At the seasons mid way point Rizzla discusses the Fantasy Beasts of the 2018 fantasy football season.
As always in Fantasy Beasts we discuss the top names at each position. In our mid-season edition we will look at the top players over the first half of the season.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes is the number one fantasy quarterback this season and is currently on pace for a torrid 52 touchdowns. Mahomes has been electric for the Chiefs, routinely extending plays and finding his four elite playmakers both down the field and at or behind the line of scrimmage. Buoyed by one of the most creative play callers in the league, Mahomes has also put his fingerprints all over the offense. This is a classic example of the synergy that can be exploited when a head coach tailors his system to his personnel. The top fantasy QB despite being tenth in pass attempts and ninth in air yards, Mahomes is excelling with 0.69 fantasy points per dropback, good for second in the NFL. Mahomes is our top ranked quarterback for the rest of the season.
Todd Gurley
Averaging a robust 100 rushing yards per game with 1.4 touchdowns on 21.1 carries per game to go with 3.9 receptions, 43.9 receiving yards and 0.5 receiving touchdowns per game, Todd Gurley is on pace for one of the best fantasy season ever for a running back. Gurley’s record breaking play has many fantasy owners clamoring for the ‘Gurley rule’, an edict that all future redrafts and start up keepers be auction drafts so everyone has a fair chance at the biggest fantasy game changer on the planet. Gurley is our top ranked running back for the rest of the season.
Melvin Gordon
The number two fantasy running back despite being only 19th in total carries and tenth in receptions, Gordon has amassed 77 rushing yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game on 15.2 carries and 46.5 receiving yards with 0.5 touchdowns on five receptions per game. Fourteenth with 1.19 fantasy points per opportunity Gordon has continued to shine despite the emergence of Austin Ekeler as a standalone fantasy option. Gordon will look to continue his strong play in the second half and could see his +1.54 game script (sixth among backs) rise once all pro caliber defensive end Joey Bosa returns from his injury. Gordon is sixth in our rest of season rankings.
Adam Thielen
No metrics or advanced analysis is needed to sell you on Adam Thielen’s fantasy exploits during the 2018 football season. Averaging a mammoth 9.3 receptions, 115.6 receiving yards and 0.8 touchdowns on the season, Thielen has tied future Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson’s record for most consecutive 100 yard receiving games and seems destined to shatter it this season. The number one fantasy wide receiver, the former undrafted free agent proved once again that hard work and dedication often comes out on top of talent. Thielen is first among receivers in our rest of season rankings.
Davante Adams
Much like Adam Thielen above, Adams is not even a top ten talent at the wide receiver position but has dominated with a second to none dedication to his craft that brings about weekly consistency. Adams is averaging 7.4 receptions, 98.6 yards and 0.9 touchdowns per game on the season and is miles away from the rest of the Packers receivers in fantasy value and weekly role. Playing with the best quarterback in the league certainly helps matters but it is ability to get open, as evidenced by his average 3 yards of separation, that sets him apart. Adams is fifth among receivers in our rest of season rankings.
Zach Ertz
Chew on this. Zach Ertz’ 7.6 receptions per game dwarfs number two tight end Travis Kelce’s 5.5 per game mark and is alarmingly close to Kelce’s 8.8 total targets per game. Furthermore Ertz’ tight end leading 80.5 receiving yards per game would rank him among the top-15 in yards per game. Ertz has essentially been functioning as a WR1 for fantasy purposes as option 1a in the Eagles passing attack, even since Alshon Jeffery returned to the lineup (51-44 in targets). In fact Ertz’ 28 percent target share since his return is still five points higher than number two Travis Kelce’s 23 percent. Despite a target share that is destined to drop with Golden Tate now in town Ertz is our number one tight end in our rest of season rankings.
