Best Value Fantasy Player Per Team, NFC West Edition
In the first of an eight-part series, I make an argument for the best-valued fantasy player on each team in the NFC West. All rankings were averaged between ESPN fantasy rankings and Fantasy Pros fantasy rankings as of June 3, 2022. Check-in next week for the NFC North!
Seattle Seahawks – Noah Fant
Let’s just get this one over with and wash our hands of Seattle, possibly the iffiest team for fantasy purposes. While I am all-in on giving either Rashaad Penny or Ken Walker a shot at their mid RB30s ranking, I think Noah Fant has the most potential to blow us out of the water. He’s ranked 129 on Fantasy Pros and is just beyond TE12 in most fantasy rankings.
Despite being a Bronco and having Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater throwing to him the last two seasons, Fant ranked in the top 10 in receptions and yards at his position over that time. And what do you know, Lock is a candidate for starting in Seattle, which could give Fant some advantage. He was Lock’s number-one target in the games he started for Denver last season as well as his number-two target there in 2020. Seattle’s widely criticized reputation for wasting their tight-ends could be in for a major overhaul this season with Fant is being praised early on in OTAs.
San Fransisco 49ers – Elijah Mitchell
There are many exciting fantasy options in San Francisco, but considering value, Elijah Mitchell is the guy I’m leaving 90% of my redrafts with. Let me dangle some basics for you. Mitchell played only 11 games and still ranked eighth in rushing yards last season. Although his touchdown total was sub-par (six), he had but one less total touchdown than fantasy darling D’Andre Swift in two less games played!
Mitchell ranked ninth among running backs in yards per attempt (4.7) on the team that ranked sixth in rushing attempts per game. Questions about his health and ability to be an inside rusher shade his current ranking of RB20-23. Critics also point out Kyle Shanahan’s split backfield as a hindrance to his potential. Still, on a quarterback inept offense averaging nearly 30 rushing attempts per game, his upside is too high to resist.
Los Angeles Rams – Matthew Stafford
Grabbing fantasy players off a Super Bowl winning team will be aptly lucrative. Choosing one guy from Los Angeles isn’t easy when I’d happily take Cooper Kupp in the first round, Allen Robinson in the fifth or sixth (!), and even Matt Stafford at QB11-12. In the most difficult decision of the week, I’m going with the latter.
Stafford finished 2021 as fantasy QB5 despite rushing for an abysmal 43 yards and no touchdowns. He threw the second-most touchdowns, however, 41, and ranked third in passing yards. In other words, he was amazing. Robinson is a sufficient, if not upgraded, replacement for Robert Woods, and the jury is still out on the viability of a full-throttle Cam Akers return. In my mind, not enough has changed for Stafford’s dramatic drop in rank this season.
Arizona Cardinals – Rondale Moore
Rondale Moore’s rookie season lacked many things, touchdowns for one, and explosiveness for another. But the (non-twitter) buzz is that Moore is poised to take a big leap this season. I’m so willing to jump on that wagon with him ranked somewhere in the late WR60s. De’Andre Hopkins was the big touchdown guy in Arizona, and he’s off the field for the first six games. A strong start for Moore could take the receiving corps down a very different path this season.
Christian Kirk’s departure leaves a good 950 yards and five touchdowns wide open. And while there ain’t nothing wrong with Hollywood Brown, when an easy WR2 (for at least six weeks) is sitting there past the tenth round, that’s a no-brainer. I’m going to tell you the opposite of what Adam Rank said, you should go after him in fantasy and play him every week. Kyler Murray is becoming a better passer every year (his 2021 numbers were slightly lower than 2020 but he was out three games and would have easily eclipsed them with just one more game) and he’s got a lot to prove this season after some ego drama.
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