The Late Rounds: BENCH TARGETS

By Joseph Turnbull

Wondering who to draft when everyone else in your league has had one beer too many and players without a team like Michael Turner start appearing on your draft board? Then look no further. Here..... we...... go. 

 

note I view players such as Jordan Cameron Josh Gordon and Michael Vick as starters therefore they are not on this list. Tune in later for my release of my in depth top 100 where I analyze each player ranked for more info on players

The Late Rounds

WRs

Kenbrell Thompkins - Has emerged from the depths of unknown UDFA status to locking down a starting role in one of the highest scoring potential positions in fantasy (Tom Brady's deep threat)
What hindered Brandon Lloyd and Chad Johnson from thriving in this role was their lack of grasp of the playbook and continuity in the offense. Thompkins seems to have both. He and Brady are in sync and appears to be one of Bradys' favorite targets as displayed this preseason especially in the opener where he was targeted on the first 4 passes catching all of them. If he continues to grow and gain more trust from Brady this season nothing will hold him back from reaching great heights.
Round 6 grade check here for analysis

Chris Givens - Weeks 4-8 last year Givens had a historic stretch becoming the first WR in NFL history to catch a 50+ yard pass in 5 straight games. He is already an elite deep threat in the year and all reports suggest he has become a much more well rounded WR adding to his route tree. Givens will be the Rams number one WR and I believe the better fantasy bet over Tavon Austin. They are working on becoming more of a spread offense this season which should lead to more pass attempts and the addition of Jake Long protecting Bradfords' blind side should provide more time for Bradford to connect downfield. All adding to Givens' upside and fantasy outlook this season. Givens may very well be wildly inconsistent but there aren't many bench players in Fantasy who can win you weeks nearly by themselves. You don't have to draft him as an every week starter therefore can wait on your 3rd starting WR loading up on RB depth and pair him with a Vincent Brown or Kenbrell Thompkins and match up play them starting the other guy weekly until Givens is either streaking or playing a vulnerable secondary which he can easily burn and produce a monster game. He will be one of the biggest bench difference makers. Early round 7 grade

Vincent Brown - Downtown Brown as I like to refer to him as has survived the preseason without a knee injury (seemingly an epidemic at chargers camp) and now is all systems go for his breakout campaign. In his first career NFL start Brown totaled 97 yards and a truly spectacular TD catch showcasing impeccable ball skills. He also just missed another score after it was overturned but the debut still vividly sits in my memory. In his short career Brown has displayed great concentration and awareness along with stellar strong hands enough speed to run past corners and he boasts the best ball skills of any of the breakout WR candidates this year. His 2012 season was robbed from due to an ankle he broke last preseason while hauling in a dazzling TD pass. Brown should have little trouble leading the team in receiving and as long as health cooperates a 1000 yard 7 TD season is more than reasonable to project. If you load up on other positions early in your draft feel comfortable with Brown as your WR 3. He has WR 2 upside. Round 7 grade

Emmanuel Sanders - Has looked great thus far this preseason despite lack of production. He has snagged everything thrown his way fully stretching out to haul in passes up high. Sanders also seems to be very conscious of his impending UFA offseason leading me to believe he is quite money motivated. With the loss of Le'Veon Bell the Steelers will have to lean that much heavier on Big Bens arm adding to the prospects of Sanders. Sanders should be in line for 70+ catches putting him in the 1000 yard neighborhood with 5+ scores. Round 8 target.

Golden Tate - Truly a unique talent. Always been a strong slippery runner, but this preseason appears to be very explosive and his top end speed seems to carry burner label. Tough to project his numbers due to the mystery of just how much Seattle will open it up this year but as Russell Wilsons go to guy and man deep threat Tate makes for a superb flier in the round 8-9 range.

Michael Floyd - I would be much more bullish on him if the Cardinals OL were able to give Palmer time to get the ball downfield to Floyd, the teams premier deep option in Bruce Arians areal attack offense. Still capable of posting a 900 7 line and warrants draft consideration as early as round 8

Ruben Randle - Unfortunately behind Nicks and Cruz on the depth chart. Fortunately he is a well rounded WR with plus ball skills and great after the catch ability, as shown by his 3rd down conversion versus the Steelers this preseason, where he juked a screaming Ryan Clark en route to a big chunk of yardage from a bubble route. Nicks is an annual injury risk and Cruz although on track to start week one is just coming out of a walking boot. Randle is a must own for Nicks owners as a rare WR handcuff. A suggested round 9 selection should likely be reached for round 8 for Nicks owners. (Check my 2012 evaluation of young WRs. Randall has been on the radar for a while now waiting for his chance.)

Cordarrelle Patterson - In an era where we associate talent with the word "sick" C-Pat is hellacious. His after the catch skills are video game like. With a grand canyon like void left after Harvins departure there is a lot to be filled in large part by Patterson who possesses similar game breaking versatility. Round 9-10 flier

[Related: FanDuel is hosting a $100,000 Fantasy Football Contest in Week 1. It's $25 to join and first prize is $15,000. Here's the link to register.]

Deep league Lottery Tickets:

Markus Wheaton

Jon Baldwin

Marlon Moore

Kenny Stills

TE Special: Julius Thomas



RBs


Isaac Redman: Was just named the starter for Week 1 in Pitt's backfield. Redman has a chance to stay in the mix if he performs well while given the start, but he was in the exact same situation last season and flopped ( 3.7 YPC in 2012). Felix Jones is a superior athlete and they should split touches at the very least. Avoid Redman (unless he happens to fall out to round 12 or later) as he will not stay upon the top of the depth chart for long and it looks as though Bell will be back sooner than originally thought as he's aiming for week 2.

 

Bernard Pierce - Earth shaking tenacity. Pierce is a very talented runner (4.9 ypc last yr). The Ravens are expected to revert back to a more run heavy approach with the loss of Pitta and departure of Boldin. With Ray rice expected to fill the passing void by lining up at WR while Pierce stays in the backfield his workload projection enters the 10-12 touch per game range and may gash tired defenses late as the Ravens closer. Look to pick him up round 8.

Roy Helu - Already explained in depth in our article about Shanahan/Morris/Helu here.

Bryce Brown - Very talented runner as showcased filling in for an injured McCoy late last season. Gashing the Panthers and Cowboys for 178 yards 2 TDs and 169 yards 2 TDs out bursts. Run Heavy team will make him a Bye week flex play at the least with great upside if McCoy goes down.

Kendall Hunter - HIGH priority handcuff. Sure Frank Gore seems ageless but all good things do come to an end eventually. Age and wear make Gore a plausible injury loss. Hunter is a MUST own for Gore owners and a nice bench target for others. Back and fully healthy from last seasons injury, Hunter showed great burst on his first carry Sunday night versus the Vikings. He's an explosive runner who will be a High end RB 2 if Gore goes down.

Christine Michael - Elite skill set. Will be an RB1 if lynch were to go down as he, and not Turbin, would be the lead back in what is arguably the best run system in the league.

Lance Dunbar - Talented runner behind one of leagues most injury prone backs. Must own for Murray owners. Just got a precautionary boot on his foot removed and Cowboys beat writers say he looks sharp and explosive. Small sample size, but has proven himself effective.

Joique Bell - The Bush handcuff to own. Will flirt with RB2 status if Bush goes down. Remember, Bell caught 52 passes for 485 yards in 2012.

Jacquizz Rodgers - adequate runner with good passing down skills. Has the most worn out RB with the most mileage in the league in front of him. If S-Jax loses another step or needs a breather, Rodgers will more than pick up the slack.


Deep League Lottery Tickets

Mike Goodson - 4 game suspension but by far the most talented RB behind Ivory on the Jets and the best 3rd down back they have. Ivory has had major health issues in his career and never been an every week starter. Goodson is in a much better situation as a talented runner with a 3 down skill set than his 4 game suspension and lack of mentioning around fantasy circles would lead you to believe. Ideal deep bench stash.

UPDATE: Exchange Harris for backfield mate Franklin
Dujuan Harris - Been listed as the Packers starter most of the preseason and started the dress rehearsal game before exiting with an injury. Packers will utilize him as a nice change of pace option behind Lacy and will be a fantasy starter if Lacy goes down.

Kenjon Barner - J-Stew may be sent to the Pup list moving Barner up the depth chart and in line for work behind a 30 year old tail back averging 2.4 ypc this preseason and another back nicknamed "twinky town"

Jordan Todman - averaging 8.15 ypc in 20 preseason carries could overtake injured Justin Forsett to be MJDs handcuff

QBs

Not really a fan of rostering 2 QBs unless you are partaking in the QBBC strategy so otherwise I recommend using that roster spot elsewhere. I have already discussed Vick in my draft guide and don't really view him as a bench player therefore I withdraw him from candidacy. If you want to try to hit a Home Run with a QB 2 look no further than EJ Manuel.

He holds the potential to be the next great rookie phenomina (Think RG3 last year). Tremendous athleticism and a very strong showing in the preseason showing poise and maturity for a rookie. If the Bills utilize the pistol offense he could make for a dynamic QB with backfield mate CJ Spiller

Well there you have it for the late rounds! More to come soon. Good luck drafting, as always feel free to add your opinion in the comments below.