The Importance Of The NFL Scouting Combine To Fantasy Football
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Xfinity, covering the importance of the NFL Scouting Combine, combine rumors, RB Tiers and more.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Xfinity:
The NFL Scouting Combine is officially underway.
Hereās everything you need to know about the event your co-worker absolutely canāt resist calling the āUnderwear Olympicsā ā¦
š The exciting stuff starts Friday. With all due apologies to the defensive players and place kickers, us fantasy heads are most interested in the measurements and workouts for the skill position players. Here is the relevant info:
š¤ Does the combine actually matter for fantasy? Kind of ā¦ combine testing influences where NFL teams select these players, but after that it is baked into NFL Draft capital and we run the risk of double counting it. For a more nuanced explanation of what matters for each specific position, I highly recommend reading Dwainās recent piece where he did a deep dive into historical NFL Scouting Combine data to answer these exact questions.
āļø Are the times a-changinā? In recent years, itās become standard for the top prospects to skip the combineāthink Marvin Harrison Jr. two years ago. On the one hand, this is frustrating for our purposes. GIVE US THE DATA FOR OUR (SUPER) MODELS. But itās also hard to blame them. If they are guaranteed a high selection, thereās only downside to their draft stock by participating.
šļø Who should I keep an eye out for? There are too many to count, but one Iām particularly interested in is Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, who Freedman thinks could go as early as No. 5 overall to the Giants. If he runs close to a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash heās likely to cement himself as the first WR off the board.
If you have Puka Nacua in dynasty, whatās not to love? Heās already established as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, having just dominated to the tune of a league-high 129 catches, 1,715 receiving yards and 10 TDs. Heās the focal point of NFL MVP Matthew Staffordās high-powered attack, and heās barely turning 25. His star is still rising. Weāre looking at potentially at least a five-year run of consistent greatness.
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One of the most underrated aspects of the NFL Scouting Combine has to be the chatter that happens both at Lucas Oil Field and throughout the restaurants and bars in downtown Indianapolisādrink for every time you hear about St. Elmoās. That chatter could be the beginning of trade talk. It could show teamsā interest in free agents. And it could impact a playerās draft capital. Itās football talk and weāre here for it.
Matthew Freedman compiled some of the most compelling rumors going into combine week, focusing on the draft prospects. Is Fernando Mendoza really a franchise changer? Could the Jets trade up? Who do the Cardinals have on their radar at No. 3? Freedman has the appetizers for a main course of rumors that will be flying all over this week. ā¤µļø
RB Tiers: After Bijan, Gibbs and CMC, Whoās Next?
Letās have a little fun. Letās put a little more than 50 running backsā52 to be exactāand group them in clusters called ātiers.ā Well, we didnāt, but Ian Hartitz had enough fun for all of us in dividing up the most fantasy-relevant RBs into 11 tiers. Then add in some key analysis on various topics that tie these players together.
For instance, up top Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey ended up on either side of the dreaded 370-touch mark, after which players supposedly slip backward in the ensuing season. CMC finished with a career-high 413 touches, while Bijan finished just short of the mark at 366. Does this tell us anything about whatās ahead? It helps to be a multi-talented back, as Ian writes:
They each boast a fantasy-friendly combination of pass-catching chops and high-end volume that should help prevent too big a decline in fantasy points even if their raw yards per carry numbers might not push for career-best marks.
Who are some players in Tier 2 who could rise up into the top group? Are there free agents who could become solid RB2s on your squad? Read on for Ianās breakdown.ā¤µļø
