Sunday, May 31, 2015
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Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
2015 Fantasy Football: The Top Option At Each Position
The Best Option At Each Fantasy Football Position In 2015
Identifying the best talent in fantasy football can sometimes be fairly difficult. After all, more than a few people drafted Adrian Peterson last year number one overall, and that did not work out too well. As we get ready for the 2015 season, here is a look at which guy at each major fantasy football position will have the best year.
Quarterback - Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers have been reliant on Aaron Rodgers for a few years now. They have surrounded him with some outstanding options, and that just makes his job even easier. People in fantasy football who are looking for the best quarterback shouldn't overthink this too much. He is putting himself in a class of his own.
Running Back - Eddie Lacy
Can a running back lining up next to Aaron Rodgers get enough touches to be the best fantasy football option in the game? In most scenarios, that would be pretty tough. However, since Eddie Lacy is part of the passing game as well as the running game, Green Bay might just
have the best option at this position as well. He was able to stay healthy in 2014, and he has shown that he is more than capable of handling the workload. With defenses focused on Rodgers, Lacy has more room to work with than most.
Wide Receiver - Antonio Brown
Throughout the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have been known as a team that has outstanding defense and a bunch of tough guys on both sides of the ball. They still have some of that grit that makes them famous, but they also happen to have an aerial attack that could get them into the playoffs. If they do make the playoffs for the second consecutive year, Antonio Brown is going to be a big reason why. He has evolved into one of the best wide receivers in fantasy football. The crazy thing is, he still might be considered a little bit underrated in the league.
Tight End - Jimmy Graham
There are a lot of people giving Rob Gronkowski the nod going into 2015 at this position, but Graham is still going to get plenty of touches despite moving to a new team. The Seattle Seahawks might not throw the ball as much as the New Orleans Saints, but he is too talented to be completely ignored. Pete Carroll is going to find a way to utilize him as much as possible.
Identifying the best talent in fantasy football can sometimes be fairly difficult. After all, more than a few people drafted Adrian Peterson last year number one overall, and that did not work out too well. As we get ready for the 2015 season, here is a look at which guy at each major fantasy football position will have the best year.
Quarterback - Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers have been reliant on Aaron Rodgers for a few years now. They have surrounded him with some outstanding options, and that just makes his job even easier. People in fantasy football who are looking for the best quarterback shouldn't overthink this too much. He is putting himself in a class of his own.
Running Back - Eddie Lacy
Can a running back lining up next to Aaron Rodgers get enough touches to be the best fantasy football option in the game? In most scenarios, that would be pretty tough. However, since Eddie Lacy is part of the passing game as well as the running game, Green Bay might just
have the best option at this position as well. He was able to stay healthy in 2014, and he has shown that he is more than capable of handling the workload. With defenses focused on Rodgers, Lacy has more room to work with than most.
Wide Receiver - Antonio Brown
Throughout the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have been known as a team that has outstanding defense and a bunch of tough guys on both sides of the ball. They still have some of that grit that makes them famous, but they also happen to have an aerial attack that could get them into the playoffs. If they do make the playoffs for the second consecutive year, Antonio Brown is going to be a big reason why. He has evolved into one of the best wide receivers in fantasy football. The crazy thing is, he still might be considered a little bit underrated in the league.
Tight End - Jimmy Graham
There are a lot of people giving Rob Gronkowski the nod going into 2015 at this position, but Graham is still going to get plenty of touches despite moving to a new team. The Seattle Seahawks might not throw the ball as much as the New Orleans Saints, but he is too talented to be completely ignored. Pete Carroll is going to find a way to utilize him as much as possible.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
What Is Devan Dubnyk's Market Value?
The acquisition of Devan Dubnyk in mid-January saved the Minnesota Wild's 2014-2015 season, as he went 27-9-2 with a 1.78 goals against-average, a .936 save percentage and five shutouts during the team's spectacular run to end the regular season. His play dropped off a bit in the playoffs though, including a 2.53 goals against-average and a .908 save percentage, and the Wild were swept by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round.
Dubnyk will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but it's basically a foregone conclusion that the Wild will re-sign him and give themselves some much-needed stability between the pipes.
But what is Dubnyk's market value? What kind of a contract should the Wild look to sign him to?
Let's take a closer look.
The overall free agent market for goaltenders is not great this season, with Braden Holtby, Antii Niemi, Jonathan Bernier, Michal Neuvirth and Karri Ramo among the notable options that will also be available as unrestricted or restricted free agents. So it can be argued that Dubnyk is the top free agent goaltender this year, and presumably he'll have some suitors outside of the Wild.
Dubnyk seems willing to come back to Minnesota, and rightfully so since the marriage of player and team worked out so well for both sides. To see him seriously entertain offers from other teams would be a surprise, but of course we should never say never.
Here's a sampling of goaltenders around the NHL, with the details of the contracts they are playing under or soon will be playing under.
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks, Age: 30
Contract: Six years, $36 million (through 2019-20)
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings, Age: 29
Current Contract: 10 years, $58 million (through 2022-23)
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings, Age: 31
Current Contract: Six years, $31.75 million (through 2018-19)
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins, Age: 30
Upcoming Contract Extension: Four years, $23 million (2015-16 through 2018-19)
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning, Age 28
Upcoming Contract Extension: Two Years, $11.9 million (2015-16 through 2016-17)
Quick is clearly the outlier here, followed closely by Crawford, due to the length of their contracts and their acumen as playoff-proven, Stanley Cup-winning goalies.
Among the five goaltenders I cited, Bishop stands out as the best comp for Dubnyk, and I expect there would be few that are dramatically better if I had a larger sample. Bishop is roughly six months younger than Dubnyk, and he has played 170 regular season games while starting 159 over some part of six NHL seasons (121 starts over the last two regular seasons).Over six seasons himself, Dubnyk has played in 231 regular season games and started 213 (85 starts over the last two regular seasons).
In an April column, Charlie Walters of The St. Paul Pioneer Press suggested Dubnyk would end up with a two-year, $7 million contract extension from the Wild. Close to a month later that still seems like a solid estimate, with Dubnyk's failure to stand out in the playoffs likely to have cost him some money and perhaps a year or two in a new contract. But I could see the Wild being willing to go as far as three or four years at somewhere close to the same rate per year ($3.5 million), if only to give themselves a longer window of perceived stability in-goal.
Dubnyk will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but it's basically a foregone conclusion that the Wild will re-sign him and give themselves some much-needed stability between the pipes.
But what is Dubnyk's market value? What kind of a contract should the Wild look to sign him to?
Let's take a closer look.
The overall free agent market for goaltenders is not great this season, with Braden Holtby, Antii Niemi, Jonathan Bernier, Michal Neuvirth and Karri Ramo among the notable options that will also be available as unrestricted or restricted free agents. So it can be argued that Dubnyk is the top free agent goaltender this year, and presumably he'll have some suitors outside of the Wild.
Dubnyk seems willing to come back to Minnesota, and rightfully so since the marriage of player and team worked out so well for both sides. To see him seriously entertain offers from other teams would be a surprise, but of course we should never say never.
Here's a sampling of goaltenders around the NHL, with the details of the contracts they are playing under or soon will be playing under.
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks, Age: 30
Contract: Six years, $36 million (through 2019-20)
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings, Age: 29
Current Contract: 10 years, $58 million (through 2022-23)
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings, Age: 31
Current Contract: Six years, $31.75 million (through 2018-19)
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins, Age: 30
Upcoming Contract Extension: Four years, $23 million (2015-16 through 2018-19)
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning, Age 28
Upcoming Contract Extension: Two Years, $11.9 million (2015-16 through 2016-17)
Quick is clearly the outlier here, followed closely by Crawford, due to the length of their contracts and their acumen as playoff-proven, Stanley Cup-winning goalies.
Among the five goaltenders I cited, Bishop stands out as the best comp for Dubnyk, and I expect there would be few that are dramatically better if I had a larger sample. Bishop is roughly six months younger than Dubnyk, and he has played 170 regular season games while starting 159 over some part of six NHL seasons (121 starts over the last two regular seasons).Over six seasons himself, Dubnyk has played in 231 regular season games and started 213 (85 starts over the last two regular seasons).
In an April column, Charlie Walters of The St. Paul Pioneer Press suggested Dubnyk would end up with a two-year, $7 million contract extension from the Wild. Close to a month later that still seems like a solid estimate, with Dubnyk's failure to stand out in the playoffs likely to have cost him some money and perhaps a year or two in a new contract. But I could see the Wild being willing to go as far as three or four years at somewhere close to the same rate per year ($3.5 million), if only to give themselves a longer window of perceived stability in-goal.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
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About Me
- Brad Berreman
- I am a sportswriter based in Minnesota, and I contribute currently to a few sports related websites. I intend to use this blog to create visibility for my work.
