We’re currently in that mystical preseason place where anything can happen with your fantasy football squad. (Remember to get that lewd joke or Simpsons-based team name sorted out in advance.) Optimism is plentiful, you’ve decided to never trust Jeremy Langford again, and your would-be superteam is destined for glory. We at UPROXX believe in you and your holy quest and we want to help.
Every NFL squad always has a player (or six) that are bound to seduce you into drafting them too high and put you in some variety of Archer certified Danger Zone. These are the sort of fantasy options that could still pay off huge, but come with some serious questions before you make your official selection. We’ve wrangled together a tidy collection of 32 players (one for each team, including the dead mall of a football club that is the New York Jets) that we think are worth having a think about before joining your roster.
Today we visit the AFC West, the premiere place for middle-aged man cosplay in America! It’s a division with a wealth of top tier talents and a falling guillotine blade of injury hell to accompany it. Tread carefully.
AFC West
Denver Broncos – RB C.J. Anderson
Reason To Salivate: Heading into 2016, C.J. Anderson was hyped to level up and instead found himself with underwhelming totals (a career worst 4.0 yards per carry) after being knocked out with a season-ending injury in Week 7. He’s currently ranked 19th overall among running backs in the FantasyPros consensus ADP rankings and that could prove to be a bargain for a 26-year-old rusher behind on upgraded offensive line that’s been punished for an injury-hampered small sample size in 2016. Anderson’s place in the passing attack is also expected to expand in the new regime of head coach Vance Joseph and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. For bonus enticement, it doesn’t hurt things that Anderson looked like a beast in that Week 7 game versus Houston where his season was involuntarily packed up for him thanks to a torn meniscus.
Reason To Worry: Former Broncos nemesis and new signing Jamaal Charles is gunning to snatch touches from Anderson, same with promising sophomore rusher Devontae Booker. Both backs are capable of taking away Anderson’s carries (although Booker’s wrist injury means a delayed chase for him) and might render the Broncos running back depth chart borderline obsolete. Anderson can’t match Charles’ run of injury woes (only Scratchy from Itchy & Scratchy could), but he’s also a sentient red flag thanks to 2015’s ankle and toe problems and 2016’s torn meniscus. The Broncos could get a healthy productive rushing/receiving threat for 16 games or you (the very attractive reader) could be stuck in grab bag RB hell with a still TBD handcuff situation. Neato!
Kansas City Chiefs – WR Tyreek Hill
Reason To Salivate: What’s not to love? Tyreek Hill heads into 2017 as Kansas City’s top receiver (send KC a postcard, Jeremy Maclin) and has Wally West-abusing nandrolone levels of speed to burn opposing cornerbacks with. Coming off a rookie season highlighted by 12 all-purpose touchdowns, Hill is a multi-purpose threat useful to both conservative starting QB Alex Smith or hip young freshly drafted gunslinger Patrick Mahomes. Every ball that gets in Hill’s hands has the potential for a breakaway touchdown.
Reason To Worry: Putting your trust into a Kansas City receiver to be your WR2 is a lot like trusting a raging fire to raise your baby. The results in the past haven’t been great, but look at those pretty dancing flames! That trend continues in 2017 with Tyreek Hill. Hill’s speed and ability to assert himself as a big play guy does a fantastic job of covering up some underwhelming receiving totals (61 catches for 593 yards on the season). Hill’s dynamism in the return game for Kansas City makes up a healthy chunk of his highlight reel and outside of tight end Travis Kelce (who is currently dealing with knee issues) there isn’t all that much relief in the passing game. Handle with caution.
Los Angeles Chargers – WR Keenan Allen
Reason To Salivate: Keenan Allen is a Top 10 WR talent that’s just been served a parade of bad luck. 2017’s fresh start comes in Los Angeles (MOVIE STARS LIVE THERE!!!!) and his earned role as the No. 1 receiver in the Chargers offense. He’s the go-to option for a passing attack that still finished 8th in the league overall last season (262.4 yards per game) and can boast shiny new draft pick, Mike Williams, drawing attention away from Allen. Melvin Gordon’s breakout year on the ground also inspires visions of a more potent Chargers attack in 2017.
Reason To Worry: Keenan Allen could be injured as I’m typing this and no one would bat an eye. Since 2013, Allen has been sidelined for a whopping 26 games and Chargers fans have the treat of worrying about that repaired ACL. The presence of rookie wideout Williams might free up Allen a bit, but it’s also a threat to his total targets. (That also goes for third-year wideout Tyrell Williams.) New Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn guided the Bills to the turd-tastic ranking of 30th overall in passing yardage as their offensive coordinator last year, which could be just as detrimental to Allen’s value as his annual waterslide through injury hell.
Oakland Raiders – RB Marshawn Lynch
Reason To Salivate: Marshawn Lynch is back and he’s ready to stimulate the Bay Area’s vital Skittles-based economy! Lynch returns from retirement to rack up goal line touchdowns for a Super Bowl contender with a stellar offensive line. Lynch’s résumé is sparkling (in nine seasons Lynch has rushed for 9,112 yards and 74 TDs) with only one season “off” from active duty. It’s not like Raiders aren’t going to points on the board, so leech the benefits, buds!
Reason To Worry: The return from retirement doesn’t worry me as much as Lynch’s current ADP does. Sitting at No. 24 overall on the FantasyPros consensus board (12th among RBs), this is a big risk for a dude on the wrong side of 30 who’s last campaign featured a lackluster 3.8 YPC total. (Comparatively, new Saint Adrian Peterson is a more reasonable 66th overall for ADP.) Also, it’s not like Lynch’s signing banished Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington to Mars or anything. Richard emerged as an underrated piece of Oakland’s offense as a rushing/receiving threat with a robust 5.9 YPC total in 2016 and Washington collected 582 all-purpose years as the rookie for Raiders. Lynch could be everything Oakland wants, but there’s also the very real possibility that you’re drafting a memory with colossal bust potential.
