✈️ The Jets throwback uniforms. Perfect for a 40-year old QB.
🍻 Cheers to this fantasy football legend. A trailblazer in our industry.
🚑️ Expected news for T.J. Hockenson. Hopefully we get some more updates in August.
