X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

How to Avoid the "My Guys" Trap

Have you ever sat alone in a dark room and addressed your perception versus reality problem? The problem I’m referring to, naturally, is your love for certain fantasy players and lack of recognition for others. Have you mock drafted and paid attention to the guys with higher ranks that you just gloss over until your eyes widen upon reading your guys’ names? We all justify this bias with supporting arguments like, “it will be more fun to watch the guys I like” or “I should reach for the players I really believe in.”

You know what’s more fun than watching your pathetic team or players? Winning! So, get over yourself and this delusion that you have a better idea of who is going to exceed ADP than the best professional rankers. It doesn’t matter who won you a week two seasons ago or what team you root for in real life. Pull yourself together because the first step to recovery is admission and you’ve been getting high on your own supply.

It should be no surprise that “your guys” are many peoples’ guys because we like exciting young players with tremendous upside. And in turn, we don’t like experienced players and high floors nearly enough. Here are a group of players with tremendous hype followed by my reasoning for going sober, and selecting one of the less sexy options.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Oh, the Kyler Murray hype. This guy is being considered the next Patrick Mahomes before ever playing a real NFL snap. People seem to forget that Mahomes sat for a season before exploding on the scene and plays for the best offense in football!

So, slow your roll and get greater value with Old Man Rivers!  That’s right, he ain’t sexy, he doesn’t run but dude can ball and has Hunter Henry back to help raise all ships. Philip Rivers is my first unsexy guy on the list.

 

Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers

The next coming of Percy Harvin has been the best receiver in camp! He’s really fast, he’s really sexy and he’s gonna go for 1400 yards and 14 touchdowns! Psyche, he ain’t gonna do that because Christian McCaffrey is gonna get 657 targets and D.J. Moore is gonna fully breakout after leading all NFL receivers in yards after the catch and contact in his rookie year.

But guess who is as sexy as a pair of grandma panties and already has a season of 1400 yards and 14 touchdowns on his resume? He goes by Allen Robinson and he’s only 26! He’s great on contested catches, doesn’t drop the ball and is now two years removed from his ACL tear.  Any improvement from what was terribly inaccurate QB play by Mitch Trubisky and ARob will be back on the catwalk.

 

Josh Jacobs / David Montgomery, RB, Raiders / Bears

The two sexy rookies who are poised to receive significant opportunities in 2019 should have good years, but I’m going slightly later for greater value and less risk in Mark Ingram. Back to Jacobs and Montgomery for a second: They are both slow with over 4.60 40 times. Jacobs wasn’t close to dominant in college and Montgomery had a 15th percentile Spark X score. All I’m saying is that they could underwhelm, even if opportunity trumps talent.

But we have seen Ingram succeed time and time again and his opportunity is great. Baltimore has a fantastic O-line and loves to run. And you know what helps RBs immensely? Running QBs who keep linebackers on their toes.

 

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This dude is surging and, in all honesty, I love me some Godwin. I mean I literally just included him as a breakout candidate. But have we gotten too hot on him? Godwin is creeping his way up to two players on one of the best offenses in football who are excellent options but lack sex appeal:  Robert Woods and Brandon Cooks. Every time the fourth round comes around I am glossed over with boredom by Cooks and Woods and all worked up at seeing guys like Godwin and Golladay right there. These guys have the look….the magic.

But get yourself some Woods and Cooks instead, who finished as WR 10 and 12 respectively, to solidify your WR corps and reach in later rounds on guys like Dede Westbrook or MVS.

 

Vance McDonald, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Vance is a man…..a man that stiff-armed another NFL player to death….yes he's dead now. And Vance should have a great season with Jesse James gone and all the vacated targets in Pittsburgh. But is he worth a seventh-round selection?

Another TE that is younger and equally if not more athletic, but tends to bore us is Austin Hooper. In fact, his most comparable player on Player Profiler is Vance McDonald. Hooper is going into his fourth season and has improved nicely in the last two going from 19 receptions to 49 and 71. Atlanta has a great offense and should be scoring lots of touchdowns as per usual. I think you should take a more valuable WR or RB pick in the seventh round and grab Hooper sometimes as late as the 10th/11th rounds.

Other honorable mentions for players that are boring but get me aroused include Mike Evans, T.Y. Hilton, Julian Edelman, Marvin Jones, Larry Fitzgerald, Dak Prescott, Jarvis Landry, James White, Latavius Murray, Sammy Watkins, and Donte Moncrief.

 

Thanks as always and hit me up on Twitter @ BrettMitchellFB.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Michael Wacha7 mins ago

Royals Agree To Three-Year Deal
Reynaldo López16 mins ago

Braves Sign Reynaldo Lopez To Three-Year Deal
Daniel Jones25 mins ago

Remains Giants' Starting QB
Khris Middleton25 mins ago

Remains Sidelined Against Cavaliers
Josh Giddey28 mins ago

Added To Injury Report On Monday
Kevin Huerter32 mins ago

Leaves Shootaround Early, Remains Questionable
Immanuel Quickley37 mins ago

Draws Another Doubtful Status On Monday
Lauri Markkanen41 mins ago

Questionable To Face Bulls
Jakobi Meyers42 mins ago

Has Huge Day In Week 9
D'Angelo Russell47 mins ago

Listed As Probable On Monday
Austin Reaves49 mins ago

Deemed Probable On Monday
Drake London51 mins ago

Likely Dealing With Hip Pointer, Going For More Tests
Las Vegas Raiders56 mins ago

Antonio Pierce Hasn't Decided On Starting QB
De'Anthony Melton57 mins ago

Won't Suit Up On Monday
Caris LeVert1 hour ago

Questionable Against Bucks On Monday
A.J. Brown1 hour ago

Going For MRI Exam On Monday
Kyle Kuzma1 hour ago

Ruled Out Again With Groin Strain
Bucky Irving1 hour ago

Expected To Play On Monday Night
Andrew Wiggins1 hour ago

Probable On Monday Against Wizards
San Antonio Spurs2 hours ago

Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich Out With Health Issue
Keon Coleman3 hours ago

Undergoing Tests On His Wrist Monday
New Orleans Saints3 hours ago

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen
Rose Namajunas4 hours ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield4 hours ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus4 hours ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Dak Prescott4 hours ago

Will Undergo MRI On His Hamstring
A.J. Brown4 hours ago

Avoids Major Injury On Sunday
DeVonta Smith4 hours ago

Makes A Case For Catch Of The Year On Touchdown Grab
Zach Hyman4 hours ago

Records Two Points In Battle Of Alberta Win
Saquon Barkley4 hours ago

Goes For Nearly 200 Total Yards, Scores Twice
Marc-Andre Barriault4 hours ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Matt Boldy5 hours ago

Hits Overtime Winner Versus Toronto
Jared Spurgeon5 hours ago

Delivers Two Assists In Sunday's Win
Trevin Giles5 hours ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Alex Ovechkin5 hours ago

Extends Goal Streak To Four Games
Dmitry Orlov5 hours ago

Nets Two Goals Against Capitals
Jeremy Swayman5 hours ago

Collects First Shutout Of The Season
Connor Bedard5 hours ago

Records Three Assists In Sunday's Win
Mike Malott6 hours ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
Rome Odunze8 hours ago

Shines With Impressive Performance Against Cardinals
Chuba Hubbard9 hours ago

Scores Two Touchdowns In Panthers Win
Demarcus Robinson9 hours ago

Catches Game-Winning TD
Cooper Kupp9 hours ago

Has 100-Yard Day Against Seattle
Alvin Kamara11 hours ago

Gets 38 Touches In Week 9
Trevor Lawrence12 hours ago

Picked Off Twice By Philadelphia
Evan Engram12 hours ago

Targeted 10 Times In Loss To Eagles
Las Vegas Raiders12 hours ago

Raiders Fire Three, Including Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy
Darius Slayton13 hours ago

Enters Concussion Protocol Sunday
Jamal Murray14 hours ago

Listed As Out On Monday Against Toronto
Bradley Beal14 hours ago

Questionable Going Into Monday Night's Matchup Against Philadelphia
Rudy Gobert14 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday Night
Zach LaVine14 hours ago

Listed As Questionable On Monday
NASCAR14 hours ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin14 hours ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen14 hours ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron14 hours ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
Anthony Davis15 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Monday
Stephen Curry15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday Night
Jaylen Brown15 hours ago

Listed As Out For Monday Night's Matchup In Atlanta
Joel Embiid15 hours ago

Listed As Out For Monday Night's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday Night
MMA18 hours ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius18 hours ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado18 hours ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro18 hours ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi18 hours ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno18 hours ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Artturi Lehkonen20 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
NJ20 hours ago

Nathan Bastian To Miss "Several Weeks"
Brayden Point20 hours ago

Exits With Injury Sunday
Dan Vladar20 hours ago

Set For Second Consecutive Start Sunday
Nicholas Robertson20 hours ago

Re-Enters Maple Leafs Lineup Sunday
Jakub Vrana20 hours ago

Scratched On Sunday
Austin Barnes1 day ago

Returning To Los Angeles
1 day ago

David Robertson To Test Free Agency
Wilmer Flores1 day ago

Giants Exercise Club Option On Wilmer Flores
Owen Miller1 day ago

Shipped To Colorado
Merrill Kelly1 day ago

Staying In Arizona
1 day ago

Eloy Jimenez Headed To Free Agency
Daniel Suarez1 day ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith1 day ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano1 day ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski1 day ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar1 day ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs1 day ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric1 day ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron1 day ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher1 day ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman1 day ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Josh Berry1 day ago

May Be Set For Long-Run Struggles At Martinsville
Dylan Larkin1 day ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
Cam Talbot1 day ago

Stops 31 Shots In Saturday's Victory
Cale Makar1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist On Saturday
Anton Forsberg1 day ago

Records Shutout Victory On Saturday
Philip Broberg1 day ago

Leaves Saturday Early With Lower-Body Injury
Sidney Crosby1 day ago

Nets Two More Goals In Saturday's Victory
Chase Elliott1 day ago

Will Be Tough To Beat At Martinsville
Ryan Blaney1 day ago

A Great DFS Play At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin1 day ago

Wrecks In Practice, Will Start Last At Martinsville
Kyle Larson1 day ago

Going Overlooked At Martinsville
Martin Truex Jr1 day ago

. Will Be Strong At Martinsville On Sunday
2 days ago

Joc Pederson To Test Free Agency
2 days ago

Anthony Rizzo Headed To Free Agency
Freddy Peralta2 days ago

Milwaukee Picking Up Option On Freddy Peralta
2 days ago

Ha-Seong Kim Headed To Free Agency
Adam Pelech2 days ago

To Miss At Least Four Weeks
Mathew Barzal2 days ago

Ruled Out For 4-6 Weeks
Robbie Ray2 days ago

Doesn't Opt Out Of Contract, Stays With Giants
2 days ago

Yankees Could Make Play For Pete Alonso This Offseason
2 days ago

Sean Manaea Opts Out Of Contract, Becomes Free Agent
Cody Bellinger2 days ago

Picks Up $27.5 Million Player Option With Cubs
Gerrit Cole2 days ago

Opts Out Of Contract With Yankees
Rhys Hoskins2 days ago

Staying In Milwaukee
2 days ago

Seattle Declines Club Option On Jorge Polanco
Luke Weaver2 days ago

Returning To New York
Eugenio Suárez2 days ago

Arizona Picks Up Club Option On Eugenio Suarez
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield3 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles3 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott3 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro4 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado4 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz4 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP