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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy football burning questions: Analyzing the NFC West
In 2023, the NFC West provided the conference's challenger for the Super Bowl. In 2024, it was a roller coaster ride that saw all four teams in contention for the division title at some point before the Los Angeles Rams won the crown via tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks. The NFC West had a 10-win champion, tied with the AFC South (Houston) and NFC South (Tampa Bay) for the fewest last season. But its last-placed team in 2024 - the San Francisco 49ers - had more wins (six) than any other last-placed team league-wide. No team established itself as the dominant force. Things could change in 2025 as teams across the division made significant changes this offseason. Seattle brought in a new offensive coordinator and quarterback for 2025. The Rams signed a three-time All-Pro wide receiver. Arizona invested heavily in defense via both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. San Francisco brought back defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and lost many familiar faces on offense and defense via free agency and trades. Many of these moves will have fantasy football implications. There are plenty of questions for each team ahead of the 2025 season but we've settled on one big one for each franchise. Here's our one burning question for each team in the NFC West. Fantasy football questions: NFC West Arizona Cardinals Will make a leap in Year 2? Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzig operates one of the most diverse and unpredictable run schemes in the league. Defenses are tasked with preparing for all types of schemes for James Conner and company to churn out tough yards. The same can't be said for the pass offense. It was head-scratching campaign 2024; tight end Trey McBride enjoyed a breakout season but didn't score a touchdown until Week 17. Without a designated deep threat in the receiving corps, that fell on Harrison's shoulders. Harrison entered the league as one of the top fade route receivers in recent college football history. Quarterback Kyler Murray has a history of throwing those well. But neither could get on the same page. Arizona targeted Harrison on fade routes more than all but one receiver league-wide in 2024 and he caught six of them. If it wasn't for the incredible success of fellow 2024 draftees Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers and Ladd McConkey, Harrison's rookie year might have felt less disappointing. He's bulked up ahead of the 2025 season and that could help him adjust to the pro game better. But will Petzig and Murray get the most out of him? That could be the difference between WR8 and WR20 this season. Top players () (TE2, overall: 19) Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR21, overall: 42) (RB18, overall: 51) (QB9, overall: 76) (RB47, overall: 145) (WR74, overall: 195) Los Angeles Rams Can be a top-15 fantasy WR again? Los Angeles brought in one of the top wide receivers of his generation this offseason by signing Davante Adams to a two-year, $46 million deal. The three-time All-Pro should slide in and fill the void left by longtime Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, now in Seattle. Adams managed more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games with the Raiders and Jets in 2024. That made him WR12 in standard scoring leagues and WR11 in PPR formats. In 2025, he'll have Matthew Stafford throwing the ball to him in Sean McVay's scheme, with Puka Nacua taking attention from the defense. That's a pretty sweet setup. But Nacua may take a large share of the targets to keep Adams from repeating that performance. Nacua was still WR26 in PPR leagues despite playing just 10 games in 2024. Kupp played in 12 games and was WR38. Nacua will likely be the top dog in the passing game in 2025. If healthy all season, Adams will be the No. 2 weapon, but he is entering his age-33 season. It's tempting to paint the best-case scenario for the veteran receiver but this may be a case of a player being a better asset in real-world football than the fantasy realm. Top players (Fantasy Pros ADP) (WR4, overall: 6) Davante Adams (WR17, overall: 32) Kyren Williams (RB12, overall: 38) (QB21, overall: 126) (RB57, overall: 180) Los Angeles Rams D/ST (D/ST11, overall: 202) San Francisco 49ers What will be in 2025? McCaffrey was a fantasy football championship winner in 2023. He was the top-scoring running back by a country mile, especially in full PPR formats, in addition to winning Offensive Player of the Year. Last season was a different story. Injuries kept him off the field for much of the season and when he appeared things weren't very good. He played just under 75% of snaps from Weeks 10 through 13 with 86.5 total yards per game – his lowest figure since his rookie year in 2017 (67.9). He failed to score a touchdown for the first time in his career. This offseason, McCaffrey's been on the field for minicamp, an improvement from a year ago. But San Francisco drafted Oregon running back Jordan James in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As a powerful back who excels in short yardage and red zone situations, James could hawk some touchdowns from McCaffrey. With no timetable for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's return and fellow wideout Ricky Pearsall dealing with a hamstring injury, McCaffrey may end up being deployed more as a de facto wide receiver while James and speedy second-year back Isaac Guerendo take up carries. Or McCaffrey could stay the lead back as the 49ers lean more into the run game early on but see fewer end zone touches with James' arrival. It's tough to tell. Top players (Fantasy Pros ADP) Christian McCaffrey (RB6, overall: 17) (TE3, overall: 34) (WR39, overall: 83) (QB11, overall: 92) (WR47, overall: 107) (WR48, overall: 111) Seattle Seahawks Can be a top-5 fantasy WR in 2025? Smith-Njigba hit 100 receptions and 1,000 yards in his sophomore season in 2024. The No. 20 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft made the Pro Bowl and established himself as the top pass-catcher in Seattle, finishing as a top-10 wide receiver in half and full PPR formats. Seattle overhauled its offense for 2025 notably with a new coordinator in Klint Kubiak. The former Saints offensive coordinator will bring a different system to Seattle compared to last year's coordinator, Ryan Grubb, and one that should complement new Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold's skillset. Metcalf and longtime Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett are both out. In their place are Washington native Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Neither will likely challenge Smith-Njigba for status as the top target in the passing game. Smith-Njigba already is a top-10 wide receiver in fantasy football. In Kubiak's system with Darnold at quarterback, he could conceivably challenge for top-5 status. Top players (Fantasy Pros ADP) Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR12, overall: 20) (RB15, overall: 43) (WR45, overall: 104) (RB36, overall: 114) (QB26, overall: 166) D/ST (D/ST12, overall: 206) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFC West fantasy football preview: Biggest question for each team
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Cam Ward boost Titans' fantasy value?
Yahoo Fantasy analysts Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski debate of the top overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft will have a similar effect on his team as Jayden Daniels did as a rookie in 2024. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript I feel like we're not talking about Cam Ward enough and, and I honestly think that there's a lot of similarities to Cam Ward if he comes in and just is ready to rock and hit the ground running right away, that he can have a pretty similar effect to like what Jayden Daniels did for, the Commanders last year. Nobody was thinking that the Commanders could be a great offense. They ended up being a top 5 offense by basically every metric last year. I think it would be a huge jump for the Titans to go from where they were last year to being in that range, but maybe Cam Ward can give us a Bud Light version of that. And if that's the case, like if he does that, neither Calvin Ridley nor Tony Pollard goes in the top 20 picks. People have kind of forgotten that Chig Okonkwo ended the season pretty well last year, and there's like some interesting depth wide receivers here. You know, they have Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett on the roster, but they also added. Three rookies, uh, uh, Jamir, DK, they added, um, uh, they added Alec Ijalana, they added Xavier Restrepo, who Cam Ward played with, like, there is some intrigue in this offense in, in front, in front of it, like a rebuilt offensive line. So I think there could be some sneaky fantasy value for Cam for this Tennessee Titans offense because Scott, like, I went back and charted Calvin Ridley for reception and perception. I think he was, like, he was really good last year in isolation. And he was productive too. Like he had 1,000 yards in that terrible offense. How, why can't he take a step forward and beat these projections that we're showing here of 928 yards when he quite literally did it last year with horrible quarterback play. So it's a lot to rely on a rookie to do all of these things, and I'm not saying that I'm gonna project and rank it that way, but I do think it's within the range of outcomes and, and I don't think that is being given enough credit here when we're talking about the Titans right now. Close
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Get ready for Yahoo's 28 Days of Fantasy!
For many of us, Yahoo Fantasy is the first place we had a football league. For others, it's the tried-and-true place we go every fantasy football season, creating a ritual like no other that we share with friends and family each and every Sunday. And as Yahoo Fantasy celebrates another season of football, we're unveiling a very big surprise! [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] To celebrate our 28th year of delivering fantasy football, we're dropping 28 BIG NEW features over 28 straight days starting August 4. Yahoo Fantasy has been at the forefront of innovation since its inception, so get ready for the next evolution to help you up your game, with more ways to play, more ways to draft, more ways to follow all the action — and more ways to win! That's right, the best place to play fantasy football is getting even better. Twenty-eight days. Twenty-eight new features. Twenty-eight years in the making. Get ready for our best football season yet with 28 Days of Fantasy!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-team half-PPR league — here are the results
Some Yahoo Fantasy staff members joined forces with some of the top analysts from around the fantasy industry to take part in a 12-team, 12-round mock draft. The goal: of gaining valuable insights on what to expect in each round. The scoring format for this mock is half-PPR (point per reception) with the following roster spots: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, FLEX, BN, BN, BN, BN. We excluded defenses and kickers, since they are most often drafted in the final rounds. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Subscribe to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. A big thank you goes out to everyone who participated: Matt Harmon, Yahoo Fantasy Ian Hartitz, Fantasy Life Ray Garvin, Yahoo Fantasy Rich Hribar, Sharp Football Analysis Jennifer Eakins, 4for4 Nathan Jahnke, Pro Football Focus Chris Allen, Fantasy Life/Yahoo Fantasy Dave Kluge, Football Guys Ryan Heath, Fantasy Points Ben Gretch, Stealing Signals Derek Brown, Fantasy Pros Justin Boone, Yahoo Fantasy *This mock draft took place before the Rashee Rice sentence was announced. Round 1 Pick Player Team 1 Ja'Marr Chase, WR Matt Harmon 2 CeeDee Lamb, WR Ian Hartitz 3 Justin Jefferson, WR Ray Garvin 4 Bijan Robinson, RB Rich Hribar 5 Saquon Barkley, RB Jennifer Eakins 6 Jahmyr Gibbs, RB Nathan Jahnke 7 Christian McCaffrey, RB Chris Allen 8 Puka Nacua, WR Dave Kluge 9 De'Von Achane, RB Ryan Heath 10 Ashton Jeanty, RB Ben Gretch 11 Brian Thomas Jr., WR Derek Brown 12 Malik Nabers, WR Justin Boone The opening frame was fairly typical for what you'll see in most first rounds this year. You can nitpick little things like whether Robinson should go before Lamb or Jefferson, but that will come down to personal preference on how you want to build your team. While injuries will inevitably turn some of these players into fantasy disappointments, talent-wise, they all belong here. My pick: Being at the end of the first round means you don't have a chance to select the uber-elite stars, but I was more than happy to get Nabers (my WR4 and eighth overall player in my Top 300) in the 12 spot, as the WR6 in this draft. The 21-year-old finished as the WR8 in fantasy points per game last season with 109 receptions, 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Now, he'll do it all over again with an upgraded situation at quarterback thanks to veteran Russell Wilson and first-rounder Jaxson Dart. Nabers has the volume-talent profile to push himself into the elite WR group by the end of this year. Round 2 Pick Player Team 13 Nico Collins, WR Justin Boone 14 Drake London, WR Derek Brown 15 Brock Bowers, TE Ben Gretch 16 Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR Ryan Heath 17 Ladd McConkey, WR Dave Kluge 18 A.J. Brown, WR Chris Allen 19 Bucky Irving, RB Nathan Jahnke 20 Derrick Henry, RB Jennifer Eakins 21 Rashee Rice, WR Rich Hribar 22 Tyreek Hill, WR Ray Garvin 23 Josh Jacobs, RB Ian Hartitz 24 Jonathan Taylor, RB Matt Harmon As we mentioned earlier, this mock occurred before the latest news broke about Rice. We'll see where his ADP settles in the next week or so, but I'd expect to see him fall to the fourth or fifth round. This is also the earliest I've seen Bowers go off the board outside of tight end premium formats, but he certainly has a path to breaking fantasy football this year. As a rookie, Bowers finished third in receptions and eighth in receiving yards among all players at any position. If the arrival of Jeanty and a new coaching staff helps the Raiders get to the red zone more often, Bowers could have a truly transcendent sophomore campaign, similar to Rob Gronkowski's 124-catch, 1,327 yard, 17-touchdown effort in his second year. My pick: Picking at the Round 1-2 turn, I was able to pair Nabers with Collins and give myself a formidable WR duo to build around. Collins missed five weeks due to injury last year, but finished as the WR7 in fppg (fantasy points per game). If you extrapolate the average receiving yards of his 12 appearances over a full 17-game season, he would have finished third in the league with 1,425 yards — behind only Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Don't underestimate Collins' fantasy ceiling. Round 3 Pick Player Team 25 Lamar Jackson, QB Matt Harmon 26 Josh Allen, QB Ian Hartitz 27 Chase Brown, RB Ray Garvin 28 Tee Higgins, WR Rich Hribar 29 Davante Adams, WR Jennifer Eakins 30 Trey McBride, TE Nathan Jahnke 31 Garrett Wilson, WR Chris Allen 32 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR Dave Kluge 33 Jayden Daniels, QB Ryan Heath 34 Kenneth Walker III, RB Ben Gretch 35 George Kittle, TE Derek Brown 36 Breece Hall, RB Justin Boone Chase Brown is one of my favorite third-round picks in 2025 and might end up returning Round 1 value when all is said and done. Once he took over as the starter last season, Brown was the RB7 in fppg from Week 4 on. A top-five RB finish is well within his range of outcomes this year. The elite quarterbacks begin flying off the board in this round, as well as the rest of the high-end tight ends. I don't recommend addressing both those spots in the early rounds, but ideally, you'll get one or the other. Having a top-tier fantasy QB or TE can give you a multi-point weekly advantage at those positions. My pick: Picking at the end of a round can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Since I had to wait until 3.12 to make my selection, I didn't get a chance to draft any of the players I mentioned above. Instead, I invested in a potential bounce-back year for Hall in New York. The 24-year-old was a top-10 fantasy back over his first seven games in 2022 before suffering an ACL tear, posted RB6 per-game results in 2023 and was the RB18 during a challenging 2024 campaign for the Jets. With a new quarterback and coaching staff, I expect him to be a high-end fantasy RB2 with a chance to get back into the top 10. Round 4 Pick Player Team 37 Kyren Williams, RB Justin Boone 38 RJ Harvey, RB Derek Brown 39 Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Ben Gretch 40 Omarion Hampton, RB Ryan Heath 41 James Cook, RB Dave Kluge 42 DJ Moore, WR Chris Allen 43 Jalen Hurts, QB Nathan Jahnke 44 Mike Evans, WR Jennifer Eakins 45 Terry McLaurin, WR Rich Hribar 46 Chuba Hubbard, RB Ray Garvin 47 Tetairoa McMillan, WR Ian Hartitz 48 Alvin Kamara, RB Matt Harmon While several rosters look good through four rounds, Team Heath might have had the best start of anyone. He secured potentially elite talent at RB, WR and QB (Achane, St. Brown, Daniels), before adding a rookie running back with league-winning potential in Hampton. As much as I like what I've done so far, it's hard not to be impressed by what Team Heath put together. My pick: People continue to doubt Williams, but he just keeps producing fantasy RB1 campaigns. Playing in a Sean McVay system that's always been fruitful for ball carriers, Williams put up the second-most fantasy points per game among RBs in 2023 and the eighth-most in 2024. Getting him as the RB14 feels like a value. Round 5 Pick Player Team 49 George Pickens, WR Matt Harmon 50 DK Metcalf, WR Ian Hartitz 51 Joe Mixon, RB Ray Garvin 52 Jaylen Waddle, WR Rich Hribar 53 Courtland Sutton, WR Jennifer Eakins 54 Jameson Williams, WR Nathan Jahnke 55 Xavier Worthy, WR Chris Allen 56 TreVeyon Henderson, RB Dave Kluge 57 DeVonta Smith, WR Ryan Heath 58 Travis Hunter, WR Ben Gretch 59 Kaleb Johnson, RB Derek Brown 60 James Conner, RB Justin Boone The RB value is drying up quickly in the fifth round, which caused many managers to begin a run on receivers; eight were selected in this frame. It's only the beginning, as wideouts rightfully dominate the next few rounds. Though they're being drafted in the WR3-WR4 range, it's not difficult to envision almost every WR chosen from Round 5 to 7, ending the year as a fantasy WR2. Keep that in mind when building your receiving corps. My pick: Having two picks in a row on the turn, I decided to take a third running back based on his long history of fantasy production. Conner has averaged top-15 fantasy RB stats for four straight years in Arizona. When he's healthy, he's locked in your lineup. Having him as a flex was too enticing to pass up. Round 6 Pick Player Team 61 Chris Olave, WR Justin Boone 62 Calvin Ridley, WR Derek Brown 63 Zay Flowers, WR Ben Gretch 64 Jauan Jennings, WR Ryan Heath 65 D'Andre Swift, RB Dave Kluge 66 Joe Burrow, QB Chris Allen 67 Jordan Addison, WR Nathan Jahnke 68 David Montgomery, RB Jennifer Eakins 69 Isiah Pacheco, RB Rich Hribar 70 Rome Odunze, WR Ray Garvin 71 Chris Godwin, WR Ian Hartitz 72 Tony Pollard, RB Matt Harmon Team Allen is the first to take a quarterback after the top four were chosen a few rounds earlier. At the time, it seemed like a fine pick, but little did we know the next quarterback wouldn't go off the board until Round 9. It's hindsight analysis now, but if Team Allen knew that would be the case, I doubt he would have picked Burrow in this spot. That's not a knock on Burrow, it's just a value assessment on how flat the QB landscape is this year after that initial group. Once the high-end fantasy quarterbacks (Allen, Jackson, Daniels, Hurts) are taken, you might as well wait until the later rounds before addressing that position. My pick: With two WRs and two RBs already set in my lineup, I can shift towards pure upside options. Drafting Olave a little ahead of ADP might seem odd to some, but don't forget, this is a 25-year-old receiver who had back-to-back 1,000-yard stat lines to start his career. As Matt Harmon pointed out, Olave is 10th in first downs per route run among qualified receivers, 11th in yards per route, 13th in targets per route and 7th in successful targets per route. While the concussion history is concerning, if he stays healthy, there's a top-20 fantasy wideout waiting to re-emerge. Round 7 Pick Player Team 73 Jayden Reed, WR Matt Harmon 74 Brian Robinson Jr., RB Ian Hartitz 75 Jerry Jeudy, WR Ray Garvin 76 Stefon Diggs, WR Rich Hribar 77 Jakobi Meyers, WR Jennifer Eakins 78 Deebo Samuel Sr., WR Nathan Jahnke 79 Jaylen Warren, RB Chris Allen 80 Ricky Pearsall, WR Dave Kluge 81 Josh Downs, WR Ryan Heath 82 Michael Pittman Jr., WR Ben Gretch 83 Jayden Higgins, WR Derek Brown 84 Sam LaPorta, TE Justin Boone Team Heath continues to execute a savvy strategy. After a near-flawless first four rounds, he's attacked the loaded receiver range from Rounds 5 to 7, securing Smith at WR29, Jennings at WR34 and Downs at WR44. Smith was WR17 in fppg last year, Jennings has a chance to be the 49ers No. 1 wideout this season and Downs was recently featured in my 2025 breakouts column. Well played, Mr. Heath. Well played. My pick: LaPorta isn't generally someone I've been targeting in the area of drafts he normally gets taken, but in this case, he fell a round or two past his usual ADP. And depending how you look at it, that could be a win for me value-wise. Unfortunately, the next tight end didn't get drafted until Round 10. If you had given me the option between LaPorta at the end of Round 7 or Hockenson at the Round 9-10 turn, I would have taken the Vikings tight end every time. As it stands, I got my TE4 overall at a discount, which I should be happy about — but I'm not. Round 8 Pick Player Team 85 Emeka Egbuka, WR Justin Boone 86 Cam Skattebo, RB Derek Brown 87 Brandon Aiyuk, WR Ben Gretch 88 Aaron Jones, RB Ryan Heath 89 Travis Etienne Jr., RB Dave Kluge 90 Tyrone Tracy, RB Chris Allen 91 Matthew Golden, WR Nathan Jahnke 92 Khalil Shakir, WR Jennifer Eakins 93 Darnell Mooney, WR Rich Hribar 94 J.K. Dobbins, RB Ray Garvin 95 Jordan Mason, RB Ian Hartitz 96 Rashid Shaheed, WR Matt Harmon The fact that Mason is going in the same round as his teammate Jones is either going to look like an absolutely foolish fantasy decision or one of the shrewdest moves of draft season. The Vikings coaching staff has already talked up a committee between the two backs, with Mason being favored for the goal-line work in an offense that should be in scoring position often. Count me among those investing far more in Mason than Jones this year. My pick: If you listen to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast, you know how I feel about Egbuka's fantasy outlook for 2025. It's possible he could be stuck behind two talented veterans, but with Mike Evans turning 32 this summer and Chris Godwin working his way back from an injury, it seems like there will be an opportunity for the first-round wideout to make his mark early. I want to be ahead of ADP on a player who could be the best value out there at the moment. Round 9 Pick Player Team 97 Rashod Bateman, WR Matt Harmon 98 Rhamondre Stevenson, RB Ian Hartitz 99 Keon Coleman, WR Ray Garvin 100 Patrick Mahomes, QB Rich Hribar 101 Zach Charbonnet, RB Jennifer Eakins 102 Quinshon Judkins, RB Nathan Jahnke 103 Tyjae Spears, RB Chris Allen 104 Kyler Murray, QB Dave Kluge 105 Luther Burden, WR Ryan Heath 106 Bhayshul Tuten, RB Ben Gretch 107 Tre Harris, WR Derek Brown 108 Trey Benson, RB Justin Boone Judkins fell to this round as the RB38 off the board due to the uncertainty around his off-field situation. While it's dangerous to speculate on potential outcomes stemming from the allegations and charges against him, it's impossible to ignore the risk associated to his fantasy profile now. I can honestly say I don't plan on drafting Judkins until we learn more about his case, but if you were interested in taking him, this is a range that adequately factors in the downside. My pick: After taking Conner in the fifth round, I hedge my investment by selecting his backup and the heir apparent to the Cardinals' backfield in Benson. Conner missed at least two games in every year of his career prior to 2024, but he's been far more than healthy than people give him credit for. Even so, taking Benson in this round guarantees me the production of an Arizona backfield that has been an automatic fantasy start for several years now. Round 10 Pick Player Team 109 Javonte Williams, RB Justin Boone 110 Tank Bigsby, RB Derek Brown 111 T.J. Hockenson, TE Ben Gretch 112 Roschon Johnson, RB Ryan Heath 113 Travis Kelce, TE Dave Kluge 114 Mark Andrews, TE Chris Allen 115 Cooper Kupp, WR Nathan Jahnke 116 Evan Engram, TE Jennifer Eakins 117 Ray Davis, RB Rich Hribar 118 J.J. McCarthy, QB Ray Garvin 119 Najee Harris, RB Ian Hartitz 120 Tucker Kraft, TE Matt Harmon Round 10: A run on tight end finally begins and though Hockenson would be my favorite choice of the bunch selected here — don't sleep on Kraft. The 24-year-old was the TE12 in fppg last year and showcased high-end YAC ability, leading all tight ends in that category. Jordan Love also told reporters that Kraft's usage is a focus for the team this offseason. The intersection of talent and opportunity is normally a good place to live for fantasy. My pick: While I have very little faith in either Javonte Williams or the Cowboys' backfield producing fantasy goodness in 2025, getting a potential starting running back in the 10th round as the RB42 is a move you have to make — even if that guy is Williams. Round 11 Pick Player Team 121 Jaydon Blue, RB Matt Harmon 122 David Njoku, TE Ian Hartitz 123 Dallas Goedert, TE Ray Garvin 124 Isaac Guerendo, RB Rich Hribar 125 Baker Mayfield, QB Jennifer Eakins 126 Marvin Mims Jr., WR Nathan Jahnke 127 Christian Kirk, WR Chris Allen 128 Rachaad White, RB Dave Kluge 129 Colston Loveland, TE Ryan Heath 130 Bo Nix, QB Ben Gretch 131 Justin Fields, QB Derek Brown 132 Caleb Williams, QB Justin Boone Round 11: If you were to criticize a mock draft full of analyst drafts, you might point out that they tend to wait longer than most leagues to draft quarterbacks. That's the only explanation for guys like Mayfield (QB3 in fppg in 2024), Nix (QB9 in fppg in 2024) and Fields (QB7 over the 6 games he started) being available in the 11th round. However, even if those guys were here you would still have a plethora of passers to choose from in this area. Go early (elite fantasy QBs) or go very late when choosing a fantasy quarterback this season. My pick: On that note, I was hoping to get Fields but had to "settle" for Caleb Williams. It might take some time for the sophomore to get comfortable in the new scheme implemented by Ben Johnson, but I'm confident the production will come the same way it did for Jared Goff in Detroit. The Bears also fixed the interior of their offensive line and got two new pass-catching weapons for Williams in the first two rounds of the draft. Big things are coming in Chicago and it revolves around their young QB. Round 12 Pick Player Team 133 Kyle Williams, WR Justin Boone 134 Dak Prescott, QB Derek Brown 135 Tyler Allgeier, RB Ben Gretch 136 Cedric Tillman, WR Ryan Heath 137 Justin Herbert, QB Dave Kluge 138 Romeo Doubs, WR Chris Allen 139 Braelon Allen, RB Nathan Jahnke 140 Dont'e Thornton, WR Jennifer Eakins 141 Dalton Kincaid, TE Rich Hribar 142 Dylan Sampson, RB Ray Garvin 143 Jaylen Wright, RB Ian Hartitz 144 Quentin Johnston, WR Matt Harmon Team Harmon closed things out with Johnston before the news of Mike Williams retirement broke. Johnston was the WR40 in fantasy points per game a year ago and might sneak into WR3 territory, especially if rookie Tre Harris doesn't hit the ground running for the Chargers. Either way, it's a great value pick at the end of the 12th round. My pick: If you're wondering, I didn't intend to draft three straight players named Williams in the final three rounds. Stefon Diggs appears to be as healthy as one could be coming off a serious knee injury, which might delay the true breakout of rookie Kyle Williams. Still, Drake Maye showed signs of being a talent elevator and, at this value, I'm willing to take a chance on the third-rounder quickly developing into a playmaker in an offense that desperately needs some.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Ultra popular Rayan Ait-Nouri could become Dream Team cheat code if stars align at Manchester City
WHETHER you're new to Dream Team or a gaffer returning for their 25th season, it's important to bear in mind the importance of attack-minded defenders. Clean sheets are hugely valuable but the most successful defenders combine defensive returns with attacking output. And that brings us neatly onto the latest subject of our SCOUT REPORT series as we build towards the new campaign… Rayan Ait-Nouri. 4 The 24-year-old finished eighth among assets in his position last season having amassed 231 points. All but one of the defenders above him in the rankings benefited from additional European fixtures. Ait-Nouri averaged 5.6 points-per-game, a rate bettered by just Trent Alexander-Arnold, Daniel Munoz and Pedro Porro, the three best defenders in terms of total points. That he was able to register such stats while representing Wolves (finished 16th after losing 20 league games) is a testament to his quality. 4 Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how the Algerian's transfer to Manchester City will affect his viability. Pep Guardiola's side endured an underwhelming season by their standards last time out but there remains a chasm between them and Wolves. If Ait-Nouri is able to establish himself as a regular starter for City, he may be in the conversation for 2025/26's outright best defender. Cementing a place in Guardiola's XI is easier said than done as the decorated tactician has never been shy of rotation, a frequent frustration for Dream Team managers. However, City have been crying out for a new left-back ever since Josko Gvardiol reverted to centre-back - young Nico O'Reilly has impressed but he's a midfielder by trade. The Croatia international's days at full-back are not necessarily over but the prospect of Ait-Nouri being the first-choice selection is an intriguing one for Dream Team bosses. 4 Truth be told, Ait-Nouri is a defender in the loosest sense of the word. Last season, he essentially played as an additional midfielder for Wolves and often occupied areas usually reserved for playmakers, hence how he scored five goals and provided seven assists. Only Munoz and Porro registered more shots on target in all competitions. That's not to say Ait-Nouri shirks his defensive responsibilities; he ranked joint-fifth in his position for tackles with 101. It's clear to see why he's currently the third-most popular defender in the game with a sizeable ownership of 17.2%. 4 For all Man City's hiccups of late, their attacking vigour remains among the best in Europe and there may be bountiful points for Ait-Nouri if he is encouraged to flex his creative muscles in possession. More conservative gaffers may prefer to wait and see how Ait-Nouri slips into City's pecking order but if everything aligns neatly then his potential is sky high.
