Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Ezekiel Elliott leads first-round rookies
The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft is in the books, and from it will come some new fantasy players for you to draft. Let's take a quick look at their prospects of helping you this season.
Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams (Pick 1)
The Rams threw the ball 473 times last season, which ranked 30th in the NFL. Maybe that's because their quarterbacks weren't very good, but it can also be attributed to a run-first mentality. If you had Todd Gurley, wouldn't you run all the time, too? Look for Goff to be eased into his role as Hollywood's new signal caller by handing the ball to Gurley a LOT. Unfortunately, that situation probably puts Goff outside the top 24 fantasy quarterbacks.
Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (Pick 2)
Who will start for the Eagles in Week 1? Sam Bradford? Chase Daniel? Carson Wentz? Maybe the Eagles will sign another QB or three? Seriously, it's probably Bradford. You can't draft Wentz in a 2016 fantasy league. No way.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys (Pick 4)
This is a GREAT pick for fantasy owners. Elliott is an uber-talented three-down back set to run behind a tremendous offensive line on a team that gave DeMarco Murray 450 touches in 2014. Will Darren McFadden and/or Alfred Morris ease Elliott's Year 1 workload a bit? Probably, but expect him to get the ball somewhere between 300-350 times and rack up close to 1,500 yards from scrimmage. Dez Bryant might steal some TDs from Elliott, but the newest triplet will probably score 8-10 times.
Let's spitball some numbers for Elliott that sound reasonable, assuming good health:
275 carries x 4.2 yards per carry = 1,155 rushing yards
40 receptions x 7 yards per reception = 280 receiving yards
If we give Elliott those stats with eight touchdowns, hell amass 191.5 points in FOXSports.com fantasy scoring. Last year, only Devonta Freeman, Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin had more. Elliott should be considered in the late first or early second round for 2016 drafts, behind Todd Gurley, David Johnson and Freeman at running back, along with maybe Martin and Le'Veon Bell (assuming his recovery goes well). Before you ask, there's no way I'd recommend a 31-year-old Adrian Peterson over Elliott.
Corey Coleman, WR, Cleveland Browns (Pick 15)
Nice pick by the Browns, getting an explosive wideout who scored 33 touchdowns in three years at Baylor. Coleman's fantasy fortunes will depend somewhat on Josh Gordon's progress, but recent events suggest that's not likely. Let's guess that the Browns will get creative about getting the ball to Coleman, allowing him to total 800-900 receiving yards and a half dozen TDs. That should make him a top-40fantasy wideout.
Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans (Pick 21)
The speedy Fuller can take the top off a defense, or so everyone says. He also drops a lot of balls, will play second fiddle to DeAndre Hopkins in the Texans' receiving game, and gets to watch Lamar Miller's backfield versatility. Jaelen Strong has been impressing the Texans during the offseason, too. If Fuller catches more than 50 passes, it'll be a lot. He's fantasy bench fodder, and a GPP DFS consideration for his home-run ability.
Josh Doctson, WR, Washington Redskins (Pick 22)
Doctson is a big, fast-enough leaper who should be very good for the 'Skins down the road, especially in the red zone. However, in 2016 he'll have to share the rock with Jordan Reed, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. He's been dealing with Achilles issues, too. Doctson is unlikely to help your fantasy squads this season.
Laquon Treadwell, WR, Minnesota Vikings (Pick 23)
Treadwell is more size and hands than speed, and he should become the Vikings' top wideout in short order. He'd better hope that the Vikes throw the ball more, since they ranked last in the league in attempts (454) in 2015. Does 50-60 receptions at 12 ypc sound right? If so, Treadwell is a WR4.
Paxton Lynch, QB, Denver Broncos (Pick 26)
Lynch is huge (6'7", 245 pounds), talented and mobile, but he's a bit of a longshot to start in Week 1, and we should expect the Broncos to cast him in a game manager role when he does play this season. Lynch's running ability makes him tempting as a backup to one of the stud QBs (Newton, Rodgers, Wilson, Big Ben), but that's as far as we'll go since we don't even know if he'll play.
