NFL Fantasy Football 2021 Primer – Summer Stock Report – NFC East

 

I am going around the NFL, division by division, catching you up on all news out of OTAs and corresponding ADP moves.  I started last week with the NFC North, and my take on the Aaron Rodgers saga.  This week we head to the NFC East, a division that was easily the worst in football last season, but I believe features some terrific fantasy value for 2021.

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Fantasy Football Summer Stock Report – NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles

 

If our early NFL content is any indication, Jalen Hurts might as well play this season in a DFS Army helmet rather than one with an Eagles logo. I already wrote him up in a piece on dual threat quarterbacks. The Geek even went to Tik Tok to make sure the youngsters know where plant their QB flags.

The bottom line is that if Hurts maintains anything close to the rushing volume he saw in limited starts as rookie, he is going to smash.

There’s no analytics to back this type of take up, I but also think Hurts has a bit of the “it” factor. You just know it when you see it. He reminds me a bit of Russell Wilson and Dak in that his teammates seemed to believe in him immediately and respond to his energy.

Hurts’ ADP remains solid in the 7th round. At this price I find him very easy to stack. You can almost always take Devonte Smith in the late 6th and grab Hurts in the early 7th if that is your intention. Goedert will often be there for you in the 8th if you want to double down. The Goedert ADP will likely start to creep up a bit when/if Zack Ertz is eventually moved.  I don’t mind tacking on Reagor (11/12th round) or Travis Fulgham (last round) to the stack.

Miles Sanders’ market is an interesting one to analyze. He disappointed as a 1st round fantasy pick last season. A few months ago he was being taken as high as the 2nd. After the Eagles signed Kerryon Johnson and drafted Kenny Gainwell, Sanders has seen his ADP fall into the 4th round.

I’m not overly worried about Johnson, but I do think that Gainwell could cut into his passing down role. There will likely be less checks downs to the RB in general with a running QB like Hurts under center.

I view Sanders much like I do David Montgomery. I’m not going to be overweight on either, but I do believe in the talent. The concern about their pass game usage is baked into their 4th/5th round price and I won’t hesitate to take them there in builds where I go WR earlier.

 

New York Giants

 

The biggest new out of Giants’ camp as been the team’s willingness to take it slow with star running back Saquon Barkley.  ESPN’s beat reporter Jordan Raanan wrote that Saquon, “… says he is “doing well” in his rehab from a torn ACL, but won’t put a timetable on his return or provide any public assurance that he will be back for the start of the new season.”

I don’t get the sense that Barkley is in real danger of missing week one, but I do think they will be cautious with him, at least to start.  Before his injury Saquon used to see snap percentages only McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook could count on.  Freshly signed Devontae Booker will play a significant role until Barkley proves he is fully recovered.

This news has dropped Barkley firmly behind Derrick Henry and Kamara in ADP, and I now often see him going behind Zeke and Jonathan Taylor as well.  I have no problem taking Barkley in the later half of the first round, but know that he could take a couple weeks to really get going.

I love Daniel Jones at cost.  He’s going off the board as QB 23, the 14th round.  He has sneaky rushing floor and deep pool of weapons to throw the ball.

With Golladay, Shepard, Toney, Slayton, Engram, and even Kyle Rudolph fighting targets, it will be tough to count on any one week to week.  I do like Golladay better on a half point PPR sites like Underdog or Fanduel, than on a full point site like DraftKings.  I think the touchdowns will be there, but he may not see the volume of other WRs going in his 5/6th round range.

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Last season I went all in on Dak.  I was way overweight in best ball, drafted him in both my FFPC Footballguys Championship teams.  Even had him in my longest running home league.  Five weeks in I was shopping for beach houses.  One broken ankle later, I’m in the poor house.

The good news is that Dak’s recovery has gone great and he’ll be ready to go week one if I want to double down.  The bad news is that there is no discount.  Dak is the 5th QB off the board, going in late 5th round.  Ceedee and Cooper are going right next to each other in the middle of the third, so you can only really stack him with one of the two per draft.  The best value might be Michael Gallup, who can be had in the late 7th, sometimes 8th, round.

I wanted to fade Zeke Elliott this season.  Last year he looked less explosive than his backup Tony Pollard.  That said, I’m starting to buy into the “best shape of his life” hype coming out of voluntary workouts.  Zeke is going 6th overall, so again, there is no discount for the disaster that was 2020.

There is a ceiling scenario where Dallas’ defense still stinks, Dak is forced into shootout mode, and this NFL offense goes to the moon.  If that is how things play out in Big D, you are going to need exposure to the Cowboys, even if you have to pay up to get it.

 

Washington Football Team

 

Listeners to the Bold Calls Podcast know that Terry McLaurin has long been a DFS Army favorite.  In spirit of Andre Johnson and Allen Robinson, he’s continued to produce despite catching passes from a litany of terrible quarterbacks. With Ryan Fitzmagic in the nation’s capital, McLaurin will finally have a QB that can help him reach his ceiling.

Dwayne Haskins was lost, and Alex Smith could do little more than check down constantly to Logan Thomas and JD McKissic. Fitzpatrick will push the ball down the field to McLaurin without hesitation, making him a rock solid pick at his 3rd round ADP.

There was talk earlier in the spring that Antonio Gibson was still suffering from a lingering toe injury.  This recent ESPN article quelled those concerns and hinted that Gibson could be see a much increased pass game role in his second NFL season.  I will continue to buy Antonio Gibson at his current mid-2nd round ADP.  I would not be surprised if that rises closer to the 1st if the news continues to be positive throughout the preseason.

Hopefully I’ve helped you catch up on the NFC East.  We’ll be back next week to take on another division.  In the meantime, stay tuned to Bold Calls podcast, check out our Draft Kit for latest NFL intel.

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