Fantasy Football – Alfred Morris All-Stars
Bryce Brown RB (48%): Chip Kelly likes to run the football, at Oregon last year his Ducks ran the ball an average of just over 52 times per game! I’m sure the NFL version of the offense will be different, but I doubt he is going to drastically change his run heavy philosophy. Starter LeSean McCoy has never averaged more than 18 carries a game in a season. He’s never been a workhorse back and was hurt most of last year. There are going to be enough carries for Brown to possibly justify a flex role on your squad. If he gets 15+ in week 1, your going wish you had stashed him on your roster.
Mohamed Sanu WR (15%): With defenses focusing on AJ Green, Sanu is going to see a lot of single coverage this year. He might be the slowest starting WR in the NFL, but he has great hands, good size (6’2, 210), and was establishing himself as a red zone threat before his injury last year (4 TDs in last 3 games). Sanu could end up catching 60-70 passes as noodle armed Andy Dalton’s safety valve and scoring 8-10 TDs.
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Coby Fleener TE (15%): Fleener was a trendy pick last year based on his high draft status (34th overall) and his rapport with college teammate Andrew Luck, but he was a disappointment as a rookie (26/281/2) and preseason injuries (concussion, knee) have kept him from generating any post-hype buzz. Fleener is probable for week 1 but so is fellow 2nd year TE Dwayne Allen, who almost doubled Fleener’s production last year. I expect their roles to be reversed this year since Bruce Arians and his downfield passing attack have been replaced by former Stanford OC, Pep Hamilton, and his west coast passing attack. Fleener excelled playing in Hamilton’s system at Stanford and I expect Hamilton to utilize Fleener more effectively this year in what could be his breakout season.
Rod Streater WR (7%): Streater is the best of the worst group of WRs in the league. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but reports from Raiders camp have Streater pegged as Pryor’s go-to target. The Raiders are going to be down big often and garbage time stats are just as good for fantasy purposes.
Tyrelle Pryor QB (9%): This is a long shot, but both times I’ve seen Pryor play he showed flashes of competence. I’m glad he’s not the QB for the Bears, but he did show some definite fantasy potential. He is on par athletically with Kaepernick & Wilson, and can provide the same type of run/pass mix that makes the former two so valuable in fantasy. Playing behind the Raiders beat up OL, Pryor will be forced to run a lot and 50-60 rushing yards a game is feasible. If the Raiders are as bad as I think they are, Pryor will be playing from behind most of the time and facing stat-friendly prevent defenses in garbage time. The combo of his running ability and garbage time passing stats could result in some fantasy outputs in the mid-20s. I would rather have a high upside gamble like Pryor as my backup QB then a solid (boring) option like Dalton or Flacco.