Affirmative Action (Rookie)
QB - Dak Prescott
QB - Carson Palmer
QB - Josh McCown
RB - Jordan Howard
RB - Eddie Lacy
RB - Mike Gillislee
RB - Rex Burkhead
WR - Antonio Brown
WR - Brandin Cooks
WR - Larry Fitzgerald
WR - Terrelle Pryor
WR - Willie Snead
WR - Kenny Stills
WR - Robby Anderson
WR - John Brown
WR - Cole Beasley
WR - JJ Nelson
TE - Delanie Walker
TE - Jack Doyle
TE - Dwayne Allen
DB - Landon Collins
LB - Sean Lee
LB - Christian Kirksey
LB - Lawrence Timmons
DL - Cameron Jordan
DL - Leonard Williams
DL - Muhammad Wilkerson
DL - Ezekiel Ansah
Affirmative Action: B-
Rookie has put together a pretty solid roster across the board, although some serious question marks keep him from a higher draft grade.
Let's start off with the good. First, his receivers are very solid. Brown is the best WR in fantasy, although not the most valuable in dynasty due to his age and uncertain future at his team's QB position. With Big Ben throwing to him, Brown is elite. When other QBs are throwing him the ball, though, he drops off in quality substantially. With rumors that Ben may not be much longer for the NFL, the days of Brown as a top-tier fantasy contributor may be numbered unless Pittsburgh can strike gold again with their next QB. For this year, though, he should continue to be one of the best receivers in the league.
I am also a big fan of Cooks, although the overall quality of the New England receiving corps may limit his upside this year. Snead should see an increased role with Cooks gone, though, and I'd expect him to be a solid flex guy in our single PPR setting. Similarly, Pryor should be in line for a great year with an actual quarterback throwing him the ball every week. The only thing standing in Pryor's way could be a healthy Josh Doctson, but until we actually see that, he's the WR1 in Washington. Cole Beasley was also a sneaky-good grab late in the draft, as he's another great PPR flex-worthy play.
Rookie has put together a very nice defense as well, and he's able to start four guys who all finished in the top ten at their positions last year. Landon Collins in particular is a defensive stud, and while some regression should be expected this year (he's probably not outscoring the next guy at his position by over sixty points again), he should continue to be one of the best DBs in the league.
And now on to the bad, and it starts with the running back position. Rookie only has four backs on his roster, and only one of them can be penciled in as a surefire starter this year. Howard is a great RB, to be sure, and likely to finish as a RB1 if healthy. However, Lacy may be stuck in a committee with two other talented backs, and he may not ever start for Seattle at all. Meanwhile, it's hard to trust any of the RBs in New England, as Belichick has historically rode the hot hand and been a terrible coach for fantasy owners to gamble on when it comes to the running game. While either Gillislee or Burkhead may emerge as a true RB1/2, it's far more likely that either of them could be the lead back in any given week, thus making them both a tough play in fantasy.
The long-term prospects of his TEs seems murky as well. Delanie Walker is a great TE, no doubt, but he's also thirty-three, and he may lose out on some valuable red zone targets with Eric Decker on the team, not to mention the other additions to the passing game like top ten pick Corey Davis, third-round receiver Taywan Taylor, and rookie TE Jonnu Smith. I'm also not sold at all on Jack Doyle. He's a horrendous athlete (13th percentile height-adjusted speed) and, if Moncrief is healthy, won't be the guy that Luck looks to in the end zone either. Further, it's not difficult to see second-year TE Erik Swoope carving out a bigger role this year and relegating Doyle to the sidelines. Dwayne Allen isn't bad, to be fair, but he'll continue to be the secondary TE in New England and will likely remain little more than a bye week play rather than a weekly starter.
Finally, the quarterback situation is equally murky for Affirmative Action. Dak Prescott, obviously, should continue to be a QB1 or 2 in fantasy football. He's an incumbent starter behind an elite offensive line with plenty of weapons in the passing and running game. However, after Prescott, there's just a gaping hole. Carson Palmer is on his last legs, and may not be around after this year. Josh McCown, on the other hand, is just terrible, and unlikely to give much production on an equally terrible Jets team. There is virtually zero chance that McCown stays healthy the whole year, and beyond this season he'll likely revert to back-up status. Rookie would have done well to snag some youth at the position, especially after selecting Palmer as his primary superflex option.
Overall, this is a good team, though. There are holes, to be sure, and questionable depth at some key positions, but barring major injuries Rookie's team could certainly be contending for the playoffs this year.
Favorite Pick(s): Terrelle Pryor (#67)
Pryor was just a great value at that point in the draft...one of the only primary receiving options left on the board.
Least Favorite Pick(s): Larry Fitzgerald (#91)
While Fitzgerald is an all-time great, he's almost done at this point, and Rookie passed over some talented guys with longer careers ahead of them like Cameron Meredith, Julian Edelman, Eric Decker, and Emmanuel Sanders, not to mention starting RBs like Spencer Ware and CJ Anderson that could have really helped address his lack of depth there.