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Bill Dubiel analyzes five fantasy football draft targets who can be 2017 draft sleepers. Target these NFL players as you prepare for your fantasy drafts.
This article first appeared in the Metro news publication.
Welcome back RotoBallers. Training camps are underway, and we are putting out columns about undervalued and overvalued draft picks for 2017 fantasy football drafts. Last week I covered a few guys to target and avoid in your approaching drafts. Below are a few other players to keep an eye on as the preseason continues, for better or worse.
Don’t forget to check out our 2017 draft sleepers and values list, which is constantly updated with our preseason draft targets. And our NFL homepage has all of the tools, rankings and analysis you need to get the edge on your league mates.
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Undervalued and Overvalued - 2017 Fantasy Football Drafts
A New England RB You Can Trust
Mike Gillislee is the heir-apparent to the LeGarrette Blount role in New England--a role that produced 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016. Tom Brady may not be able to sling it around like the days of yore, but there is nobody in the NFL who manages a game better. That will benefit Gillislee all season, as we can expect the Patriots to have a lead in many, if not most games. Gillislee produced nine total touchdowns as the backup to LeSean McCoy in Buffalo last year, and as the lead back in one of the NFL’s top offenses his value should blow away his current ADP (RB29, 72 overall).
Moncrief Could Be Lucky Pick
Donte Moncrief was one of the biggest busts of 2016, producing nowhere near his fourth-round ADP. He averaged a pathetic 2.5 yards after the catch, a far departure from the explosiveness he flashed in 2015. However, Moncrief was injured or at less than 100% for a majority of the season last year, and now that he is fully healthy he is making a huge impact at training camp. T.Y. Hilton is still the WR1 in Indianapolis, and is almost guaranteed to have more total yards than Moncrief, but Moncrief has the red zone upside that Hilton simply doesn’t. The 6’2”, 220-lb wideout is also only 23, meaning he has added upside in dynasty and keeper formats.
Edelman No Longer The Man in New England
The days of Julian Edelman as a surefire lock for targets are over. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have revamped their offense, and it appears that Edelman may be the one whose production suffers with all of the new weapons. While Edelman did set a career high in targets last year, it was to be expected with a full 16 games under his belt for once. He converted just 11.1% of his targets inside the 10-yard line last year, and with a healthy Rob Gronkowski, New Orleans import Brandin Cooks, former Colt Dwayne Allen, and the pass-catching duo of Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead in the backfield, Edelman simply won’t provide the return you seek for his price (fifth-round ADP).
Draft Sleepers of the Week
Kelvin Benjamin - By all accounts, Benjamin is back in football shape, both in weight and conditioning. If he can stay healthy, we could see the 2014 Benjamin once again (1,008 yards and nine touchdowns).
DeVante Parker - The 2015 first-round pick has yet to fully break out, but as the only big touchdown threat in the Dolphins passing game, he has enough upside to merit a speculative pick in Round 8 or later.
Tyrod Taylor - On a per-game basis, Taylor has been a top-10 quarterback by nearly every metric in the last two years. He can easily provide that value and more, a steal given his current 13th-round ADP.
