X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2013 Fantasy Football Advice - Draft Day Duds

What Appears In This Article? hide

Fantasy football season is upon us, fellow RotoBallers!

Admittedly, I’m still in fantasy baseball mode since all three of my teams are performing well, but as my email becomes stockpiled with fantasy football league invites, I’m getting more excited by the minute for virtual pigskin drafts.  By now, you've probably scoured the internet for the latest fantasy football cheat sheet or rankings update, which we’re in the process of working on here at RotoBaller.  In the meantime, I urge you to enjoy my mini-series of 2013 fantasy football Draft Studs and Draft Duds.

 

Up First, The Draft Duds

Arian FosterArian Foster (RB, HOU) - A calf strain suffered in OTAs, a sore back in training camp, declining YPC over the past three seasons and enormous tread on the tires-- even at a prime age (26) for running backs-- are making me hesitant to draft Foster in the top five overall.  It seems NFFC participants are having that same hesitation as early drafts had Foster going third or fourth overall, while more recent drafts are seeing him slip a few spots between the five-to-seven range.  Last year, Ben Tate was supposed to cut into Foster’s workload, but it didn't really turn out that way.  This season, I could see that changing a bit, with 8-10 carries going to Tate per game, just to preserve Foster’s health.  Foster should still get all the goal-line work, but don’t be surprised if his yards-rushed total slips to the 1,200 range.

Aaron Rodgers (QB, GB) - It’s hard to believe that the Draft Duds column is headlined by two of the more historically reliable options in fantasy football, but in Rodgers's case, he’s listed because injuries continue to pile up in Packers camp.  LT Bryan Bulaga is out for the year with a torn ACL, which doesn't bode well for Rodgers, who was sacked a league-high 51 times last season.  To make matters worse, WR Jordy Nelson recently underwent knee surgery which will sideline him 4-6 weeks.  Nelson is expected to be back for Week 1, but he had hamstring and ankle problems last year that forced him to miss time.  That’s two key offensive pieces that are directly tied to Rodgers’s success.  Not to mention, Green Bay could focus more on their running game with Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin now in the fold.  I’d be comfortable drafting Rodgers in the late second or third round, but drafting him any higher would make him a Draft Dud, in my opinion.

Andre Johnson (WR, HOU) - Last season, Johnson started 16 games for the first time since 2009, and he posted a career-best 1,598 receiving yards behind 112 catches (his second-highest total).  What’s not to like about those statistics?  Out of all those catches, only four found paydirt, as Johnson continued to lack the touchdown production that you expect from an elite receiver.  In fact, the 10-year NFL veteran is averaging only 5.6 touchdowns per season over his career, and has never posted more than nine in a single season.  Lack of touchdowns aside, opponents are suggesting that the 32-year-old has lost a step.  With explosive rookie DeAndre Hopkins offering Houston a legit #2 option in the passing game, Johnson will lose some targets on a team that already has a run-first mentality.  And remember he’s still an injury risk.  I’m just not buying Johnson as a Top-10 receiver anymore.

Antonio Gates (TE, SD) - I've heard many call for a bounce-back year for the 33-year-old Gates after last season’s 49 receptions were the second-lowest per-season total of his career.  What’s encouraging about Gates is that despite the low reception total, he still managed to score at least seven times for the ninth straight season.  What’s discouraging about Gates is his injury history.  He hasn’t played a full season since 2009, and he’s only getting older.  While Gates is a personal favorite of mine, dating back to my time attending Kent State University during the year Gates was a key piece in the school’s Elite 8 NCAA Basketball Tournament run, I’m skeptical of him finishing the year as a Top-5 tight end, and I’m fully aware of how weak the position is this year.

Bears Defense/Special Teams (D/ST, CHI) - The loss of Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli, as well as linebackers Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach will hurt this defense.  Additionally, Chicago has to contend with perennial offensive juggernauts Green Bay and Detroit in the NFC North, as well as a strong slate of non-divisional opponents in 2013 (Indianapolis, Houston, Seattle and San Francisco).  I could see the Bears easily falling out of the Top-5 defenses in fantasy football this season.

 

Who are your Draft Duds?  I welcome your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below, or via Twitter @RyanRufe.

===============

By popular demand, RotoBaller.com has now launched the fantasy football chatroom! Get involved with some real-time NFL talk, ask your fantasy football questions, read other discussions, or feel free to chime in and reply back with your own 2 cents. Remember you can ask the RotoBaller staff any questions, and we’ll reply back to you as quickly as possible.  Make a call to the RotoBaller chatroom and get some live advice.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Garrett Whitlock3 hours ago

Still Not Cleared For Mound Work
Max Scherzer3 hours ago

Serves Up Two Homers In Rehab Start
John Means3 hours ago

Could Start Sunday
Alec Marsh3 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Alec Marsh
Francisco Lindor4 hours ago

Comes Alive With Two Long Balls
Shohei Ohtani4 hours ago

Three Doubles For Shohei Ohtani
Mike Trout4 hours ago

Cracks MLB-High 10th Homer
Corey Seager5 hours ago

Removed From Game After Being Hit By Pitch
Naz Reid5 hours ago

Named Sixth Man Of The Year
Mitchell Robinson6 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Joel Embiid6 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
DJ LeMahieu6 hours ago

To Be Shut Down For A Week
Zack Gelof6 hours ago

Likely Heading To Injured List
Alec Marsh6 hours ago

Leaves Game After Being Hit By Comebacker
Bam Adebayo6 hours ago

Looks Good In Win Over Boston
Ozzie Albies6 hours ago

Runs The Bases Wednesday
Kristaps Porzingis6 hours ago

Struggles Offensively In Game 2
Jayson Tatum6 hours ago

Has A Decent Showing On Wednesday
J.P. Crawford6 hours ago

Dealing With Oblique Soreness
Jaylen Brown6 hours ago

Leads The Way In Game 2
A.J. Puk6 hours ago

Rejoining Bullpen When Healthy
Zack Gelof7 hours ago

Nursing Abdominal Soreness
Tyler Herro7 hours ago

Gets It Done On Wednesday Night
Thairo Estrada7 hours ago

Experiencing Hamstring Tightness
Manny Machado7 hours ago

Expected To Return Friday
Sean Murphy7 hours ago

Hasn't Resumed Swinging
Cristian Javier7 hours ago

Plays Catch Wednesday
Christian Yelich7 hours ago

Still Not Swinging
Dallas Cowboys8 hours ago

Cowboys Pick Up Micah Parsons' Fifth-Year Option
Ezekiel Elliott8 hours ago

Cowboys Meeting With Ezekiel Elliott
Cincinnati Bengals8 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Requests A Trade From Bengals
Carlos Correa9 hours ago

Could Return Soon
Nic Claxton9 hours ago

Nicolas Claxton The "No. 1 Priority" For Nets In Offseason
Grayson Allen10 hours ago

Not Ruled Out For Game 3
Nikola Jovic10 hours ago

Available For Game 2
Ryan Lomberg10 hours ago

Could Be Back For Game 3
Cam Talbot11 hours ago

Starts Game 2 For Kings
Logan Thompson11 hours ago

Heads Out For Another Win Wednesday
Jake Oettinger11 hours ago

Tries To Bounce Back Wednesday
Jani Hakanpaa11 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Tyler Myers11 hours ago

Battling The Flu
Michael Penix Jr.12 hours ago

Could Be Among Top-Four Quarterbacks Selected
Jared Goff12 hours ago

No New Deal “Imminent” For Jared Goff
J.J. McCarthy13 hours ago

Broncos Interested In J.J. McCarthy
Detroit Lions14 hours ago

Penei Sewell Becomes Highest-Paid Offensive Lineman
Justin Fields14 hours ago

Steelers Not Expected To Pick Up Justin Fields' Fifth-Year Option
Rashod Bateman14 hours ago

Ravens Sign Rashod Bateman To Contract Extension
Ja'Marr Chase14 hours ago

Bengals Exercise Ja'Marr Chase's Fifth-Year Option
Amon-Ra St. Brown14 hours ago

Lions Agree To Four-Year Extension With Amon-Ra St. Brown
Nicolas Hague15 hours ago

Out For Vegas On Wednesday
James van Riemsdyk15 hours ago

To Make Series Debut Wednesday
Sam Bennett15 hours ago

To Miss Significant Time
William Nylander15 hours ago

Looking Unlikely For Game 3
Brett Pesce15 hours ago

Likely Out For Remainder Of First Round
Thatcher Demko15 hours ago

Listed As Week-To-Week
Ilya Sorokin15 hours ago

To Start Game 3
Cale Makar18 hours ago

Registers Two Assists In Game 2
Tom Wilson18 hours ago

Notches Two Points In Tuesday's Loss
Alexis Lafrenière18 hours ago

Alexis Lafreniere Collects Two Assists In Game 2 Victory
Filip Forsberg18 hours ago

Leads The Charge As Nashville Ties Series
Victor Hedman18 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Game 2
Carter Verhaeghe19 hours ago

Hits Overtime Winner In Game 2
Sam Bennett19 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury In Game 2
James Harden19 hours ago

Settles For 22 Points In Game 2
Luka Doncic19 hours ago

Leads All Scorers With 32 Points In Game 2
Damian Lillard19 hours ago

Scores 34 Points In Losing Effort
Tyrese Haliburton19 hours ago

Collects A Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Pascal Siakam19 hours ago

In Fantastic Form Once Again Versus Milwaukee
Devin Booker20 hours ago

Leads Suns With 20 Points In Game 2
Anthony Edwards20 hours ago

Struggles In Game 2
Daniel Gafford1 day ago

Returns To Game 2
Karl-Anthony Towns1 day ago

Has A Rough Night On Tuesday
Jaden McDaniels1 day ago

Erupts In Game 2
Andrew Peeke1 day ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Brandon Aiyuk1 day ago

Trade Remains "Very Much In Play"
Denver Broncos2 days ago

Broncos Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Patrick Surtain II
New England Patriots2 days ago

Patriots Haven't Received "Serious" Offers For No. 3 Pick
Kadarius Toney2 days ago

Still In Chiefs' Plans
Jake Browning2 days ago

Bengals Re-Sign Jake Browning
Brandon Aiyuk2 days ago

49ers Have Received Calls Regarding Brandon Aiyuk
Dak Prescott3 days ago

Not Trying To Be Highest-Paid Player
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Broncos Acquiring Zach Wilson From Jets
Matt Ryan3 days ago

Officially Retires From NFL
Cincinnati Bengals3 days ago

Sam Hubbard Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo3 days ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR3 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson3 days ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen3 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell3 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman3 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Daniel Hemric3 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton3 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Will Start 14th For the GEICO 500
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Avoid Rostering Tyler Reddick At Talladega?
John Hunter Nemechek4 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Talladega?
Joey Logano4 days ago

Expect Joey Logano To Compete For The Win At Talladega
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Is Denny Hamlin Recommended For Talladega?
Justin Haley4 days ago

Is A Top DFS Value At Talladega
William Byron4 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win Talladega
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Is Best Suited As A Tournament Play At Talladega
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF