The Pre-season is here and training camp hype is everywhere. It’s almost impossible to miss it. Fantasy stocks are rising and falling faster than Facebook when releasing quarterly earnings. Make sure you stay up to date on our weekly Sizzle/Fizzle candidates to find out which players are getting hotter by the day and which players are struggling to stay warm as we head into the season.
Sizzle:
Derrius Guice – Washington Redskins – RB17 – Stock Up!
Guice was touted as one of the most talented running backs in this draft class. From what we have seen on film, he’s fantastic. His only knock has been his usage in the passing game but if you have been monitoring anything from training camp, this kid can catch. This is not a Jordan Howard situation where he has cinder blocks for hands. He is capable and there are multiple videos available showing Alex Smith hitting him in stride for big gains. Keep in mind this is just training camp but it is still a strong showing for a player who was not expected to be used in the passing game at all. The team does have a capable receiver out of the backfield named Chris Thompson. Prior to suffering a season ending injury in week 10, Thompson was having a career year averaging an astonishing 13.1 yards per reception. He will retain that role this year but has been limited this entire training camp. This bodes well for Guice who will see an uptick in overall touches due to the slow start of his counterpart.
Anthony Miller – Chicago Bears – WR57 – Stock Up!
We always have to temper our expectations with rookie receivers. The 2014 rookie receiver class not only inflated the expectations we have of rookies but also the draft day price. Time and time again we are tricked into taking rookies way too high and leave ourselves disappointed. The best part about Miller is that he is being drafted so late that the risk you take by drafting him doesn’t even compare to the upside. Even though Allen Robinson should be the most targeted receiver in this offense we can’t sleep on Miller. He has stunned the world with highlight after highlight in training camp and at this point we have to take him seriously as a strong late round receiver target. No receiver on this team is going to have a rapport with Mitchel Trubisky which makes it an even playing field when it comes to target distribution. If Trubisky finds out early on that he can trust Miller. He will produce starter level fantasy points right out of the gate.
Tyler Lockett – Seattle Seahawks – WR59 – Stock Up!
When targeting late round receivers you want upside. Very few receivers drafted in the later rounds can compete 
with the type of potential Lockett has this season. The Seahawks defense is going to be terrible this season, the offensive line is also going to be bad. That means a running game script is going to be out of the question in most games as soon as the fourth quarter hits. This team also lost over 200 targets last season and the only receivers that joined Seattle are a washed up Brandon Marshall and an underwhelming Jaron Brown. Lockett is primed for a high target market share and for a deep threat like Lockett that presents major upside.
Fizzle:
Martavis Bryant – Oakland Raiders – WR55 – Stock Down…
Why on earth are we still rooting for this kid to succeed. There was a reason it never worked out in Pittsburgh and Bryant has been given every excuse in the book. His physical abilities are undeniable, he is 6’4” 210 lbs and runs a 4.42 40. That all sounds good on paper but Bryant is his own worst enemy. Not only is he an extreme risk for suspension, he has also dealt with injuries and coaching staffs hate him. Most recently, reports have surfaced that he hasn’t been able to learn the playbook and is no longer working with the first team offense. This hyper talented receiver isn’t showing anyone that he is built to play in the NFL and this very well may be his last shot. We can’t recommend drafting him at this point because there’s a strong chance he is either suspended or benched by the first week of the season.
Sony Michel – New England Patriots – RB28 – Stock Down…
Coming into the season Michel had arguably the most upside out of any rookie rusher not named Saquon Barkley. He met every possible criteria for a potential breakout. A great offense that loves to pass the ball, plenty of scoring opportunities and as an individual contributor, Michel has top level elusiveness and big play ability. All signs pointed to him being this year’s Alvin Kamara. At this point though we have to temper expectations. Michel has always had trouble holding onto the ball and that issue followed in to training camp where he quickly fumbled his way into running laps. Bill Belichik is not afraid to bench a player for fumbling regardless of how high they were drafted. Fumbling is going to be Michel’s quickest way to the bench. If that was his only issue we would still love to draft him in the early rounds but unfortunately he has also recently suffered a knee injury causing him to have a procedure done. All signs point to him being ready to start the season but it would be foolish not to drop him in the rankings. Missing valuable reps in training camp is almost always followed by a slow start to the season.
Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – QB7 – Stock Down…
How many offensive linemen need to go down before we start asking ourselves if Cam Newton can survive the season? Right tackle Daryl Williams and left guard Amini Silatolu are out for the foreseeable future. This jeopardizes everything we thought we knew about the Panthers offense. The only player who this won’t impact is Christian McCaffrey who is in a prime position to lead this league in receptions out of the backfield. With an already questionable cast of receivers ranging from an aging Greg Olsen to first round rookie D.J. Moore, this passing attack was never expected to do great things. Now we have to lower our expectations even more. Newton is going to have to make much more plays with his legs than he has in the past two seasons and if that ends up being the game plan, they will be playing with fire. Putting your best player and biggest investment in harm’s way could really backfire for this team.
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