Social Distancing: 5 Names To Stay 6 Feet Away From This Fall

1. Aaron Jones

In 2019 Aaron Jones was RB 2 in PPR leagues with 314.8 points. But man, in 2020 this is one of the biggest names to stay away from. Almost all the time RB TD stats don't carry over from year-to-year, and Aaron Jones finished with 19 TDs overall in 2020. This means his ADP will go way up from last year and he is a total bust candidate. Especially with the addition of the 62^nd pick in AJ Dillion who is a pure power back and will take away multiple touchdowns from Jones this upcoming season. Stay away from Aaron Jones.

2. Julian Edelman

There are a few obvious reasons to stay away from Julian Edelman this upcoming season, let’s speak about the few glaring ones. First, his homeboy aka the GOAT aka Tom Brady has taken his talents to the south beach. Jarett Stidham does not look like a future star in the league and this will diminish Edelman’s production. Finally, Edelman is the only consistently viable star on the Patriots so unless N’keal Harry steps up it will be double team galore for Edelman. 

3. Mark Ingram 

The 2019 Pro-Bowler Mark Ingram will turn 31 this upcoming season, which means in running back years he will be turning around 60 years old. The Ravens knew this and pulled the trigger on the extremely versatile RB out of Ohio State, J.K. Dobbins. I believe that Dobbins will take about half the load of the carries away from Ingram and many of the receptions so if you’re going to draft one of these guys, draft the other. It’s less of a handicap situation and more of a hot hand type.

4. Joe Burrow

I shouldn’t have to be saying this, but if you’re interested in drafting Joe Exotic anywhere near the 6^th or 7^th round stop yourself and get checked out. It sounds terrible because it is basically opposite from real life but Quarterbacks are one of the least valuable positions in fantasy football. Even worse, rookie QB’s do not do well in fantasy football. The record for most TD’s in a season by a rookie QB is 27 by Baker Mayfield. This is not that good of fantasy production. Look for solid QB that puts up enough numbers to be above average, there is always great value in the back of drafts. Grab Josh Allen late, Kyler Murray mid-to-late, or even Ryan Tannehill way later. Just wait on a QB, it’s what’s best for your roster. 

5. Austin Ekeler

Austin Ekeler finished as the RB 4 in PPR leagues this last season. But as for 2020 I’d stay away from him as high as he is going to be drafted. He was a great value pick last season but this year he is not worth a second-round pick. Simply because the dump-off machine, Philip Rivers, has moved on to his retirement home in Indianapolis. We don’t even know the definitive QB in LA and we don’t know the kind of production they give to RB’s. So expect Ekeler’s targets to go down along with his production. He is just too risky to draft him where he is. Wait a few more rounds and draft Miles Sanders around round 5, he is poised to break-out and will have a similar role as Ekeler. It’s safer and is a better value pick.

By: Trevor Junt 

Top 10 Fantasy Tips for Beginners

      1. More than just Drafting

No matter how much preparation you do for your draft, throughout the season just sticking to your draft picks is not enough. Make sure you make moves through waivers, free agency, and trades. This is what will really lead you to the championship.

2. Take QB’s Later

Quarterbacks are taken way to high in normal fantasy leagues. Don’t be the guy who fires on Patrick Mahomes in the second or third round. You can always find great value in picks in the middle or late rounds. For example, in 2019 Lamar Jackson was taken in average in the 10^th-12^th round and he was a record-breaking MVP. Wait on quarterbacks.

3. Prioritize RB’s

Draft RB’s early, the top 25 RB’s will be gone in the draft extremely quick. You don’t want to focus on other positions and end up with a bunch of RB3’s.

4. Focus on Need

Pick your team based on need, just because RB’s are the most important position in fantasy football doesn’t mean you should stack your team with 15 of them. Pick based on the position you need. It’s never fun being stuck with the worst at a position. Be eager to jump on good players.

 5. Fame isn’t Everything

Don’t pick based on name only. Many people make the mistake of drafting players because they’re more famous than another. OBJ is not a good value in the second round. Le’Veon Bell is not a second-round pick. Pick based on last years production and this year’s projection. Do your research and find more valuable but maybe less famous players.

6. ZZZ…

Spend late round picks on fliers. Which means, look for sleepers in the last few rounds! Players that most don’t expect to do well, but you may have a hunch that they’re going to have a great season. This can make or break a draft. 

7. Know the ADP of Players

ADP stands for Average Draft Position. You want to make sure that you are picking players at the right place. You don’t want to end up picking an eighth-round pick in the fourth round. Know the players well and know when to pick them.

8. Defense and Kickers

Defense and kickers should be your last two picks. Period.

9. Practice. Practice. Practice.

If you want to do well in your drafts make sure you practice by doing mock drafts. Do them all the time, especially when we get close to draft season. Do them whenever you have down time. Practice won’t make perfect, but it can sure make a dang good draft.

10. Branch Out a Bit

Don’t pick players from one team or just from your favorite team. Although it may be tempting to focus on your favorite team it will do your fantasy team no good. If your team has a bad week your fantasy team has a bad week too. So, if you must pick players from a certain team keep the maximum of three per team. 

11. Bonus!

Listen to podcasts, read articles and do your research. Our podcast will be coming out soon, there are also some other good fantasy football podcasts on of my favorites being “The Fantasy Footballers”. If you focus on research given to you by us and others it will give you the best chance to win your championship. 

By: Trevor Junt