“I think Lacy will be the overwhelming #1 2015 fantasy football pick.” – Jody Smith

A few more games of preseason football and the wait will finally be over. As we head into the season, some of you are likely still preparing for your drafts and as we all know, there are times we may be faced with a decision that that depends on upside. Some may call them bold predictions and that’s exactly what we have for you today.

We have asked a few of the most accurate experts in the industry to provide us with one bold prediction for this season. Each of these experts who participated finished in the top 25 (out of 100+) in our In-Season Accuracy competition last season. To learn more about how all of the experts fared in the competition last season, you can check out our accuracy report.

Q: What is your bold prediction for 2014 and why?

“I moved Eddie Lacy up to my #1 player spot. Lacy was an absolute beast last season after a slow start, chipping in 1400 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns as a rookie. The fact that he did this with Aaron Rodgers sidelined for a large chunk of the season is even more impressive. The Packers made some key moves to improve their defense and look primed to be real Super Bowl contenders. With Green Bay’s high octane offense, I think Lacy has a real shot at leading the NFL in touchdowns and should also contribute 50+ receptions, making him a real stud in any format. I think Lacy will be on magazine covers next season as the overwhelming #1 2015 fantasy football pick.”
– Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts)

“Eddie Lacy finishes as a top-three fantasy RB (ahead of Adrian Peterson) while Montee Ball is top five. These two backs are common members of winning fantasy teams in 2014.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo)

“DeMarco Murray plays all sixteen games for the first time in his career, flourishing behind one of the league’s best offensive lines and reaping the rewards of Scott Linehan’s offense by catching 60 passes. At the season’s end, Murray stands as the leader in total fantasy points among running backs and heads into the 2015 fantasy football season as a consensus top-four pick.”
– Kyle Wachtel (Footballguys)

“Pierre Thomas will catch 90 passes. Thomas caught 77 passes last season, so is this really a “bold prediction?” I think so, because no running back has reached the 90-catch threshhold since Brian Westbrook in 2007. Thomas’ total from last season was accompanied by Darren Sproles’ 71 receptions, and with Sproles off to Philadelphia, look for Thomas to gobble up even more Drew Brees passes. One hundred catches are within reach for Thomas, who should be PPR gold.”
– John Halpin (Fox Sports)

“Golden Tate will be a WR1 in 2014. Tate finished last season as WR30 in standard leagues and is currently being drafted around WR34, so he’s got a little ground to make up to break into the Top 12 and become a WR1. How does that happen? For starters, he’ll go from a Seahawks offense that only threw the ball 420 times last season to a Lions offense that threw the ball 634 times last season (that’s a lot of receptions to go around). Furthermore, Tate should have plenty of single coverage as Calvin Johnson draws all ten of the opposing team’s defenders and he did lead the league in vertical air yards per target last season. Is WR1 a stretch for Tate? Absolutely. But hey, we’re here for bold predictions, right?”
– Nick Raducanau (ProjectRoto)

“I’ll double your fun with two: Montee Ball finishes as a Top Five RB and Rashad Jennings as a Top 15 RB. Even with murky RB situations in 2008, 2010 and 2012, Manning running backs have averaged 1,518 yards, 10.4 touchdowns and 214 fantasy points… or good for RB6 in 2013. You can Google my numerous reasons for Montee Ball love and more depth. As for Jennings, you can Google that too, but simply put, Jennings was third in yards after contact and fifth in DVOA. The yards and receptions will offset any value lost to Andre Williams’ touchdown thievery.”
– Jake Ciely (RotoExperts)

“Giants RB Rashad Jennings will finish the 2014 fantasy season with more points than Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray in PPR leagues. Both players are terribly injury-prone, but Jennings finds himself in a situation with an offensive line that looks much better against the run than it does in pass protection. Jennings will be used as a pass-catcher while New York tries desperately to extend the run and keep Eli Manning’s completion percentage up through dink-and-dunk drives. It’s horrible news for Giants receivers, but that’s another prediction altogether.”
– Staff Rankings (RosterWatch)

“Ahmad Bradshaw stays healthy (bold) and Trent Richardson disappoints (not bold). The 28-year-old Bradshaw finishes the season in the top 20.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)

“While Andre Ellington and C.J. Spiller might be more dynamic runners, it’s Toby Gerhart who will make a surprise appearance among the top-5 fantasy running backs in 2014. Jacksonville isn’t going to compete for a division title, but they should be more competitive this season on both sides of the ball. That means a healthy dose of Gerhart, who could push for over 300 touches as a three-down back. After serving as Adrian Peterson’s understudy for four years in Minnesota, Gerhart will deliver 1,400 total yards and 12 touchdowns in his first season as a starter with the Jaguars.”
– Justin Boone (The Score)

“Brian Quick will finish as a top 40 WR this season. Quick has displayed why he was a high second round pick this preseason with some impressive plays and is running with the Rams’ first team offense. It would not be shocking to see him lead the team in touchdowns given his red zone success in a small sample size. The move from Sam Bradford to Shaun Hill is negligible to Quick’s success. Look for more than 800 yards and 6 touchdowns at year end for Quick.”
– Bryan Fontaine (Pro Football Focus)

“A guy that is currently not being drafted will end up being a waiver wire fantasy saviour like his teammate was last season. Who is he? Ben Cunningham, RB, Rams. The backfield for St. Louis was a mess until Zac Stacy was given a shot. This year, it’s Benny’s turn. He had an impressive showing Week 12 vs Chicago last year with over 100 yards and a score. During the preseason, Cunningham has doubled Stacy’s yards per carry (over 5). I see Stacy starting as the man this year, but Cunningham working his way into the lead role.”
– Adrian Pereira (eDraft)

“Travis Kelce will be a top five fantasy tight end this season: The 6-foot-5, 260-pound speedster’s Gronk-like preseason (10/183/2 TDs), has yet to earn him the starting nod over Anthony Fasano, but a passing game this desperate for playmakers won’t have the luxury of suppressing this superior talent once the real thing begins. We should all know by now that depth chart positioning doesn’t always determine success, considering Denver’s Julius Thomas entered last season as the third option behind Joel Dreessen and Jacob Tamme. Alex Smith’s fondness for the tight end position, which dates back to his Vernon Davis days with San Francisco, and his unwillingness to throw downfield to Dwayne Bowe, are good enough reasons to believe Kelce will become Smith’s favorite weapon not named Jamaal Charles in 2014. With Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas being the only worry-free elite options this year, there’s plenty of room at the top for Kelce to join them.”
– Sablich Brothers (The New York Times)

“My bold prediction for 2014 will be that no player that is being drafted #1 at their respective positions, will actually finish #1. While that may not be the boldest statement, I believe that the wide receiver that will finish #1 is Dez Bryant, who is now in Scott Linehan’s offense (Calvin’s ex) and will be a target monster while racking up more points than Josh Gordon did last year. Bonus prediction is that Cam Newton and RG3 will fall outside the top 10 fantasy QBs.”
– Mike Tagliere (Tags Fantasy Football)

“Jay Cutler will finish as a top 4 QB this year. As many have pointed to, if you combine Cutler and McCown’s fantasy point last year, it would have given you the 3rd ranked fantasy QB in the league. Now granted, Aaron Rodgers was out for a good portion of last year, which is why I went with top 4 for this year. Cutler not only has a great system in place, but also may have the best overall group to throw the ball to if you include Matt Forte. Alshon Jeffrey really came on last year as well, so his emergence along with Cutler being more familiar with the Trestman system makes me believe he can finish in the top 4 in fantasy this year.”
– Brendan Donahue (EDSFootball)

“Carson Palmer will eclipse the 5,000 yard passing mark in the vaunted NFC West. With weapons Michael Floyd (whose YPC jumped 4 yards in 2013 to 16 YPC), Larry Fitzgerald and Josh Brown (quickly becoming HC Bruce Arians new, down field threat in a T.Y. Hilton-like role), Palmer will air the ball out to his WRs behind an improving OL. Look for RB Andre Ellington to be heavily involved in the air attack as well, as Arians has stated he will build the offense around the running back’s versatility.”
– Tony Mauriello (ProjectRoto)

“The leading wide receiver in Philadelphia will not be named Jeremy Maclin or Riley Cooper. That’s right. My bold prediction is that rookie Jordan Matthews will emerge as this year’s Keenan Allen and lead Chip Kelly’s Eagles in receiving.”
– Jeff Ratcliffe (Pro Football Focus)

“Jordan Reed will finish as a top-four fantasy TE. There are clearly some durability concerns with his concussion history, but what Reed did on a per-game basis last year was more special than many realize. With 45 catches and 499 yards in nine games, that’s a 16-game pace of 80 catches and 887 yards. To put that into perspective, only two tight ends have ever had more than 887 yards in their rookie seasons — Mike Ditka (1961) and Jeremy Shockey (2002). Not only has Reed generated rave reviews from the coaching staff, reporters (even from other teams), etc. throughout the offseason, the addition of speedster DeSean Jackson will further open up the middle of the field for Reed to exploit this season.”
– Kevin Hanson (EDSFootball)

“The Titans will produce a Top 12 fantasy quarterback (Jake Locker), two Top 25 wide receivers (Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter), and a Top 12 tight end (Delanie Walker). Locker, Wright, and Walker are values at their current ADPs. Hunter’s stock is rising, but he has WR1 upside. Throw Nate Washington and Bishop Sankey in the mix and the Titans quietly have an intriguing group of offensive skill position players.”
– Mike Clay (Pro Football Focus)

“QB Geno Smith rushed for 366 yards and 6 TDs last year. He also threw for over 3,000 yards. He did those things with scrapheap WRs in his rookie season. Geno is being priced as if Michael Vick is knocking on the door to supplant him any day now. I think that could not be any farther from the truth. Geno Smith is the unquestioned starter after a great camp and is a steal at this ADP.”
– David Dodds (Footballguys)

“Montee Ball will finished among the 5-best fantasy running backs: It happens every year … a running back we didn’t project to make an impact does just that. (Knowshon Moreno in 2013, anyone?). I think that back will be Ball this season. Peyton Manning’s backfield mates have a history of putting up great numbers, just look at what Edgerrin James, Joseph Addai and even Dominic Rhodes accomplished with him in Indianapolis. When you include Moreno as well, it’s not farfetched to project Ball as a breakout player in fantasy leagues.”
– Michael Fabiano (NFL Network)

“Nick Foles, Cam Newton and Jay Cutler all miss multiple games due to injury. Tom Brady returns as a top 5 fantasy quarterback and Colin Kaepernick outscores him.”
– Sean Morris (Bruno Boys)

“Heath Miller finishes as a top 8 fantasy football tight end. At 6’5″ and 256 lbs., Miller is the only Pittsburgh receiving option standing above 6 Feet in height (Antonio Brown – 5’10″, Markus Wheaton – 5’11″ and Lance Moore – 5’9″). It’s evident Miller possesses chemistry with long-time quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and he will see a strong amount of targets and will be a major red-zone threat in 2014. Miller has a great opportunity to produce TE1 numbers this season and he’s going as late as the 15th Round!”
– Tozzi Brothers (Legion Report)

“Andre Ellington will finish as a top-five running back. Ellington’s size (5-foot-9, 199 pounds) and injury history are concerns, but his talent and role are not. The Cardinals are committed to utilizing Ellington as an every-down back one year after he lead the league in yards per carry (5.52). Frequently compared to Jamaal Charles, Ellington will crash Charles’ party as a sophomore.

– Patrick Daugherty (Rotoworld)

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Thanks to all of our experts for making going on a limb and making these bold predictions. Agree or Disagree with some of these predictions? We’d love to hear your thoughts or give us some of your own predictions below.