X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Around the League Pop Quiz: NFC West

Cliff Clinton welcomes you back to the 2019 fantasy football season with more opinions on who to target or avoid from the NFC West in fantasy drafts.

I always enjoy saving the NFC West for last because, in a lot of ways, it's always felt the closest to home for me. I grew up in Orange County, California, born right before the Raiders and the Rams made their way west. Even though my city was an hour south of Los Angeles, the Rams played a bit of their tenure in Anaheim and, prior to 1993, most residents of the city were either fans of the Rams or the Raiders, skirting the AFC West team down south entirely. I knew that NWA helped make the Raiders brand synonymous with hip-hop before I ever realized that the Raiders used to play an hour away from me, and I don't think I knew the Rams even had much of a home in California until the end of high school.

This wasn't entirely the systematic failure of complete football history, but instead an acid-wash of the Rams existence from my region of the country. Once the team high-tailed it to St. Louis, their footprint all but disappeared from Southern California. Many of us watched the Rams vs the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV with only the very sparse local reference to how the team hadn't even been gone a decade at that point. I say this because in Houston, where I currently reside, it is almost part of scholastic curriculum. The Oilers played in Houston, at the Astrodome, before packing up in the middle of the night to move to Tennessee. They changed their name, and one of the biggest cities in the country didn't have an NFL team again until 2002. Everyone, regardless of age, can give you that exact sentence. Los Angeles met the Raiders' departure with a mixture of bitterness and snide commentary, choosing to suddenly see the culture of scoundrels and cut-throats as a bad thing after so long rooting for that same team with that same swagger. Towards the Rams, the city mostly shrugged.

At about nine, when I had a casual interest in football that would ultimately develop at the end of my time in high school (Mom wasn't a big "ball in the house" person, either on TV or otherwise), I found a real interest in the San Francisco 49ers, the team I still claim as my favorite across all sports. It's also the only team that causes me to *almost* break my hand during the Richard Sherman interview, after Sherman finished dunking on my team physically and then emotionally. I still love them, even in what appears to be poised for another down year. But I do keep my eye, curiously, on the team much closer to my boyhood home. Especially as they enter such a make-or-break year.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Los Angeles Rams

FILL IN THE BLANK: You can still get ______ for cheaper than his end of year results

We're gonna have to really give up on underrated Robert Woods one of these seasons, right? It's a retread of my advice last year, but the WR11 of 2018 is once again getting underrated because of the existence of Cooper Kupp. Woods is now being drafted closer to the end of the 4th round than the end of the 9th like he was last year, but Kupp has risen all the way to the beginning of the 5th round despite still not staying healthy all of 2018. Cooks has leaped over Woods despite seeing 86 receptions and 1219 yards last year... oh no, I'm sorry, those were Woods's numbers. In fact, Cooks was good for 80/1204. It's not a big difference, and it was a career year for both players, but it also doesn't mean I'm taking Cooks anywhere before Woods either.

Kupp is still someone I'm ultimately staying away from, given he's separated by a mere three picks from Woods on average despite not playing 16 games in an NFL season so far. I wish I had more factual analysis to give you here, but you're still targeting the number one receiver in this offense before the 2nd (Woods) or the 3rd (Kupp), no matter how much we expect this offense to hum. For reference to just how insane this is, think about it like this; there are only two teams that have two wide receivers going in the first four rounds by ADP: Tampa Bay (Godwin and Evans) and Minnesota (Thielen and Diggs). Cooper Kupp is being taken as the third wide receiver before nearly any other team has their second wide receiver coming off the board. It's just too expensive for too little.

 

Seattle Seahawks

You can safely write off __________ now

A. Rashaad Penny
B. David Moore
C. DK Metcalf
D. CJ Prosise

I could use this time to bang the drum for how great Chris Carson is and all of that, but since the beginning of the preseason the market has largely reset on the talented running back, who is now going in the third round of most drafts. That's about right, given how much incredible value he had at the end of last season, and how his role simply hasn't changed. Mike Davis's fantasy value is so high on another team because of the workload he seized in the backfield. That leaves the bad luck loser of the bunch to be Rashaad Penny.

I mention this because even though Penny's value has fallen one round since the start of preseason, that round is still the 8th (Devin Singletary used to live there until this past week, and it's now home to Matt Breida, Darwin Thompson, LeSean McCoy, and eight-games suspended of Kareem Hunt.) This is by no means a safer destination to draft a starting running back of any sort, but in reality, it's still simply too high for Penny. As Antonio Losada noted in his sophomore RB slump column, we're essentially looking at Penny's workload potentially gaining, but we're depending on his yards per attempt efficiency of 4.93 to not only improve, but for him to get the mass volume of those abandoned Mike Davis carries.

I texted with my one insider friend this week, and asked who he likes on the Seahawks. While he didn't have a strong sleeper recommendation, he was curt on Penny, saying he just didn't see the back taking the next step.

 

Arizona Cardinals

The ultimate "yawn" value  _________

A. Kyler Murray
B. David Johnson
C. Christian Kirk
D. Larry Fitzgerald

It's hard to remember how bad the Cardinals were in 2018, because frankly it all seems like a blur. Larry Fitzgerald's value has been widely tanked in 2019 because of it, even while Christian Kirk's value is rising, a hint that the team is finally letting the tide change. If it feels familiar, it's because we played with the concept last year, and after a career down year for Larry Fitzgerald, we wouldn't be surprised to finally see him retire.

Of course, that's more theme than truth. Fitzgerald still largely outperformed Kirk last year, even if it's not exactly a fair fight to place the ageless vet against the rookie and expect the latter to get more targets. But Kirk's stock has trended up in 2019, while Fitzgerald's fallen a whole round since pre-season began. Back to 2018, when the team had 1,095 less yards through the air than they did when Carson Palmer ran the three-headed QB monster that controlled the 2017 offense. The team was much less interested in letting either Rosen or Bradford throw the ball last season, meaning that the yardage decrease, combined with the -6 touchdown net year over year through the air, meant that the team was out of gas. For perspective, that means that a player like Fitzgerald suddenly wasn't topping a thousand yards receiving in a season for the first time since 2014.

Now it's easy to assume the following; the Cardinals offense will attempt to throw more than they did in 2018 without hitting the 2017 numbers just yet. Kyler Murray, good or bad, will open up the offense in a way that will lead to teams simply not stacking the box against David Johnson. And arguably most importantly, Kirk will be better than his rookie year and mean that opposing teams have to worry about a receiver other Fitzgerald.

It comes back to the original point. If the offense is bound to throw more than they did in 2018, feature a second legitimate receiving threat in Kirk, and bring Fitzgerald's numbers back up, he's probably worth at least a round more (back to eight) as a reliable WR3/BYE week fill in, if only for one last ride.

 

San Francisco 49ers

The man to own in the offense, for dynasty, is ___________

A. Deebo Samuel
B. Jalen Hurd
C. Dante Pettis

Yes, I cheated here, these are all technically the "right" answer, based off of value and what you're using them for.

Jalen Hurd and Deebo Samuel have been flying off dynasty and keeper draft boards, despite Hurd's injury, because it's expected that one of these two will break out in a significant way longterm, with Samuel leading the way. Both men flashed in the pre-season, each sporting an August touchdown or two, but Hurd's deep sleeper value in re-draft league was almost immediately dashed due to injury, allowing Samuel's stock to climb to a 13th round pick.

Dante Pettis is still listed as the WR1 for the offense, and while I'm big on taking the top receiver in an offense after the eighth round, and Pettis has fallen a full three rounds due to his camp struggles, with fantasy players not totally buying the depth chart. While I would've balked at his early August ADP of the 7th round, the 10th round is more than fine for me, even if I'm not as interested in him as long term as Hurd and Samuel. Quite frankly, Pettis is a ton more valuable in redrafts, but everything else remains to be seen...

More Draft Prep and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Joe Burrow

Could Miss Three Months if he Requires Toe Surgery
Davante Adams

Headlines Rams Receiving Corps Sunday
Wan'Dale Robinson

Explodes for 142 Yards, Touchdown in Overtime Thriller
Joe Flacco

Browns Not Considering Benching Joe Flacco After Week 2
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
Max Muncy

Exits Early on Saturday
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
Jose Altuve

Exits Early With Foot Discomfort
Trey Yesavage

Heading to Big Leagues
Will Smith

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
CFB

Ryan Williams Expected to Play Against Wisconsin
CFB

Billy Edwards Jr. Unlikely to Play on Saturday
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension
Lauri Markkanen

Big at Both Ends as Finland Books Place in EuroBasket Semis
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Notches 39 Points in Losing Effort
NBA

Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
NBA

Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hawks
Sacramento Kings

Terence Davis Waived by Kings
Matthew Knies

Ready for Bigger Role With Maple Leafs
Jack Eichel

Unbothered by Lack of Extension
Sidney Crosby

Not Thinking About Leaving Pittsburgh
SJ

Michael Misa Signs Entry-Level Contract With Sharks
Rutger McGroarty

Nursing an Injury

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP