The NFC East used to be one of the most volatile divisions in the whole NFL. Year to year, there was a new division champion. Heading into the 2019-2020 season, only two of the four teams seem relevant in the playoff discussion. Nevertheless, this division is still loaded with fantasy talent. Once again this is why fantasy football is the best. It makes meaningless games matter for fans outside the division.
Dallas Cowboys:
QB: Dak Prescott
RB: Ezekial Elliott, Tony Pollard, Alfred Morris
WR: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb
TE: Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin
D/ST: Position Rank = 18
The Dallas Cowboys are in a very interesting position as of August 1st. Their superstar RB Ezekiel Elliott is holding out of training camp due to an ongoing contract dispute. Elliott still has two years left on his current deal, but given his volume and productivity he is worth so much more than the mere $4M he will be making this upcoming season. If the Zeke situation is figured out by week 1, which no one knows after the Le’Veon Bell fiasco of last year, Elliott is a top 3 pick in every draft, regardless of the league scoring. Zeke is an absolute force on the field and in fantasy, and his improvement in the passing game in 2018 is a sign of a bright future ahead. Pay the man, Jerry! Besides Zeke, Amari Cooper is the next best fantasy option. After being traded mid-season to Dallas last year, Cooper put up 725 yards and 6 TDs in the 9 games he played. Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb are serviceable, but shouldn’t be considered starting options at the WR position in fantasy as of right now. Jason Witten is returning to the team after retiring for a season. Witten won’t have too much fantasy value, as they won’t want to overwork the older veteran. Overall, after Elliott is selected in the first round, look for Cooper in the middle of the 3rd round, as that is great value for a #1 WR on a good offense. Gallup and Cobb should only be drafted in 12 man leagues, somewhere in the very late rounds of the draft.
Philadelphia Eagles:
QB: Carson Wentz
RB: Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Corey Clement, Josh Adams, Wendall Smallwood
WR: Alshon Jeffery, Desean Jackson, Nelson Agholor
TE: Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert
D/ST: Position Rank = 26
The Eagles finally have a healthy Carson Wentz back and reports from training camp say he has lost a few pounds and looks much “leaner”. If this translates to a full, healthy season for Wentz, The Eagles are going to be a force in the NFC. The Eagles traded for Jordan Howard and drafted rookie Miles Sanders at RB. They have so many quality RB on the roster that it is difficult to project who will be the lead back. Sanders has been the first RB drafted from Philly in most drafts, as he has the most upside throughout the long season. Corey Clement and Wendall Smallwood will definitely still see action on passing downs. Eagles coaches believe that Sanders has the possibility to become an every down back, but for now all we have is hope. Alshon Jeffery is a great red zone target, but Wentz has shown the tendency to force feed the ball to TE Zach Ertz. Ertz should be the first pass catcher off the board from the Eagles. If you can snag Ertz in the 4th or 5th rounds, that is amazing value and the volume will be there. Ertz broke the single season record for receptions by a TE last year with 116. Desean Jackson and Nelson Agholor are both super volatile players that can win or lose you a week. They have the capability to go for 160 yards and 2 TDs, or they can get practically a 0 for the week. Very risky plays, especially at the beginning of the year, which is why they shouldn’t be touched until at least the 10th round.
Washington Redskins:
QB: Dwayne Haskins, Case Keenum
RB: Darrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, Chris Thompson, Bryce Love
WR: Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson, Trey Quinn
TE: Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis
D/ST: Position Rank = 16
Perhaps the most unknown offense heading into 2019, the Washington Redskins. It looks as though Dwayne Haskins will be the day 1 starter, which throws even more uncertainty in the mix. Darrius Guice is rehabbing a torn ACL that held him on the sideline for the entire 2018 season. Adrian Peterson showed flashes last year but you can’t trust that heading into his age 34 season. Chris Thompson is a high floor play, as game flow will force him onto the field on passing plays. They have some talent at WR, but there is no one that is a lock to produce. Doctson was inconsistent all of last year, they acquired Paul Richardson from Seattle who could end up being a good deep ball threat, and Trey Quinn is a solid slot guy. Since many believe the Redskins will have trouble scoring and moving the ball, a suggestion would be to stay away from this offense altogether. Taking a late shot at Darrius Guice or Paul Richardson isn’t the worst idea, but don’t expect anything too major from this offense. Jordan Reed’s health concerns and Vernon Davis’ age don’t make me very interested in their TE’s either.
New York Giants:
QB: Eli Manning, Daniel Jones
RB: Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman
WR: Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Cody Latimer
TE: Evan Engram
D/ST: Position Rank = 27
The New York Football Giants had a very questionable offseason. They drafted QB Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick, and they traded one of their best offensive talents in OBJ. The offensive line still doesn’t look great, and they lost potentially their best defender in safety Landon Collins. What does all of this mean for fantasy football though? Well first of all, Saquon Barkley is still a top 4 pick no matter how you slice it. Barkley will put up numbers, and even if the offense has trouble moving the ball, he will still be involved through the short yard passing game. After Barkely, the next best option is Evan Engram. Engram has WR skills at the TE position. With news of Sterling Shepard breaking his hand and Golden Tate being suspended, Engram will have an enormous amount of the target share early on. I have Engram as the 5th best TE, and someone you should look for in rounds 5-7. When Shepard and Tate return from injury/suspension, they do hold some value. Shepard will be the #1 option at WR and even in a low-tier offense, that is valuable. Look to draft him in rounds 10-13 as some league members will see he is injured and lose interest. Tate will be a nice addition to the slot, but there is no way he will replicate some of the years he had with Matthew Stafford in Detroit.
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