Preseason Pro: The top ranked players in the world each reveal their No. 1 sleeper, bust, breakout, comeback and stash & cash player of the year!
Dr. Roto | Shawn Childs | Brad Kruse | Bill Enright | Kimra Schleicher | Mark Deming | Adam Ronis | Scott Atkins | Jim Day | Darren Summer
Darren Summer’s Preseason Pro Picks
Sleeper: WR Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals
Don’t look now but here comes Kliff Kingsbury and the Air Raid offense in Arizona which will allow Kirk an opportunity to breakout. Kirk was the 5th receiver drafted in the 2018 draft after generating almost 3,000 yards receiving during his time at Texas A&M. Kirk has been a favorite of Kyler Murray in scrimmages and preseason games this year. That chemistry should bode well for Kirk. Arizona will be throwing the ball quite a bit, and outside of the ageless Larry Fitzgerald, Kirk should separate himself from Andy Isabella, Michael Crabtree, and KeeSean Johnson this season. Leading Arizona in receptions, yards, and TDs are all realistic expectations this season.
Bust: TE David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
There are way too many mouths to feed in the Brown passing game to support where David Njoku is currently being selected. Even without Beckham on the roster last season, Njoku wasn’t too much of a volume-based TE, and his numbers will only go down with Beckham and Landry demanding balls. Njoku is also a very TD-dependent player, so relying on him in games when he doesn’t score will be depressing.
Breakout: RB Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
(Editor’s note: Cook has already broken out, however, this pick is saying he makes the leap into the first RB tier alongside Barkley, Zeke, McCaffrey, Kamara) Currently being drafted as the 10-15 RB off the board, Dalvin Cook is in a great position to finish in the top 3 RBs this season. Gary Kubiak came out of retirement to help the Viking offense this offseason. Looking at past Kubiak numbers, Cook is in a great situation. Between rushing attempts and pass receptions it is conceivable that Cook could touch the rock between 325 and 350 times this year for the Viking. I’m not too concerned about Alexander Mattison or Mike Boone stealing much playing time or goal-line carries from Cook. I’d be a fool not to mention Cook’s past injuries, but he has an offseason under his belt, and it’s been over a year since his injury.
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Comeback: WR Jamison Crowder, New York Jets
29 receptions, 50 targets, 388 yards receiving, and 2 TDs. These were Jamison Crowder’s 2018 stats. One year removed from a bad situation in Washington, he finds himself in a better offense and better all-around situation. There’s been a lot of talk out of Jets camp that Darnold and Crowder have been working well together. It is very reasonable to think that Crowder can outperform both Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa to lead the Jets in WR targets, receiving yards, and TDs. Crowder brings tons of value based on his ADP.
Stash & Cash: RB Dare Ogunbowale, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This pick is more of a what have you done for me lately Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones pick. Barber will get the 1st crack at making an impact at RB, but I don’t expect him to do anything to keep Dare Ogunbowale off the field. Ogunbowale is by far the most talented back in Tampa, and it won’t be too long for him to get an opportunity to prove me right.
