Did your fantasy football question not make this week's Mailbag? You can still get an answer! Submit it to Fantasy Genius and have your question seen by millions of fantasy fans just like you!
Marcas Grant: The key to building a good keeper team is to take younger players with upside that are also ready to produce right away. Certainly Andrew Luck is one of those guys. The other name that jumps off the page at me is Jeremy Hill. We all saw what he did last season as a rookie in Cincinnati. This season, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has even higher expectations for the LSU product. He has easily supplanted Giovani Bernard as the Bengals top back and looks to have a bright future as the centerpiece of that offense. Plus with so few potential workhorse running backs (a number that dwindles every year), it makes sense to get one early.
M.G.: No. Not at all. Don't do it. To be honest, I'm not sure that C.J. Anderson was worth a first-round pick even without Hillman hanging around. I'm honestly not convinced that Hillman will play a huge role once the regular season begins, but he has made enough of an impact this preseason that he could get a few extra snaps. However, Anderson is a low-end RB1 this season and I'd rather spend my first round pick on guys who will be at the higher end of the scale at their respective positions. I've said all offseason that I wouldn't hesistate to draft someone like Aaron Rodgers, Rob Gronkowski or Antonio Brown if I was selecting somewhere in the back half of the first round.
M.G.: First off, there aren't too many unknowns anymore in fantasy football. Once you start seeing tweets about Thomas Rawls, you know that hidden gems are nearly impossible to come by. But more to your point, I'd rather go with DeMarco Murray and Lamar Miller than to take a chance on Le'Veon Bell and (all pardons to Adam Rank) some curtain-jerker. The reason is simple math. In most leagues, you have to start two running backs every week. Even though I'm down on Murray this year, I think he and Miller -- who I'm really high on -- can outscore Le'Veon Bell and someone like Devonta Freeman on a weekly basis. It's a case of two very good players beating one elite and one mediocre.
M.G.: I like Latavius Murray this season. Maybe not as much as I did at the end of last season, but he's still viable as a low-end RB2 although I think I'd like him better as a flex option. My big concern is that we haven't really seen what Murray can do over an extended period. Everyone remembers his big game against the Chiefs last season when he rumbled for 112 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries (he also left that game with an injury). That game alone accounted for one-third of his fantasy production in 2014. The rest of his starts were pretty pedestrian. It looks like Murray is going to be the workhorse in Oakland this season, but there are some folks out there who can warn you about the dangers of Roy Helu. We're looking at you, Alfred Morris.
M.G.: Right now, I'm staying away from all Bears receivers. We know that Kevin White is going to be out for an extended period -- possibly the entire season. Alshon Jeffery is "day-to-day" with his calf ailment, Marquess Wilson is struggling with a hamstring injury and even Royal has been held out of action with a hip issue. Jay Cutler already makes me nervous. I'm even more hesitant to take a wide receiver in that offense that is less than 100 percent. Besides, I tend to lean toward running backs in flex situations. Even if they don't catch as many passes, it's easier to get the ball in their hands on a consistent basis.
M.G.: I can't rate Marshall higher than a WR3 this season. If that's your standard for him, then you should be satisfied. If you're expecting more than that, then woe be unto you. Last season, injuries limited Marshall to 13 games. But when he was on the field, he averaged slightly fewer than five catches per game -- the lowest total since his rookie season. With Ryan Fitzpatrick under center for the time being, Marshall essentially makes a lateral move in quarterback ability. His numbers might be slightly better than the 61/721/8 he posted last season, but his days as a WR1 are probably over.
M.G.: The fact that you couldn't pick one Browns back from that muddled backfield should answer the question that you're not going that direction. That makes it a tough call between Allen Robinson and Ryan Mathews. I said earlier that I tend to lean toward running backs in my flex spot, but in this case I'd take the wide receiver. The reason is that Robinson has the makings of a No. 1 wideout in the Jaguars offense. He is likely to see plenty of targets from Blake Bortles in Jacksonville's passing attack. While I do like Mathews' prospects -- and would use him as a flex in many circumstances -- he's still going to share opportunities with DeMarco Murray and Darren Sproles, which will automatically limit his opportunities.
M.G.: Do it. Do it now! I'm really big on Jordan Cameron having a good year this season, but I don't think he'll be leaps and bounds ahead of Kyle Rudolph. On the other hand, I expect Eddie Lacy to be far more productive than LeSean McCoy. Now come stories that McCoy might not be ready for the start of the regular season as he continues to deal with a lingering hamstring issue. I'm not fully jumping off the Shady Train, but I am starting to at least look for the exit.
M.G.: I would call the Washington offense a dumpster fire, but that would be an insult to dumpster fires. I'm not among those who believe that Kirk Cousins is somehow the answer to what ails the club. There's a reason he's been a backup all of this time. If anything, Cousins sort of backed into the starting gig. Since plenty of fantasy enthusiasts enjoy streaming defenses throughout the season, it's always a good idea to target one or two floundering offenses from week-to-week. This group is going to be one of them.
M.G.: While I'm starting to come around on Sam Bradford this preseason, I've been fighting to drive the Ryan Tannehill hype train. Bradford has the chance to be a low end QB1, but Tannehill has an opportunity to crack the top five at his position. It's definitely a good idea to stash Foster for his return later in the season and since carrying two quarterbacks isn't really necessary, I'd advise saying goodbye to the Eagles signal-caller.
Bonus question:
M.G.: Just as many as Carl had when the robots moved next door.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man who makes the homies say "Ho!" and the girlies wanna scream. Tweet him your favorite Aqua Teen quotes or fantasy football questions @MarcasG.
