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

Reviewing Pierre Camus's Bold NFL Predictions of 2016

Pierre Camus reflects on his six bold predictions prior to the 2016 fantasy football season.

Making predictions is truly a double-edged sword - it hurts so good at first, but when you bleed out later the results aren't so fun. Then again, sometimes you hit the nail right on the head and you can look back and say, "Maybe I do know a thing or two about fantasy football!" Before the 2016 season began, I made six bold statements that I firmly believed would come true. Let's see how that worked out.

Editor's Note: Our industry-leading NBA DFS Lineup Optimizer/Generator tool helps you build winning DFS lineups in seconds. Try it now for free, and get an edge on your competition.

 

Reviewing 2016's Bold Fantasy Football Predictions

RG3 won't start more than 10 games for the Browns

That was easy. Week 1 wasn't even over before this prognostication was confirmed. Robert Griffin III suffered a serious shoulder injury in his first action as a Brown, forcing him to miss the next 12 weeks. From Week 14 on, he was given a chance to show what he had to offer. It wasn't much, apparently, with an average of 177 passing yards per game and a 2/3 TD/INT rate on the season.

You have to feel bad for Griffin at this point. Playing for the Browns is bad enough, but the guy can't seem to catch a break when it comes to staying healthy. If you rolled the dice on him as a backup QB, you knew going into the season it was a high-risk pick. At least you didn't have to wait it out before dropping him.

 

There won't be a single San Francisco player worth starting on fantasy teams

This was mostly true, but not completely. Carlos Hyde started out on fire, which appeared to undermine my months-long declaration of him as a bust for the 2016 season. After scoring six touchdowns and compiling 443 yards in the first five weeks, he pulled a Houdini act. Injury forced him to miss three weeks, but when he returned the value wasn't the same. He wouldn't score again on the ground, but did catch three TD. His biggest moment came in a 200-yard performance against the Jets in Week 14. Otherwise, he was a marginal RB2 from Week 10 on.

Colin Kaepernick had his moments too, providing solid streaming value and making for a tremendous DFS play in Weeks 9, 12, and 16. That's about it, though. Kap was not worth starting in single QB leagues unless you happened to get lucky because your regular starter was on bye in Week 9 or 12. As far as the receiving corps, it isn't even worth getting into details. Let's just say we all feel badly for Torrey Smith and hope he finds a better home in the near future.

 

The Texans' offense will be maddeningly inconsistent

Bingo! I'm pretty proud of the way I worded this one because I think it rings very true when you describe the Texans' season. I did not claim that Houston would be the worst offense, but I knew that trusting any of their starters, including first-rounders like DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar Miller, would make for a (sometimes nauseating) roller coaster ride for fantasy owners. They started out great... for exactly two weeks. Miller was getting more carries than anyone in the league, Will Fuller was making big plays and Hopkins had 167 yards and two TD in two games. Then, in Week 3 they were shutout completely, losing 27-0 to a team quarterbacked by Jacoby Brissett.

It was hit or miss from that point on. The team scored 13 points against Minnesota, nine against Denver, 12 against Cincinnati and 13 against defensive non-stalwarts Green Bay and San Diego. They also managed to score 24 or more points on four other occasions. Ultimately, Hopkins turned out to be a draft-day bust, Miller was a mild disappointment, Fuller disappeared and Osweiler was simply unplayable. With the same offensive personnel returning in 2017, will it be any different? It's too early to say, but as far as 2016 goes, don't say I didn't warn you.

bingo

 

Arian Foster will be a fantasy starter and top-15 RB

Maybe the Dolfan in me came out, but I really had high hopes for Foster. All accounts of his health in the preseason were positive and he did beat out Jay Ajayi for the starting RB job straight up. Foster was not so spectacular in Week 1, rushing 13 times for 38 yards, but he did catch three passes for 62 yards. This came on the road in Seattle, so it was excusable. After that, it was bust city for Foster. He carried the ball exactly three times in his next three games, not including the three weeks he missed in between due to a groin injury. Once Jay Ajayi exploded against Buffalo, pride forced Foster to hang up his cleats mid-season.

By drafting both Foster and Jamaal Charles this year (in separate leagues at least) I will now be gun shy when it comes to injury-prone veterans. It probably shouldn't have taken this experience to learn that lesson, but sometimes stubborn fandom gets in the way.

 

Devonta Freeman won't be a top-20 RB

Freeman wasn't a top-20 running back - he was top-10. In PPR leagues, he was the 6th-highest scoring RB all season. It turns out that Freeman was able to match his 11 TD from last season and rush for almost the exact same amount of yards. A slight dip in receiving production, thanks to the emergence of Tevin Coleman, is the only thing that made him slightly less valuable than last year. So yeah, I got this one completely wrong.

The Falcons, who incidentally are playing in the Super Bowl next week, were an unstoppable offensive machine. Whether that continues to the same level once Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan leaves for San Francisco is up for debate, but Freeman has officially proven all the doubters wrong about his ability.

 

Martellus Bennett will be a top-10 TE

True and false. Statistically speaking, Bennett was seventh in fantasy scoring at the tight end position, so my statement was factually correct. It was still a disappointing year for him, however. There exists no logical explanation for how Bennett, in the prolonged absence of Rob Gronkowski, did not put up huge fantasy numbers for the AFC's Super Bowl representative. Bennett's stats somehow got worse after Gronk wasn't on the field any more. All three of his 100-yard games came between Weeks 1-10 and he only caught more than three balls or 35 yards once the rest of the season.

His overall stats don't look too bad for a razor-thin TE position, but Bennett did little on a weekly basis to help fantasy owners. Three of his seven touchdowns came in one game and nearly half of his receiving yards came in four games. Worst of all, he was a huge bust during the fantasy playoffs. An ankle injury that never fully went away throughout the season may be to blame. Still, that is little solace for fantasy owners who were expecting Gronk-like numbers. Where he lands next year will play a big part in his preseason value. Hopefully it isn't San Francisco...


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




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

Matthew Stafford

Visits Back Specialist, His Second Appointment in Last Two Weeks
Najee Harris

Working off to the Side on Saturday
Ricky Pearsall

Looking "Very Good"
T.J. Hockenson

Suffers Potential Groin Injury on Saturday
Trey Benson

"Gonna Play a Lot This Year"
Chig Okonkwo

"Looks Like he has an Extra Gear"
Michael Wilson

Lands in Concussion Protocol
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys "Not Considering Trading" Micah Parsons
NHL

Jakub Lauko Returns to Czechia
Nicholas Robertson

Signs One-Year Contract with Maple Leafs
Terry McLaurin

Steelers Reportedly Contact Commanders Regarding Terry McLaurin
Alex Laferriere

Kings Re-Sign Alex Laferriere to Three-Year Deal
D'Ernest Johnson

Signs with Ravens
Kyle Juszczyk

Isaac Guerendo Leave Practice Early on Saturday
Los Angeles Chargers

Denzel Perryman Arrested on Felony Charges
Miles Sanders

Could Miss "a Couple of Days" with Knee Injury
DJ Giddens

Standing Out in Colts Practice, In Line for Significant Role?
Parris Campbell

Cowboys Place Parris Campbell on Injured Reserve
Baker Mayfield

to Return Next Week
Tyler Warren

Colts Putting A Lot on Tyler Warren's Plate
RJ Harvey

a Joker Candidate in Broncos Offense
Tank Bigsby

Featured Heavily in Friday's Scrimmage
Bryce Young

Tetairoa McMillan Working on Improving Timing with Bryce Young
Duop Reath

Has Salary Guaranteed by Portland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Agrees to Contract Extension with the Lakers
Shedeur Sanders

Sits Out Team Drills with Arm Soreness
William Contreras

Goes Deep in Five-Hit Night
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Exits Early Friday, Expects to Play Saturday
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Named New Giants Closer
Jaden Springer

Signs Exhibit-9 Deal with New Orleans
Julian Champagnie

has Salary Guaranteed by San Antonio
Jackson Chourio

Could be Out a Month
Aaron Judge

Yankees Eyeing Return for Aaron Judge Next Week
Juan Soto

Back in Lineup Against Giants
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Reinstated and Starting on Friday
George Springer

Goes on Concussion Injured List
JoJo Romero

the Top Candidate for Saves in St. Louis
Nolan Arenado

Going on Injured List With Shoulder Injury
Conor McGregor

Enters UFC Testing Pool
Grayson Rodriguez

Considering Having Surgery
Devin Williams

Yankees Plan to Keep Devin Williams in Closer's Role
HyunSung Park

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Tatsuro Taira

Set For UFC Vegas 108 Main Event
Mateusz Rębecki

Mateusz Rebecki Looks For His Second Consecutive Win
Chris Duncan

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Elves Brener

Looks For His Fourth UFC Win
Esteban Ribovics

Set For UFC Vegas 108 Main Card Bout
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos Aims To Bounce Back
Karol Rosa

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nora Cornolle

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Neil Magny

Returns At UFC Vegas 108
Kevin Vallejos

Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 108 Main Card
Danny Silva

Set For His Third UFC Fight
Mikal Bridges

Signs Extension with Knicks
Jackson Chourio

Expected to Go on Injured List With Hamstring Strain
Jonathan Aranda

Rays Hope Jonathan Aranda Can Return in September
Shelby Miller

Brewers Acquire Shelby Miller
José Caballero

Jose Caballero Shipped to the Bronx
Bailey Falter

Traded to Royals
Charlie Morton

Headed to Detroit
Camilo Doval

Yankees Acquire Camilo Doval
Griffin Jax

Traded to Tampa Bay
Connor McDavid

Oilers Hope to Finalize Connor McDavid's Contract Extension Soon
Willi Castro

Joining Cubs
BUF

Devon Levi Re-Signs With Sabres for Two Years
Martin Pospisil

Signs Three-Year Extension
Dario Šarić

Dario Saric Hoping to Have Meaningful Role with Kings
Donte DiVincenzo

to Skip EuroBasket Due to Injury
Ayo Dosunmu

Set to Remain in Chicago
Malevy Leons

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Thunder
Daeqwon Plowden

Kings Pick Up Daeqwon Plowden on Two-Way Deal
Bryce McGowens

Signs Two-Way Deal with Pelicans
Jonathan Kuminga

Declines Latest Offers from Golden State
Gary Woodland

Eyeing Strong Finish to Reach Playoffs
Max McGreevy

Chasing a Miracle at Wyndham
Stephan Jaeger

a Solid Value Play at Wyndham Championship
Max Homa

Fighting to Salvage Disappointing Season
Nicolai Hojgaard

a Sleeper at Wyndham Championship
Rickie Fowler

Riding Quiet Momentum Into Wyndham
Brian Campbell

a Wild Card at Wyndham Championship
Akshay Bhatia

Looking to Flip the Script at Wyndham Championship
Aaron Rai

Finishes Tied For 34th at Open Championship
Andrew Novak

Finishes Tied For 63rd at Open Championship
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 16th at Open Championship
Kurt Kitayama

Wins 3M Open
Tom Kim

Finishes Tied For 28th at 3M Open
PGA

Sungjae Im Misses Cut at 3M Open
Max Greyserman

Misses Cut at 3M Open
Jordan Spieth

Looks to End Regular Season on a High Note at Wyndham Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick

Finishes Tied For Fourth at Open Championship
Eric Cole

Misses Cut at 3M Open
Keith Mitchell

Needs a Big Week at Wyndham Championship
Robert MacIntyre

is the Perfect Kind of Ball-Striker for Wyndham Championship
Charlie McAvoy

Ready to Go for Next Season
Dylan Samberg

Agrees to Three-Year Contract with Jets
Michael Kim

Needs More Solid Finishes
NBA

Thanasis Antetokounmpo Added to Greece Training Camp Roster for EuroBasket 2025
Los Angeles Clippers

Patrick Baldwin Jr. Waived by Clippers
Josh Green

May Not be Ready for Start of Hornets Training Camp
NBA

Thomas Bryant Set to Move to Greece
Cam Thomas

Nets Far Apart in Contract Talks
Kristaps Porzingis

Feeling "Great" Ahead of New Season
Chris Paul

Hints He Could Extend His Career Beyond the 2025-26 Season
Brandon Miller

Close to 100 Percent
Jayden Struble

Canadiens Lock Up Jayden Struble for Two Years
Robert Whittaker

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Reinier de Ridder

Gets Split-Decision Win
Conor Timmins

Avoids Salary Arbitration with Two-Year Deal
Marcus McGhee

Drops Decision At UFC Abu Dhabi
Toronto Raptors

Colin Castleton Waived by Raptors on Monday
Petr Yan

Extends Win Streak
Marc-Andre Barriault

Suffers Decision Loss
Shara Magomedov

Gets Back In The Win Column
Jose Ochoa

Dominated At UFC Abu Dhabi
MMA

Asu Almbayev Dominates At UFC Abu Dhabi
Kyle Larson

Falls Short of Back-To-Back Victories at Indianapolis
Denny Hamlin

Rallies Into Third Place At Indianapolis
Chase Briscoe

Pit Strategies End up Failing Chase Briscoe at Indianapolis
Ty Gibbs

Wins NASCAR's Inaugural In-Season Challenge Tournament
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF