NFC Players That Won’t Meet Expectations

Aug 7 • DraftDay, NFL, Predictions • 7 Views • No Comments

As the title suggests, today we will be looking at NFC players that had great seasons last year, but will not be able to meet the high expectations made for them. Some of these players will still have solid years, but new offensive weapons will take away their touches per game, which will reduce the opportunities they have to make some noise on your daily fantasy football team.

LeSean McCoy, RB: Philadelphia Eagles

McCoy was a fantasy stud last year. He had 20 touchdowns, and was almost guaranteed to have at least one 20+ yard play. It helped that the Eagles did not have any viable backup running backs. After the first two weeks of training camp, it looks like a viable backup running back has emerged in Dion Lewis. Lewis is smaller than McCoy, but the little man plays big. He is a huge threat in open space, so expect more of the screen plays to go to Lewis. One of McCoy’s weaknesses was his consistency in the passing game. Don’t get me wrong, he is still better than most, but he is definitely a dropoff from players like Matt Forte. Andy Reid has mentioned many times this summer that he wants to limit McCoy’s touches. The emergence of Dion Lewis makes this a viable option for the Eagles.

Mathew Stafford, QB: Detroit Lions

In my fantasy league last year, I was laughed at when I waited until the 9th round to draft a QB. I had a gut feeling about Stafford and I was going to gamble on it. 5,000 passing yards and one league championship later, I got the last laugh. There is no way Stafford can replicate those results. First off, Megatron is cursed. The Madden Curse will strike again. Without his number one receiver, it will be tough for Stafford to keep drives alive. Titus Young could breakout this year, if he stays out of trouble. With questions in the running game, the Lions will live and die by Stafford’s arm.

Victor Cruz, WR: New York Giants

Cruz has a great story; Undrafted player who dominated in his second year in the league. Good for you kid. While he deserves to be paid millions, I would not trust him to be the breakout threat every week that he was last year. Teams will focus on him. With Eli expecting to have a typical mediocre Eli year, it will be tough for Cruz to salsa dance too often this fall.

Adrian Peterson, RB: Minnesota Vikings

I am totally choosing the easy ones here. Peterson tore his ACL last year in December. He will probably start the season on the PUP. With limited reps, I would be surprised to see Peterson match his numbers from last year. It may take him time to trust his knee as well. This is usually the biggest problem for players coming off an injury.