Bijan Robinson was one of the can’t miss players from the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Texas Longhorn was one of the most dynamic offensive threats coming out of college. It was no surprise when he went in the top-10 to the Atlanta Falcons who were in need of weapons. Unfortunately, Robinson’s rookie season didn’t go as planned for dynasty football owners.

There were flashes but his usage in the Falcons system was perplexing, to say the least. Will that change in 2024 with Kirk Cousins on board and a new offensive system? Let’s break that down further and offer some advice on what to do with Bijan Robinson in dynasty leagues.

2023

Before the start of the 2023 season, Bijan Robinson was getting all the hype as the next superstar. In many dynasty leagues, he was a must-have commodity and he was quickly rising up draft boards. He was also the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. As we now know that award went to C.J. Stroud with Robinson receiving just 3 first-place votes.

In his NFL debut against the Panthers Robinson scored on a receiving touchdown and had 83 yards from scrimmage. It was a solid debut for the rookie. The next week against the Packers Robinson broke out with 124 rushing yards and another 48 yards receiving. Although he didn’t score things we looking up for the rookie. Unfortunately, he was never ever to duplicate that performance and was inconsistent the rest of the season.

Things really got strange for Robinson in week 7. He had just 1 rush for 3 yards in the win against Tampa Bay. This perplexed many fantasy owners because Robinson wasn’t on the injury report. After the game, he claimed that his head was hurting and that was the reason for the lack of carries. The whole situation was odd and it seemed there were some behind the scenes issues there. In all Robinson finished his 2023 campaign with 1,463 yards from scrimmage and 8 total touchdowns.

2024

Fast forward to this season and the hype is once again building for Robinson. The Falcons have a brand new coaching staff with Zac Robinson taking over the offense. Like new head coach Raheem Morris, Robinson comes for the Rams after 5 seasons under Sean McVay.

There is also a new quarterback in town in Kirk Cousins. Cousins is still playing at a top-10 level and will make everyone on this offense better including Robinson. There are also two new offensive threats in receivers Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore. These two newcomers to go along with Drake London will give Cousins weapons at all of the skill positions.

Bijan Robinson’s Dynasty Value

What is the current value of Bijan Robinson dynasty shares? Right now he is RB1 on KeepTradeCut and the 12th overall player in their rankings. This is somewhat surprising given the season he just had but dynasty players are likely betting on a much better offense in 2024. There is a ton of potential for Robinson to put up big numbers for the Falcons.

Given the current value, I recommend you trade Robinson right now. I do believe his numbers will go up but I don’t have him as high on my board. Time to cash in on his current value.

The post Bijan Robinson Dynasty Outlook appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Arizona Cardinals were one of the biggest surprises in the NFL last season. I believe the team that Cynthia Frelund nicely projected a high ceiling for the Cardinals in 2021, would be able to separate themselves from nearly every team with a few breakout players in 2022. With that said, I’m going to untwine three breakout candidates on the Cardinals.

Rondale Moore

The Arizona Cardinals 2021 rookie Rondale Moore will keep Kliff Kingsbury up late at night creating plays for him in space. Moore will nicely replace Christian Kirk (who is in Jacksonville) and his ability to make YAC is magic. I expect Moore and Hollywood Brown to really be leaned on in DeAndre Hopkins’s absence. Moore unveiled 435 yds in 14 games last season and I really expect him to have similar production as Kirk last season (988 yds) while making his presence felt with big plays.

Zach Allen

The pass rusher Zach Allen had a modest four sacks last season and he will be asked to replace Chandler Jones in 2022. Allen will benefit from playing next to J.J. Watt and it may finally be time for Allen to put it all together in his fourth NFL season. The Cardinals young buck with a first-round pick coming out of the draft would do himself and the Cardinals defense a big favor by unveiling 8+ sacks in 2022.

Isaiah Simmons

It’s time for the athletic freak Isaiah Simmons to react faster and be a pivotal force on their defense. Simmons made positive steps last season, as he had 105 all-purpose tackles. He needs to stand out in crunch time and be an effective TO macine. The former Cardinal Haason Reddick was a late bloomer out of AZ, perhaps Simmons can finally have his biggest season in 2022.

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By: Rishi Patel

Welcome to this new NFL column where I will be preaching my advice about which fantasy players you should pluck off your waiver wire each week during this NFL season. My name is Rishi Patel, I’m a sportswriter who’s dabbled across many sites and hopes to be the king of fantasy football advice one day.

During each NFL season, there are usually sleepers that emerge who you should pick up off the waiver wire due to various reasons, such as better performances than expected, injuries, etc. It’s important to make good use of the waiver wire as players from here could sometimes be good depth and even a starter for your team in critical stretches. Let’s look at some players you should consider for this week:

Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills

Veteran WR Emmanuel Sanders is no longer a fantasy stud, but he could certainly remain in the flex conversation going forward after putting up four receptions for 52 yards on eight targets in Week 1 with his new team, the Buffalo Bills. The veteran should be in contention for the WR2 role behind Stefon Diggs as the season progresses. He’s worth adding for now and potentially starting down the road if he shows out. 

Mark Ingram II, Houston Texans

The Texans have quite a jumbled backfield with a few backs fighting for touches, but Mark Ingram stood out in Week 1. Is he a starting play going forward? That’s probably something that doesn’t have an answer as we will have to wait and see if he takes the majority of touches in the coming weeks.

But he did well in Week 1 as he had 26 carries for 85 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Phillip Lindsay had only eight carries and David Johnson had three. Ingram’s a great player to stash on your bench for now. 

Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers

Mitchell will be one of the most popular pickups this week given that 49ers starting RB Raheem Mostert will be out for the season with a knee injury. When Mostert went down in Week 1, the rookie out of Louisiana stepped up big and took 19 carries for 104 yards and a score. 

Mitchell is a good candidate for the RB1 role going forward after this performance. He’s worth picking up in fantasy and could eventually become a good starting play if he shows consistency. For now, it’s best to add him only. 

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Look, the calls for Trey Lance may keep picking up as the season progresses, but Jimmy G had a thing or two to show during Week 1’s close win over the Lions. The embattled QB put up 314 yards and a score on 68% completion. As long as the QB plays efficiently and turnover-free, it would be hard for coach Kyle Shanahan to bench him. Jimmy G. could certainly warrant streaming consideration if he plays like this in the upcoming games. 

Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions

Former Packer Jamaal Williams, though expected to be the RB2 in Detroit behind D’Andre Swift, played like a RB1 in Week 1. Williams took nine carries for 54 yards and a score (compared to Swift’s 11 carries for 39 yards) and also chipped in in the passing game to the tune of eight receptions for 56 yards on nine targets. While Swift did have 65 yards receiving as well, the numbers for the two backs were more similar than many may have thought.

If Williams can keep up these types of numbers in the passing and rushing game, he would be a decent flex play each week. For now, he’s worth adding to your bench. 

Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals

While it’s evident QB Kyler Murray and WR DeAndre Hopkins are studs for Arizona, the team will need another WR to step up and play at an elite level. While Christian Kirk shined in Week 1, he hasn’t really stood out during his brief NFL career, but rookie Rondale Moore could start off his career with a bang.

Moore finished Week 1 with four receptions for 68 yards on five targets and looked fantastic in his NFL debut. While it remains to be seen if he can keep up these numbers, he’s certainly worth adding as depth. 

Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler, Denver Broncos

The Broncos suffered a huge blow when Jerry Jeudy went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 1’s win over the Giants. Now, Jeudy will be out for roughly four to six weeks and Denver needs another WR to step up alongside Courtland Sutton.

The likely candidates to do that are Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler. While none of these guys had a standout performance (Patrick: 4/39/1 and Hamler: 3/41/0) in Week 1, it’s expected both of these guys will see more targets now that things will be opened up a bit. Both are worth stashing right now. 

The post Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2    appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Arizona Cardinals have slowly crafted a roster full of talented young players. With hope that they will build on a somewhat lackluster 2020 season that saw them finish with an 8-8 record, expectations will be high for this team heading into the  2021 season. 

In order to improve, it will take contributions from players, specifically players that haven’t broken out into stardom. Here are two players on the Cardinals that are primed for a breakout season on either offense or defense. 

Offense: James Conner, Running Back

James Conner is new to the running back room in Arizona. He signed with the Cardinals this offseason and will hope to jumpstart his career.
After a very strong 2018 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers where Conner reached the end zone 13 times and had nearly 1,500 yards from scrimmage, Conner has yet to return to this form. 

In 2019, Conner appeared in just 10 games but still found his way into the end zone seven times. The difference in 2019 was that Conner proved to be a receiving threat. Three of Conner’s touchdowns came through the air. Even with the scoring success, Conner produced only 715 yards from scrimmage. 

Conner’s 2020 season was not much better than his 2019. In the 13 games that he played in, he reached the end zone just six times. There were positives that came along with it though. He still proved to be a threat in the receiving game and while not scoring through the air, he was still able to haul in 35 receptions. 

Conner has just turned 26 years old and choosing to sign with the Cardinals could be just what his career needs. 

Conner will be joining an offense that is led by quarterback Kyler Murray and star wide receiver Deandre Hopkins. Conner will also share a backfield with running back Chase Edmonds. 

Edmonds had his ups and downs over the course of last season and there is no guarantee that there will be a clear lead back in Arizona. Conner and Edmonds could see a clean split in carries and whichever running back that has the hot hand will be who is fed the ball more. 

While there will be pressure for Conner to perform, the Cardinals strong offense will allow for him to ease his way onto the field. 

Kyler being the QB1 will also allow for Conner to play with a quarterback that is also heavily involved in the run game. This will allow for more opportunities for Conner. If all goes to plan, he will be back to his 2018 form and be a real playmaker for this young Cardinals Team. 

Defense: Byron Murphy Jr, Cornerback

Byron Murphy Jr. will be entering his third season with the Cardinals. The former second-round pick has spent almost all of his time in Arizona as the team’s primary slot cornerback. He has made his presence felt at the slot corner spot and has become one of the best in the league at that spot. 

There is potential that Murphy could spend more time playing outside corner. With the addition of veteran corner Malcolm Butler and the departure of Patrick Peterson, the number two corner spot is up for grabs. Could Murphy potentially earn that spot? It could be his for the taking. 

In year two, Murphy looked much different than he did during his rookie season. When comparing the two seasons, stat wise Murphy may look as if he regressed. During his rookie season, Murphy racked up 78 tackles and one interception. In comparison, Murphy had just 51 tackles and zero interceptions in his second year. 

But, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Murphy’s on field performance changed dramatically during year two. In comparison to year one, where Murphy allowed nine touchdowns in pass coverage. Murphy allowed just two during his second season. He also added two sacks and, overall, was much more of a threat to both the pass game and run game. 

All signs point to Murphy taking a much bigger role in year three. He should be prepared for this role as he has made great strides to being a top-tier corner in the NFL. 

The post Arizona Cardinals that could break out in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Ladarius Brown

When drafting, some teams position themselves to get the player they coveted. In other cases, some players fall to teams as they slide down the draft, getting great value. Looking back at the 2021 NFL Draft, one such player of value was WR Rondale Moore out of Purdue. Falling to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2nd round, Moore was a major steal. In a draft loaded with great WR talent, he could very well end up being that 1st round value that many (myself included) for the Cardinals.

At 5’9” 180 lbs., Moore is on the short side for the position but what he may lack in height, he makes up for with his speed. With an unofficial 40-time of 4.29, he possesses the big play ability on deep routes. Looking at Moore’s game, he can be a Tyreek Hill-like player on offense for the Cardinals and QB Kyler Murray: speed for days. To me, if there is anything you cannot teach in the NFL, it is speed.

In his freshman year at Purdue in 2018, Moore led the nation in receptions (114), receiving yards (1,258 yards), and a consensus All-American. Plus, he led in broken tackles with 33. In 2019, Moore was limited to just three games with a hamstring injury and played in three of the Boilermakers’ six games in 2020 due to finger and lower body injuries. Since that 2018 season, he had 64 receptions, 657 receiving yards, and 2 TDs combined in 2019 & 2020. It largely explains why he fell to round two.

However, Moore fell to a great team in the Cardinals because of HC Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid-style offense. This is a major reason why Moore could be the biggest steal. This offense relies heavily upon WRs. Moore was a slot receiver and occasionally was spotted in the backfield of the Boilermakers’ offense. He was utilized in the short and middle zones of the field, with the offense using many passing plays created to generate chances for him to get the ball in his hands in open space.

Looking at the Cardinals’ likely depth chart at WR, he is a 2nd option at the slot position but, with a 17-game schedule, Moore has the opportunity to be a No.1 option there as the season progresses. He has all the tools to be a great slot receiver in the NFL: fast, agility, explosiveness, solid hands, and run after the catch. He can take pressure off of their 3x All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins and could very well develop into a No. 2 option on the overall depth chart.

I can potentially see him also as a kick return option based on that explosiveness with the ball in his hands. His 5’9” 180 lbs. frame and sub 4.3 speed are a reminder of a player. This player was 5’11, 190 lbs. that was pretty good with the ball in his hands on special teams: Devin Hester. My point is that Moore’s size is not as big as a detriment because of his playmaking capability. If the Cardinals get that 2018 production out of Moore, he will be a major steal and a great player for years to come.

The post Why Rondale Moore is the biggest draft steal at WR appeared first on Pro Football Mania.