Up from the Depths

Jeff Haverlack Posted On July 29, 2014

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With training camps opening across the NFL, fantasy eyes are set upon the players and stories that have already begun emerging from team activities. While many teams have little intrigue in play within their depth chart at key offensive skill positions, many others are primed for an intense battle.

The impact in fantasy should be all too clear to a coach with any amount of experience as little-known NFL players fighting for roster spots have every opportunity to become household names by the end of the year. It’s not an everyday occurrence, but it happens a handful of times each year and should be capitalized upon early. Most coaches simply look to RotoWorld or KFFL for news items emerging from camps. Others wait for even more mainstream media outlets to release camp stories that hit the headlines, but smart coaches know, even before camps open, which teams are strong in which positions and which teams have the greatest likelihood of seeing a new face grace a starting role. Sure, many of these new players won’t get the call until the season is already underway, but there will be some who rise up from the depths in the preseason.

I won’t bore you with the most mainstream battles such as Cleveland’s Brian Hoyer vs. Johnny Manziel, Minnesota’s Matt Cassel vs. Teddy Bridgewater or even San Diego’s Antonio Gates vs. Ladarius Green. High profile battles are those that will be scrutinized from day one. I’m far more interested in those situations that may be flying under the radar by which some of the players are still calling your waiver wire home, even in deeper leagues.

Here are some of the more interesting camp battles that I’m watching:

New York Giants TE: Adrien Robinson vs. Free Agency

[inlinead]One of the positions most prone to new names before or during the season is that of the tight end. It’s even better when a system is tight end friendly. It’s anyone’s guess just how ‘friendly’ the Giants’ new system will be for their 2014 tight end, but given a strong trio of young receivers, the G-men could produce a noteworthy name at the position. Currently Adrien Robinson is the default choice, with Larry Donnell right in the mix. Robinson is young (25), but lacks the dynamic that coach Tom Coughlin usually seeks in his move tight ends. Without a free agent addition, expect the Giants to rotate through multiple names, none of which are overly intriguing in fantasy at the moment. Robinson should be owned in all leagues due to the opportunity, but free agent Jermichael Finley, who is still waiting for medical clearance, may still be on the radar. Any free agent tight end signing in New York has immediate value, especially if Donnell doesn’t emerge and fully overtake Robinson.

Houston Texans TE: Garrett Graham vs. Ryan Griffin

Here’s another tight end situation you must stay abreast of. Houston Head Coach Bill O’Brien (formerly of the Patriots) has a history with extracting extreme value out of the position. It’s a 50/50 proposition as to which player will emerge as the primary pass catching threat. Graham looks to be slotted as the ‘move’ tight end, but this fact may not mean much as O’Brien is very adept at getting production out of that position, regardless of role. My money is on Graham due to his recent three-year deal and more experience in the offense. He’s not the physical presence Griffin is, but size just doesn’t matter in this situation. There’s fantasy gold here if you make a late round selection on one (or both) and guess correctly.

Jacksonville Jaguars WR2: Marqise Lee vs. Allen Robinson

It’s a marquee match-up or, perhaps, a Marqise match-up if you ask me. Clearly, in my mind at least, Lee is the better bet to start across from the oft-injured Cecil Shorts, but this offense may very well afford three young and talented receivers being on the field early and often. An argument could be made that Robinson has a better skill-set to line up as the “Z” receiver to get him away from opposing cornerbacks, but both he and Lee will vie for “X” receiver duty. In this situation, I see little hope for Robinson to beat out Lee’s NFL skill-set. In either case, however, there is fantasy production to be had … in time. As rookies, don’t look for a big impact from either of these players in the very near-term and, being rookies, both are likely to be off the board before I would prefer to hazard a pick. But that said, Robinson’s ADP is trending higher than is Lee’s, 76 vs. 92 respectively. Fantasy ballers love big receivers (and I’m no exception), but in this case, sign me up for Lee, please.

San Francisco 49ers WR3: Steve Johnson vs. Quinton Patton vs. Bruce Ellington

Anquan Boldin may be dead in fantasy, but no one has told him and he’s refusing to lay down. As such, he’s likely locked in as the WR2 across from the now healthy Michael Crabtree. The 49ers acquired Steve Johnson this past off-season and I believed at the time he was certain to be the new WR3. However, all indications are this is truly a wide open battle without any preconceived notion as to which of these receivers will lock down the role. Crabtree is anything but durable, Boldin is nearly certain to be playing his last year and while not a high-profile position for 2014, there’s value here for 2015 and beyond. I favor Quinton Patton in terms of long-term value and have from the beginning. He’s got the “it” factor, but also the injury flag factor I’m not excited about. He has better size than Ellington and a year of experience as well. Both may be trumped by the flagging Steve Johnson who is looking to resurrect his career. This is a bottom-of-your-roster play, so keep your excitement to a minimum, but I’m telling you, there’s something about this Patton kid I can’t get away from. I’ll be watching this battle with interest and there’s a strong likelihood that both Patton and Ellington are available on your wire now if you’re in a shallow league.

Cleveland Browns WR1 and WR2: Miles Austin vs. Nate Burleson vs. Charles Johnson

No, I haven’t forgotten about Andrew Hawkins. He’s a pure slot receiver sort and he’s the only sure thing lining up at receiver for the Browns. Personally, nothing has shocked me more than Cleveland’s unwillingness to address their glaring need at receiver all the while aware of the pending Josh Gordon news. To my knowledge, they weren’t even close to landing a big-name free agent. The ships have most likely already sailed for both Austin and Burleson. Sure there’s production from both of these aging vets, but probably not enough to even roster. With a gun to my head, I’d blurt out Austin as the name to own as the most sure thing, but these are type of battles that give rise to a young name few know about. In this case, I’m intrigued by Charles Johnson. I was high on Johnson when he was drafted by Green Bay in the seventh round last season. He’s a great kid, with great size and a rare set of wheels. He couldn’t have landed in a better situation and as long as he can wrestle his injury demons successfully, he’s a name to watch closely. Don’t discount some other name from getting a chance, the Browns will be looking for youth.

Arizona Cardinals RB2: Stepfan Taylor vs. Jonathan Dwyer

Dwyer broke my heart over the past two years. I was nearly sure I had a waiver wire steal as soon as he got his chance in Pittsburgh. The problem was he celebrated that chance by seemingly eating his competition at running back. After battling weight issues, the Steelers finally allowed Dwyer the ability to walk and he did so, straight to Arizona, where he’ll have a chance for production. 2014’s fast-riser, Andre Ellington, isn’t cut out for an every down role, but he appears to be getting one – this could produce an opportunity for either Taylor or Dwyer. With a serious injury to Ellington, either of these backs could see a serious number of touches as the Cardinals should have a reasonably prolific passing attack in 2014 if the offensive line can keep Palmer upright. That’s a big IF. My money is squarely on Taylor as the better runner and he’s worth a late-round addition as a flyer. RB2s will always have value in fantasy.

New York Jets WR2, WR3: Stephen Hill vs. A lot of other guys

This HAS to be the year for Stephen Hill. In size, he’s much like a clone of Denver’s Demaryius Thomas and even comes from the same school (Georgia Tech). However, that’s where the similarities end. Hill can be found on many a waiver wire, even with him still occupying a WR2 role currently. His size and speed should be untouchable on the Jets’ roster but, sadly, injury history and poor performance makes this a wide open battle. Hill is still the strong favorite to get one more year. With Eric Decker across from him, I’ll play the role of Hill-apologist and say he finally has a starter to take double-teams. I’m not confident that will provide results for Hill, but he’s going to get another chance. Behind him we find rookies Shaq Evans, Jalen Saunders and Quincy Enunwa. Saunders likely won’t factor, leaving Evans and Enunwa to battle it out. Also present are veterans Greg Salas, Jacoby Ford, Clyde Gates and David Nelson. Ugly. Keep a close eye on both Evans and Enunwa as both have good size and plenty of speed. Enunwa, especially, has the size and wheels to be a difference maker should he develop. He was taken nearly 100 selections later (#209) than was Evans (#115), but I’m not calling a favorite here. I’m watching both.

Hopefully that gives you a few names to target late in your draft. What are some battles you’re looking forward to seeing resolved?

Follow me on Twitter: @DLF_Jeff

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Jeff Haverlack

Co-Founder at Dynasty League Football

Appreciative husband and proud father who poorly attempts to balance family life with his passion for creating the largest, most helpful and most impactful fantasy community on the planet! DLF was created for the community and we're committed to each member within it! Hope anyone playing this great game will call DLF home in some way!

You can find Jeff on Twitter at @dlf_jeff

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