Yes, you should still draft Tom Brady in fantasy. Here’s how.
COMMENTARY
Deflategate is crushing Tom Brady. Maybe not on Instagram, but certainly in court sketches, and definitely in fantasy football.
Brady is ranked between ninth and 13th in experts’ ratings for quarterbacks. Likely for the first time since Drew Bledsoe was a starter, another AFC East quarterback (Ryan Tannehill) is getting ranked above him.
But don’t you love Brady when he’s underrated?
Brady had humble statistics in 2014, struggling mightily behind a horrid offensive line for the first four weeks and barely playing in Week 17. Early on, Rob Gronkowski was also still getting comfortable with his reconstructed ACL. But from Week 4 to Week 16, Brady averaged 20.8 points per game in ESPN standard leagues. That’s the Brady we should expect to see when he’s on the field in 2015 — if he’s on the field
His main deterrent is his four-game suspension combined with a Week 5 bye. While lawyers and experts are saying Brady’s side is winning in court, Brady also said he’s willing accept “a form of a suspension,’’ as long as he doesn’t have to accept the findings of the Wells Report. That’d be an unfortunate scenario for his fantasy owners.
The solution for fantasy owners? Pair him with Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford.
Bradford will be a strong starter for the first five weeks of the season. He’s healthy for the time being, and Bradford’s opponents (Falcons, Cowboys, Jets, Redskins, and Saints) should leave owners feeling comfortable for those first five weeks. Jets aside, that’s a group of cushy secondaries.
And let’s not forget that Bradford will be running Chip Kelly’s high-tempo offense, which is similar to what Bradford ran well enough at Oklahoma to earn a No. 1-overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Kelly has a habit of making quarterbacks look good. Nick Foles’s 2013 season with 27 touchdowns and two interceptions was greatly influenced by Kelly’s scheme. In Mark Sanchez’s first five games under center for Kelly last year, he averaged 280.8 yards and 1.6 touchdowns. Kelly made the butt-fumbling Sanchez look like a legitimate starting quarterback. Bradford’s got unbelievable upside in this system and is falling to 124 in ADP.
He’ll get you to Week 5, and then Brady returns.
Remember the Patriots’ 2007 season? Of course you do. In the wake of the Spygate scandal, Brady combined with Randy Moss and Wes Welker for an almost maliciously prolific season. Whether intentional or not, the message was clear: on-field performance counts for more than video taping. During the 2015 season, the Patriots could mercilessly take every point opponents will allow, with the intent of proving PSI had nothing to do with the Super Bowl XLIX win. This isn’t to say that the Patriots can completely recreate the ‘07 magic, but Brady will come in like a wrecking ball in Week 5 against the Colts, and he could play fiery for the entire season.
He’ll have continuity with incumbent pass-catchers Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, and Brandon LaFell. New addition Scott Chandler gives Brady another massive red zone and center-of-the-field target. And the Patriots have three shifty pass-catching backs in Dion Lewis, James White, and Travaris Cadet, who could share Shane Vereen’s place in the offense.
Brady’s position of 91-overall could be a steal — particularly if his suspension is overturned. In all his post-Deflategate rage, Brady will play as feisty and fantastic as ever. Supplemented with Bradford, Brady’s a no-brainer.
2015 fantasy football sleepers
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