All it takes is a top-10 annual draft accuracy ranking to get an invite to go on air with an old friend and neighbour, I guess. In any event, it was a pleasure as always to share the thoughts on video below with Chris Meaney and FNTSY Sports Network viewers.
Click play, listen and critique as you like but the two salient points I’d like to share are pretty straight forward. Hype isn’t worth paying for, and context is critical.
As it relates to hype, the discussion Chris and I have at the 3 minute mark below is a prime example. I like DeVante Parker this season because he’s shown well in the offseason, Jay Cutler will take chances downfield (at the expense of Jarvis Landry) and in his second year he’s just better prepared to compete with Kenny Stills as the deep threat and second receiving option in the Miami offense. Those three general points give Parker a certain draft-day value. Currently, he’s my 41st ranked wide receiver, and I’d be really happy to draft him in most leagues even as a WR3. But, that’s all I’m paying for.
Meantime, Jay Cutler innocuously states that he’s like a “faster Alshon [Jeffery]” and for a day or two the fantasy football world goes berserk. Per FantasyFootballCalculator.com Parker’s ADP has risen consistently since. In fact, he’s up 10 spots over the past week after a fairly consistent low eighth round cost all offseason:
DeVante Parker‘s ADP is steadily rising and may soon prove too costly.
Put simply, the random pull quote in a post-game conversation does not make Parker any faster, better, or more likely to factor into the Dolphins offense this year. But, we’ll spend the next few weeks treating it like it may. My rankings are holding put for the time being, and you won’t see me draft him any higher.
Some things are worth reacting to – i.e. my early season ranking on Blake Bortles has plummeted. Whether they start Chad Henne out of the gates or not, there will come a point when the Jags cut bait on him for salary, performance or otherwise – but more often than not when the pre-season news machine is in full force, I’m ready to let others take the bait.
Elsewhere in the video below Chris and I chat Carlos Hyde, Jamison Crowder and Kendall Wright. Wright is on the other side of the spectrum. No one is talking about him, he won’t cost you a thing, and he may very well lead the Chicago Bears in targets this year with no legitimate threats around him. Listen for why I think he’s worth a gamble:
