Draft season is officially upon us, so now is a great time to check on which players’ stocks are rising and falling. With the stock market tumbling, now seems like an opportune time to look at some players whose value is doing the same.
Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers (ADP: 3)
Bell was the second-best RB in fantasy last season behind DeMarco Murray, but this season it will be tough for him to duplicate the feat. And that’s bad news for his owners, because right now he’s the third player off the board. Bell is starting the season on the bench thanks to a two-game suspension, and Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey got hurt in this week’s preseason tilt.
Pouncey is out at least eight weeks with a broken ankle now, and he is a crucial member of the Steelers’ offensive line. Without Pouncey, Bell might find it harder to run for the big yards we saw last year, and he’s already at a two-game disadvantage. He’ll still be extremely productive per game, but now other options like Eddie Lacy and Marshawn Lynch make more sense.
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Drew Brees, QB, Saints (ADP: 37)
Brees is now behind Russell Wilson in ADP. Once upon a time Brees was arguably the first QB off the board based on his volume of throws and his touchdown tendencies. Now, fantasy owners are wary of how the Saints offense might be changing.
This offseason the Saints traded away TE Jimmy Graham and let go of WR Kenny Stills, two of Brees’ top deep threats. They brought back C Max Unger, whose strength is run blocking, and their big offseason free agent was RB C.J. Spiller. The signs are all pointing toward running the ball more with Ingram and Spiller. Throw in his age—Brees is 36—and he may tumble even further than No. 37 in the coming days and weeks. A recent ankle injury to WR Nick Toon doesn’t help.
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Roddy White, WR, Falcons (ADP: 82)
White, 34, is at a precarious age for wide receivers. In 2014 he let down owners by showing he was human, and finally missing some games due to injury. Now, it looks like he’s missing the rest of the preseason because of elbow surgery. While he’s expected to be ready for Week 1, that’s not promising for a pass-catcher nearing age 35.
Dan Quinn said Roddy White will have minor right elbow surgery but will be back for Week 1
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) August 23, 2015
On top of that, fellow WR Julio Jones is a hot pick to finish as the No. 1 WR in fantasy. If so that means he will have to catch more TD passes, which means less for old Roddy.
Brandon Marshall, WR, Jets (ADP: 58)
Marshall was once a top-10 WR, but shifting from Jay Cutler to Geno Smith can have a worsening effect. Then when Smith goes down, and your on the receiving end of Ryan Fitzpatrick passes, it’s not hard to envision weeks with next to no production. It’s hard to imagine Marshall ever putting up a doughnut, but he might be touchdown-dependent in 2015.
Joique Bell, RB, Lions (ADP: 67)
Bell was productive last season, but he’s unexciting, and has a spry-looking rookie breathing down his neck. Ameer Abdullah has owners excited, and he’s been given plenty of chances to shine while Bell battles health issues. Bell should be the starter when he returns, but he’s definitely in a time share right now, and if Abdullah runs well, Bell will be on the wrong side of it soon enough.
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