Bloggin Hood’s 2018 Fantasy Football Preview – Baltimore and Buffalo Depth Charts

Every year, thousands of fantasy players win their leagues. Not only do they receive a giant trophy, they also receive a champion’s pay check and the right to mock the rest of their league mates until next season. Few things in life are more rewarding than winning, but even fewer top winning when you’ve done nothing but start virtual players. Truly, it’s the reason many of us get out of bed in the morning.

However, for every winner, there are hundreds of thousands of losers. Some of these poor unfortunate souls finish in second place. Others just miss the playoffs. But a select few come in dead last. These outcasts are mocked by even the next to last place finisher, forced to suffer through unending punishments and shamed to the point of severe confidence loss. There’s a reason you see a bunch of Viagra commercials during the NFL season. That will put those images of people sitting in adjacent tubs outside in a whole new light.  

The 2018 Bloggin Hood Fantasy guide doesn’t look to help the first place winner. No, that’s not the Bloggin Hood way. Instead, we intend to give to the poor(poorly informed) by taking knowledge through tons of research(the rich). Now, who actually did this research? Why me, Bloggin Hood of course. If you don’t trust my work, go ahead suck a rock, or kick lemons. Do it in reverse and see if I care.

The Blogging Hood Fantasy guide is not for the faint of heart. The word count would make George RR Martin blush, mostly because he’s forgotten how to write. This year, we’re not even stopping at one preview. Welcome to Part 1 of the 2018 fantasy guide – Team Previews.

Over the next 16 weekdays, right until the last day in July, we’ll be looking at two NFL depth charts for potential breakouts, busts, and deep names to consider. What we will not be doing in part one is addresses ADP, or any actual rankings. I haven’t looked at any of that stuff yet. At this point in the year, it’s irrelevant. If you’re drafting in July, it means you’re baseball team has probably tanked to 12^th place. It’s way too early to hone in on ADP. We’ll save that for part two.

If you followed the Bloggin Hood Fantasy Baseball guide and find yourself in 12^th place, no refunds.

Without further ado, let’s dissect two team’s depth charts, as per rotoworld.com.

Baltimore Ravens

Don’t lie and tell me you don’t see it

This is the Frankenstein NFL team. There’s so many busted, past their prime players here I don’t even know where to begin. This is not a team that will be a fantasy backbone, but there are a few pieces that may assist you. I wouldn’t anticipate any of these players being regular starters, but there’s worse teams, I guess. I really should have not done this in alphabetical order.

Maybe I’m underselling the talent. The Ravens tend to be one of those weird organizations that overachieve every year and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the will of good guy Ray Lewis. Chances are, they will manage to produce a decent running back and a solid wide receiver that will help people make the playoffs. You just won’t really want to start any of them ever. It’s kind of like eating McDonalds. Sure, it might be good once in a while, but you’ll feel deep shame and regret almost immediately afterwards.

Thats as positive as I’m going to be today. You have all been warned.

QB

Joe Flacco – Are you really settling for Joe Flacco? Really? Come on, you can do better than this. The real life Bert maxes out at around 4,000 yards and 25 TDs. In the 90s he’d be a top 6-7 option, but now, he’s the luckiest super bowl winning QB this side of Eli Manning. He’s streamable, but even then, you’ll need bye weeks for his numbers to be worthwhile. Plenty of time, Flacco provides under 10 points in a week, which is pretty much waiving the white flag. The only time you’ll actually own Flacco is in two QB leagues, or any leagues offering points for a Unibrow.

RBs

Alex Collins – Last year, Collins managed 1,100 yards in 15 games, scoring 6 times and losing two fumbles. Fumbles were always his issue, but if he can hold on to the ball, he should be the Raven’s lead back. He’s not much of a pass catcher, but the two down role should be enough to make him valuable. In theory, the Ravens have a pass catching back to complement Collins, but they hate him, seemingly personally. There’s actually upside to Collins for more, though I don’t personally love the talent. I consider him a back end RB2. However, with a chunk of the RB2 landscape being comprised of rookies, Collins might end up being preferred for his “proven safety”. Remember, he’s been relevant for one season, and most experts spent their time telling you he was awful. Now he’s ranked in everyone’s top 50 overall. Sounds reasonable.

Javorius Allen –  Did Allen slip so much he lost the “Buck” moniker? It seems so.

Allen isn’t a very efficient runner, averaging sub 4.0 YPC for his carrier. He does have soft hands though, totaling 45 receptions in his two full pro seasons, not counting 2016 where he was hurt, I think suspended, and generally benched (I didn’t research. The Ravens aren’t worth the trouble). He should form a decent 1-2 punch with Collins, one fantasy owners might actually be able to rely on. Granted, you aren’t lighting the world on fire with Allen, but four catches a game in a PPR league could matter. The acquisition on Michael Crabtree and his old man game could hurt his targets, but I think Allen a decent double digit round depth play.

Kenneth Dixon – Dixon came into last year expecting to be the starting running back, then got hit with multiple suspensions before being phased out by Collins. He managed to catch 30 passes, for an astonishing low 162 yards. He also ran a bit more efficiently than Allen. In some ways, he might be the best all around back the Ravens have. However, he’s also not anything to write home about, and I can’t see suspensions making you loved in the locker room. I expect Dixon as a distant third option unless someone gets hurt. He’ll be annoying enough to owners of the first two backs, but never a threat to be the lead option.

WR

Michael Crabtree – I get the appeal of Crabtree. There’s no one else capable of being a WR1 on the team and he should dominant targets. But isn’t Crabtree’s game, a smooth route runner who can’t go deep, go against everything Flacco manages to do well? (throw deep) I guess Flacco had kept a few intermediate receivers afloat over the year, so I expect Crabtree will be useful. Just expect him more as a WR 3 than a WR 2. That still have value and he should be a redzone target with an outside shot at 10 TDs. You want to pay for the potential of 10, and not the assumption of 10 being the baseline. Don’t overpay for a receiver switching teams.

John Brown – Ok, this one is a shot in the dark, especially with all of Brown’s health issues, but I kind of like him as a complete dark horse lottery ticket. Brown’s entire game is speed and he has had success in the NFL, although that seems more and more of a distant memory. If his health cooperates, he’s the main deep threat on the team. While the points won’t be consistent, he could serve as a good boom or bust flex option you can use when the matchup calls for it. I fully understand he might not be able to contribute but, I don’t know, seems like a dart throw I’m willing to take.

Willie Sneed – Only listed here to remind you that if you failed with Drew Brees, you’re probably not going to make it to fantasy stardom. You can safety not target Sneed, much like Joe Flacco this season.

TE

If you’re counting on Hayden Hurst to carry your team, I recommend signing up for fantasy rugby instead.

Buffalo Bills

Now enjoy going 2-14 every year kid

Woof. Great team to end a fantasy preview with, huh? I mean, there’s nowhere to go but up, I suppose, but other than LeSean McCoy and maybe Charles Clay, this could be the team with the least amount of draft capital in the league. I mean, I’d rather draft their fan base than a player on this squad. At least the fan base powerbombs people through tables in the pre-game. Great to watch from afar, and even better from upstate New York’s chiropractors.

I’ll discuss the elephant in the room here as opposed to McCoy’s section. Obviously there’s been huge, disgusting accusations on LeSean McCoy involving all sorts of domestic violence, animal abuse and steroids. McCoy had denied everything, as expected, and there doesn’t seem to be any clarity as of now. Since the story is so fresh, I don’t want to comment too much, but I will say McCoy Shady nickname is appropriate. He doesn’t have the cleanest reputation in the world so any accusation must be taken seriously. As of now, my McCoy write up is projecting no suspensions, but as more news is revealed, he should be moved accordingly. The second round may be far too high for him, but I’d say he’s there for now. As we get into positional previews in August, we should have more information. Honestly, I expect at least a few games, and if any proof comes out against him, he’ll face a hefty suspension. Not a strong off season for the NFL, again.

On a team without a lick of offensive talent this would be a huge blow for the Bills chances at winning 3-4 games. You’re looking at the worst team in the league if McCoy misses signifcant time, but that’s the least of the concerns here.

QBs

AJ McCarron – Was anybody actually impressed by McCarron in his college days? Even then, he seemed like a game manager who won with the superior talent around him at every position. As we’ve seen the skill positions of Alabama struggle more often than not, I can’t see this working out. McCarron might be a decent NFL QB because he shouldn’t turn the ball over much, but really, what do you expect for fantasy? 8 PPG? No thanks. I doubt I’ll consider him a streaming option, unless he comes out and proves me wrong.

Josh Allen – If Allen steps on the field with this roster, he might go the way of Nathan (?) Piederman. He should only be added in the deepest of dynasty leagues. I doubt I’d stream him, unless Eric Mounds decides to come out of retirement and is somehow back in his prime. I give that an 8% chance.

RB

LeSean McCoy – In one of the more underrated iron man stories of the past 20 years, Shady has remained a fantasy force for 10 seasons as a running back. Somehow, he’s only 30, which surprised me, but of course, that age and the workload is a typical death sentence for backs. Shady is still pretty productive, even if he’s yards per touch weren’t anything to write home about. It’s tough to break off big runs when you have nothing around you. If you could guaranteed 1,500 yards, 50 catches and 8 TDs, you’d take that in a heartbeat. I can’t see the catches going down with McCarron, and he should get all the carries he can handle. My question is, can he survive a full season? There’s been a lot of close calls the past few years – plays were McCoy looked done for the year, only to return a series later. I don’t want all my eggs in a 30 year old’s basket, so I’d project a late 2^nd round pick – still high for his age, but his production is guaranteed, depending on health.

Originally I had a Lucky Charms joke in here but I decided to remove it. Kind of tough making light of anything involving him now. Any serious suspension likely removes him from fantasy boards and if we’re being honest, McCoy is not a guy I’m hoping to root for.

Chris Ivory – I could actually see Chris Ivory mattering for a week or two if LeSean McCOy gets hurt or suspended. I could also see Ivory getting hurt the second this opportunity arises. Few players run with less care for their well being, and it shows in Ivory’s history of starting strong, and then being terrible after September. He’s a walking injury report, but he’ll vulture some TDs. Look for Ivory to matter more as an annoyance than an asset.

Travaris Cadet – Cadet is listed because he’s a pass catching option that never got a chance. He won’t be passing Shady on the depth charts, and every carry he gets is basically a trick play, but there’s potential for sneaky PPR value here. Do not draft Cadat, but keep his name in mind if he has a good preseason showing.

WR

Kelvin Benjamin – I’ve never been a Benjamin guy. I get the appeal – he’s 6’5” and should dominant the red zone. That’s what he did his rookie year and best case scenario, he’ll do that again. It’s tough to transition to a new team mid season, but even with Carolina, he seemed ho hum more than anything. I don’t see Benjamin as anything more than fantasy depth, especially with the QB situation. Tell me when you’ll feel good starting Benjamin over the plethora of flex options. I feel like I’ll be waiting for a while. A number one receiver, even in a putrid offense should have value, but Benjamin shouldn’t go in the first 7 rounds  After that, feel free to snatch him up as TD upside.

Zay Jones – Just in case somebody is filling out their cheat sheet with potential fliers, I’m going to advise you to cross this one off now. An injury filled, disappointing rookie year including run ins with the law and uninspiring performances when healthy. There’s nothing pointing upward here, except the lack of explosiveness in the offense. I’ll need more than that to consider drafting him.

TE

Charles Clay – Clay was actually the Bills’ best receiving option despite missing a month of the season, which is more fo an indictment on the organization than props to Clay. This doesn’t mean he can’t serve as a functional option for your TE slot. Consider nobody is ranking Clay high, what with him being Clarles Clay, and then consider the dearth of talent around him. Benjamin and McCoy will probably get the most targets, but I can see Clay being a safety valve for whoever is the starting QB. In PPR leagues, Clay will have value, but he’ll miss time as well. He’s somehow a low ceiling, unsafe play, yet I think he could be the second best Bill player for fantasy. And if McCoy does have legal trouble, he might just be the best one.

Yeah, we really should have skipped today’s entry and moved on. Ah well, free column. Maybe tomorrow’s will have more promise.