I consider June the month where I develop a good foundation for
my projections and rankings.
The initial set released on June 1st is the culmination of a six-week
funnel-like process that starts with the league as whole that eventually
spirals down to each individual player.
As we sit here in the middle of the month, I have a good idea
about each team’s offensive philosophy, or my perception
of it anyway, and now it's about fine tuning where the players
fit in. Unless significant injuries occur, you won't see a lot
of drastic changes on the projection side over our next couple
of scheduled updates, but I do expect my rankings to be a little
volatile as I drill down further and develop stronger opinions
on the risk and/or upside of backup players.
Below are the highlights of players that moved up or down in
this update.
Quarterbacks
Drew
Brees (+1) – While I see the Saints throwing less in
2015, I probably had Brees projected a little low initially. I
added some passing yards and bumped him up a notch in the Rankings.
Eli
Manning (+2) – Manning is one player you’ll probably
see move a lot in my rankings over the summer. I won’t be shocked
if Eli pulls an “Andy Dalton” and finishes top five among fantasy
QBs but I can’t put him there just yet. His 2013 season (27 INTs)
is still too fresh.
Running Backs
Jeremy
Hill (+1) – The distribution of carries between Hill
and Bernard will be a hot topic. I think this situation may end
up being more of a committee than Hill owners would like.
Joique
Bell (-2) – Bell falling down the rankings may be a
recurring theme. Whether it’s his inability to remain healthy
or average play, I’m warming to the idea that at Bell and rookie
Ameer Abudllah will end up with the same amount of carries by
the end of the year.
Ameer
Abdullah (+14) – See Bell above. The presence of Theo
Riddick will limit Abdullah’s PPR value.
C.J.
Spiller (+8) - Spiller is overvalued at his current
ADP (5.04) but if the Saints are going to use their RBs as much
as I think, Spiller is probably still slightly undervalued in
my rankings.
Ryan
Mathews (+6) – Mathews and Knile Davis may be the backup
running backs with biggest upside in fantasy football.
Shonn
Greene (dropped) – The Titans released Greene and will
go with their youngsters (Bishop Sankey, David Cobb) in the backfield.
Wide Receivers
Golden
Tate (-6) – Tate is going to overvalued coming off
his fabulous 2014 season. I did just that my initial ranking of
him. If Megatron stays healthy, it’s going to be difficult for
Tate to live up to his ADP.
DeVante
Parker (-20) – Yes, I know 2014 was the year of the
rookie receiver. Still, it’s hard enough for young wideouts to
make a fantasy impact, let alone receivers that need foot surgery.
Tight Ends
Tim
Wright (-20) – Wright was released by the Patriots
and claimed by the Bucs. He’ll struggle to gain TE2 status in
Tampa Bay.