Stay Away Players From the NFC

For reasons that are largely out of their control, for the most part, I’m avoiding these players in fantasy. They may be familiar names, but they won’t help win you championships if their lots stay the same when the season starts…

D’Andre Swift, Lions
Swift is just that, and his upside is the 1B in an offense that is likely to lean on the run – It’s in the best interest of any Jared Goff led offense to do so. That being said, he’s dealing with soft tissue groin injuries and has yet to do much in camp thus far, which isn’t helping his cause as Jamaal Williams is currently being called a no.1 back by a coaching staff that did not draft Swift. Unless I can get him cheaply, I’m not bothering with Swift in an offense that doesn’t project to be in scoring position very often.

AJ Green, Cardinals
It’s true that Green had the 3rd most contested catches in football last year, but you can look at that stat in a couple of ways: One, that in his 11th season in the NFL, Green has grown into fighting off defenders by out-leaping and out-muscling them to great effect as arguably the slightest 6’4″ WR in the game. Two, that he can’t separate anymore, so most of the balls thrown his way are going to be contested. I lean to the latter explanation. Green is also dealing with an undisclosed issue right now, leaving room for the likes of Andy Isabella and rookie Rondale Moore to develop as more permanent fixtures in the Arizona offense. When guys like DeSean Jackson and Randall Cobb are available around the same time in drafts, after most of the time, I’m not terribly interested in Green.

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers
Jimmy G was recently listed as the starting QB for the 49ers, despite a very uneven camp from him thus far. HC Shanahan has said that Garoppolo was going to be the guy to start out the season, so this tracks. Rookie QB Trey Lance is making strides, but he’s still learning the nuances of the pro game and making rookie mistakes in the process. But let’s be honest here, Garoppolo has shown time and again that he’s not “the guy”, and Lance makes the 49ers more competitive as soon as he steps on the field. The leash won’t be long for Jimmy this season, and that’s why I”m not investing in him.

Tarik Cohen, Bears
Cohen was all set for a comeback this season after tearing his ACL in Week 3 of 2020, but knee stiffness has plagued him this off-season, setting his plans back. And why would the Bears rush him to return? David Montgomery proved himself as a pass-catcher in 2020(54 rec, 438 yards, 2 rec TDs), and the team has added Damien Williams to the mix, a player who is a better receiver than Montgomery by most accounts. The light is dimming for Cohen, his upside isn’t enough to take the risk.

Darius Slayton, Giants
I was more stoked than most on Slayton when he came onto the scene in 2019. A field stretcher with a wild streak, he would be a high upside commodity on many teams. Unfortunately, he’s on the Giants, where even though he led all Giants WRs in targets(97) in 2020, he only had 50 receptions – In most part due to Daniel Jones‘ inaccuracy. The Giants still have Jones under center, and now they also have Kenny Golladay and rookie Kadarius Toney in tow. My guess is they’re putting as many capable receivers on the field in hopes that one of them will come down with whatever errantly thrown ball Jones hangs out there. In any case, Slayton is going to have to rely on one or two deep balls a game to butter his bread, and that’s not going to cut it in fantasy. As much as I hate to say it, I’m hands off.