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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Spring Cleaning Primer

Chris Gregory does some spring cleaning for your fantasy football team by picking out risers and fallers at QB, RB, and WR. Which veterans should be faded or avoided and which rookies should be targeted in redraft for 2020?

It’s springtime again, and with spring comes the need for cleaning.

That means it’s time to make room in your garage for that treadmill your in-laws gave you as a passive-aggressive Christmas gift and, more importantly, it’s time for you to clean out your fantasy football closet and make room for the new wave of young talent coming in. Luckily for you, this guide is here to help you decide when to keep that veteran player in your pocket, and when to make room for youth.

So let’s get to cleaning!

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

 

QB: Out with Ben Roethlisberger, in with Drew Lock

While Roethlisberger is still being treated as a solid Superflex QB in fantasy, I don’t love his prospects without Antonio Brown.

Completions made to Brown account for 20% of Big Ben’s career passing yards and touchdowns, despite playing seven seasons without him. Brown was even a crutch for Roethlisberger during JuJu Smith-Schuster’s breakout 2018 season, accounting for 25.2% of his total yards as well as 44% of his touchdowns and deep ball yards. That kind of production is hard to replace, evidenced by the fact that Big Ben has only one 4,000-yard season and two seasons of more than 18 touchdown passes without Brown.

Drew Lock, on the other hand, had several promising weapons in Denver even before the team added two more in the draft. The addition of Jerry Jeudy gives Lock an elite route runner with the ability to stop on a dime, swivel like a top, and lose defenders at the snap. Jeudy should help open easy windows on the right side of the field, where Lock completed only 47.6% of his passes compared to his completion percentage of 75.4% to the rest of the field. The addition of K.J. Hamler is also significant, adding a deep element to the offense that can spread defenses thin. Hamler and Jeudy adding on to what Denver already had in Noah Fant and Courtland Sutton should raise Lock’s fantasy value significantly.

Roethlisberger's ceiling without Brown is probably 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns, which is low for an injury-prone quarterback. That is why you should pass on Big Ben in the 12th round and bet on Lock’s upside two or three rounds later in all formats.

 

RB: Out with Aaron Jones, in with Clyde Edwards-Helaire

The Chiefs made Clyde Edwards-Helaire the first running back off the board in this year’s draft, and it is clear why. Aside from top-end speed, Edwards-Helaire is better than Damien Williams at almost everything. He is more durable, he gets more yards after contact, he breaks more tackles (71 to Williams’ 22 last year), and he is more consistent (Williams averaged 3.12 yards per carry on 108 of his 111 carries, while the rookie averaged 5+ yards per carry in 15 of his final 28 college games).

Since Edwards-Helaire seemingly has an edge on Williams, who was benched for an aging LeSean McCoy at times last year, it seems likely the rookie will take over the 18+ touches per game that Reid has given to his lead back in 16 of his 21 seasons as a head coach. In this offense, 18 touches per game could see Edwards-Helaire coming close to the 7 catches and 140 all-purpose yards per game that Brian Westbrook averaged as Reid’s lead back in Philly.

Unfortunately, the Packers have not been infected by Andy Reid’s lead back mindset. Instead, Green Bay is going the other way by creating a three-headed toilet monster.

Last season Aaron Jones ranked 12th among NFL running backs in red-zone touches and 9th in red-zone usage rate. That means Jones had to convert a whopping 42% of his red-zone touches into touchdowns (for reference, Christian McCaffery converted 18.6%) to become a top-10 fantasy back last year. That conversion rate was unsustainable even before the Packers used a 2nd round pick on A.J. Dillon, who should cut into Jones’ goal-line work more than Jamaal Williams ever did thanks to his powerful running style.

With Jones’ red-zone efficiency bound to regress from its insanely high levels in 2019, he was already looking at touchdown and fantasy regression in 2020. Now that a touchdown vulture like Dillon is in town, Jones' regression should be even more pronounced. That is why you should be comfortable taking Edwards-Helaire ahead of Jones in all fantasy formats.

 

WR: Out with Jamison Crowder, in with Henry Ruggs III*

A vast majority of Jamison Crowder’s routes come in the short to intermediate areas of the field, which is where Sam Darnold gets more than 76% of his completions. That’s why Darnold targeted Crowder on 24% (8.3 targets per game) of his 2019 throws and 31.5% of his touchdowns. This sort of target share makes Crowder a very safe bye week fill-in for fantasy owners, especially in PPR settings.

While Crowder has a reliable fantasy floor, Henry Ruggs looks to be a boom or bust fantasy asset in 2020 thanks to his quarterback.

In 2019, Derek Carr threw 48 passes of 20+ yards (aka deep balls) in 16 games. For context, Patrick Mahomes threw 73 deep balls while playing in only 14.5 games last year. Carr’s conservative play in 2019 wasn’t an anomaly, either. Carr hasn’t attempted 70 deep balls since his rookie year. This reluctance to throw deep, along with the fact Carr has never averaged more than 7.4 yards per throw under pressure, should significantly limit the weekly floor of a rookie deep threat like Ruggs.

After balancing Ruggs’ promising long term outlook with what should be a low weekly floor in 2020, Crowder’s stability makes him preferable in re-draft leagues while Ruggs’ ceiling is the choice in dynasty formats.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59 At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60 At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18 At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18 At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great", Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF