Trey Lance
Now is the time to acquire Trey Lance while he’s being ranked as QB25 and drafted as QB21 making him basically free in fantasy drafts. Lance is being underpriced right now because the expectation is that the 49ers are going to roll with Jimmy G to start the year. I don’t believe that to be the case, but even if Garoppolo is given the week 1 start, the 49ers aren’t going to keep their rookie QB that they traded up to pick number 3 for on the bench for long. I expect the window to get Lance this late is going to get slammed shut soon when he shows how dynamic he is in the preseason. When Lance is starting he’s a top 10 option weekly at the QB position, with top-end upside with his rushing ability.
Lance is my ideal QB 2 in larger best ball tournaments but you could even get away with him as a QB1 if you go with 3 QBs. Lance has the makeup of a player who could finish strong towards the end of the season in the money weeks 14-17 (his playoff schedule looks pretty alright to top it off - @ Cincinnati, vs Atlanta, @ Tennessee, vs Houston). I love stacking Lance with 2 of Kittle, Aiyuk, or Deebo in best ball drafts this year.
Chase Edmonds
Edmonds is a guy who’s being drafted in the middle of the dreaded “running back dead zone”, but I still believe he’s a steal at his ADP. I have him ranked as the RB 20 but he’s being drafted as the RB28 on Underdog Fantasy. Best Ball drafters have overcompensated a bit in the past month with where they’re drafting running backs which is allowing you to select him in the seventh round around Juju Smith-Schuster or Devonta Smith.
Nothing against Devonta or Juju, but top running backs still dominate fantasy football and Chase Edmonds has the archetype to finish as a top RB this year. He’s a pass-catching running back on one of the most potent offenses in football with potential for double-digit touchdowns. Edmond’s most likely outcome is to finish as a solid RB2 but it’s easy to envision the scenario given the above where he's involved in all facets of the Cardinals offense and finishes as a top 10, dare I say top 5 running back this year.
The Cardinals brought in the oft-injured James Conner on a 1 year 1.75 million dollar deal allowing Kenyan Drake to sign with Las Vegas this offseason. 10 running backs signed larger deals as free agents including the aforementioned Drake, as well as backs such as Mike Boone, Carlos Hyde, and Mark Ingram. Money isn’t the be-all-end-all, but it gives a picture of how highly a team/the league views a player. Conner is already coming into the season banged up as he recovers from his offseason turf toe surgery, and the depth behind him is minimal.
Edmonds looked explosive in the Cardinals first preseason game, putting up a deceiving stat line of 3 carries for 10 yards and catching his only target for 10 yards. I believe the fourth-year running back is being drafted at his floor with the assumption fully baked into his ADP that James Conner is going to take the majority of the carries, especially around the goal line. What if that assumption is incorrect? What if the Cardinals were comfortable letting Kenyan Drake leave because they knew how talented Chase Edmonds was and they plan to use him in both the run and passing game? I’m trying to leave every draft with Chase Edmonds this year because I believe that to be the case.
Mike Williams
Williams has all the potential in the world this year to light it up this season. Herbert should take a step up this year in his second year, new coach Joe Lombardi’s system should be a better fit for Williams and feature him more as the X receiver, and Herbert has been saying that they need to get the ball to Williams more this year.
“We need to get him the ball more … He’s one of those guys that you just have to find out there. He’s going to get open. He’s so physical, fast, and strong that he’s going to win jump balls, deep balls, and intermediate routes. I think we need to get him more involved in the short game and the quick game because he’s an incredible player.” - Justin Herbert
Despite all of the positive reports out of training camp in regard to both his performance as well as his role in the new offense head coach Brandon Staley/ OC Joe Lombardi are implementing for the Chargers, he’s still just being ranked as the WR43 right now on Fantasy Pros. I have him statted out for 115 targets (18.4% target share), 66 receptions for 1050 yards, and 6 TD's, good for WR24 in my half PPR rankings. As long as he can stay healthy he should be a locked & loaded WR3 at a minimum with high-end WR2 upside on a weekly basis.
Tyler Higbee
After the big 5 (Kelce, Waller, Kittle, Andrews, Hockenson), Higbee is my #1 target at tight end. With the departure of Gerald Everett to Seattle this offseason, that leaves the sky as the ceiling for Tyler Higbee this year who should see a major uptick in targets with Johnny Mundt as his main competition.
Last season the Rams gave 126 (22.4%) targets to the tight end position - however Everett and Higbee vultured each other receiving 62 and 60 respectively. Higbee was more efficient with his targets turning them into 11.8 YPR and 5 TD’s vs 10.2 and 1 TD for Everett - maybe the Rams figured they should give Higbee more work and that’s why they let Everett go?
When you combine Higbee’s opportunity for an expanded role, along with the addition of Matthew Stafford, and the recent loss of Cam Akers to a season-ending Achilles injury, I believe all things are pointing up for the talented tight end this season.