Eric Sorenson
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Every week during the season NFL Network and NFL.com Senior Fantasy Analyst Michael Fabiano joins Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat to share his insight on building and developing your fantasy team for success.
Here are some hi-lights from our most recent conversation (September 9th) with the Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association Hall of Famer.
Let’s start with Antonio Brown going to New England. What does that do to his fantasy value? “I did not like the move to Oakland and it’s hard not to like this move to New England, regardless of how he got there. Now he’s in a spot where he could end up being a Top 10 wide receiver from a fantasy perspective again, catching passes from arguably the best quarterback to ever play the game. If you watched the Patriots’ offense [Sunday] without Antonio Brown, the rest of the league is probably pretty scared when he gets back on the field in Week 2. “AB” was always going to be a guy you were going to be playing, regardless. Now in New England, he’s got a higher ceiling.”
How does Brown’s addition impact Brady? “He’s going to be a Top 5 quarterback now. Things can change so quickly. When the Patriots were able to get Josh Gordon back, that helps Brady’s value and now he gets, arguably, the best receiver in the game. So, this past week, a monster game against the Steelers without him and now he gets Antonio Brown and he’s playing the Dolphins who got destroyed by the Ravens. So, suddenly Tom Brady is a must-start. At 42-years-old, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up breaking the record for the most fantasy points scored by a player at that age because Antonio Brown is now in the mix and that is a huge acquisition.”
Are you still big on Kyler Murray here in Arizona after what you saw in his first career start? “Kyler is somebody I loved going into the season and he was a player I faded a little bit this week because the quarterback position is very deep and I wanted to see what Murray was going to do. So, what happens…the fourth quarter hit and Kyler ends up having a big game. That’s what I expect from Kyler. I expect him to be a guy that can give you 18-20 fantasy points week-in and week-out. Now, the matchup this week, in Week 2, is not very good against the Baltimore Ravens, so this could be a week where you want to fade Kyler but it looked like he got comfortable.”
“Is Gardner Minshew someone to monitor after taking over for an injured Nick Foles in Jacksonville? “Listen, I’ve been doing this 20 years and I will say, never say never. You never know. Honestly, he went in and completed what, 22-25? I mean, this guy, you talk about being green. I mean, this is another level of green and he went in there and looked very, very sharp so two QB leagues, super flex leagues he’s going to get a look. In traditional leagues, he’s not going to get a look so he’s a player you’re going to watch.”
How much value does Austin Ekeler have right now after his monster game against the Colts? “Listen, Austin Ekeler’s fantasy owners were smiling. I had him listed as a start. The one person not smiling, may there’s two: Melvin Gordon and his agent because Ekeler went nuts. I mean, you’re looking at a guy that almost scored 40 fantasy points. Three touchdowns, effective as a pass-catcher and a playmaker. I don’t know if he’s an RB1 but he’s pretty close. He’s a guy you’re going to keep in your lineup, regardless of the matchup. As long as he’s getting opportunities, volume is king in fantasy football when it comes to running backs. He’s going to be in your starting lineup. Right now Austin Ekeler is very solid fantasy option and that’s obvious after what he did [Sunday].”
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