miami dolphins:
The Dolphins have made a statement going into 2015 that they are a team to be reckoned with. After a few years of making sure QB Ryan Tannehill was The Future, they decided to commit to him for 2015 for over $16 million. They traded their main WR and TE, but reloaded in those areas as well. They added WR Kenny Stills via trade with New Orleans and picked up WR Greg Jennings (on a Vikings indirect sack in the Mike Wallace trade) and TE Jordan Cameron via free agency from Cleveland after a trade. disappointing 2014 campaign. The biggest addition to the receiving corps came through the draft in which the Dolphins added WR DeVante Parker from Louisville. At 6′ 3″, he’s the tallest WR of the bunch. Kenny Stills is the burner of the bunch and Jarvis Landry the possession receiver underneath, so Parker will be the entire threat of the field, including the Red Zone. They also added WR Tony Lippett also in the fifth round, for more depth.
After years of disappointment at running back, 2014 saw Lamar Miller finally break through with 1000+ yards and 8 TDs. However, I don’t feel like the Dolphins front office is sold on him and will look to give fifth-round pick Jay Agayi a few early-season reps and see what he can do and if concerns about his knee (“bone on bone”) are a valid long-term concern.
The Dolphins D were an intermediate defense in 2014, but they are expected to take a big step forward in 2015. They got the biggest defensive prize in free agency with Ndamukong Suh. They paid a LOT for it, but if it stays out of trouble, it definitely makes a difference. The Dolphins also added DT Jordan Phillips from Oklahoma in the second round of the draft. Playing alongside Suh should boost Phillips’ game, as Suh will see constant double teams.
Fantasy starters: QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Lamar Miller, WR DeVante Parker, WR Kenny Stills, Dolphins D
Fantasy bench: WR Jarvis Landry, WR Greg Jennings, TE Jordan Cameron
Fantasy Sleeper: RB Jay Agayi
new york jets:
The Jets decided to oust their coach and then proceeded to vastly improve the area that he took pride in. After giving Rex Ryan his pink card, the Jets quickly signed CB Darrelle Revis to a monster contract and paired him, once again, with CB Antonio Cromartie, who also signed a very nice contract in free agency. These two will help hide the Jets’ shortcomings at linebacker with their individual coverage. Up front, they had the best defensive lineman in Leonard Williams falling into their lap with the sixth pick. The defense may be the most improved unit on both sides of the ball in the NFL.
On the offensive side of the ball, they took St. Louis RB Zac Stacy for practically a plane ticket and Stevan Ridley, who was frequently injured in free agency, added to a crowded but talented backfield. At the WR position, they added Brandon Marshall for a low draft pick and selected WR Devin Smith from Ohio State to line up with holdover WR Eric Decker. Smith has the speed that the other receivers don’t. While the Jets don’t have a quarterback under contract to scare a defense with great precision, every team needs a threat to stretch the field a bit. That being said, the key to this team will be at the QB position. Can Geno Smith turn the corner in 2015? If not, the Jets will be quick to bench him in favor of veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. Adding Bryce Petty via the draft won’t count for much in 2015, but he was a good fourth-round value pick going forward.
Fantasy starters: WR Brandon Marshall, Jets D
Fantasy bench: RB Chris Ivory, WR Eric Decker
Fantasy sleeper: RB Devin Smith, TE Jace Amaro
New England Patriots:
The bigger question right now is what kind of penalty Tom Brady will seek for Deflategate. It could be a big fine, but it looks like the NFL will hand down a multi-game suspension. Will it be 2 games or 6? The Under/Over at offshore sportsbooks puts it at 3.5 games. With the great losses in defense; Vince Wilfork, Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis, this team was bound to take a step back this year despite the suspension. They got DT Malcolm Brown from Texas with the last pick of the first round, which was an absolute steal, but the NFL learning curve is steep for a rookie DT. The same can be said for second-round pick S Jordan Richards out of Stanford. Good pick, but expect to see him educate himself on the field.
They added zero players to offense who weren’t under contract last season. I look forward to seeing WR Danny Amendola step up this year based on being healthy and finally playing a role on offense after being under contract for two seasons.
Fantasy starters: QB Tom Brady, RB LeGarrett Blount, TE Rob Gronkowski, WR Julian Edelman, WR Brandon LaFell
Fantasy Bench: RB Jonas Gray
The Fantasy Sleeper: WR Danny Amendola
buffalo bills:
The Bills made their biggest splash this offseason by hiring coach Rex Ryan and trading him for RB LeSean McCoy. They had one of the best defenses in the league last season and that should continue with Ryan this season. McCoy is a vast improvement over the injury-prone running back-by-committee approach that Buffalo has been implementing in recent years. They also added veteran QB Matt Cassel to replace veteran QB Kyle Orton after his retirement. Ryan will be running a QB contest this summer, but you’d think EJ Manuel would need to largely outshine Cassel to get the initial nod from Rex Ryan. The Bills have stud WR Sammy Watkins but lacked a running mate until bringing in WR Percy Harvin in free agency with Ryan from the Jets.
Giving up their first-round pick this year in a trade last season for Watkins to limit their high-level draft picks and they did little with what they had left, though they seemed to favor Florida State graduates; taking CB Ronald Darby in the second round, RB Karlos Williams in the fifth round, and TE Nick O’Leary in the sixth round. The Bills have been looking for a solid TE option for years, and O’Leary could end up filling that role.
Fantasy starters: RB LeSean McCoy, WR Sammy Watkins, TE Charles Clay
Fantasy bench: RB Fred Jackson, WR Percy Harvin
Fantasy Sleeper: TE Nick O’Leary
