Fantasy Football Predictions for the 2018-19 Season (Part 2)

Every Football season spells the end for friendship. Fantasy Football begins and it is a war between friends and family for bragging rights. So I'm here to give you my two cents in the hopes that you wind up on top this fantasy season.

The Wide Receivers, the guys that catch the Quarterbacks passes, are also vital parts of peoples fantasy teams, just like Running Backs. The top 5 guys from last season at the wide receiver position all had fantastic seasons, and some of them aren't normally up in that top 5 range. Here they are:

1. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers)

2. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans)

3. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers)

4. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs)

5. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons)

Starting at 5, Julio Jones had a bit of an off year for his standards, putting up the second lowest TouchDown total of his career, despite getting the third most targets in a season in his career, so you should expect him to do a little bit more and be higher on this list. Tyreek Hill isn't normally in the top 5 but he had a great season, but that was with a veteran QB, and now he is stuck with a rookie who doesn't have much chemistry, so don't expect him to be back up in the top 5 again. Keenan Allen had a huge bounce back last season after an injury riddled 2016 campaign, and he has established himself as a top WR and should remain around the top 5. DeAndre Hopkins looked revitalized last season with a competent QB finally in Houston in the form of Deshaun Watson. expect him to stay around the top 5 consistently as long as Watson stays healthy. Finally, Antonio Brown always finishes in the top 2 and should continue to do so. So, on to my top 5 prediction for wide receivers in fantasy for next season:

1. Antonio Brown

As said earlier, he is always in the top 2, and I believe he will find himself at number uno yet again.

2. Julio Jones

Jones had an off season last year and still found himself in the top 5. That being said, he'll still be Atlanta's top guy, and he should have a great year. And if his off year is still great compared to the rest of the league, then watch out for this guy.

3. DeAndre Hopkins

Hopkins never fully established himself in Houston after his rookie year because there was no real QB in Houston since 2012, in the Matt Schaub era. But the emergence of Watson gave him a huge jolt, and even after Watson went down, he had this electricity that kept him going. If Watson stays healthy, he's a top 3, but if Watson goes down, I believe he will still be top 5.

4. Stefon Diggs

Diggs and his receiver mate Adam Thielen thrived with Case Keenum running the offense at QB, and now Minnesota is acquiring Kirk Cousins, a better QB with much more starter experience. While Cousins may not have the chemistry that Keenum had, Diggs should have an even better season, keeping him in the top 5 for the second consecutive season.

5. Keenan Allen

Allen is going to have a lot of competition down here at number 5 with Thielen, Fitzgerald and Michael Thomas and even potentially Brandin Cooks on the Rams all right behind him. But Thielen is sharing the top WR spot with Diggs, Fitzgerald is old and playing with a rookie QB, Michael Thomas is solid but not quite top 5, and Cooks is joining a new team with no chemistry. That's why Allen is the safer pick for my top 5.

As for sleepers, there's a few out there. Me and my friend and top 5 Middle Linebacker in the US for his age group, put together 3 potential sleepers for next fantasy season at the WR position.

1. Davante Adams

With Jordy Nelson now out of town and with the Raiders, Adams slots into their number one WR, and with a solid season under his belt, Aaron Rodgers gained trust in his new top guy. He's going to face a ton of targets, rack up a lot of yards, and score a few touchdowns. Pick this guy up in the fourth round if you can.

2. Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitz is a future Hall of Famer, and no matter who is tossing the ball to him, he will get the job done. People don't realize that Fitz still puts up near top 5 numbers despite his age and the fact that Arizona hasn't had a good QB for a few years. With Josh Rosen, there's a good chance they have that good QB, and Fitz could be huge. Pick him up as well.

3. Cooper Kupp

This may be a reach, but I can see Kupp having another solid season. He's got a good QB in Goff, and a great defense that will get him on the field a lot. People can say, "But Cooks and Woods are ahead of him in the lineup!" Yes, they are. They're 1 and 2 ahead of Kupp. But guess what, Woods and Watkins were ahead of Kupp for the early part of last season, and he still put up solid numbers. He thrives when out of the spotlight, and I expect more of the same.

We also put together 3 potential busts for next fantasy season. Here they are:

1. AJ Green

Green is a talented WR, but if last season was any indication, Andy Dalton isn't a good QB and really sank the entire team down with him, to the point where even Green wasn't good. He played 10 games in 2016, put up nearly 1,000 yards, and last year played a full 16 game season, and got just a hair over 1,000 yards. He had 8 Touchdowns, meaning he is still decent in the Red Zone, but how often are they going to be in those situations with an extremely mediocre QB in Dalton?

2. Amari Cooper

Cooper was great in his rookie season and his sophomore season, putting up 1,070 and 1,153 yards, respectively. But last year he put up just 680 yards. That's a huge drop off, and it doesn't look much better for him now that Jordy Nelson is joining the squad. Nelson will likely take the number one role on the Raiders, giving Cooper less targets, thus meaning less yards. He will struggle heavily next season.

3. Jarvis Landry

Not saying Landry won't be good, but people are starting to put the Browns up there especially at the WR positions. Gordon and Coleman along with "Juice" Landry has the potential to be great, but it's the Browns, and they don't have a Quarterback. Once they have a QB that will throw more completions than interceptions, then talk to me.

New WRs are hard to come by, so it was difficult putting this list together, but here it is:

1. Taywan Taylor (Tennessee Titans)

Now he isn't a rookie, but he is a new face for the Titans, as, due to injury, he is placed as a starter. He's the number 2 guy, and has been extremely impressive in training camp. Last season, he showed a lot of potential, and he could really break out this season. Keep your eyes open for this guy.

2. Anthony Miller (Chicago Bears)

Miller was a fantastic college WR, racking up over 3,500 yards over three years. He has looked solid in training camp and is gaining valuable chemistry with young QB Mitchell Trubisky, and he could emerge as a good WR for your fantasy teams. But you have to worry a little because the Bears are a bottom of the barrel team.

3. D.J. Moore (Carolina Panthers)

DJ Moore has been tearing up the Panthers training camp and has been shown on their social media a lot, which tells me he's likable. That's important, because if your QB likes you, you get more targets. Because of how good he has played, he earns a spot in the top 3. But because the Panthers offense is controlled almost entirely by the legs of Cam Newton, he may not see a whole lot of targets, making him maybe a little underwhelming. I'd still keep a close guy on him though.

Last season's fantasy football proved to be a tough one on tight ends. There were only a few who put up big points and only a couple that were consistent enough to trust elsewhere. Injuries could be the main thing to blame, like Greg Olsen going down. This season, during the very first team activity in the summer, Hunter Henry of the Los Angeles Chargers, tears his ACL and is officially out for the season. Is it already starting? Are Tight Ends going to struggle again? Or will, like last season, a handful of Tight Ends rise up out of the dark and put up points? These are the guys that did that last season:

1. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots)

2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)

3. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles)

4. Jimmy Graham (Seattle Seahawks, now Green Bay Packers

5. Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans)

Starting with Delanie Walker, a high end, talented Tight End, with a young QB looking for his moment to really stand out. Walker usually finds himself high in TE rankings, and I believe that will continue. Jimmy Graham wasn't a big member of the Seahawks until last season. But now he's going to an offense run by Aaron Rodgers who just lost Jordy Nelson. Graham will be a big piece of the offense in Green Bay and I believe Fantasy Football will reflect that. Zach Ertz had a big year on a stacked offense in Philly. That offense didn't change, and his numbers shouldn't change much either. He should very well be a top 5 TE again this season. Travis Kelce is arguably the best TE in the league, if Gronkowski is injured, which happens often. Kelce is extremely talented, and probably the biggest passing threat on the Chiefs. I don't care if it's Alex Smith, Patrick Mahomes II or Mark Sanchez as the QB, Kelce will always be a big point producer if he's healthy. Gronkowski is the same way, but the big man at the tight end position has an injury problem. He is always viewed as a boom or bust pick because the question isn't how many points he's going to put up, it's how many games is he going to play? He's still not a bad pick up, but you have to have a safety blanket. Now, keep in mind Greg Olsen is a big name TE who was injured. That brings me to my prediction for top 5 TEs for next season:

1. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings)

Rudolph is another TE who is talented but didn't put up very big points last season. That being said, with Kirk Cousins as the starter, he could finally be the top point getter for TEs this season. You might say his numbers will be smaller because of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen both taking targets away from him, but there aren't too many TEs who will compete against him for points, especially if it's anything like last season.

2. Zach Ertz

The Eagles remain extremely talented on both sides of the ball. Wentz is going to be a top QB again, Ajayi should continue looking good in green, and Agholor should continue where he left off last season. But outside of Agholor, there isn't that much competition for targets, and Ertz should pick up big numbers. I just believe that Rudolph will put up a little bit more, and that's why he's ranked at 2 and not 1.

3. Jimmy Graham

As said earlier, Jimmy Graham was never really utilized by the Seahawks in his time there until last season. or example, he had one year with New Orleans that he didn't reach the 100+ target mark, while in Seattle he never reached it once. With Rodgers, and especially with Green Bay, there isn't much competition and he's going to be facing a high volume of quality passes. With Seattle he was a Red Zone threat, scoring 10 Touchdowns, and that should remain the same, but with potentially an even higher number of touchdowns.

4. Travis Kelce

Kelce is always a big point producer, but I feel that Mahomes won't be the best QB for him early on. He is still going to put up points, he is still going to be the top offensive threat, but Mahomes won't get him into the top 3 where he normally is. He's still a safe pick at the TE position, but I don't know if he will be a top pick.

5. Rob Gronkowski

Gronk is an outstanding TE, and Tom Brady's favorite target. But the reason I have him so low on this list is the fact that Hogan is going to have a large role, as well as rookie RB Sony Michel and veteran RB Rex Burkhead. Not to mention the acquisition of Eric Decker, which was a big one for Patriots nation. We all know Bill Belichick's coaching ways, he never gives the ball to the same guy too many times, and spreads the ball to everyone, even to James Develin, the fullback, last season.

Potential sleeper picks, like with QBs, are hard to come by for TEs. There's either great ones, or bad ones, with a thin line of TEs in between. But here's what I scraped up:

1. George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers)

Kittle flew under the radar last season and really wasn't that bad in the back half of the year. He has emerged as one of Garappolo's favorite targets, and a solid TE in the Red Zone as well. I expect him to be better than what most people are anticipating.

2. Trey Burton (Chicago Bears)

Unlike Kittle, Burton didn't have a quietly successful season. He didn't put up great points last season either. But he has emerged as Trubisky's top target, among a thin line of people who could challenge him for targets. It is a weak offense, but they have a bright young QB and TE duo in Chicago, and Burton could be big.

3. Charles Clay (Buffalo Bills)

Clay was putting up solid numbers last season with Tyrod Taylor as QB. This season, they brought in AJ McCarron, who I think could be better than Taylor. I don't think he will put up huge numbers, but he should be putting up decent numbers every single week. If you want a trustworthy TE to be behind someone like Gronk who has injury problems, he could be your guy.

Now for busts, I think it's a bit easier to find for TEs. Tight Ends normally either have great seasons or they don't, so here are my 3 busts for the coming season at the TE position:

1. Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati Bengals)

The Bengals are pathetic. Andy Dalton is a mediocre starting Quarterback at best, and Marvin Lewis is up there for worst head coach in the league. Everything about this team spells bust, like talented WR AJ Green who is unfortunately on a sinking ship beyond his repair. Same goes for Tyler Eifert, who at one point was a solid fantasy TE. Just like with the Cowboy's Dak Prescott, I feel bad because the team they play for is the only real reason for their imminent downfall.

2. Eric Ebron (Indianapolis Colts)

Eric Ebron was a top TE in fantasy last year, finishing just shy of the top 5. But that was with the Lions, a solid, postseason worthy team with a franchise QB in Matthew Stafford. Now he's with the Colts and the injury prone neck beard named Andrew Luck. When Luck eventually goes down, Brissett will get eaten alive by opposing defenses because of the putrid offensive line. So it's tough to say he will face many targets from either QB.

3. Evan Engram (New York Giants)

Engram was a rookie TE last year, and after he got settled into the offense and the system, started to shine. He looked good last season, and he's still very young. But it's time for a major sophomore slump. Not only do people have film on him now to better shut him down, he has Eli Manning tossing him the ball, or at least, what's left of Manning. Manning isn't good, Engram will be covered and shut down, the Giants will suck, and Engram will be considered a bust for this upcoming fantasy season.

Rookie tight ends are hard to come by as there aren't many top end guys entering the league, and are often slotted into the backup TE role. However, I will try my best:

1. David Njoku (Cleveland Browns)

Not a rookie, but new to the starting TE role. Njoku has impressed at training camp, and many professional analysts have him as a sleeper pick for this season. I know it's the Browns, but they're improving so quickly, and Njoku has a good connection with both Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield. I expect him to have a pretty good year.

2. Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins)

With both Julius Thomas and Jarvis Landry out of town, rookie TE Mike Gesicki, who was already anticipated a large role, could be huge. The Dolphins needed a TE, and got one. He could be a big threat in the passing game and could be huge.

3. Hayden Hurst (Baltimore Ravens)

Hurst is immediately Baltimore's top TE, whether or not he has an outstanding training camp. But the fact that he not only stood out but dominated makes him even more intriguing. I really like this kid, and he could be huge. But the Ravens have a major QB problem. Joe Flacco isn't good anymore and Lamar Jackson is showing that he is by no means ready to be a starter in the NFL. Because of this, his fantasy stock drops, but definitely watch this kid closely.