With the amount of changes that the NFL has seen in the past several months, some players are in line for more work than what was initially expected. Due to that fact, here are four players to target in your fantasy football draft.
AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers
With nicknames like “The Quadfather” and “Quadzilla” that’s a good enough reason to draft Dillion in itself. Nicknames aside, Dillon is in store for a larger role this season with the Packers trading away wide receiver Davante Adams over the off-season.
Last year, Dillon finished as RB23 in PPR leagues and with Adams’ departure there’s reason to believe he will put up that same production and some next season. Running back Aaron Jones figures to get more off the work, but Jones finished as RB13 last season, so the gap between the two wasn’t monstrous.
With more pass-catching opportunities opening up and Dillion’s forceful running attack, his floor and ceiling should see a boost. Dillon has a good chance to work himself into a consistent RB2 role, but to start the season he should be viewed as a higher-end flex play.
Robert Woods, WR, Tennessee Titans
Even with a run-heavy attack like the Titans have, they’ve still been able to provide fantasy- friendly wide receivers over the past couple of seasons. During the off-season, the Titans traded away Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown, and drafted Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks to replace him.
However, the reports from OTAs didn’t inspire the notion that Bruks could fill Brown’s shoes just yet. Because of that, Woods has an opportunity to start out as Ryan Tannehill’s No.1 target.
However, Woods is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered last November, but reports say he has returned to form and will be ready for the start of training camp on July 27. Woods may not be the flashy wide receiver that comes to mind, but he’s finished as a top-25 receiver in three of the last four seasons.
Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
With running back James Robinson sidelined with a torn achilles, the Jaguars’ running back room is fairly slim. This should give Etienne an ample opportunity to establish himself in the Jaguars’ backfield.
Etienne is coming off a foot injury that forced him to miss his entire rookie season, but all reports show that he’s fully recovered. With Etienne being the clear RB1 in Jacksonville, he has the opportunity to be the steal of your draft.
It may take a couple of weeks for Etinne to get into the swing of things, but with his rushing and pass-catching ability, he could easily work himself into a RB2 role.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears
To be frank, the Bears are lacking reliable pass-catchers. Darnell Mooney will get the majority of targets, but after him it’s up in the air. Last year, Kmet had 12 games where he was targeted at least five times, giving him a good opportunity to be Justin Fields’ security blanket going forward.
Kmet caught 60 passes for 612 yards last season, so his stats don’t exactly jump off the page. However, with what should be a more competent offense than last season, Kmet is set up to have a breakout year.
Besides Mooney and Kmet, Fields hasn’t built much of a rapport with the other receivers because they are all fairly new to Fields. If you miss out on the top-tier tight ends, then Kmet would be a solid consolation prize for waiting it out.
