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New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
10 fantasy football targets who can go from trash to treasure in 2025
Has a player burned you? I know. That's like asking if water is wet. Is it though, or is it the perception of a feeling from the molecules between the hydrogen and … I'm kidding; I'll stop. I never joke about putting feelings aside in fantasy, not only with fanmanship and drafting with your heart, but also when it comes to forgiveness. Advertisement If you never give a player a second chance, you will regularly miss on rebounds, bounce backs, etc. Saying, 'I'll never draft Player X again!' can ruin your chances for tremendous values … though, there might be one player on this list about whom you said that three or four times already. In that case, hesitancy is more understandable, but 'Last Year's Trash' is a great list to visit. After all, you're not the only one feeling the burn, and most people will write off players, thereby pushing them down draft boards and turning them into values. When I consider the entire list, maybe it should be 'Last Year's IR Room' instead of 'Trash.' In any case, Love wasn't 100% for most of 2024 after spraining his MCL in Week 1 and adding a groin injury in Week 8. Love mentioned he wanted to run more in 2025, but the injuries in 2024 also affected his throwing, including when passing to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. The Packers added Matthew Golden in the draft, who is likely their new No. 1, allowing Doubs to use his downfield ability more as the No. 2 (or No. 3 with varying formations including him and/or Jayden Reed). As of this writing, Love picked up a new injury (non-throwing-hand thumb surgery). It doesn't sound like it will affect his season, but it's worthy of your attention, as Love is a great bounce-back candidate, but managers likely want to double-dip with another option, given the risk. Prescott missed half of the 2024 season, and even before his injury, there were performance concerns — most notably, three straight games with two interceptions (Weeks 5-8) after tossing two against the Saints in Week 2. That was a lot of 'twos.' Well, here's another. How many games with two-wenty or more points did Prescott have (yeah, I forced that)? Just one. So, why am I taking a gamble on a rebound season? Well, it's not because of the offensive line, which still has major concerns. It's that Prescott is healthy, he now has one of the better No. 2 wideouts in the league in George Pickens alongside No. 1 CeeDee Lamb, and the defense still has questions. Advertisement Prescott has attempted at least 590 passes in his past three healthy seasons. While he doesn't chip in much on the ground, Prescott has the arm and ability to roll up passing numbers, pushing him into the Top 10. I told you there would be a lot of health-related bounce-backs. If CMC is healthy for just 13 games, he'll be an RB1. Next! I promise. Not all my bounce-back candidates will be injury-related, but here we are again. I had an interesting conversation with Pat Fitzmaurice, who said, 'Would Pacheco rank higher if he never stepped back on the field in 2024?' It's certainly worth considering, as injury optimism can get the best of us, and with Pacheco, we saw him struggle in his return — similar to Cam Akers in 2021. The risk/reward is obvious. Pacheco is the likely lead option for the Chiefs, and he had 193.9 fantasy points in 2023 on just 205 carries (13.9 FPPG). Kareem Hunt is at the end of his career, Elijah Mitchell has flashed at times with the 49ers but is more of a backup plan, and Brashard Smith is an intriguing Jerick McKinnon-type option for the team. If Pacheco is anything like his pre-injury self, 250 touches will have him in the Top 15. The risk is Pacheco going the way of Javonte Williams, never looking the same and being a bust of a pick in fantasy. I'm not even weighing Etienne's hamstring strain in Week 6, as we all know he's only given us glimpses of that 2023 first-half performance — Etienne was the second-best running back, only behind McCaffrey, averaging 18.8 FPPG before the Week 9 bye. After that, Etienne averaged 11.5 FPPG, then a mere 7.5 last season. Liam Coen arrives to be the Jaguars' savior, and we hope his magic touch can fix everything from Etienne to Trevor Lawrence being labeled as a bust at this point in his career. There was talk of Tank Bigsby leading the backfield, but in Week 1 of the preseason, it was Etienne who had 100% of his snaps with the first-team offense while Bigsby spent time with the backups. Things can change, but if Etienne is the lead, gets 250+ touches and looks anything like that first-half, 2023 Etienne, a Top 15 finish is well within the cards. Olave suffered two concussions last season, the second of which ended his season. Those marked Olave's third and fourth concussions in the NFL, and then there was his head injury in his 2020 college season. It's fair to be concerned — for Olave's long-term health as much as anything. And it's fair to point out the quarterback issue in New Orleans, as the Saints have one of the worst situations and likely one of the worst offenses. Advertisement Nevertheless, Olave is essentially Garrett Wilson for the Saints, and no, not just because they are both former Buckeyes. They are similar wideouts, the No. 1 option on their teams and have quarterback situations requiring high volume for Top 20 upside. The ride will be more of a rollercoaster than in 2022-23, but 120-130 targets would put Olave in line for around 80-1,000-5, or a Top 30 finish and a huge bounce-back season from WR92. Not another one! Sorry. And Waddle has two injury concerns — his own and Tua Tagovailoa's. If Tua goes down again, Waddle's value would be in trouble. As for Waddle, he's suffered four injuries in the past two seasons: sternum bruise, concussion, ankle sprain and knee strain. Waddle also fractured his ankle in college, but that was nearly five years ago. Still, Waddle is the definition of a high-risk/high-reward pick. Waddle averaged 12.2, 13.2 and 11.6 FPPG, respectively, in his first three seasons, giving him a nice floor with Top 15 upside. Last year, the Dolphins fell apart, and we need to see Mike McDaniel adjust to the changes defenses made … well, and this team to stay healthy. If we get both, Waddle will be one of the better WR3 investments. Like Waddle, Odunze isn't merely a product of his issues. Yes, Odunze faltered in his rookie season, but Caleb Williams had a rocky debut. With Ben Johnson in town, everything is sunshine and rainbows with Gummiberry Juice, right? While Williams did show some improvement after the Shane Waldron firing last year, he still had plenty of concerns and inconsistencies. As for Odunze, Keenan Allen is gone, and while Luther Burden is a talented rookie, he's been slow to acclimate due to a hamstring injury (another injury, Jake!). Odunze still can be one of the better No. 2 receivers in the league. Heck, his pure talent gives him a ceiling to be the best option on the Bears. All of that makes Odunze a great pick as a fringe WR3. Yes, there is a chance we don't see a vastly improved Bears offense until the second half of the season, maybe even 2026. But if Ben Johnson is pure magic and makes this offense look anything like the Lions, Odunze will push for a Top 20 finish. You hate me now, don't you? I'm sorry, but at least there aren't any more players coming off injuries — just one with a teammate currently hurt … muwhahaha. Samuel tweaked his calf early in the season, injured his ribs in Week 8 and played through pneumonia for at least half the season, if not longer (diagnosed after feeling exhausted in the Chiefs' Week 7 game). To say the man went through a lot last year might be underselling it. Samuel arrives in Washington, which has a major need at the No. 2 wideout position. Jayden Daniels threw 200 passes to (and to the likes of) Olamide Zaccheaus, Noah Brown, Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey and Jamison Crowder (once he returned). Your leaguemates would laugh at you if you slotted any of those players into your WR3 spot, let alone as your WR2. If Samuel is 100% — as we assume — a 1,000-yard season and Top 30 finish is quite possible for someone coming off a WR44 finish and with a WR4 draft cost. Advertisement And here. We. Go! I'd like to find the fantasy manager who Pitts hasn't burned. We all were suckered in after his terrific rookie season, made excuses after his second-year disappointment and gave him one more chance, as we picked him up off waivers on some random week over the past two seasons. So, why again? Well, not only does Pitts only cost you a 12th-, maybe 11th-round pick this year, he also has the chance to be Michael Penix's second option. And that's before Darnell Mooney's worrisome, 'We'll have him back healthy this year' quote from Raheem Morris. Even though Pitts has proved to be miscast as a tight end or wideout (think Kelvin Benjamin), this could be his one shining … err … Jonnu Smith-like season, where he ends up with a Top 5 finish. (Photo of Dak Prescott: Luke Hales / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
17-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Giants are starting from an especially healthy place as spring camp fully opens
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It's become a familiar part of spring training, right up there with PFP (pitcher fielding practice), intrasquad games and overpriced beer. The slow play. As in, 'We are going to slow play Player X this spring.' Lest anyone forget, spring training consists of practice and games that (while increasingly expensive to attend) don't matter. It makes sense to be mindful of load management for every player this time of year, especially the guys who are coming off surgeries. Or injury-shortened seasons. Or guys who carried a heavier workload last year. Invariably, some players will arrive in camp with a strained something-or-other that they sustained in their offseason training. At the opening of camp, every whiteboard in every manager's office will list at least a handful of players who aren't cleared to participate in on-field activities or play in exhibition games. Advertisement So this might be the most remarkable thing about an otherwise placid and unremarkable first week at San Francisco Giants camp leading up to Monday's first full-squad workout: Aside from catcher Tom Murphy and infielder Tyler Fitzgerald, who are dealing with minor back tightness, manager Bob Melvin's group reported to Scottsdale Stadium with no physical restrictions. Everyone is full go. That includes: • Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last May. Lee should be in the lineup for the Giants' first exhibition game Saturday against the Texas Rangers at Surprise, and if he gets his way, he'll lead the team in spring at-bats. He says he won't be tentative on the bases or in the outfield, either, despite having sustained two shoulder dislocations. 'There are no limitations told to me,' Lee said. 'If I'm playing with limitations in the outfield, I think I'm not prepared for the game. So for now, I am prepared.' • Right-hander Keaton Winn, who had ulnar nerve transposition surgery at the end of July. Winn hit 95.5 mph in his last bullpen session and is still ramping up while trying to add 1 mph each time. He says it's the best his arm has felt in two years, which is why he isn't too concerned that the starting rotation is mostly filled out as is. They might enter this season less dependent on Winn as a rotation piece than they were last year, but they still view him as a starting pitcher. If he's throwing a 98 mph two-seamer again, he'll get opportunities. 'I actually feel like a normal boy,' Winn said. 'A real boy.' • Infielder Wilmer Flores, who had a Tenex procedure on his ailing right knee in August. Flores realizes that he probably wouldn't be here if he didn't have a player side of his mutual option that he could exercise for $3.5 million. He said he finished his rehab two months ago and is confident he can return to the form that allowed him to hit a team-best 23 home runs in 2023. Advertisement 'I didn't want to stop playing,' Flores said. 'This year I want to show that I still got it. And I don't want to leave San Francisco. I wanted to stay here. So it was good that I had the option.' • Left-hander Kyle Harrison, who dealt with shoulder inflammation and diminished stuff through most of a rookie season that came to a premature end. Harrison has touched 95 mph in side sessions and appears to be throwing from an even lower arm slot, which might add to his Chris Sale-inspired deception. He says he wants to establish himself as a strikeout pitcher again after fanning 14.6 per nine innings in the minors but just 8.7 per nine in the majors. 'A hundred percent, that's what I want to get back to,' Harrison said. 'My body wasn't in the right spot to be able to do that. I'm moving so much cleaner now and more efficiently. I'm so excited because I know how good I can be when I'm fully healthy.' • Right-hander Jordan Hicks, who was running on fumes by June while transitioning from short relief to the rotation last season, moved to the bullpen in the second half and was shut down with shoulder fatigue in September. Hicks spent nearly the entire offseason in San Francisco working out at Oracle Park and packed on 15 pounds of muscle. There's no hedging from anyone in the Giants organization: Hicks will open the season as a starting pitcher and there's optimism that he'll be able to thrive in that role far deeper into the season. 'I think he took a lot from last year into this year and is applying it now,' Melvin said. 'I think it's a better mindset. Physically, he's better prepared for it. Just watching his bullpens, the way he goes through his bullpens, it's more starter mode than a reliever trying to be a starter.' • First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., who played cautiously on a touch-and-go hamstring for most of the second half and has dealt with recurring leg injuries during his time as a Giant. Advertisement Wade, a free agent after this season, said he focused on strengthening his legs while working out at the University of Maryland over the winter. He comes to camp with so much confidence that he told Melvin that he's open to playing some outfield this spring. 'I'm not trying to do anything special,' Wade said. 'I'm just trying to be healthy all season and last the whole season without going on the (injured list) again, or whatever.' • Outfielder Wade Meckler, whose patience was tried for three months last year as he waited for his mysterious left-hand pain to go away. Meckler finally got over the hump after a cortisone shot but spent the final two months at Triple-A Sacramento attempting to unlearn bad mechanical habits at the plate. He's spraying the ball all over the field in batting practice again, and he added some strength in the offseason, too. The Giants plan to give him some work at second base in addition to the outfield. 'I feel a lot more physical,' said Meckler, who owns a .328 average across three minor league seasons. 'I feel I got a little faster this offseason as well. Which is, you know, good.' Even non-roster invitees like right-hander Lou Trivino, who had Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his elbow ligament in 2023 and was shut down during a rehab assignment last September because of shoulder pain, is starting camp on an equal footing and throwing bullpen sessions along with all the other relievers. It won't stay this way, of course. Murphy already won the prize that nobody wants: the first MRI exam of the spring. The Giants will have to employ the slow-play strategy where needed this spring. But an almost injury-free camp is a pretty good place to start. (Top photo of Jordan Hicks: Suzanna Mitchell / San Francisco Giants / Getty Images)
