Top Fantasy Football Players In The AFC West

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This continues our 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS series where we’ll be discussing with you the top fantasy football players per division in the NFL for the upcoming fantasy football season. We’ll be talking offense and IDP, specifically at the QB, RB, WR, TE, LB, DB, & DL positions.

*As a reminder to those who listen to or don’t listen (you really should) to our podcast, all of our projections and insight for IDP players is based on the FANTASY IN FRAMES IDP scoring rubric which we will be using for the 2018 season and in our IDP followers leagues this fall.*

Now that we have that out of the way, below we have broken down our fantasy football topics, position-by-position for you. Without further adieu let’s discuss who we feel are the top fantasy football players to target in your drafts from the AFC West:

QUARTERBACKS: Philip Rivers & Patrick Mahomes

One is a savvy veteran and the other has only played 1 game in his NFL career, yet both should be considered fantasy draft priorities this upcoming season. With Philip Rivers, you know what you’re getting with his typical 4,500 yards passing, +29 TD average the past few seasons. They’ll be some games where he turns the ball over a lot, but for the most part, he is consistent as they come in the fantasy football scoring department and should be the target of those who wait until the double-digit rounds for a QB in their fantasy football drafts. Patrick Mahomes is an unknown commodity starting on a team that is loaded at running back, wide receiver, and tight end which should provide him with a higher than average scoring ceiling than most inexperienced quarterbacks. He’s your prototypical strong-armed quarterback with mobility at his disposal playing in an Andy Reid offense. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps I don’t know what will.

RUNNING BACKS: Melvin Gordon & Kareem Hunt

Week 15, 2017. Chargers @ Chiefs. Playoff hopes on the line for both teams. All the pressure mounting. Kareem Hunt posted 155 yards rushing, 2 TD, and 36.1 fantasy points in 0.5 PPR leagues. Melvin Gordon posted 169 total yards, 1 TD, and 25.9 fantasy points in 0.5 PPR leagues. Hunt and Gordon averaged 16.9 & 16.2 fantasy points per game last season, respectively. These two running backs are the class of the division and either of them could serve as your #1 RB this season.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, & Amari Cooper

Coming off of a torn ACL in 2016, Keenan Allen started off slow in the fantasy football department for the first half of the season, frustrating many a fantasy football manager. That all changed from week 11 on where he averaged 21.6 fantasy points per game in 0.5 PPR leagues. When healthy Allen is one of the best wide receivers in fantasy football, and now with Chargers tight end Hunter Henry out for the season with a torn ACL of his own, look for Allen to soak up a lot of those targets from Philip Rivers and reward fantasy managers all season long.

Tyreek Hill followed up his rookie season by being the official #1 WR for the Chiefs posting over 1,100 yards, averaging 15.8 yards per catch, 7 TDs, and averaged 13 fantasy points per game in 2017. Despite the Chiefs signing Sammy Watkins in free agency this offseason, who still carries with him many a question mark regarding durability. Hill, on the other hand, does not, making him the top receiving threat for Patrick Mahomes in 2018.

THIS will be the year Amari Cooper finally puts it together all season long. We, in the fantasy community, have said this every year since Cooper’s rookie season and we’ve constantly been met with disappointment. So what makes this season any different? Well for starters his primary competition for targets in previous years is no longer with the team. Second, Cooper had been dealing with an ankle/foot injury during last season that severely limited his upside. Third, new head coach Jon Gruden has made it known he wants to make Cooper the point of emphasis in the passing game this upcoming season. All these factors contribute to me putting him on this list. However, the main selling point for me is that he is now the youngest, most athletic receiver on the roster and already has a rapport with his quarterback unlike new receiver additions Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant. All the lights are on Cooper this season, and this fantasy analyst believes he that Cooper will finally shine under the spotlight in real and fantasy football.

TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce 

We’ve said this over and over again, both in previous articles and on our podcast, but I’ll pose this question again. What position does an inexperienced quarterback seem to favor/target early and often during a game? The answer: Tight End. Patrick Mahomes is now playing with the 2nd best tight end in the NFL and in fantasy football. Draft Kelce as early as round 6 this year. It’s Ok. I said so.

LINEBACKERS: Anthony Hitchens & Brandon Marshall

Hitchens is someone I was very high on during my free agency writeup on defense back in March. Click here to read my assessment. It pretty much sums up the same sentiments I feel now.

Brandon Marshall is the IDP player you want in the Broncos linebacking corps from a sheer tackle production standpoint this season. While his 7.5 fppg last season wasn’t the best average number of fantasy points per game for a linebacker, he was consistent in the points per game department making him a dependable week in and week out starter.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, & Melvin Ingram 

Coming off a season where they both posted 70 total tackles and double-digit sacks Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are two of the very best, if not the very best defensive ends, in the NFL and in Fantasy Football. Please do not pass up on them when picking your IDPs. You can find linebackers and defensive backs later in your drafts. Premiere pass rushers are hard to find once you get past the big names. Fortunately, you won’t have to go far from the Chargers defensive line to find a quality defensive end. Melvin Ingram is another defensive end in the AFC West that might not have the tackle numbers of a Mack or Bosa, but he does post double-digit sacks and enough tackles making him a fantastic #2 DE for your fantasy football team.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Justin Simmons, Jahleel Addae, and Eric Berry 

All three of these defensive backs play the strong safety position in the AFC West and as a rule, strong safeties tend to score more points per game as they gain an increase in tackle numbers over their free safety counterparts by defending against the run as well as the passing game. While Simmons and Berry are coming off of injury they are in prime positions to pick up right where they left off before they were injured. Addae should get targeted early and often by quarterbacks this season as he is now considered to be the #3/4 DB in the Chargers secondary meaning he’ll be awarded many an opportunity to rack up tackle and passes defensed numbers. All three are projected to score an impressive number of fantasy points per game this season making them borderline #2/#3 DB’s for your fantasy football team this year!

Check out our podcast this week where we’ll be talking more about the AFC West and potential breakouts you could rely on this season!

We’ll see you next week when we’ll be discussing the Top Fantasy Football Players In The AFC North!

As always thanks for checking out FANTASY IN FRAMES!