RADIO
Sometimes writing an introduction is hard. I would say it is even harder to write an introduction to a weekly article where the topic of the article remains the same every week. So, as I’m sitting here typing this in the Penn State library, I decided to write an introduction about me writing an introduction; sounds like something out of Inception.
As we approach the second half of the fantasy football season, this is the time to evaluate your roster and start making decisions that will secure your playoff spot. Lineup consistency becomes a big part of your success moving forward. Although consistency would seem to be a good thing, your team may be lacking in explosiveness despite scoring a healthy amount of points each week. On the other hand, not enough consistency and your "All Floor team" may not be able to eke out a victory. This is where either trading or trading for consistency comes into play.
Like last week, every position will be broken down by the top-24 and sorted by highest floor among the positional ones and twos. At the very end, I will include two charts for flex players, with one being floor plays and the other ceiling plays.
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Quarterbacks
Living in Central Pennsylvania, you see a healthy mix of fans from different teams: Steelers, Eagles, Redskins, Ravens, Cowboys (yes, Cowboys), Giants, Jets, Bills. Being on a college campus five days a week, you see even more diversity, but this year I have seen predominantly more Eagles fan than I can ever remember. It’s like they come out of the woodwork like termites proclaiming their team the new Pennsylvania football team. They even go as far as dubbing the state Wentzlyvania.
However, as much I hate seeing the Eagles succeed, I can’t deny what Carson Wentz is doing in the City of Brotherly Love. He is currently the QB2 overall in fantasy behind Alex Smith and is a favorite to win NFL MVP this season. Because of that, Wentz now boasts the highest floor in fantasy among all quarterbacks and has been one of the most consistent options at the position on a weekly basis. He has become an elite starter at the position and is poised to carry your fantasy team into the playoffs.
Looking now at the QB2s, the player who interests me the most is Marcus Mariota. He currently holds a floor of 11.42 points per game, most among QB2s and almost identical to Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford. As we move into the home-stretch, Mariota looks like a great, cheap option at the position given his struggles so far in 2017. For owners who just lost Deshaun Watson, Mariota is a very affordable replacement. His playoff schedule is pretty juicy too, as he takes on the Colts, Texans, Cardinals, 49ers, and Rams through Weeks 12-16. He has shown to take advantage of weak defenses in the past, and now with Corey Davis returning from injury, Mariota is a safe QB option for teams looking to make a playoff run.
Running Backs
I really want to talk about Alvin Kamara. As far as rookies go, Kamara makes an amazing argument for being a top-five rookie overall this year. He is a perfect fit for the Saints offense as both a runner and a pass-catcher and has been a key component in their success this season. For fantasy, Kamara is currently the RB16 in PPR formats and has not had a game below 11 fantasy points since Week 2. He has scored a touchdown in three of his last five games, while also totaling no less than 76 total yards in those five games.
Though his ceiling is lower than almost every RB1, Kamara is a solid RB2 option with upside. His floor of nearly nine fantasy points per game is nearly identical to players like Christian McCaffrey, Melvin Gordon, and Devonta Freeman. Additionally, Kamara’s floor is almost entirely from his work in the passing game, as he is averaging nearly four receptions for 36 yards through the air. Couple that with his rushing production of either rushing for over 50 yards or finding the endzone in his last five games and you have a safe but explosive PPR RB2 on your roster. In dynasty, I am buying everywhere I can, as I believe his price will only go up over the offseason and his 2017 production is but a glimpse of what is to come in his career.
Wide Receivers
Does anyone else feel like this year has been crazy-bad for wide receiver fantasy production? Doug Baldwin is currently the WR15, but as a Baldwin owner, it sure hasn’t felt like that. Looking at his consistency numbers, he hasn’t been too inconsistent this year with a standard deviation of only 7.23. He is averaging 14.1 points per game, but it still feels like we are missing something in his production.
As a more boom-bust type receiver, Baldwin hasn’t really boomed but hasn’t really busted either. He has two games under 10 fantasy points, but also only two games above 20 fantasy points. In his other three games, he scored 10, 10.4, and 11.4 fantasy points respectively. In terms of his expectations for 2017, Baldwin has been a fantasy disappointment, but his game logs show a more reliable WR2 with touchdown upside. Hopefully, as the season goes on and the Seahawks offense starts to click, Baldwin will be the prime beneficiary and deliver more boom games for his fantasy owners.
Another receiver I would like to point out is Dez Bryant. Currently the WR21 in PPR, Bryant has been a very consistent fantasy performer in 2017. Though he is no longer delivering 100-yard, two touchdown games, Bryant is still a focal point of the Cowboys’ offense. Bryant has caught less than four receptions in a game only twice, but has also only eclipsed 65 receiving yards once. He is the most consistent fantasy producer among the top-24 wide receivers, with a standard deviation of 4.97. Like Baldwin, Dez might be a fantasy disappointment for some based on his expectations, but he is still a solid fantasy receiver and a touchdown machine.
Tight Ends
I don’t know why, but I love seeing Zach Ertz at the top of this list every week. Maybe it is because I own him in Scott Fish Bowl 7, or because Ertz has been the most consistent fantasy player in 2017. The fact he is averaging over 16 fantasy points per game and has a standard deviation of 2.24 is absolutely stunning. Looking at his game log, he has never scored less than 13.1 fantasy points but has also never scored more than 19.9! Zach Ertz is consistency.
If you read this article last week, I mentioned that Ben Watson is becoming a very underrated fantasy player at the tight end position. Despite being the TE15 on the season, Watson has been a very consistent tight end and I recommended him last week to owners needing a fill-in for a bye week or injury. Thankfully, Watson found the endzone that saved his day with Flacco out. As long as Flacco is playing Watson is a very streamable player at the position as he is owned in less than 15% of ESPN leagues.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I will also include flex players based on floor plays or ceiling plays. The players in bold are players on both charts and are the most ideal candidates for your flex position. Note: I do not recommend playing Will Fuller this week until we see his performance with Tom Savage. My guess is Fuller may no longer be playable all season with Watson out and his performance is in for some big-time regression.
Floor Plays
Ceiling Plays
