Bloggin Hood’s 2018 Fantasy Football Preview – Detroit and Green Bay 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.

Detroit Lions

This is still way better than his normal passing

Every year, hundreds of thousands of NFL fans fall for the same trick. People honestly believe the Lions are a competitive franchise gunning for a championship. And every year, when they inevitable choke the division away,  or lose another undeserved sham of a playoff game, the organization believes they are only a player or two away from winning. I mean, this franchise actively employed Jim Caldwell. And they didn’t even do it ironically. Remember, if you think the Lions are a good team at any point in time, you probably also bet futures on the Raptors. Stop believing the hype.

The Lions offer their usual mediocre options at every position, except WR where they are above average. There’s a chance that somebody will emerge in their backfield, but let’s face it, they’re going to use LeGarrette Blount. I’m always mad at this team, and I haven’t even begun to talk about my least favorite player in NFL history. Let’s get started.

QBs

Matthew Stafford – Nobody in the history of the NFL, or maybe all of sports, has gotten a better reputation for doing absolutely nothing in his career quite like Matt Stafford. I think people remember the time he beat the Browns by throwing for two with a separated shoulder. Gutsy? 100%. Manly? Absolutely. Pointless? I mean, I already said it was a Browns Lions game. What else were you expecting? Stafford career has evolved from glorified Megatron Chucker, where Johnson would catch passes over three defenders, to a master of throwing wobbly five yard routes. It’s amazing Jarvis Landry didn’t sign here, because Stafford hates throwing the ball beyond 3 feet. It would have been a match made in heaven.

Ok, rant over. For fantasy, Stafford probably is a top 12 option, and his yards per attempt were somehow a robust 7.9, mostly because Golden Tate and Marvin Jones made plays. Stat wise, I can’t really fault him last year, and he’s a lock for 4,000 yards. His value remains tied to his TDs, which fluctuate a lot for this QB in particular, He seems to be a good year, bad year for TDs, and last year he banked 29. Expect a 20 TD year and a lot of cursing and he throws a pick six on a 3 yard out.

RBs

LeGarrette Blount – Most smart organizations would realize that Blount isn’t a very good running back. He can barely catch and his best years, other than his rookie campaign, has featured him on good teams, like the Eagles and Pats. However, even in most of his best years, the fantasy production has been flukes. He had an 18 TD season with the Pats, and totaled 766 yards mostly due to clock killing necessity. He’s in no way a lead back and any team with half a brain can see it.

This is why I expect Blount to be the goal line back and get 200 carries this year. I won’t draft him because there’s no skills to back it up, but can’t you see this happening? I’d be floored if it didn’t.

Kerryon Johnson – This is the type of back the Lions have needed for years. A do everything good, not great option that can line up on all three downs. That description doesn’t sound flattering, but it’s pretty much Kareem Hunt’s scouting report. Not saying Johnson is Hunt, but there’s more benefit to fantasy value for versatility than specialization. The Lions have featured countless specialized backs for years, or backs that couldn’t produce a lick. Johnson’s role to stardom is there, and outside of Barkley, there’s scenario’s where he’s the second most useful rookie in fantasy. I like the opportunity, I just hate the team. If he gets the deserving opportunity, he’s a RB2 with upside.

Theo Riddick – For what it’s worth, I’ve been a big proponent of Riddick and what he does. I’ve always wondered why he didn’t get more of a shot on the ground, and he’s primarily a receiving back. In fact, he’s basically been a receiver for the past couple of years. He’s caught at least 53 passes three straight years, though it seems like his time has past. In a perfect world, Riddick is a depth play and the pass catching role goes to Johnson. However, if Riddick seems to be the main third down back, he’ll again be valuable but only in PPR leagues.

Ameer Abdullah – Speaking on overhyped, welcome to the career of Ameer Abdullah. Has any player ever received more of a boost to his value than from a preseason game…against the Jets? Boy was everyone, including me, wrong about this player. I don’t think he would have handled the pounding of a featured role, but even his ability to be a scat back was checked by Riddick. I don’t expect Abdullah to make the team, and I might still have faint interest if he lands in the right situation, but for now he’s a product of an impressive preseason run. It’s like the unsuccessful Victor Cruz story.

WRs

Golden Tate – Since coming to Detroit, Tate has emerged as one of the premier volume plays in fantasy. In each of his four seasons, Tate has caught at least 90 passes, and outside of a bizarre 90 catch, 813 yard 2015, he’d topped 1000 yards. His monster 2014 year isn’t coming back, but he’s a safe option for a team needing a high floor player. However, be careful, as Tate seems to really pick it up in the second half. If you can deal with a couple of iffy games to start the year, he’ll provide his value back, if not a bit more. I like him as a WR 2 on a team with a bit of risk associated with it. There’s not much to say – Tate’s line is incredibly safe, just not how he gets to it.

Marvin Jones – The Yang to Tate’s Yin, Jones has started his first two seasons in Detroit on fire, only to cool off down the stretch. Makes you wonder if a Jones for Tate deal after week 7 is the way to play these wideouts.

Jones is the field stretch on the team and has developed a report with Stafford. He’s actually increase his yardage in each of the past 4 seasons, and while his touchdowns have fluctuated, I don’t think the team has a better red zone option. I would consider Jones about the same level as Tate, a WR 2, except his line is more risky. While Tate tends to be a steady producer once he finally gets going, Jones has big blow up games and then disappears. He’s also not a high volume receiving, having a career high 65 catches. Jones is a good player, but he’s the type you draft when you need some upside. The only thing the Lions do right is have two receivers who complement each other.

Kenny Golladay – Last year’s week 1 pick up darling, Golladay failed to catch another TD until week 17. Still, he looked good at times, and serves as a secondary deep threat. There’s only 3 pass catching options on this team, counting whoever becomes the receiving back, so Golladay becomes an intriguing flier late. Don’t expect a huge breakthrough this year, but I think we’ll be talking better about him in 2019.

TEs

Luke Willson – Not to be confused with the oddly shaped nosed actor with only one l, Willson moves to Detriot where there is a vacancy at TE. Considering Willson’s career high in yards is 362, I don’t think you actually have to worry about him. But the Lions use the TE, so you have to respect the role. Granted it’s an overrated loss artist throwing him the ball, but back end TE 1 value isn’t out of the question.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers have fell upon some hard times.

I was shocked to find out that Aaron Rodgers is good at football. It was truly surprising. Who would have guessed the team wouldn’t have played as well when they subbed out Rodgers for Todd Hunley? Or was it Nick? Brent? Whoever his name was, he wasn’t very good, and absolutely should have lost a game to the Browns. I think this is a testament to how good Aaron Rodgers is. It makes me feel like the team around him is kind of bad and they only compete solely on the shoulder (collarbone?) of their star QB. Keep that in mind before drafting.

One of the few players I believed was good on his own without Rodgers was Jordy Nelson. Nelson always seemed to produce and his connection with Rodgers was magic. But after Rodgers got hurt, Nelson’s productions disappeared, and now, so has Nelson. It’s a true new age in Green Bay. What’s their to expect behind a lot of Cheese, sausage and shrines praying for Rodgers to have strong bones? Maybe A-Rod should have ate more cheddar for calcium.

QB

Aaron Rodgers – I’m not going to waste any time explaining how good Rodgers is. I will say that Aaron Rodgers’ old State Farm commercials were significantly better than the new ones. #Bringbackthedoublecheck. And do we really need Clay Matthews on commercials? When’s the last time he’s been relevant beyond being a leggy blonde?

The only question with Rodgers is where to draft him. I’m not a fan of the early QB selection, but at some point, you have to pull the trigger. This might sound like a flash of the obvious, but you shouldn’t take Rodgers until you don’t feel great drafting the available skill positions. Typically, this will be toward the end of round 3. In most leagues, you aren’t getting him at the end of round 2. I can live with that. In addition, the injury history is starting to get a little sketchy. Again, sure-fire #1 QB, but be careful drafting too early.

RBs

Jaamal Williams – Williams was not a particularly impressive rookie last year. He only average 3.6 yards per carry, but did chip in 25 receptions. I don’t think love the talent, but he didn’t have Rodgers for a lot of the season, and that’ll affect how defenses play the run. Another huge plus, Aaron Jones is suspended for the first two games of th season. If Williams shows something early, he could run with the job. The only issue is it’s at best a two down job. In a lucrative offense, that’s not terrible, but it makes him an RB3 in week 1, and he could be the third stringer by week 3. Tread carefully.

Aaron Jones –  Jones was definitely a favorite of mine until the news broke about his suspension. He seemed to be the best all around back, showed some burst, and even bulked up to help in pass protection. All the signs were pointing to a potential steal in a great offense (or at least a great QB). However, the suspension really puts a damper on his draft stock. This isn’t necessarily a negative.

I’ve written in the past about how short suspensions don’t derail player’s value. The greatest example is John Gordon in 2014 missing two games and then leading all receivers in points. It’s not a foolproof method, but I have severe doubts on Jamaal Williams. I don’t know where Jones is going, but he’s my clear favorite to lead the team in carries, and I see him as an RB2 from week 3 on. If you can get him as you’re third or ideally your fourth back, pounce.

Ty Montgomery – Montgomery was one of my boys last season for his sheer opportunity but it’s apparent the wear of the RB position is too much for him. He’s kind of a hybrid player, possibly playing some RB and WR. I think at worst, he’s the pass catching back on the team. At best, he’s the team’s WR3 and lines up in the backfield on passing downs. That could actually be huge for his value. Sprinkle in a handful of carries and Montgomery could have a Percy Harvin like season. Unfortunately, it’s likely with similar  injuries. Starting in week 3, it might make sense for the Packers to move Ty back to WR. It’s a long shot, but one I like.

WRs

Davante Adams – I wasn’t completely sold on Devante Adam’s skills coming into last year, but he managed to put up respectable numbers with a non-Aaron Rodgers Green Bay QB. That’s all the proof I need. Adam’s biggest knock is a lack of elite yardage. He has yet to crack 1,000 yards, though I think if he avoided his two concussions last year, he would have in 2017. Those concussions are also nothing to scoff out as multiple are a red flag. My last concern is his dependence on TDs. If the yardage remains low, Adams may struggle to return elite value. However, he’s the top red zone target on Green Bay, and really in the entire league. I don’t anticipate anything less than 8 scores. Draft as a fringe WR1, Top Flight WR2.

Randall Cobb – I think Cobb may be primed to return to fantasy stardom. I know, I know, this is one of those things that get written every year, but really, as long as Cobb is healthy, he either has to be a fantasy force, or the Packers are going to struggle. Where are the Packers yards coming from? The #1 WR has had shaky yardage totals, the backs are ok but not great and the team has never really used a TE. Maybe Adams steps up and has a Jordy like 1,400 yard season. But my bet is Cobb crossing the 1,000 yard mark. I don’t think there will be many touchdowns, but he seems like a good low WR2, high end WR 3 bet that’s probably going much later than he should. This is one of my favorite sneaky picks this season.

Mystery WR – If it isn’t Montgomery moving to the WR3, somebody will reveal themselves and become a fantasy impact player. Keep this spot in mind all preseason. If there’s any news about this, you might want to throw a hail Mary on him. A healthy Aaron Rodgers will keep three receivers relevant, and I don’t think Jimmy Graham has much left. I guess that’s a spoiler. My gut still says Montgomery will ultimately take this role, but there’s a lot of time for it to be cemented.

TEs

Jimmy Graham – I don’t think Jimmy Graham has much left.

Ah man, spoilers ruined this section

Here’s the biggest knock on Graham – at this point in his career, he can’t really run. He looks like he’s legs are magnets stuck to the ground. His value won’t come between the 20s, so you’re banking on tons of Red zone looks. Now, the Packers are a good team to fish for Touchdowns, but they already have a red zone standout in Devante Adams. Adams has a rapport with Rodgers, and I can’t see Graham usurping the majority of the Red zone shares. He’ll score his TDs, and it’ll end up being more annoying to other Packers players than anything else. Graham is a slightly better version of nearly every other TE, a TD dependent, low usage player. He’s the best of these, but is that really exciting? If it is, you need to get out more.