TOP FANTASY PLAYERS IN THE AFC SOUTH
Hello, #4EYEDFans!
Welcome to our 8th and final divisional 4-EYED PREVIEW of the 2019 fantasy football season! As the title implies today I’ll be discussing the fantasy football outlook of each team in the AFC South. While this is not to be a comprehensive list of sleepers and potential breakout players (that’s where listening to the podcast comes in….HINT), I will be discussing which players on each team should bring you the most fantasy football success.
ALSO, as we all know anything can happen between now and the beginning of the regular season, so to ensure you are getting the best information out there from us we will continue to add and/or potentially subtract players from this and the following 4-EYED PREVIEW articles between now and fantasy draft time come August!
As a reminder we here at Fantasy In Frames, base all of our analysis and projections on 0.5 PPR scoring and our new 2019 IDP scoring rubric found here:
Furthermore, all football stats are provided by the good people over at:
With that, let’s get started with the team that I BELIEVE will represent the AFC in this year’s Super Bowl, the Indianapolis Colts!
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON OFFENSE
RUNNING BACK
Marlon Mack is a running back I’ve been drafting in Best Ball all offseason. I even have him on my Scott Fish Bowl 9 team (#SFB9), and for good reason. In just 12 games played in 2018, Mack was 1oth in total TDs among all running backs and was 11th in fppg with 14.1. He averaged 4.0 yards per carry when the quarterback was under center and 5.4 yards per carry when the quarterback was in shotgun formation. He’s on an offense who as a whole averaged 27.1 fppg rushing the ball making the Colts the 5th best rushing unit in the league in 2018.
The most important thing going for Mack, when it pertains to rushing, he has no competition behind him that would force him to split carries. IF he can stay healthy this entire season Mack will be in store for a ton of rushing volume on a high powered offense making him a very valuable commodity among fantasy managers. He’s currently projected to average 12.3 fppg making him a great RB2 for you this season!
RECEIVERS
T.Y. Hilton was 11th in fppg with 14.4, 8th in yards per reception with 16.7, 10th in receiving yards with 1,270, and only had 4 games where he failed to score in the double-digits. With the receiving weapons on this roster such as Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle, Devin Funchess, and Paris Campbell, Hilton is almost guaranteed to garner 1-on-1 coverage this season making him a lethal threat in the receiving game. Even with Jacoby Brissett under center this season, Hilton has WR2 upside written all over him!
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
Justin Houston, the newly acquired defensive end out of Kansas City, is best pass-rusher the Colts have had since Dwight Freeney. In only 12 games played in 2018, Houston averaged 10 fppg, had 9 sacks, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 15 QB hits, 5 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.
No defensive end for the Colts came close to that production in 2018. Houston is an all-pro pass rusher and is the best player at his position on the Colts roster in 2019. Consider him a valuable DL1/2 in 2019!
LINEBACKERS
Darius Leonard, as a rookie, had 163 total tackles, 111 of them being solo. He had 16.5 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, 8 QB hits, 8 passes defensed, 2 INTs, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. Using our IDP scoring settings he averaged 19.1 fppg.
Do I really need to sell on your on Leonard this season?!
This defensive until got a LOT better in 2019, and with more pressure being applied on the quarterback along the defensive line this season Leonard is in a great position to face fewer double-teams when rushing the passer all while increasing his tackle totals. He’s our LB1 this season. He should be yours as well!
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Clayton Geathers led all defensive backs on the team with 89 tackles (61 were solo which was a career-high) despite only playing 12 games. Health has always been a concern for Geathers. He has YET to finish playing a whole season during the course of his career. That being said when he was on the field, this strong safety REALLY produced. He averaged 10.2 fppg in 2018 and with him playing closer to the line of scrimmage last season, which helped to compensate for the lack of depth at linebacker, Geathers is almost certain to play in a similar role in 2019 giving him DB1/2 upside as long as he can stay healthy.
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
DeShaun Watson was 4th in total fantasy points scored in 2018 averaging 20.7 fppg, showing no ill effects from his rookie season’s ACL injury. He was 9th in air yards passing per game with 154.3, 12th in touchdowns with 26, 11th in passing yards with 4,165, and was 2nd among quarterbacks in having the least interceptable passes in 2018.
He did all this despite being sacked 62 times. 62 times. He, also, performed that well despite 3 out of his top 4 receiving targets being lost for the season due to injury in 2018.
Now with his receiving targets all back healthy and his ability to rush all over the field if needed, Watson is in a prime position to take his game to a whole other level in 2019. He makes smart decisions with the ball, he’s accurate with his passes, and has playmakers in the receiving game, when all healthy, can help him put up “redonkulous” fantasy numbers. He’s projected to average 19.1 fppg in 2019. He’s a top 3 QB for me this season!
RECEIVERS
DeAndre Hopkins is the most explosive receiving weapon on this Texans offense.
What can I saw about “DHOP” that you don’t already know? Not much. So….let me at least remind you of how good he was last season among all wide receivers:
- 2nd in the league with 17.2 fppg
- 2nd in receiving yards with 1,572
- 4th in TDs with 11
- 5th in the league in targets with 163
- 2nd in the league in receptions with 115
- 4th in the league in redzone targets with 25
- 1st in the league in endzone targets with 20
…..need I go on?!
He’s WR1 for me in 2019. Draft him as such and you won’t be disappointed
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
J.J. Watt was 2nd among all defensive lineman with 16 sacks on the season, 1st in forced fumbles with 7, 7th in total tackles with 61, 2nd in fppg with 11.3, 2nd in sack yards with 126, 8th in QB hits with 29, 2nd in tackles for a loss with 24…yadda yadda yadda.
To say J.J Watt is good is like saying the sky is blue. Both are glaringly obvious. The concern for Watt in recent history has been his durability. 2018 was the first time he had played a full season since 2015. If he can play another full season look for Watt to jockey for DL1 supremacy in 2019.
LINEBACKERS
Zach Cunningham is the linebacker to roster in 2019 from the Houston Texans. He had 107 total tackles in 2018 with 73 of them being solo. That solo to total tackle ration is a pretty impressive stat right there. His 11.9 fppg is nothing to stick your nose up at either. He was the most consistent producer in that linebacking corps and with entering his 3rd season the breakout is coming for Cunningham and it is coming… in 2019! He will be a solid LB2.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Justin Reid and Tashaun Gipson are a safety tandem to keep your eyes on this season. With Kareem Jackson now in Denver, Gipson will look to take over the strong safety role which is always great for tackle production. Reid, as a rookie in 2018, put up impressive tackle numbers with 92 total (70 of which were solo), 10 passes defensed, and 3 INTs. Both are relatively young and as such should see plenty of volume headed their way in terms of opposing teams testing them early and often. They are DB2/3 options for me in 2019.
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON OFFENSE
RUNNING BACK
Derrick Henry is in a prove-it year for me in 2019. Fantasy Twitter has been very split down the middle as far as whether Henry’s production was a fluke or if his late-season surge in 2018 was the “real” Derrick Henry coming out of his shell. Wanna know what I think?
Listen to our next podcast episode coming out next week to find out!
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON DEFENSE
LINEBACKERS
Jayon Brown is a name that is about to get a WHOLE LOT MORE WELL KNOWN IN IDP circles in 2019!
Brown was second on the entire defense in tackles for a loss with 11, sacks with 6, 3rd in sack yards with 30.5, 3rd in QB hits with 11, 5th in passes defensed with 6, and finished 2nd among linebackers in terms of fppg with 11.3. With the Titans recent depth chart showing the previous starter Wesley Woodyard being 2nd on the depth chart behind second-year ILB Rashaan Evans, (which…why?!), Brown is in prime position to take over as the main #tacklemachine on this Titans defense making him a solid LB2 going into 2019!
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Kevin Byard put up 90 total tackles in 2018 (62 solo), 8 passes defensed and 4 INTs. The 4th year free safety has been the model of consistency the past few seasons and is considered by me to be a top 15 DB in fantasy football. Oh, and he averaged over 10 fppg in 2018. So…yeah…..put him in as your starting DB. Trust me, it won’t hurt!
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON OFFENSE
RUNNING BACK
Leonard Fournette. Yes, I am saying to trust Fournette in 2019. Let me just give you the facts as to why you should
- When on the field he has averaged 15 fppg over the course of his career
- Half the offensive line that was injured last season is now back to full strength
- The Jags got rid of all of the depth at RB behind Fournette ensuring he’ll be the focal point of this running game
- Coaches have been praising his efforts this offseason and have even been incorporating him into the passing game
- Despite the acquisition of Nick Foles in free agency, this is still a run-first offense
Most importantly, he KNOWS he has to prove himself to this regime or else he could be looking elsewhere to play in 2020. He has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the game in 2019 and given how the chips are stacking up right now I’d be willing to take a gamble on him in the 3rd round.
FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW ON DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
Calais Campbell was 6th in the NFL in sacks with 10.5, 3rd in tackles for a loss with 23.5, 2nd in total tackles with 72 (1st in solo tackles with 53), and 5th in fppg among defensive lineman with 10.7 fppg. The 11-year veteran just gets things done. He’s the Frank Gore of defensive lineman and as long as he is still lining up on defense, I will ride with him into fantasy football battle every time! He’s a top DL1 in 2019.
LINEBACKERS
Myles Jack is ready to make the leap as the main tackle producer in 2019 with the sudden retirement of Telvin Smith this offseason. He was second at the position with 102 total tackles (75 solo). With Smith’s 134 total tackles now vacated Jack is about to inherit a WHOLE LOTTA WORK in 2019! You can consider this middle linebacker an LB2 with LB1 upside!
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Jalen Ramsey, say what you will about his antics, is a playmaker. Despite playing that DB1 role on that defense, Ramsey still manages to lead his secondary in total tackles, fantasy points per game, passes defensed, and interceptions season after season after season.
Remember in my Behind The Frames article where I told you which IDPs to target in fantasy football? No…well click here to read it!
Ramsey is the epitome of a cornerback who is able to break through his glass ceiling when it pertains to fantasy football production among all defensive backs. For those playing in leagues that utilize a CB specific position, he’s your CB1. In leagues that just use a DB designation, he’s a DB2. Yes, some would consider that high, but not me. He has proven he can produce at a high level over the course of his career and there is no reason to think he’ll stop performing that way now.
That’s it for the 2019 NFC & AFC Divisional 4-EYED PREVIEWS!
The next 4-EYED PREVIEW you will read will be in preparation for week 1 of the NFL regular season!
While there is still time, don’t forget to attend and meet with some of the writers of Fantasy In Frames at the Midwest Fantasy Football Expo on August 18, 2019 in Canton, Ohio!
Hope to see you there!
Thanks for visiting Fantasy In Frames!