JuJu Smith-Schuster

Dynasty Dilemma: JuJu Smith-Schuster 

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Dynasty Dilemma: JuJu Smith-Schuster 

By Tim Lazenby

 

When describing the rich smorgasbord that is dynasty fantasy football, there are many words that come to mind.  Thrilling, exciting and jaw-dropping can be easily surmised, but disappointing, soul crushing and depressing can be equally true.  All the same, we keep coming back for more.  One word that should be on the forefront is intriguing.  The game is truly intriguing because it comes with dilemmas and heart wrenching choices every year when managers need to run their team.  Since he’s come onto the scene, JuJu Smith-Schuster is one that most everyone has an opinion on.  The question is, which opinion should we have on him that will lead to success in the coming seasons?

 

JuJu Smith-Schuster not only did well his rookie season, he flat out dominated.  And the next year, he crushed it even more, as the 22 year old lit the league on fire.  Since then, he’s by all standards fallen out of his lofty perch, straight down to the depths of fantasy despair.  Not only did he miss most of the year last season, now he moves on to a new team with a new scheme.  Can he possibly do any better with the changes?

 

Continued Disappointments

From 2013-2017, Antonio Brown reigned supreme among fantasy wide receivers.  One of the best receivers of his generation, Brown won many titles for managers in all formats.  In 2018, Brown had little competition to start the year as Big Ben’s top option, save the appearance of an extremely green, wide eyed Smith-Schuster.  That year and the following, JuJu took enough focus off Brown to be a viable number one option, but that was the closest he’d get.  With many managers selling the farm at the chance to own him, he rewarded them with only 12 touchdowns in three years and not breaking 850 yards even once.  Needless to say, JuJu hasn’t instilled faith since 2018.

 

Andy Doesn’t Like the Second WR

Andy Reid is an amazing coach and that’s pretty much a fact to most.  When considering fantasy points, this could be argued differently.  In a bizarre fact, Andy Reid was the only coach since 1964 to have none of his wide receivers catch a touchdown all year.  It’s also insane when you look at how his “second” wide receiver has fared.  In his NFL career, even before the Chiefs, he has only had one second option at wide receiver to finish inside the top thirty in a fantasy season.  And, JuJu hasn’t even been technically named the second WR yet.  If history is an indicator, it doesn’t look good.

 

 

Above all, talent reigns supreme.  Among all the truthers and haters, most can agree that JuJu Smith-Schuster is talented.  With the size, speed and hands that you look for in a professional football wide receiver profile, the USC product has all the necessary tools to bounce back.  And while he hasn’t played the best lately, there weren’t too many success stories in the last couple years in Pittsburgh.  With the chance to begin anew and write new history for himself, the dynamic pass catcher is looking forward to blazing new trails of glory.  Will you be a part of his story moving forward?

 

Playing With the Best

I am one of the biggest Ben Roethlisberger fans out there.  When I rank the all time greats, he’s way up there and I consider it a privilege to have watched so many of his games.  That being said, for the last couple of years, his legacy became slightly tarnished with his poor vision and lack of arm strength.  While JuJu suffered in the past few seasons with Big Ben, he now moves on to who many consider the best in the game today, in Mahomes.  With the biggest upgrade you can get, it simply doesn’t seem possible for JuJu to fail.  Add to that, in Pittsburgh he was in a three headed monster of a wide receiver core.  In Kansas City, the competition for second fiddle is much lower.

 

He’s Been There Before

Listen, I know it was three seasons ago, but so many people have forgotten just how good JuJu was in 2018.  And if you ignore his injury riddled season last year, some of his stats were even better than his monster year.  And, if you are super sleuthy, you would notice his usage changed greatly.  In 2018, he was utilized much more for stretch plays and as an outside burner.  As Ben struggled to be himself, JuJu’s role was changed to a short flip play style of receiver and his fantasy points suffered.  It’s important to note that his drops and catch percentage both improved, despite the lack of usage for the plays that fantasy managers salivate to.

 

Verdict

Truthfully, this is somewhat of a sore subject.  I was one of those fools who sold the farm in 2019, just to be destroyed all season.  On top of that, in dynasty, the investment has even greater depth as you don’t get to hit the reset button as you do in redraft.  I can’t help but grit my teeth and yell into a pillow as I think back to that year.  However, that’s not what an unbiased writer should do, so I will avoid such things.

 

Before the signing in Kansas City, I was preaching the value of JuJu Smith-Schuster.  If he stayed in Pittsburgh, he’d do better while healthy and with an improved quarterback, or if he moved, it’d still be an improved quarterback.  He’s also only 25, so there’s still not much dirt on the tire.  Ultimately, now the setting is more desirable than ever.  But that’s the problem.  Virtually everyone will share the same sentiment.  If it’s possible to get him at the same price as before, it’s a no brainer.  You simply have to jump at the chance.  I, however, don’t see a world where everyone hasn’t increased the price on JuJu.  And for that reason, there’s only one logical decision to make for Smith-Schuster.

 

AFC North 2020 Fantasy Breakdown

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AFC North 2020 Fantasy Breakdown

By Steve Uetz

Our next stop is a division is full of intrigue in both real life as well as for fantasy purposes; The AFC North! Before we get into the team breakdowns, here is a reminder of what the team breakdowns are all about!

The team breakdowns will contain an overarching theme for each team or more specifically each offensive core. The offensive cores will be organized into four categories: FADE, NEUTRAL, BUY, and BIG BUY! ADP and auction values will somewhat reflect this but I will be adding some personal perspective with keeping some rules of thumb in mind.

Rule of Thumb #1: Each offensive core may have specific player exceptions.

Rule of Thumb #2: Every player has value at the right price.

The breakdowns will include the players to target from each team, the players’ ideal positional count for your roster, target cost for auction budget % and round #, league type preferences, along with optional blurbs from yours truly. Throughout the team breakdowns be sure to keep your eyes wide open looking for the players with coveted “Ladder Pick” label. The “Ladder Pick” players are who I have identified as those who will help you climb the ladder of fantasy football success for the 2020 season.

I have 6 teams whose offensive core make up the BIG BUY category, 8 teams in the BUY category, 12 teams in the NEUTRAL category, and the remaining 6 teams will generally be considered as a FADE. Just so we are on the same page…BIG BUY=offensive cores to target aggressively; BUY=offensive cores that are reach worthy; NEUTRAL=offensive cores (with some players exceptions both positive and negative) to be drafted at value – not to be reached for nor to be shied away from; FADE=offensive cores to pass on at consensus ranking, players to be drafted weighing risk, or players to be drafted only if at a value, larger the discount the better; always!

Pittsburgh Steelers

Roethlisberger is back! The Steelers are an absolute BUY, targeting these players and reaching to get a piece or two of this group. Last year was a lost season but upside remains as they look to return to being a fantasy friendly offense.

QB Ben Roethlisberger: “Ladder Pick”, low QB1, 1-2% auction, round 13, Big Ben returns from injury with an outstanding offensive core surrounding him. If he is able to stay healthy (like Cam Newton in NE) he could have the largest ROI in fantasy football.

RB James Conner: RB2, 14-15% auction, round 3, I believe the Steelers will return to be an elite offense if Big Ben can stay healthy. Conner can be a major beneficiary with top 10 RB upside! A big riser for me this summer!

RBs Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, and Jaylen Samuels: As of now I’m not drafting these guys unless it is a deep league. All priority FAs!

Snell seems to be the favorite for backup duties, McFarland is the rookie PPR target, and versatile Samuels has pass catching upside as well. Waiting to see how it plays out. Again we want players in offenses with upside.

WR Juju Smith-Schuster: WR1, 12-13% auction, round 3, I believe Juju is a major bounce back candidate and as a versatile WR in an elite offense, he is a player worth reaching for!

WR Diontae Johnson: Low-WR3, ideal WR4, 4% auction, late round 7/ideal round 8, Johnson showed flashes of greatness as rookie with poor QB play, he might be the best value of the skill position players on this team!

WR James Washington and Chase Claypool: Priority FAs, deep league end of bench stashes. These two 2nd round picks have immense upside in this offense, especially if Juju or Diontae were to miss time!

TE Eric Ebron: TE2, priority FA, $1 deep auction, he is one of the many good TE options late in drafts. Maybe the deepest the position has felt in years, I wouldn’t be disappointed if he ended up on a deep league roster. This athletic TD machine could be a wonderful late Best Ball pick

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson! Wow! An incredible and wildly satisfying fantasy performance! He does it all and executed the offense to absolute perfection! He alone makes the Ravens a Big Buy! I’m aggressively targeting players in this elite offense!

QB Lamar Jackson: QB1, 10% auction, round 4, I typically wait on QB but Jackson (as well as Mahomes) is extremely tempting to get early. He’s the GameShark because has the cheat code! (Remember GameShark?! How cool were those?!). Immense rushing and passing upside!

RB Mark Ingram: RB2, 8-9% auction, round 5, Ingram value has plummeted with the addition of JK Dobbins. I say “Good! More for me, please!” This is exciting because there is still plenty of opportunity for both of them to have fantasy success and Ingram is all the cheaper in drafts.

RB JK Dobbins: “Ladder Pick”, RB4 with RB2 upside, 6-7% auction, round 5-6, he was part of an epic RB class, It will be fascinating to see how their careers play out. He shares the backfield with Ingram for now. I’m targeting both in drafts, an easier feat to accomplish in auction

Dobbins like Jonathon Taylor have paths that are eerily similar to that of Ezekiel Elliott. Even with a crowded backfield, the Ravens selected Dobbins in the 2nd round! He checks all the boxes and lands in an elite offense! I am going to be aggressively targeting him in all formats!

WR Marquise Brown: WR3, 6% auction, round 6-7, this Best Ball target flashed as a rookie even while dealing with injuries. He is healthy, has added muscle to his undersized frame. He is a unique talent and a perfect weapon for the modern day NFL.

WRs Boykin and Devin Duvernay are both priority FAs. I would keep a close eye on any of the depth WRs in Baltimore. We want players in elite offenses!

TE Mark Andrews: TE1, 8-9% auction, round 5, nick-named MANDREW, which is awesome, he broke out along with Jackson last year, in glorious fashion. It is easy to forget how much he struggled with injuries last year, as he was essentially “questionable” to play for the majority of the contests last season.

However, he is a clear focal point of the passing game, and now has more target share potential with Hayden Hurst in Atlanta.

Cleveland Browns

A new HC is in town which will hopefully lead to some stability in the organization. It’s been a rocky road to say the least. For fantasy purposes, having big upside at every offense core position The Browns are a BUY!

QB Baker Mayfield: QB2, priority FA, $1 deep auction, this post-hype sleeper is surrounded by great pass-catchers and still has rushing upside. Since QB is so deep, I typically look elsewhere even when waiting on QB, but if he can limit turnovers he could be a real steal.

RB Nick Chubb: RB1, 17-18% auction, late round 1, early round 2, extremely talented in an offense that has scoring upside. Hunt can take away a little bit of his ceiling which is why I prefer Chubb in the 2nd round, but he is too good to pass up when he is available on the board.

RB Kareem Hunt: RB3, 5-6% auction, round 6, pass catching upside makes him an interesting FLEX, I typically like to grab WRs where Hunt’s ADP is but if I start robust WR with elite TE, he can be utilized as a RB2. He becomes an instant RB1 if Chubb were to miss time!

WR Odell Beckham Jr: WR2, 12-13% auction, round 4-5, the dynamic play maker looks to build off of a mostly down first year in Cleveland. He could be a major steal as WR2 on your roster. Beckham’s success does rely a bit of Baker. I hope he can return to his old form!

WR Jarvis Landry: WR3, 7-8% auction, round 6, PPR stud, one of my favorite players creates an excellent duo with his college teammate OBJ, it is a scary combination and should be fruitful if Baker’s play can be elevated from last year. He is one of the safest floor plays in the league! One of my first players I add to my queue!

TE Austin Hooper: TE2, with sneaky TE1 upside, it was a curious signing with Cleveland already having Njoku on their roster but more HC Kevin Stefanski loves to incorporate TEs into the offense.

Not the most “exciting” pick but should have a nice floor with room to grow! Keep an eye on David Njoku as well, Uber-athletic, priority FA, especially if Hooper were to miss time!

Cincinnati Bengals

Young HC Zac Taylor’s rough first year led the Bengals to a new franchise QB! The Bengals have nowhere to go but up as their offensive core falls into the NEUTRAL category. The QB play will determine how much juice is squeezed from the lemon. Hopefully Joe Burrow can make some tasty lemonade.

QB Joe Burrow: QB2, priority FA, Burrow broke college football last year with dominate play week in and week out, while seemingly played better as the competition grew. The Bengals get their new face of the organization. Very good weapons surround him, so I would not hesitate to add him if your starter misses time!

RB Joe Mixon: RB1, 22-23% auction, late round 1, Mixon is a really good player even with mediocre QB play. Burrow is an upgrade and provides new found upside to offensive core, most of which to Mixon. Should potentially see easier looks since defenses will have to respect the QB play even more.

RB Gio Bernard: RB5, 1-2% auction, round 13, Gio is old reliable, he can do it all, but he is behind Mixon, if Mixon were to miss time, Gio becomes FLEX option! One of best late round stashes (and moustaches) for your team!

WR Tyler Boyd: Low-WR2 (robust RB with elite TE), ideal WR3, 10% auction, round 6, PPR target, he will be a bit of a safety net for the young QB, I think his value is the least affected of the all the pass catchers! Very safe pick, nice weekly floor!

WR AJ Green: WR3, 8-9% auction, round 7, of AJ Green can do AJ Green things he will be the biggest steal of drafts. When he is healthy all he does is put up top 10 WR seasons! High risk high reward!

WR John Ross and Tee Higgins: Priority FAs, both should be rostered in all leagues if healthy when and if AJ Green were to miss time! Higgins is more of a dynasty buy compared to redraft! John Ross is best utilized as a Best Ball target!

Mid/Late Round Players that will Finish Top-12

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Players Drafted Outside the Top-12 that will Finish Inside the Top-12

by Bob Miller

 

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford: Before Stafford had to be sidelined for the last eight games in 2019 due to a back injury, he was on fire. He threw for almost 2,500 yards, 19 TDs and only five interceptions. He was on pace to have a career-year, similar to 2011 when he threw for over 5,000 yards and 41 TDs. He is currently being taken outside the top-12 and should finish as a QB1 if healthy, easily making him a fantastic value pick, especially in Superflex leagues.

 

Ryan Tannehill: All Tannehill did last year after taking over in Week 7 was rack up fantasy points. In fact, from Week 7 on, the only QB to outscore Tannehill was Lamar Jackson. So why is he being drafted so low this year? Sure, he probably won’t repeat the same performance as last year, but he should put together another fantastic season with his rushing ability and weapons around him. With an ADP of 130 (#20 QB), he should drastically outperform his current price. At only 31 years old, he could be a nice bargain in dynasty leagues.

 

Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben should be considered a back-end QB1 if he's healthy and firing on all cylinders. He is fully expected to be 100% and ready to roll for Week 1 and he's my favorite for Comeback Player of the Year. JuJu Smith-Schuster should also experience a nice rebound season after a 2019 to forget without Roethlisberger slinging him the rock. Roethlisberger, with all his weapons around him, should be a fantastic pickup late in your draft that can payoff big time.

 

Running Back

Kenyan Drake: Drake is in a high-octane offense that’s trending upwards and should put up insane numbers this season. Greg Rosenthal of NFL.com states that Drake could get over 350 touches. Wow! There are a lot of great options in the top 10 RBs right now, but you can wait. Drake has legit potential to explode this season and a top-6 finish is not out of the realm of possibility.

 

Cam Akers: There is rumor that the Rams backfield could be a RBBC, but LA wouldn’t have spent a 2nd round pick on Akers if they believed in Darrell Henderson or Malcom Brown. We all know what a running back is capable of in this offense after watching Todd Gurley for the last few seasons. Even though the Rams have lost some guys on the O-Line, Akers is primed to be the early down back to start the season and could take over full time very quickly. It will be hard to keep him off the field, making him a double digit touchdown threat. He can definitely finish as a top-12 back.

 

James Conner:  There is no doubt that Conner is a fantasy stud...when he’s on the field. That’s the question. Can he stay healthy? Regardless, the Steelers have one of the best offensive lines in the league, and Conner has proven that he can shine behind them. He is a contract year player and extremely motivated to stay in Pittsburgh. If Conner can stay healthy, he will drastically outperform where he's being drafted right now. Take full advantage, as the risk is worth the reward.

 

Todd Gurley: Just like in 2017, Todd Gurley can be a league winner again. Gurley is going to be given all the touches he can handle in this Falcons offense, if he can stay healthy. If he shows that he can handle a significant workload, he'll easily outperform his ADP in 2020. Atlanta has the 3rd easiest schedule this season, which makes Gurley hands down one of my favorite values.

 

Wide Receiver

Cooper Kupp: Cooper Kupp may end up being one of the biggest steals in your draft this year. He was incredibly productive through the first half of 2019. In fact, from Weeks 1-8, Kupp was the WR2 in all of fantasy football. He finished as the #6 WR in PPR with 94 rec, 1,162 yds, 10 TDs on 134 targets. With Brandin Cooks gone, Kupp could see over 150+ targets this year. As Jared Goff’s security blanket, especially in the Red Zone, it’s very possible that Kupp could finish as a top 3 WR in PPR Leagues this year. With a current ADP of WR15 (35th overall), Kupp is a steal at this price.

 

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown: I know there’s a ton of hype around Hollywood this year, but it’s for good reason. He is the current #1 Wide Receiver in Baltimore’s offense. He showed what he was capable as a rookie with a bad foot hauling in 584 yds with 7 touchdowns on 46 receptions. Now imagine what he will do with a year’s experience under his belt, a healed and healthy foot, and a whole offseason working out with Lamar Jackson. He is primed to blow up this season. I have him projected to have 74 rec, 1,089 yds, and 9 TDs. That’s 239 PPR points, which would have been top 7 last season. Currently being drafted as a WR3/FLEX, he could be a league winner this year.

 

Jarvis Landry: “Old Reliable” is what I refer to Landry as. Wait.. old? Nope. He’s only 27 years old. The same age as Michael Thomas and younger than DeAndre Hopkins, meaning Jarvis Landry has plenty of good years ahead of him. He may be coming off an injury, but he has never missed a game in his NFL career...Never. He averages 94 catches a year, so why is he being drafted outside the top 30 WRs? I have no idea, but I absolutely love it. He is a wonderful target in the mid-rounds, which gives you an opportunity to stock up on RB or QB (if you’re in a Superflex league). He is as close to a sure thing to have 80+ receptions this year as you can get. Like Hollywood Brown, Landry is currently being drafted as a WR3/FLEX. He is a high end WR2 with WR1 upside in a Browns offense that should be improved.

 

Tight End

Blake Jarwin: Jarwin is finally free! Free from playing behind Jason Witten. He's in a great situation this season in a very dynamic and powerful offense. He’s very athletic and can stretch the field extremely well for a TE, which will result in some good chunk plays. He's going to see plenty of work and should be a back-end TE1 this season. Currently being drafted outside the top 20 TEs, Jarwin can pay off big time as a late round pick.

 

 

Hayden Hurst: Hurst is no sleeper by any means, and he is getting more hype as the season gets closer. This is a player with an ADP of the #21 TE a month ago. He has now creeped up into the Top 15. That’s still not bad, because he can still be the biggest surprise at TE this year. Hurst has a very good chance and path to finishing as a Top 5 option at the end of this season. Hurst is a tremendously talented tight end who is finally going to be given a full-time opportunity in Atlanta's dynamic offense. He will be a homerun pick in the later rounds of your draft. If you are in a dynasty league, go trade for him. You may have to pay more than you’d want, but it could still be a great bargain.

 

You can follow me on Twitter @DynastyProBob

Post-Hype Sleepers: Wide Receivers

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Post-Hype Sleepers: Wide Receivers

By Alex French 

The title should give it away, right? Well, I’m going to start a series over the next couple weeks where I give you 3 players from each position as post-hype sleepers. First, let’s define what I mean by post-hype sleeper: this is a player who generated copious amounts of excitement, but failed to actually breakout or in some cases even meet expectations. With our definition in place, let’s jump right in. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers 

Rewind the calendar with me for a second. Let’s go back to before the Corona Virus to this time last year. The narrative was that JuJu was arguably the top WR in dynasty formats. He was coming off a season where he had 111 receptions over 1400 yards and 7 total touchdowns. He was outstanding in 2018. The real question was if he could produce without Antonio Brown on the other side, a question that is still unanswered. 

Last season, JuJu was meant to be the primary receiver for the Steelers. However, Pittsburgh lost their QB Ben Roethlisberger to an elbow injury 2 games into the season. Left to backup QB play, the entire offense struggled. The Steelers’ quarterbacks combined to be ranked at 32 in efficiency and QBR. 

Also working against JuJu was the injury bug. He played in just 12 games in 2019, and left 2 of those games early. This year, at just 23 years old, JuJu is fully healthy, and is entering a contract year. He will be motivated to show the league how talented he is. 

Another reason JuJu fits into this category for me is the return of his quarterback. All reports out of Pittsburgh indicate Roethlisberger is healthy and feeling better than ever. In spite of the disappointments last season, I think JuJu is primed to return to 2018 form. Did I mention the Steelers have vocalized the desire to move JuJu back to the slot position? That should really open things back up for JuJu, which spells success for him and the Steelers in 2020. 

Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns 

Saying last season was a disappointment for Beckham is really an understatement. Posting just 74 receptions for 1035 yards and 4 touchdowns on 133 targets. He also saw just 4 red zone targets. Both back-up tight ends for the Browns saw more. 

If we also look at his success rate against man coverage last year, there is reason to believe he was injured. After the season, news broke that he had sports hernia surgery. It has since been reported that he is fully healthy and ready for the start of camp. 

There are concerns about the Browns being a run first offense, however the passing efficiency should greatly improve. Last season Beckham had the most deep ball incompletions that were deemed the quarterback’s fault with 16. Beckham was also primarily used as a deep receiving option, which I expect to change with the new offense. 

With the off-season additions of Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills, the offensive line should be much improved. The run game should also be better to help improve the efficiency of play action passing, where Baker Mayfield flourishes. 

I think Beckham is primed to return to form and improve on his numbers all around in 2020. Last season, provided us with a realistic view of his floor...which is still productive. 

Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers 

If you follow me on Twitter (@TheBlindGuyFF), you may recognize this statistic. It’s a great stat that really shows the situation Samuel faced last season. Curtis Samuel is the only receiver to finish top 15 on the season in air yards who didn’t have at least 1000 receiving yards. I think that really emphasizes the struggles he saw from the quarterback position. 

Samuel is a superb athlete, which we’ve seen in flashes at the NFL level. He showed it consistently when involved in the offense at Ohio State. He just needs the ball in his hands, which Teddy Bridgewater will do. Bridgewater is supremely accurate in the short game and with new offensive coordinator in Joe Brady coming from LSU, Samuel should see plenty of opportunity to succeed. 

Understanding at Dynasty Pros we primarily focus on dynasty, I’m going to attempt to make this series apply to redraft as well as dynasty. I realize this group of players is likely owned in your leagues, but you may be able to acquire them from the owner who spent most of last season frustrated with the production these guys provided. On the other hand, if you happen to own these guys in your league, brighter days are ahead for you. Look for my next article of the series to follow soon. 

Follow me on Twitter @TheBlindGuyFF, and make sure to listen and subscribe to our Dynasty Pros podcast!