Thursday night can’t get here soon enough.
I still have one draft to go (tonight), but after that come
those days of limbo when anticipation can get the best of you.
I’ve already started receiving tweets and emails with
questions about various trade and waiver-wire scenarios from owners who’ve
apparently been staring at their rosters a little too hard and feel the need to
do something, anything, to better position themselves for immediate success.
I have one word for you: Relax!
Unless, of course, you followed my advice and grabbed Jonas
Gray. Sorry about that! Go ahead and dump him for a free agent with upside. (I
picked up Knile Davis, who went undrafted in one of my leagues.)
Otherwise, trust your draft preparation, don’t succumb to
the knee-jerk trade offer and avoid impulsive waiver-wire moves. Instead, join
me in pondering these 10 burning questions that should begin to be answered as
2015 Opening Weekend unfolds:
- How soon will LeSean McCoy, Arian
Foster, Todd Gurley, Randall Cobb, Alshon Jeffery, Julian Edelman and
other nicked-up stars be ready to go full throttle? It’s never a good
sign to head into the regular season already nursing an injury, because
they often linger and/or re-emerge later in the season. Rush back too
soon, and all bets are off.
- Who will emerge from obscurity? Last
season Justin Forsett, C.J. Anderson and Brandon LaFell became prized
free-agent acquisitions after stellar early-season performances. Which
players will we be scrambling for in the coming weeks? Early candidates: Titans RB
Terrance West, Rams WR Brian Quick, Dolphins WR DeVante Parker and Bears
WR Eddie Royal, who always seems to tease us early on.
- Can the new-look Eagles make Chip
Kelly’s up-tempo offense hum? Sam Bradford looked sharp in the
preseason, but the injury bug plagues him. Can DeMarco Murray hold up all
season after handling the ball 450 times last year in Dallas? Can Jordan
Matthews continue his progression while Nelson Agholor attempts to fill
Jeremy Maclin’s cleats? One thing seems certain: This group will be fun to
watch.
- Is Melvin Gordon the next LaDainian
Tomlinson, or the next Ryan Mathews? The Chargers traded up in the
first round of April’s draft to grab the man they hope will be their next
franchise back. But so far, Gordon isn’t reminding anyone of LT. Millions
of fantasy owners have invested a premium pick in the rookie, even though
he’s mostly struggled this preseason.
- How will the Cowboys’ RB committee
shake out? Joseph Randle will be the nominal starter, but oft-injured
Darren McFadden is clearly more explosive. And what are we to make of the
late acquisition of former Seahawk Christine Michael? When, if ever, will
he get a chance to showcase his considerable talents?
- Will Cam Newton throw a TD pass to a
wideout this season? Scoff if you like, but Alex Smith didn’t in 2014.
With no receiver on the roster seemingly capable of filling Kelvin Benjamin’s
role, Newton’s options are Greg Olsen and, um…
- Which rookies will make an immediate
impact? Gurley could set the league on fire in St. Louis, but he needs
to get fully healthy first. Gordon, Ameer Abdullah and T.J. Yeldon will
get plenty of opportunities to shine. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will
surely take their lumps. Most intriguing: Can Amari Cooper, Agholor and
the rest of this year’s rookie wideouts possibly measure up to the stellar
class of 2014?
- What antics does Bill Belichick have
in store for his backfield this year? Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen
are gone. LeGarrette Blount is back, though suspended for Week 1. The
inscrutable head coach already threw us a curve ball with the release of
presumed opening day starter Jonas Gray. James White and Brandon Bolden
will likely share the backfield in Thursday’s opener, but will Blount
return to a committee?
- After a year’s hiatus, will Adrian
Peterson return to elite form? Spoiler alert: You betcha.
- Will the Jaguars produce a single fantasy stud? How about the
Titans? Or the Browns? Yeldon and Allen Robinson are the most
promising candidates in Jacksonville, but will their talent be squandered?
Will Delanie Walker get any support from his rookie QB, the unproven
outside receivers or Tennessee’s mediocre running game? Will this be the
first and last time that “Isaiah Crowell” and “stud” are written in the same
sentence?
After another interminable offseason, these questions and
many more will begin to be answered in just a few days. And I can’t wait.
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