We cover some top names carrying injuries as we head into the season.
Should we be reconsidering how we feel about undersized players in the NFL?
We highlight a pair of players to buy for contenders and rebuilders, along with several trade suggestions for each.
Part of the Betsperts Media and Technology Group
Well, that was fun. Another year in the books, and hopefully you were able to grab that dynasty league championship. While the games are thrilling and the results matter, this is the time of year I really look forward to. Yes, the off-season is my favorite part of fantasy football. I love diving into the NFL Draft, analyzing rookies, re-assessing the veteran dynasty landscape, and giving you all the info I can to help you get ready for the upcoming season.
This year, I’m continuing my series – My Dynasty Off-Season. This is where I pull back the curtain a little to share what I’m doing in terms of team building, roster evaluation, player assessments, trade possibilities, value changes, and anything else that’s on my mind. I hope this series helps guide you through the off-season and positions you for success next year. Over the coming weeks, I’m going to share my positional rankings for the rookies in detail. If you missed it, this was the preview version. Today, let's jump into the quarterbacks.
There is clearly going to be a great debate as to who should go first in the NFL Draft between Ward and Shedeur Sanders. However, I have Ward as the top quarterback from a dynasty standpoint. It’s hard to argue with his numbers. After all, he posted over 11,000 passing yards with 87 touchdowns over just the past three seasons. While not a true dual-threat dynamo like others we’ve seen (Jayden Daniels), he seems to be mobile enough to make things happen. He’s also very experienced, having spent five years as a collegiate starter. While some may see that as a bad thing, I clearly don’t as we’ve seen inexperienced players with elite talent (Anthony Richardson) really struggle to make the transition to the next level. With this much experience, Ward should be NFL ready and with the patience level at an all-time low in the NFL, that should bode well for his chances.
At this point, it stands to reason the Titans are going to take him with the top overall pick unless they're overwhelmed by a trade offer. They haven't taken the plunge with a quarterback this highly since Marcus Mariota, so it's not hard to see their hesitation as that pick ended up burning them. If they choose not to take Ward, it's almost inevitable someone trades up to get him at the top of the draft. With the Titans, you could see a path to success, but they have lots of needs on the offensive side of the ball in order to give him a realistic chance to succeed. Regardless, Ward looks like the top option in dynasty leagues and a sure-fire top pick in Superflex drafts.
I just can’t help but think his ultimate destiny is going to lie in the hands of his Father. Still, he’s going to be a top ten pick in the NFL Draft and should have a chance to be an instant contributor to both and NFL franchise and a dynasty fantasy football team. With 64 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions the past two seasons, Sanders has proven he can throw the ball. However, the big question is just how much he can contribute on the ground. He simply hasn’t been very dynamic as a rusher and that means he’s going to need to be an elite passer (maybe with an elite receiver) to be a true QB1 in dynasty leagues (the Giants, perhaps). This is what I think puts Ward ahead of him at the moment.
Sanders looks to have a floor in the NFL Draft of #7 to the Jets. The Titans (1), Browns (2), Giants (3), Raiders (6) or Jets (7) would all likely seriously consider his services. In the end, it really does seem like he's destined for the Giants as they are in dire straights at the position and it's unclear if Sanders would even accept playing for the Browns. We'll see soon enough, but if Sanders is paired with Malik Nabers, that's exciting. Even if the Giants add both Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson, it shouldn't stop them from taking Sanders as you just simply don't get that chance very often.
