2023 Fantasy Football Week 18 Hot Takes: Zero RB is Alive and Well
That’s it folks. The regular season is done. We laughed, we cried, we BEGGED for Arthur Smith to get fired (and it has finally happened). But now, with the conclusion of Week 18, it’s over. Fantasy football isn’t done for us just yet though as we will soon be doing the FFPC Playoff Challenge over at MyFFPC.com. If you want to get involved with that like us, use promo code COOP when you sign up and they’ll give you $25 off when you deposit $35 or more. I’ve already put a strategy article up for that and rankings are coming soon. But, before we get to that, we need to take a couple of seconds here to digest the 2023 NFL season and how that affects fantasy football in 2024!
TIght Ends Are BACK
The tight end position has gotten a lot of flak in certain fantasy football circles. Some folks want to simplify the game for themselves so they’ve removed kicker and defense and now they are looking at tight end. It is a lot easier to predict QB, RB, WR so if you want a casual work league then go right ahead. But serious gamers will continue to do what high stakes leagues do and have all the positions where you need to do deeper research to get an advantage. And, with the injection of the young talent recently, the tight end position isn’t going anywhere for serious gamers. It’s hotter than ever.
Obviously Sam LaPorta jumps out here after finishing first overall in total PPR points - he turns 23 next week. Fellow rookies Dalton Kincaid and Luke Musgrave showed they can ball out for fantasy and Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave showed promise as well. Isaiah Likely is also only 23 years old and was a fantasy football league winner once Mark Andrews went down. Trey McBride was so good at 24 years old that teammate Zach Ertz asked to be released. And, now that Arthur Smith has been fired, maybe Kyle Pitts will get back to the player we saw drop 1,000+ yards as a rookie. Believe it or not, he is also still only 23. Many worried about the state of the position with Travis Kelce aging out but, with all these guys along with prospect phenom Brock Bowers, the tight end revolution is only beginning.
Zero RB Is Alive And Well
There have been some Zero RB Deniers in recent history. Folks that don’t truly believe in the strategy as much more than a gimmick. I’ve been pretty vocal on my philosophy - I accept all strategies but I never go into my draft locking myself into one. Late Round QB, Zero RB, Yin & Yang Tight End, Wait on WR - it’s all good. This year especially though you cannot deny that Zero Rb was viable. Especially since the winner Best Ball Mania IV went with a Zero RB approach this year. Nick Chubb and even CMC in championship week proved the fragility issues while guys like Raheem Mostert and Kyren Williams came out of nowhere to lead folks to the promised land. So feel free to join me in saying that you don’t want to lock yourself into a strategy pre draft. But we have to acknowledge that pivoting to a Zero RB approach can definitely work for you - if you make the right moves after the draft.
Bill Belichick Watch Is ON
There are a few reasons why the most important shoe to drop this offseason is Bill Belichick. And that’s not just because he has big shoes to fill. He’s obviously a sought after commodity as he’s widely considered the greatest NFL coach of all time. But he currently occupies both the head coaching and general manager spot for New England. The permanently tight-lipped coach hasn’t given away his full cards just yet and teams hoping to woo him (like the Los Angeles Chargers or Carolina Panthers) are making sure both their head coaching AND general manager spots are vacant for the time being just in case. Belichick pointed out in his press conference today that he is “still under contract” so those teams might need to give up some sort of compensation to acquire him. In the same presser, he did also mention he could be willing to relinquish some personnel control if that’s what the organization wants. Team will begin to interview candidates soon but Bill Belichick is by far the most important one.
2024 Draft Thoughts
It’s about to get SPICY at the top. There is a little bit of dispute but the general consensus is that there are two quarterbacks at the very top in Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. The Commanders pick at two and the new ownership group will want to put their stamp on the team with a franchise QB. The Patriots at three also desperately need a QB. And there are a lot more teams than two that could use a new signal caller. That puts the Bears in a crazy position with the top pick as they could move on from Justin Fields and select one or they could trade that pick for a king’s ransom.
For fantasy football purposes, there is one thing we all need to be rooting for. There have been some rumors floated out there that the Patriots, regardless of who is available, could simply take the best overall graded prospect in the class. Which many argue is Marvin Harrison Jr. That would then leave the Patriots scrambling at quarterback where HOPEFULLY they would tap a free agent like Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins. Because it would bring a tear to my eye to watch Marvin Harrison’s son have to toil through an entire season of Mac Jones and/or Bailey Zappe.
Shoutout to Some Of the Vets Moving On
In our world, we take this for granted. In most cases, as long as you can do your job reasonably well, the risk of you being replaced isn’t tremendous. Not like it is in the NFL. The margins for success in the NFL are incredibly small and it’s a young man’s game. No one sums that up better than Derrick Henry. The 30 year old would be considered a young man in most professions outside of the running back world where he is considered an elder statesman. And here is what he had to say to the fans after what may have been his last game as a Tennessee Titan.
This type of emotional moment is going on behind the scenes in a LOT of locker rooms. Players like Saquon Barkley and Tyler Boyd have played their entire careers for the same team and now face the prospect of potentially finding a new home. It’s a difficult time for not only them and their teammates but also their families and the fans. And for some of these players, who have only ever worked in the NFL, they might need to start planning their life after football entirely. So here’s to wishing them the best of luck in whatever is next.
Player News
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Chargers RB Najee Harris is expected to be back on the field “sooner rather than later.”
Speaking on The Insiders on NFL Network, Rapoport relayed words from Harris’ agent that backed up previous reports that said the eye injury sustained by the veteran running back were superficial, adding that Harris is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season and should be back on the field “sooner rather than later.” Rapoport also stated that Harris is not expected to miss significant time. Even so, any missed time in camp could widen the expected snap rate gap between he and rookie first-round selection Omarion Hampton to start the regular season, something fantasy managers will want to keep an attentive eye on as the following weeks play out.
Chargers placed WR Mike Williams on the PUP list.
Players placed on the PUP list ahead of camp can come off at any time. Williams was dealing with an unspecified injury before the start of camp and was believed to be on track toward playing once camp kicked off. Clearly needing more time to recover, Williams will join WR Jaylen Johnson, S Elijah Molden, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, and OT Savion Washington on the PUP list as they continue to ready themselves for camp.
Jets signed WR Garrett Wilson to a four-year, $130 million contract extension.
Wilson’s deal includes $90 million in guaranteed money and will keep him with the Jets through the 2030 season. The former No. 10 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has churned out three-straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards to start his career and posted career-highs in receptions (101), yards, (1,104), and touchdowns (7) last season. Now reunited with former college teammate Justin Fields, Wilson hopes the Jets can put together his first winning season as a pro and the Jets’ first winning season since 2015. Wilson profiles as a fringe WR1/WR2, but will likely settle more in the WR2 range in 2025 due to the Jets’ emphasis on the run and Fields’ ability to take off and scramble on passing downs.
Raiders waived QB Carter Bradley.
Bradley joined the Raiders last offseason as a rookie UDFA and spent all of last season on the practice squad before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December. The former South Alabama Jaguar didn’t attempt a pass in his rookie season and will now look to catch on with another team ahead of training camp in hopes of battling for a roster spot. Bradley may be better suited for a spring football league where he would have an opportunity for more playing time.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes Stefon Diggs (knee) will “likely open camp by working on the side until he’s cleared from his injury.
Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of last season, but surprised during spring practices when he took the field in a limited capacity with the team. While he’s yet to be cleared for full football activities, Graff believes the encouraging spring we saw from Diggs may lead to some limited work to the side in camp while leaving the door open for Diggs to eventually participate in full closer to the end of camp. While opening the season on the PUP list, which would require him to miss a minimum of four games, remains a possibility, Diggs’ involvement in camp will be worth monitoring as the Patriots aim to get their WR1 back on the field.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department released a report detailing additional information regarding Quinshon Judkins’ arrest for domestic battery over the weekend.
The full report can be found at the link provided at the end of the blurb, but the details are quite disturbing. Arresting officer Steven Pohorence reported that the victim of Judkins’ alleged assault reported the incident the day after it occurred, alleging Judkins “punched her in the mouth/chin area with a closed fist” while adding he later struck her in the arm and thigh. The victim also showed pictures of her chin/lip area, with officer Pohorence noting in the report “the bruising was clearly evident.” Bruises could also be found on her arm and thigh. This situation is far from resolved and could have a direct impact on Judkins’ availability for training camp as he remains unsigned at this time.