Coach: Sean Payton 4 PPG
QB: Ben Roethlisberger 29 PPG
I think Big Ben is on his last legs. His body is breaking down and it’s difficult for him to play in all 16 games with the wear on his body. His physical style of quarterbacking has been extremely fun to watch since he’s lit the league on fire, but I don’t know if he has what it takes to lead a team to another Super Bowl at this stage of his career. It’s a bad time to only have a couple years left, as the GOAT is still in business and the Pats look like a better bet to win it all than last year. Still, with a returning Martavis Bryant, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell forming the best trio of weapons in the NFL, Ben is in line for another QB1 season as long as he stays off the trainer’s table.
RB/WR/TE: Melvin Gordon 28 PPG, LeSean McCoy 28 PPG, Marshawn Lynch 27 PPG, Larry Fitzgerald 16 PPG, Eric Decker 15 PPG, (6th man: Duke Johnson 12 PPG)
I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but you won’t find a better trio of offensive weapons than you see on Chris’ team in the NFC. Gordon, McCoy and Lynch should all find themselves hovering between 25-30 PPG if healthy. Gordon is the leader of this group, but McCoy is a close 2nd. Both players don’t have threats to their workload, but have injury concerns. Gordon busted onto the scene after his tumultuous rookie season but showed the NFL that Wisconsin running backs can be the real deal. The Chargers won’t stop giving him the rock, although a healthy Allen and Mike Williams could spell for more looks in the passing game. It’s also to be seen how Branden Oliver will be utilized as a change of pace back.
LeSean McCoy keeps on chugging along as one of the best backs of our generation. The Bills’ offense revolves around him and will continue to do so under Sean McDermott. McCoy is scary to own due to his laundry list of injuries, but there are few backs that have a resume of 5 1,000 yard seasons. Look for him to add a 6th in 2017.
Marshawn Lynch is back in the NFL and he joins a team that employs a top 3 offensive line. It’s a scary combination to think about, but a best case situation for a player that took a year off. Lynch wasn’t very effective his last year in the league, so it will be interesting to see if that lingers. However, if he can continue to churn yards after contact, he could be one of the best backs in the NFL, one that is well worth the $20 million Chris dropped on him. Get your Skittles ready Chris.
Larry Fitzgerald is the most underrated wide receiver of our time. After 3 straight seasons under 1,000 yards receiving, pundits were saying Fitz would never be the same. He reinvented himself under Arians in the slot and posted back to back 1,000 yards seasons. An incredible feat for any player, let alone one on the north side of 30. Fitz comes back for one last season and he is motivated to put together something special and bring a championship to Arizona. The targets will rain on Fitz, as he is easily the #1 option in the desert. Watch and see if he fades down the stretch however like the last couple of seasons.
Eric Decker joins a team in desperate need of a redzone presence. Making a miraculous recovery from a shoulder ailment that was supposed to sideline him well into training camp, Decker joins forces with Marcus Mariota, who has never thrown an interception in the redzone. This could end up being an excellent landing spot for Decker and it wouldn’t surprise me if he leads the Titans in targets and touchdowns year one. However, if the injury issues persist for Decker, Chris has literally no one after his starting 5 to help him. The odds of one of his starting 5 going down are very high, so Chris will need to address his lack of depth before the beginning of the season.
PK: Graham Gano 10 PPG
PN: Shane Lechler 11 PPG
DT: Damon Harrison 15 PPG
Snacks ended up taking over as the best fantasy DT last season, and it wasn’t due to a large number of sacks, but his otherworldly run defense. The man is a monster at 6’4 350 pounds. His 87 tackles at DT is ridiculous and his unique skill set provides for an extremely safe floor. Harrison should once again dominate with tackle volume and a couple sacks here and there won’t hurt either.
DE: Cliff Avril 14 PPG, Melvin Ingram 12 PPG
Avril is the unheralded impact performer of the Hawks’ defense. The dude continues to make plays year after year and it seems he never gets enough credit. The same applies for fantasy. Avril was the #10 DE in our scoring last year, reaching double digits sacks for the 1st time of his career. While his play is a little boom or bust, his 4 games scoring over 25 points will put a smile on Philly Chris’ face.
Melvin Ingram move to DE can’t be overstated as one of the biggest boons for Chris. He needed a 2nd DE after the loss of Mack to LBer and Ingram should fill in nicely as a mid-range DE2. The ceiling could be higher, but I’m being conservative with his projection as we see Ingram learn a new scheme and have his hand on the ground. If he can continue to produce, Chris has the makings for a top 5 lineman unit in the IFL.
LB: Vontaze Burfict 22 PPG, Thomas Davis 15 PPG, Khalil Mack 15 PPG
I don’t think Burfict gets enough credit for what he does on the field because his 10 cent head distracts us from his great play. Yes, he’s another microfracture victim, numerous concussions and more suspensions than I can remember, but he’s still a stud and the best player on Chris’ defense. He could finish as the #1 linebacker in our scoring and I wouldn’t be surprised.
After an amazing 3 ACL tears, Thomas Davis has been as solid as anyone in the league. Well into his 30’s he continues to produce in the best linebacking corps in the NFL. His athletic ability hasn’t gone anywhere, but there’s been talk that he will relegate some snaps to Shaq Thompson. A regression is in order, but he still will be more than serviceable.
I did rag on Chris hard on trading for Mack, and I am still convinced he had no idea Mack was moving to linebacker, as he stated in the comment during the trade he also didn’t know Donald was moving to DE. Regardless, he should make for a fine 3rd linebacker for a unit that lacks depth, and Mack is going to produce weeks that will be above 30.
CB: Bashaud Breeland 15 PPG, Marshon Lattimore 12 PPG
These two corners both play opposite someone with more perceived talent. Breeland will continue to be heavily targeted and in the pass-heavy NFC East, it will not be surprising to see him finish as a top 5 corner. Lattimore will play opposite the underrated Delvin Breaux and as a rookie should also see his fair share of targets. He’s a good bet to be picked on in 2017.
S: TJ Ward 15 PPG, Antoine Bethea 14 PPG, Michael Mitchell 10 PPG
TJ Ward was a great pickup for Chris who desperately needed help on the defensive side of the ball. Lacking depth has been a trademark of Chris’ teams, but Ward immediately steps in as his #1 safety. He’s not going to wow with his production, but 15 PPG is good for mid S1 numbers and in a Denver defense that doesn’t have any elite linebackers, he should find plenty of extra tackle opportunities again.
It’s not set in stone, but Bethea is expected to take over Tony Jefferson’s box safety role in Arizona. An uber productive spot for tackles, Bethea should find himself in the top ten safeties if he stays healthy. He won’t be expected to cover much at all, so expect for him to come off the field in heavy pass situations. That could hold him back where it didn’t to Jefferson.
Like his division rival DJordan, I struggle to find an 11th man for his defense. Michael Mitchell is the typical free safety that will get a couple tackles a game and the occasional bonus stat. But he never should be a startable option. It’s going to be hard for Chris to find depth on defense due to his lack of tradeable assets, but if he can pull off a savvy 2 for 1, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to try and replace Mitchell.
Off: Philadelphia Eagles 11 PPG
Total PPG: 338
Last year’s Total PPG: 316
Prediction: 9-7
Last year’s prediction: 10-6
For all the shit I spew at Chris, my W-L predictions haven’t been demining. I think out of the many GMs that are looking for their first playoff berth in this format, Chris is one of the most likely to accomplish that goal. His top 3 running backs can hang with anyone, and if they are healthy, he’s going to put up points. His PPG is higher than Brian’s on paper, but his depth is razor thin and when injuries and bye weeks occur, Chris is going to lose games he necessarily shouldn’t when 100%. If Chris goes into the playoffs with his top 3 running backs intact and playing well, he could be a very dangerous team. But does Chris put the work in and is he a GM that knows what he’s doing? The time is now for Chris, as the window is closing on his aging team.