This preseason has been absolutely brutal with injuries. We hate to see players miss time, but when it does occur it is easy to find value in the fantasy market. In this week’s edition of Sizzle/ Fizzle, we discuss the top movers in the Fantasy Stock Market to help you identify who to target, and who to avoid!
Sizzle
Chris Carson – Seattle Seahawks – RB39
This 7th round pick really set the fantasy world aflame with his emergence in 2017. Carson does have the illusion of being a better rusher than he actually was last season, but he still remains a value in fantasy drafts. Rashaad Penny suffered a broken finger this week. That injury required surgery and Penny is now slated to return in three to four weeks. Carson has already been touted as the team’s lead back by the organization and coaching staff. It was tough to believe in that statement due to the high draft capital invested into Penny, but at this point it is Carson’s backfield to lose. The second-year pro already proved to be efficient behind an even worse offensive line in 2017.
Marquise Goodwin – San Francisco 49ers – WR30
Goodwin is fantasy football’s best kept secret. It baffles us why he is still going so late in drafts. Nobody wants to buy in to the fact that he is Jimmy Garoppolo’s favorite target. Maybe it is because he is only 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, or maybe it’s because he is 27 and doesn’t have the glitz and glam of a rookie receiver. Either way you spin it, Goodwin is being massively disrespected and every time you see his name pop up, it’s always followed by “catches touchdown”. The fact that you can get the no. 1 receiver on a good offense this late in the draft is mind blowing. Target Goodwin with confidence because he is going to have a safe floor with WR2 upside right out of the gate. Try not to hype him up too much, we are trying to keep this one a secret.
Royce Freeman – Denver Broncos – RB22
I don’t like to bash players, but Davontae Booker is not a good rusher. He has a 3.6 YPC average since entering the league and is coming in to his third NFL season. Royce Freeman, on the other hand, is an electrifying talent with plenty of experience. Freeman has more touches in college than Booker has had in both college and throughout his NFL career combined. Freeman should not be looked at as the inexperienced back. We all know that the RB position translates the easiest from the college to the NFL level and Freeman is going to step in and immediately be the main guy for the Broncos. He can run, he can catch and he is a big bodied bruiser who has more finesse than he gets credit for. Don’t expect his ADP to remain this low — he already had a 23-yard TD run in the preseason opener. Those are the types of plays you can expect to see from this talented rookie throughout the 2018 season.
Fizzle
Devin Funchess – Carolina Panthers – WR40
We absolutely loved Funchess all offseason long. It was a combination of size and athletic ability matched with an opportunity he had not seen yet in his young career. It had all of the early signs of a potential breakout season. Unfortunately, a giant wrench has been thrown in possible outcome. That wrench’s name is D.J. Moore. As much as we know rookie receivers have growing pains entering the NFL, Moore passes all eye tests and appears to be ready to compete. Play after play we see something new, something special. It’s impossible to ignore at this point and considering that this team already has Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey taking targets, it’s hard to imagine enough volume for Funchess to have a “breakout” campaign. Remember, this isn’t a high volume passing offense. The Panthers will do a ton of damage on the ground. Funchess still remains a value in drafts but his week-to-week consistency and target market share are being called into question.
Jerrick McKinnon – San Francisco 49ers – RB15
This young running back has already been hyped up too much considering he has never been a lead back in his entire career. He got paid, so we all took notice. We understand he is a great fit for Kyle Shanahan’s offense but have we ever seen McKinnon be efficient on his touches? He hasn’t averaged 4.0 YPC in the past two seasons, which is concerning because those are the years he actually received an increased number of touches. It’s very possible we have a situation where he is better suited as a change of pace back and wears down with an increased opportunity share. Those are legitimate concerns and we haven’t even started to discuss the risk of injury. McKinnon also remains unproven to be able to handle that type of workload he is projected to receive. Can he hold up? We don’t know. He is already injured as we speak and may not see another snap until the regular season opener. It really seems like we are buying all of the risk and considering there are a ton of solid options at this stage of the draft, it may be a situation to avoid.
Marlon Mack – Indianapolis Colts – RB33
It has been easy to get excited about drafting pieces of this Indianapolis Colts offense. With the return of Andrew Luck, there is a lot to get excited about. Marlon Mack is no longer one of those players you should be excited drafting. While he was leading the competition to begin the season as the team’s starting running back, Mack has since strained his hamstring. A hamstring strain could not only hold him out of the preseason but could linger on into the regular season. This means he is no longer guaranteed a starting spot on this team. Previously, we were able to ignore his inefficiencies on the ground because “opportunity trumps ability.” Now Mack has no opportunity and we are left with an inefficient rusher who was out-produced by three other backs on this team. His draft price makes him virtually undraftable while inflating the value of others such as Jordan Wilkins.
