Excluding Ezekiel Elliott, which was your favorite draft pick for fantasy purposes this year?
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- Michael Fabiano NFL Media Senior Fantasy Analyst
Opportunity knocks for Coleman
Come on ... I can't gush on Elliott anymore? If we're talking seasonal leagues, I'll go with Corey Coleman. Why? Opportunities. Opportunities. Opportunities. Unless Josh Gordon is reinstated in August, the Baylor product is going to be one of the best options (if not the best option) for Robert Griffin III in the Browns pass attack. I also like Laquon Treadwell because of the likelihood he'll be a prominent receiver in Minnesota right out of the gate. With that said, I like Josh Doctson to be the best fantasy wide receiver to come out of this class long term.
I'm tempted to say Kenneth Dixon, but I feel he has a few more hurdles to jump than Sterling Shepard does with the New York Giants. Victor Cruz is still around, but it's unlikely he'll return to his old form after suffering a ghastly patellar tendon tear. Shepard, meanwhile, is a polished route runner with excellent ability after the catch who could slide right in as the No. 2 option opposite Odell Beckham Jr. Seeing single coverage and catching passes from Eli Manning could set Shepard up for an impressive first campaign in the NFL.
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- Marcas Grant NFL Media Fantasy Editor
Dixon is Gio Bernard 2.0
It wasn't a great draft for a lot of running backs to make immediate impacts, but Kenneth Dixon did land in a very good spot with the Ravens. Before the draft, I compared Dixon to Giovani Bernard. Now he gets to work with Marc Trestman, an offensive coordinator who has made it his life's mission to get running backs involved in their teams' passing games. Remember the 102 passes Matt Forte caught in 2014? Dixon isn't likely to catch that many right away, but he should be a much bigger part of Baltimore's passing game than Javorius Allen was. Even with Justin Forsett back and healthy, Dixon should be able to work his way on to the field for a few carries. In the short term, he will probably be a late-round PPR option but he does have much better long-range value as a dynasty pick.
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- Matt Harmon NFL Fantasy Writer
Shepard should harvest targets
Going outside the first round, I love Sterling Shepard's landing spot for the chances he'll get to produce right out of the gate. I've repeatedly called him the best route-runner in this year's draft and don't think the competition is even close. His polish and nuance as a technician give him more of an edge to crack the rotation early on. That's good news for the Giants because they don't have a single player ready to step into the No. 2 wide receiver spot across from Odell Beckham, unless Victor Cruz is finally healthy. The Giants run a west coast offense based on quick timing passes under Ben McAdoo. Many of the routes assigned in that system are precisely those that Sterling Shepard was most successful on in college. He could steal a starting job in training camp and approach 100-plus targets in his rookie season. The production to follow in what really is a perfect marriage should only improve year after year. Shepard is the classic second-round pick who will end up producing like a first rounder now that he landed in a tremendous situation.
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- James Koh NFL Fantasy LIVE host
Toeing the line with Dixon
The Louisiana Tech product has a chance to be the best draft bargain period. That's how high I am on Kenneth Dixon being drafted by Baltimore. "The Line" as I'm calling him, is a good athlete and an angry runner and his willingness to fight for extra yards will result in some huge plays, mark my words. But forget about his production on the ground, when that ball is in the air, Dixon is a special talent. An amazing pass-catching back in a Marc Trestman offense? Sign me up all day long. It won't take long for him to overcome both Buck Allen and Justin Forsett and become a guy that could be a big-time difference maker on fantasy rosters this year.
