Indianapolis Colts:
The Colts are another team with too many wide receivers and most of them can be started on any team. However, that didn’t stop them from using their first-round pick on ANOTHER receiver. After seeing how their defense was hit by quality offenses last year, you would have thought all the top picks would be spent on defense, but the Colts don’t work that way. WR Philip Dorsett is an absolute Miami burner with a 4.33 40-yard dash speed, but how much will he factor into the game plan this year with so many other options? Sure, they got defensive with their next 4 picks; Florida Atlantic’s CB D’Joun Smith, Stanford’s DE Henry Anderson and Central Florida’s S Clayton Geathers, as well as Georgia’s LB Amarlo Herrea, but these guys will have to overcome their draft placement to justify taking another WR, albeit a very talented one. , with his first selection.
The Colts took on a veteran pass receiver in Andre Johnson to help their talented youngsters catch up in the NFL. He should help educate Dorsett and Donte Moncrief and make them better receivers for the foreseeable future. They added WR Vincert Brown from San Diego in free agency to further complicate matters. I’ve always thought Brown is underrated, but he sure can’t stay healthy to prove me right. After failing to find a complementary running game to go along with their passing assault, the Colts resorted to free agency and brought in veteran Frank Gore. Most teams rely on running backs in their 30s, but the Colts hope that having Daniel “Boom” Herron and a healthy Vick Ballard will help shoulder the load and keep Gore fresh throughout the season. I also like the addition of Philadelphia LB Trent Cole via free agency.
Fantasy starters: QB Andrew Luck, RB Frank Gore, WR TY Hilton, WR Andre Johnson
Fantasy Bench: TE Dwayne Allen, TE Coby Fleener, RB Daniel Herron
The Fantasy Sleeper: WR Philip Dorsett
Tennessee Titans:
The Titans were in an enviable spot in the draft due to an unenviable position with their roster this year. It appears they were offered multiple trades that could have benefited them at many more positions than the No. 2 pick, but they turned them down, deciding that quarterback Marcus Mariota was their franchise quarterback. This could be a decision that catapults them back to respectability or further dooms them for years to come. If the trade rumors were true, they must have been high school sweethearts in love with Mariota to roll the dice as they are. To further show their love, they used their second-round pick on a WR wager on behalf of Dorial Green-Beckham. He is HUGE but troublesome and inexperienced. His ceiling is tremendous, but he could also easily be knocked out of the league in no time. You can safely say that the Titans property is a group of risk takers! The remaining 7 picks were spread across the most positions as a testament to how poor the talent is on this team. After another year of underperformance from running backs, they actually found a sleeper in RB David Cobb of Minnesota in the fifth round. He is the anti-Chris Johnson; he’s not very fast but he gets a lot of yards after contact. Expect him to be used in close range situations early on as RB Bishop Sankey will get one last chance to impress.
In free agency, the Titans didn’t overwhelm, but I like the addition of WR Harry Douglas from Atlanta. I think his speed in the slot will help Mariota a lot and complement WR Kendall Wright very well. They also added WR Hakeem Nicks, but he has been on a steady decline since his rookie season. On the defensive side of the ball, they cleverly added LB Brian Arakpo from Washington. It was a smart move since his current linebackers are missing and it’s a way to keep him busy learning a new playbook instead of entertaining more terrible trade ideas.
Fantasy starters: WR Kendall Wright, TE Delanie Walker
Fantasy Bench: QB Marcus Mariota, RB Bishop Sankey, WR Dorial Green-Beckham, WR Harry Douglas
Fantasy sleeper: RB David Cobb
Houston Texas:
Can JJ Watt QB apart from playing TE and be the most dominant defensive player in the league? The Texans might expect it, since they can’t get a quality signal call under center. Bill O’Brien seriously has to choose between Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyr and Tom Savage to start the year. It looks like another year of giving Arian Foster the ball 350 times!
It’s going to be strange to see the Texans on the field but WR Andre Johnson playing for an enemy division. Based on the prospects for this crime, I’m happy for him. He deserves a shot at a Super Bowl. WR DeAndre Hopkins proved himself a worthy running mate last year and inherits the #1 WR spot. To help him, the Texans added WR Cecil Shorts III and Nate Washington, but more importantly, they took WR Jaelen Strong out of Arizona St in the third round. This kid can play and is a bit stronger than Hopkins to match them well. Before him, the Texans filled two glaring gaps by drafting CB Kevin Johnson from Wake Forest and LB Benardrick McKinney from Mississippi St.
As far as defense goes, he has a chance to be the top unit in the AFC. In addition to JJ and the draft picks, they could have a healthy Jadeveon Clowney (remember last year’s No. 1 draft pick?) and they added DT Vince Wilfork in free agency, plus Denver’s S Rahim Moore.
Fantasy starters: RB Arian Foster, WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston D
Fantasy bench: RB Alfred Blue, WR Jaelen Strong
Fantasy Sleeper: T. E. Garrett Graham
Jacksonville Jaguars:
When you’re the Jaguars, bad luck follows you. After scoring with his first-round draft pick in DE Dante Fowler Jr, he promptly tore his ACL in his first practice. This was clearly an area that needed to be addressed on the Jags D. Fortunately, they got a small steal in the sixth round by nabbing DT Michael Bennett from Ohio State. It’s not much of a consolation prize at the moment, but it will help this season. On offense, they needed to improve their backfield after RB Toby Gerhart turned out to be an absolute dud. WR/RB Denard Robinson finished very well last year, but they needed to think longer term. So, they grabbed Gamecock G AJ Cann in the third round to help block RB TJ Yeldon, who they grabbed in the second round from Alabama. Yeldon won’t blow your mind as a versatile running back, but they needed help and they hope he will provide it.
They nabbed a few later WR picks to add to their current stable of mediocre receivers. No team in the league has a group of Nos 3-5 WRs like the Jaguars do. How they will be able to separate them and call either of them their #1 and #2 is beyond me. I know new free agent acquisition TE Julius Thomas will definitely be THE go-to target.
Fantasy Starters: TE Julius Thomas
Fantasy Bench: RB TJ Yeldon, RB Denard Robinson, WR Allen Hurns
Fantasy sleeper: WR Marquis Lee