Fantasy Football Review – part one

The 2014 fantasy football season is now in the history books and we’re one game and one week away from saying the same about the real football season as well.

While things are still relatively fresh, we wanted to take the opportunity to bounce some questions off Fantasy Football Editor Anthony Maggio, whose insights you hopefully followed throughout the season.

In this two-part series, we’re seeing what went right and wrong this year while also asking Magsh to look into his crystal ball for some insight on what 2015 might look like. After all, it’s never too early to start prepping for your drafts, right?

Here’s what he had to say.

Zoneblitz: Who were your big fantasy disappointments in 2014 and will they bounce back next year?

Maggio: Well, pretty much pick your first rounder. Or second rounder, for that matter. You draft those guys knowing you need them to perform in order to have a chance at sustained success without needing to get lucky in free agency. Here are a list of guys who were top 25 ADP in ESPN leagues who get nominations for this award: Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, Jimmy Graham, Drew Brees, Doug Martin, AJ Green, Brandon Marshall, Zac Stacy, Julius Thomas, Montee Ball. If I had to pick one I’d go with Brees because he was the highest on this list that didn’t have an injury or unsuspected suspension to blame for his performance.

Zoneblitz: Who were your big fantasy surprises in 2014 and can they sustain it next year?

Maggio: Guys like Ryan Tannehill and Eli Manning aren’t thought of as fantasy surprises, yet both finished in the top 10 among QBs in ESPN standard league scoring. And frankly I think both have the chance to sustain it—Tannehill because he’s getting better, and Manning because of arguably the biggest fantasy surprise—Odell Beckham Jr. My apologies to those who follow me for fantasy advice for not telling everyone to draft and stash the rookie, but I was hardly the only one who didn’t see him turning into a superstar immediately. I am very excited to see how he follows this up. Justin Forsett may have been the biggest sustained surprise outside of C.J. Anderson at running back. I think the latter has a better chance at doing it again in 2015, though that’s partially due to Forsett’s free agent status.

Zoneblitz: Who are you intrigued by as possible breakouts in 2015?

Maggio: Basically this boils down to guys who’ve shown flashes of talent and appear poised for a bigger role next season. At the top of that list for me is Donte Moncrief in Indianapolis. I think it’ll be a lot of fun watching him and TY Hilton as Reggie Wayne rides off into the sunset. Paul Richardson has a chance to do similar things in Seattle. At the running back position I’m curious to see what happens in Atlanta and Seattle. Devonta Freeman could be a solid RB2, if not better, if he’s given the keys to that running game. And while the shine has come off Christine Michael a bit, the Seahawks know how to run the ball, and have fed Marshawn Lynch with as much work as he can handle.

Zoneblitz: Who is about to fall off the cliff of fantasy relevance in 2015?

Maggio: Peyton Manning is the obvious answer here, and Steven Jackson’s honorable mention. The guy to really

watch is DeMarco Murray, though. With his skills and stats this season, he needs to be drafted early. But with his workload this season, he’s a ticking injury time bomb.

Zoneblitz: Four rookie QBs got extensive time this season – Bortles, Bridgewater, Carr, Mettenberger – and a fifth seems likely to do so in 2015. In what order will they have fantasy relevance?

Maggio: I’m not trying to pander to the local crowd here—I honestly think it’s Bridgewater. He was solid the second half of the season without anything special in the weapons department. Really he’s got nowhere to go but up. From there I go Bortles, Carr, Mettenberger, Manziel. I don’t think Johnny Football has the desire to be an NFL quarterback. He wants the lifestyle, not the work. He’ll be out of the NFL in a couple years.

Zoneblitz: The QB position ended the season in flux. Peyton Manning was handing off more than throwing. Drew Brees seemed off part of the season. Andrew Luck threw 40 TDs. Who are your top players at this spot heading into 2015 and what’s your philosophy with drafting them right now?

Maggio: Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck are at the top of the pile for me next year. I think both are guys I’d draft in the second round. From there, I’d rather wait, frankly. Manning and Brees are scary, Brady started off scary before turning things around, Matt Stafford is OK, but really I’d rather take two shots at the position in the middle rounds while stocking up at the other positions rather than reaching on one. I think you could get two guys like the aforementioned Tannehill and Eli back-to-back right before all the other teams start picking their second quarterbacks.

Zoneblitz: The running back spot was volatile as always, with almost everyone’s top three – Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy and Jamaal Charles – disappointing through at least portions of the fantasy schedule in 2014. Who will you be looking at as the top of that list in 2015?

Maggio: DeMarco Murray and Arian Foster were arguably the two best running backs this season, and both come with extensive injury histories. Those concerns will be even more magnified in 2015 because of their 2014 production. That’s not to say they don’t have the talent to repeat or post similar production, it’s just that they have the farthest to fall at this point.

Zoneblitz: Calvin Johnson has been the top WR for several years. But he was hurt much of the year and has taken a significant beating through his career. Where does he rank heading into 2015 and who else is at the top of the rankings here?

Maggio: He’s still top five for me, but I like Antonio Brown, Jordy Nelson and Demaryius Thomas more—though Thomas’ rank will depend on how his quarterback/offense situation shakes out this offseason with a new head coach and the potential retirement of Manning.

To read the second part of this interview, click here.