🗞 We're Back!! 2022 Season Issue #1
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Welcome back!
It took longer than I would have liked to get this fired back up (due to some lingering work projects), but the good news is we’re back in business and this season looks like it’s going to be a good one.
Quick update: I’m trying something new this season to improve the newsletter that you might be interested in helping with. We have a Discord channel that people get access to via Patreon, where we all post and discuss the headlines/analysis we come across. This year, the aim is to make it an underground sleeper of sorts (that your league mates don’t have). To make it even more useful, I’m giving some free spots to people who think they’d be active participants (sharing the best headlines/analysis they find). This will help get us even broader coverage of the best headlines, which in turn will feed into the newsletter, creating a terrifying machine of FF news and analysis. If you’d like to be a contributor, respond to this email with some great links you come across (or just a convincing message that you’ll actively share useful headlines), and I’ll be giving out some free spots.
Now, let’s get into the good stuff.
Analysis & Hype:
“Every day, I look for how San Francisco quarterback Trey Lance is doing, and every day, I find that Brandon Aiyuk sounds like the best player at 49ers camp. I'm all in on Aiyuk having a post-hype Pro Bowl season.”
“Brandon Aiyuk continues his highlight-reel training camp... Continues to be the best offensive player on the field in camp.”
“Brandon Aiyuk saw fewer than 90% of his teams snaps in every game between Weeks 1-8. From Week 9 through the end of the season, he didn’t record less than 90% once.”
Another post-hype sleeper candidate: “It's August, and Parris Campbell is getting practice hype at Colts camp. We've been here before, but the 2019 second-round pick has the chance for a big role.”
Isaiah McKenzie has “Taken hold of Buffalo's slot receiver role over veteran Jamison Crowder.”
“George Pickens has been one of the best WRs that I've seen as a rookie” (Video)
“George Pickens has been dominating in Steelers training camp And is already listed as a starting WR on the depth chart On top of teammate Chase Claypool saying "Pickens will be the best rookie WR in the NFL this yea" Yet Pickens currently goes as the WR68”
“Michael Thomas doing 1-on-1s today 2-0 against Paulson Adebo for TDs. Dude is on fire.”
“[Michael Thomas] just went up in the air, caught a pass on Roby, and got his toes down before being pushed out of bounds… I don’t want to say he’s back, but he’s doing the kind of things a guy who is back would do.”
“Michael Thomas in the past 10 minutes…. 4 receptions, 4 TDs.”
“While Trey Lance was accurate today, don’t forget about his legs. During a 2-minute drill, Lance had a 30-yard rush, zone-read keeper, 8-yard rush, and a 5-yard rush to start the drive. Dual-threat quarterback.”
Saints camp leader in catches: Chris Olave - 12
Saints camp leader in targets: Chris Olave -- 17
“Last year, Cole Kmet finished top 12 in targets, receptions and receiving yards among tight ends. He was tied for the fifth highest red zone target share among tight ends. He had 91 total targets. He scored zero touchdowns. Last year, on the Bears, Jimmy Graham, Jesse James and Jesper Horsted had 6 touchdowns on 34 targets. Jimmy Graham, Jesse James and Jesper Horsted are no longer on the Bears.”
“Chiefs rookie RB Isiah Pacheco had some run with the 1's again today. He's picking up the offense and the protections faster than they thought. He's physical & their fastest back. They know he'll run hard, but they want to see if he'll break tackles in the NFL. Guy to watch”
“Isaiah Pacheco has a chance to be the Chiefs RB1 this year He is 216 pounds with 99th percentile speed And has really impressed Andy Reid with his physical style of running He has also started to get more reps with the starters in camp Yet he currently goes as the RB61”
“Texans RB Dameon Pierce broke a tackle at the 2nd highest rate of all RB's in the Draft He also could have a chance to be the Texans starting RB His only competition is a 32 year old Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack who has struggled since 2019”
“Dameon Pierce is RB1. It’s the third day where the gap between him and the other #WeAreTexans RB is staggering.”
“Here's the entire list of Quarterbacks that have completed at least 66% of their passes and thrown for at least 4,000 yards in each of the last four seasons… Derek Carr. That's it. That's the list. He hasn't missed a game in the last four seasons. Last year, Carr was top seven in the NFL in completion percentage, highest deep ball rate, passing yards per game and pass attempts per game. He just added Davante Adams at WR and Josh McDaniels as his head coach.”
“Talked to someone on the Lions staff this week and they couldn't stop raving about DJ Chark.”
“JuJu has been the Chiefs clear WR1 in training camp He is still only 25 years old Playing in arguably the best offensive scheme in football That has 53% of their targets up for grabs Including 44% of the targets inside the 10 yard line”
Jared Goff on Amon-Ra St. Brown “I'm looking for him when things break down, and I'm looking for him when we need a play. Right now, he's that guy.”
“Brandin Cooks had more Top-24 WR fantasy finishes last year than Ja'Marr Chase & Tee Higgins…
How Many Top-12 (WR1)? Brandin Cooks = 25% (4) Ja'Marr Chase = 29% (5) Tee Higgins = 21% (3)”
“Brandin Cooks looked impossible to cover during 1 on 1s.”
“There have been 4 TEs with 100+ TGT, 1,000+ YDS, and 15+ Y/R:
Rob Gronkowski
George Kittle
Shannon Sharpe
Kyle Pitts
Pitts did it as a 21-year old rookie.”
“Kyle Pitts can dust any linebacker in coverage. It is literally not fair. Pitts effortlessly beat ever player the defense threw at him. Only players that have had any success covering him so far: CB A.J. Terrell, and S Richie Grant.”
“A.J. Brown has been the focal point of the Eagles offense.”
“If Eagles training camp is any indication, A.J. Brown is going to get eleventy billion targets this season. Over the last five or so practices, if Brown has been on the field and it's a pass play, you could reliably count on Jalen Hurts going his way. I suppose Brown's heavy target share recently in practice is partly due to the absence of Smith, who has missed the last four practices.”
This can probably be filed as a Jalen Hurts Tweet: “Eagles so loaded on offense. AJ Brown/Devonta Smith/Dallas Goedert elite pass-catching trio. Miles Sanders/Kenny Gainwell fine at RB. And @BrandonThornNFL 's No. 1 offensive line in the entire NFL.”
“Jalen Hurts was the QB1 overall for this first 11 weeks last year before an ankle injury He was also #1 among ALL QB's in Fantasy Points Per Dropback The Eagles added AJ Brown And Hurts should be even better in his third year He has the overall QB1 in his range of outcomes”
In the offseason, you look for consistent drumbeat. Here’s a Twitter thread with everyone chiming in on the drumbeats they’ve noticed.
“Practice has featured a lot of Mark Andrews... Maybe too much, honestly.”
From Week 7 to Week 13 Elijah Moore was the #4 WR in fantasy before suffering a season ending quad injury.
“Elijah Moore continues to be one of the Jets’ stars of training camp, no matter who is throwing him the ball…If it was in question, Moore seems to have firmly established himself as this team’s No. 1 receiver. He’s in line for a big year.”
“Justin Fields has “blown away” the staff thus far, according to one team source I spoke with. “His mechanics have improved, he’s in great shape, he works at it and he really cares. Luke [Getsy] loves him.””
“Drake London was Drafted with the 8th overall pick this year. He has almost zero competition for targets outside of Kyle Pitts. On an offense with 51% of the targets up for grabs. A rookie WR has finished Top 24 in nine straight years”
“I mentioned how seemingly every city has reports about the defense being ahead of the offense. That hasn't been the case in Detroit, where Jared Goff has been lighting it up by all accounts. Playing behind potentially the league's best offensive line will give Goff a chance to keep up his excellent end to last season.”
“Tee Higgins is a monster. He’s listed at 3 lbs heavier than last year and looks incredibly imposing on the field. Is there a better #2 receiver in the NFL? Tee had 96, 103 and 100 yards in the last 3 postseason games.” I can’t help but chuckle at the “3 lbs heavier” part.
“Kadarius Toney was a Top-10 WR while Sterling Shepard was out. Producing 14 points per game... Including a 180-yard performance vs. an All-Pro cornerback. But here’s the most impressive part… Toney was 7th in targets per routes run. Ahead of DK Metcalf & Justin Jefferson… And earning targets is the #1 predicator of success. Now this next stat speaks volumes: Only 3 WRs were better than Toney vs. man coverage: • Davante Adams • Cooper Kupp • DK Metcalf .”
“Travis Etienne and Breece Hall are 2 of the 12 RB's to ever get a 99 grade from Next Gen Stats. 100% of the other 10 all later had a Top 12 season.”
“David Njoku is the 5th highest paid TE in the NFL. And his new QB Jacoby Brissett targets TE's at a Top 5 rate in the league. On top of Austin Hooper leaving which opens up even more snaps for Njoku.”
“Donald Parham is having a great camp, and it is clear he will once again be a prominent piece in the Chargers’ downfield passing attack.”
Threads on /r/fantasyfootball:
What player is everyone overthinking this year?
Who’s your ride or die player for the year?
Who’s the next Cooper Kupp?
Deep Sleepers + Dynasty Stashes:
“Trey Sermon is having the best training camp practice of his career today He looks incredible out there, running with power and conviction, being decisive with his cuts, and displayig explosion when bouncing to the outside.” Additional comment from Matt Waldman “Worked out with Dalvin Cook this summer. OZ concepts. We may also see more IZ w/Offense and that was Sermon’s strength.”
“Falcons rookie RB Tyler Allgeier has been the Falcons best RB in camp. He also led the nation in TD's last year and was 3rd among all RB's in rush yards.And Cordarelle Patterson will likely be used less at RB this year”
“Daniel Bellinger has been the clear TE for the Giants in training camp He has Top 3% athleticism at the position ALL TIME And is playing on a team with 40% of their targets up for grabs Including 61% of the targets inside the 10 yard line.” Rookie TEs rarely produce, so this falls more under the dynasty stash part.
John Harbaugh on Ravens rookie TE Isaiah Likely: "He's going to be a big part of the offense this year." Same rookie TE disclaimer as above.
Ravens Rookie TE Isaiah Likely “might have been the best offensive player” at training camp.
“Kliff Kingsbury, talking about how some players have longer learning curves, mentions RB Eno Benjamin. "I would've never expected him to come this far just looking at his first year.""
Cold Water:
“It's officially time to worry about the Packers' offensive line. The unit has struggled in camp, right tackle Elgton Jenkins appears likely to start the season on the PUP list and no one knows when left tackle David Bakhtiari will return.”
If any group had a shot at breaking this streak, it’s these guys, but it’s worth noting: “It's been 7 years since a 27+ year old RB scored 300+ fantasy points.
RB's who will be 27+ this year:
-Derrick Henry
-Austin Ekeler
-Aaron Jones
-Dalvin Cook
-Alvin Kamara”
Clip of Mike Clay making his argument: “Joe Burrow is awesome at football…but not quite as good in fantasy. Hard pass at his current ADP.”
“Patriots No. 1 offense today has been distressingly bad. Run stuffs. Aborted plays. Would-be sacks. Distress lobs into traffic just to get ball out. Beginning to feel it’s less the new offense and more the post-Scar cycle of OL coaches. They are perpetually overwhelmed.”
“The Broncos 1st team RB split for reps between Williams and Gordon and has NOT been 70/30. Per reps chart it's 54/46”
General cold water for WRs drafted 4th round or later: “there’s been 76 Wide Receivers to get drafted in Round 4 since 2006 👇🏼 ONLY THREE have put up a 14+ PPG Season in their career and ONLY ONE has put up 14+ PPG Seasons multiple times in their career”
“11% of Chase Claypool's career fantasy production came in one game.”
Potential Trade Targets:
Treylon Burks has been getting a lot of negative headlines this offseason. Most recently surrounding his run with the 2nd and 3rd string offensive units. This Tweet shows otherwise.
Send this link to your league mate and pray they buy it: “Breece Hall has been listed as the third string RB on the Jets first unofficial depth chart.”
The Fun Stuff:
Case Keenum goes undercover to get autographs from Bills players.
“This is the right video to start your day. Aidan Hutchinson singing Billie Jean on the debut of Hard Knocks.” (Also, the guy who throws his shirt at 0:59 😆)
Small but strong center.
“In honor of Sean McVay’s extension… a reminder that he’s got the best memory on planet earth”
Clip of Chris Olave makin’ people say OooOOOOooo.
“Inject Jamaal Williams into my freaking veins” (video)
Clip of Amari Cooper looking fresh.
“Here are my thoughts on doing fantasy football drafts early: You can draft a league now and you can draft another league later but if you only draft later then you don’t get to draft now”
“Gabe Davis literally flying in from the top rope for the first camp fight of the year”
“Me still talking about my championship team from 5+ years ago.” (video)
George Pickens didn’t quit on this play. (video)
👋 That’s it for now. Join our community on Patreon and get access to our Discord chat, where everyone shares and discusses the beast headlines/analysis, daily. You can also follow us on Twitter, where we browse over 1,000 analysts and beat writers and retweet/post all the good stuff.