3.05 TB - RB Charles Sims
Sims has a fair amount of Matt Forte in his game and Tampa Bay continues
to add to an impressive offensive arsenal in this draft. With Doug
Martin and Mike James both coming off injury, the Bucs make sure
they have a back capable of excelling on all three downs in Sims.
The West Virginia and Houston standout should overtake James in
relatively short order as Martin's handcuff, which is where his
immediate fantasy value will lie. Martin's presence makes Sims nothing
more than a mid-second round pick in rookie drafts, however.
Tre Mason isn't a threat to Zac Stacy's
fantasy value.
3.11 STL - RB Tre Mason
St. Louis is making clear that it wants to win in the NFC West in
the same fashion that San Francisco and Seattle are: building a
dominant defense and having enough horses to run the ball if injury
strikes. Mason isn't going to challenge Zac Stacy in his rookie
year in all likelihood and isn't much to brag about in the passing
game, but he should give Benny Cunningham a run for his money as
the No. 2 back for the Rams. Although he has little shot at overtaking
Stacy right away, Mason has the talent to overtake Stacy at some
point - possibly in 2015. Mason probably fits in as an early-second
round pick in rookie drafts.
3.26 IND - WR Donte Moncrief
An athletic freak, Moncrief lands in a spot where he seemingly has
no chance for immediate production with Reggie Wayne returning,
Hakeem Nicks coming in and T.Y. Hilton doing a pretty fair job at
manning the slot. (And let's not forget Da'Rick Rogers.) Moncrief
could have easily been one of the more productive players in the
SEC in 2013, but had to get his production on a lot of screens because
Mississippi had a pair of very inaccurate quarterbacks. Despite
the logjam of receivers in front of him, Moncrief's dynasty prospects
are bright with Nicks in Indy on a one-year deal and Wayne on the
verge of retirement. His redraft value, however, is virtually nil.
3.30 CLE - RB Terrance West
Even by FCS standards, West's 2013 production at Towson was ridiculous.
West is not the typical FCS back, however, as he drew significant
interest from Clemson out of high school and at one point thought
he was going to Maryland. He has drawn comparisons to Zac Stacy
for his running style and about his only significant weaknesses
are that his play speed (from game to game) is inconsistent and
that he will run up the heels of his linemen too much. At any rate,
his best fit was going to be in a zone-blocking scheme and that
is exactly where lands in Cleveland under new OC Kyle Shanahan.
Given Ben Tate's durability issues and West's talent, West has significant
upside redraft and dynasty formats. The case could be made that
he should be drafted as a low-end RB3 in yearly leagues and inside
the top eight in rookie drafts.
3.32 MIN - RB Jerick McKinnion
In a draft full of athletic marvels, McKinnon is near the top. McKinnon
is a complete departure from the Vikings' old backup to Adrian Peterson
(Toby Gerhart) and probably best profiles as a true change-of-pace
back due to the fact he split time at two positions (quarterback
and running back) in college and is a complete project as a receiver
out of the backfield. The Georgia Southern alum has two things every
team wants in their backs: speed and extraordinary athleticism.
Even in the event of an AP injury, it is more than likely that he
would share time with a back like Matt Asiata or Zach Line. As a
result, he only has dynasty appeal and makes sense in the late third
or fourth round of rookie drafts.
3.33 PIT - RB Dri Archer
OC Todd Haley has yet to really hit on one of his gadget players,
but Archer may be the most impressive player in the bunch that includes
LaRod Stephens-Howling, Dexter McCluster and Chris Rainey. Archer
just missed matching Chris Johnson's NFL Combine record in the 40,
but offers significant potential in the return game and as a receiver
out of the backfield. His fantasy upside is if he is used in the
same kind of way Darren Sproles was in New Orleans, but Archer's
170-pound frame and Haley's history with these type of players will
ensure he is nothing more than a 5-to-8 touch/game player. He warrants
consideration as a late-round rookie pick because he can turn every
touch into a score, but even at his very best, his limited touches
will make him highly inconsistent in fantasy.
Suggestions, comments, about the article
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Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and appeared in
USA Today’s Fantasy Football Preview magazine in 2010 and
2011. He is also the host of USA Today’s hour-long, pre-kickoff
fantasy football internet chat every Sunday. Doug regularly appears
as a fantasy football analyst on Sirius XM’s “Fantasy
Drive” and for 106.7 The Fan (WJFK – Washington, D.C).
He is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. |
