Fantasy Football Roundtable: Players we've changed our minds on

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-roundtable-players-weve-changed-our-minds-on-162759487.html

It happens to every fantasy football manager — you’re high on a player one day, then change your mind the next. That’s draft season! The folks at Yahoo Fantasy are no different — here are the players Matt Harmon, Chris Allen, Justin Boone and Scott Pianowski have changed their tunes on.

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Quarterback questions muddy the waters for star WR duo …

I’ll hit the easy button here. Back in June and July, my plan was to be overweight on Rams players this season. The addition of Davante Adams was exactly what they needed to complete the offense as a vertical X-receiver who can win against man coverage. Puka Nacua graduated last year to become a Tier 1 wide receiver who is just scratching the surface of his potential.

After a constant negative news cycle around Matthew Stafford’s back injury, I’m not entirely fading these Rams pass-catchers. Still, I’m breaking ties in favor of other options in their respective tiers. The concern isn’t whether Stafford can take the field in Week 1; it’s more about his availability deeper into the season as a 37-year-old quarterback who could be in jeopardy after multiple games of punishment to the back. The Rams offense would likely be functional with Jimmy Garoppolo under center but it won’t hit the ceiling needed for Nacua and Adams to pay off their bullish cases at ADP. — Matt Harmon

… But talent should win out for this young superstar pass-catcher

I’m willing to admit I’ve been double-counting the Giants’ QB situation and pushing Malik Nabers down as a result. Nabers sits in a cluster of WR1s like Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, Brian Thomas Jr. and Amon-Ra St. Brown. But, on paper, New York’s top receiver sticks out. His absurd 11.3 targets per game were almost three more than his “peers.” He was also the only receiver out of the pack with over 40% of the air yards. And this was while catching passes from Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, and Drew Lock.

Admittedly, the combination of Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart doesn’t instill much confidence. But, with the bar for competency buried somewhere underneath MetLife Stadium, Wilson posting top-12 accuracy metrics in Pittsburgh is an improvement. Plus, Dart has at least been able to act the part of starting QB during the preseason. Nabers’ lingering toe and back injuries do cast some doubt on his short- and long-term productivity. However, with a clean bill of health, I’d place Nabers in the top six of receivers instead of just the top 10. — Chris Allen

New home, new fantasy potential

When George Pickens was first traded to the Cowboys, my initial reaction was one of disappointment that he was shifting from being a No. 1 receiver in Pittsburgh to being behind a volume hog like CeeDee Lamb. He was also going from the eighth-easiest fantasy WR schedule with the Steelers to the outright hardest slate in Dallas. However, the Cowboys’ backfield is a work in progress and the defense still has a lot of uncertainty with injuries and contract situations that need to be sorted out. The result is going to be an extremely pass-heavy attack similar to what we saw two years ago, when Dak Prescott was top five in attempts (590) and passing yards (4,515), in addition to leading the league in passing touchdowns (36) and completions (410).

In that environment, Pickens can actually see an uptick in targets while catching passes from the best quarterback he’s played with. The constant reports and highlights of Pickens lighting it up in Cowboys’ practices are also impossible to ignore. I’ve moved him up into the low-end WR2 range and won’t be surprised if he hauls in double-digit touchdowns in 2025. — Justin Boone

A backup RB looking to go beyond

A few months ago, Braelon Allen was an afterthought to me — a contingent back I was somewhat curious about, but nothing close to a priority. Now I’ve seen the light: Allen has the talent to become this team’s starter, and even if Breece Hall doesn’t go away quietly, Allen could assume the goal-line role.

The Jets are likely to use multiple backs no matter what, and quarterback Justin Fields will get his share of the ground production. But Allen is the definite priority for me in this backfield. — Scott Pianowski

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-roundtable-players-weve-changed-our-minds-on-162759487.html