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Every year during the NFL draft, there are veterans who lose their starting jobs to incoming rookies and see a loss in value and subsequently drop in fantasy drafts. There are also players whose value receives a boost in value due to a lack of competition coming in, or a player coming into an offense that improves their value for the coming season.
Here are five veterans who look like better fantasy assets in 2016, after what their teams did in the NFL draft.
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Brock was already having a pretty good offseason when the Texans made him their franchise QB and gave him a 4 year-72 million dollar contract after just seven career starts. Osweiler’s situation only improved after the draft as the Texans added two talented receivers and a speedy running back in the first four rounds of the NFL draft.
Osweiler already had an elite weapon at wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, and the Texans added a very good running back in Lamar Miller in free agency. The Texans took Will Fuller as the 2nd wide receiver off the board in the first round, surprising some people by grabbing him ahead of Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson. Fuller has elite speed and ran a 4.32 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. He was a playmaker at Notre Dame, but some worry that he may just be a one trick pony at the next level. I like Fuller a lot and his speed will definitely mean opposing defenses have to worry about the receiver across from Hopkins - something that wasn’t the case for most of last year.
Braxton Miller is a big time athlete, but he is still a little raw as a wide receiver after converting from quarterback at Ohio State for his senior season. It’s hard to expect too much in year one considering he had just 340 receiving yards in college, but he’s another playmaker that certainly won’t hurt. Lastly, Tyler Ervin, who was the second fastest RB at the combine should be a great #2 back behind Lamar Miller. Ervin showed some skill as a pass-catcher with 74 receptions over his final two seasons at San Jose State.
Osweiler had some ups and downs in 2015, his first season with significant playing time. He won’t have the dynamic duo of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders but DeAndre Hopkins and anyone with some talent can come pretty darn close. I’m still not sold on Osweiler’s talent but it is undeniable that the Texans have put everything in place for him to succeed.
Ryan Mathews, RB, Eagles
The moment DeMarco Murray signed with the Eagles in 2015, it seemed like Mathews days as a primary back were over. Even after the Eagles traded Murray prior to the 2016 NFL draft, the expectation was the Eagles would look for a feature back in the early rounds. That didn’t happen. The Eagles waited until the 5th round to take RB Wendell Smallwood.
Smallwood did have 264 touches in his final year of college but I don’t see him as a player ready to be a lead back right away in the NFL. Some see him more as an eventual Darren Sproles replacement rather than a potential 200 carry back. Either way, it looks like the Eagles backfield will be led by Ryan Mathews in 2016.
Mathews has missed 23 games due to injury in his 6 year career, and he has also dealt with fumbling issues during his career with 18 fumbles lost. With that said, in the two seasons where he played at least 14 games with 200+ carries, he was highly productive, averaging just under 1,500 yards from scrimmage between those two seasons and was a top 15 fantasy RB in both years. If he can stay healthy, he could approach those numbers once again. In limited time last year, Mathews had a 5.0 yards per carry which was second best of all running backs with at least 100 carries. When healthy, Mathews has the talent to be a highly productive running back in the NFL.
Frank Gore, RB, Colts
With the retirement of Marshawn Lynch, only six active running backs have five or more 200+ carry seasons - five if Steven Jackson officially retires. At the top of that list with two more than any other active player, you’ll find Frank Gore with ten straight seasons of 200+ carries. Before the draft, I was sure that with Gore turning 33 and putting up the worst yards per carry of his career at only 3.7, the Colts would look to find his replacement.
Not only did the Colts pass up on any RB in the draft, they used four of their eight picks on the offensive line, which will help both the aging Gore and Quarterback Andrew Luck. The Colts have no one on their roster right now that can usurp Frank Gore unless this is the year that he falls off the proverbial age cliff. The #2 back right now would be Robert Turbin who has never had more than 80 carries in a season. The Colts did bring in Illinois Running Back Josh Ferguson in undrafted free agency, Ferguson averaged 5.0 yards per carry or more in each of his final 3 seasons.
In 2016 the Colts will hopefully have Andrew Luck for all 16 games and an improved offensive line. Both of those things are great news for Frank Gore. It may not be pretty but I’m penciling in Frank Gore for about 250 carries right now.
Golden Tate & Marvin Jones, WRs, Lions
Okay two players, but same team, same idea here. The early retirement of Calvin Johnson left a massive number of targets and touchdowns to be filled. Marvin Jones was a nice signing, but he falls far short of replacing the legendary Megatron. I was expecting the Lions to try and fill the void with a potential playmaking wide receiver in the early rounds of the draft.
The Lions didn’t take a single receiver in the draft, showing their confidence in what they already have. It’s no secret that Tate has been very productive when Calvin was out or ineffective over the past two years. Johnson did play all 16 games last season, however, in the two games where he was held to a single catch, Tate reached the end zone twice in each game. I’m excited to see what Tate can do in a full season without a superstar ahead of him. Likewise, I’ve always been a Marvin Jones fan and knowing now that he is now locked into a starting role makes him even more intriguing in fantasy football.
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