Isaiah Crowell’s ability makes for some bold predictions from our experts for the remainder of the season
Bold predictions are always fun to make, and some may be more bold than others. Either way, our experts put their stamps on some Bold Predictions during the preseason and now they’re back to make some more outlandish claims for the remainder of the season.
The best part of all of this is every so often, these bold claims end up being true. For example in the preseason, Kyle Wachtel (Footballguys) told us that DeMarco Murray would play all 16 games this season and finish as the points leader among running backs. Guess what folks, all the believers in Murray who drafted him are reaping the rewards heading into Week 7. Murray is leading the league in rush attempts, yards and touchdowns. Now for some more bold (and possibly accurate) predictions, here are our most accurate experts with their thoughts.
Q. Give us one bold prediction for the remainder of the season.
“My bold prediction is that Isaiah Crowell is a top 10 running back for the rest of the season and that he outscores both LeSean McCoy and Eddie Lacy over that time. Crowell benefits from Cleveland’s excellent offensive line and commitment to the run, and he is also simply the best back in their backfield. His 5.4 yards per carry are second to only Justin Forsett among backs with at least 40 carries. In contrast, McCoy and Lacy have under 4.0 yards per carry, and McCoy, specifically, is facing seven or more men in the box much more frequently this season than last season because of the specialization of roles created by the addition of Darren Sproles.”
– Scott Spratt (Pro Football Focus)
“Isaiah Crowell will finish the season as a top 12 RB – I’m a big fan of an underdog story, and Crowell has had to battle through turmoil and uncertainty in both his collegiate and pro career. Although he was undrafted out of college, he has ascended the depth chart in Cleveland with lightning speed. Averaging only 9 touches a game, Crowell is currenly 26th in standard RB standings and has had a bye week as well. The only thing standing in his way is injury report regular, Ben Tate. If he continues to produce at his current rate, it won’t take an injury for him to gain a more prominent role in the offense. The current distance between him and RB1 standings is a short hop and Cleveland has one of the more tantalizing RB schedules for the remainder of the season. Cleveland doesn’t utilize RBs in the pass game, so his PPR value takes a hit. Currently the 37th PPR RB, he’ll finish top 20. In the end, the talent will rise to the top and Crowell will pay dividends for many fantasy owners.”
– Nathan Miller (Revelation Sports)
“James White, Jerick McKinnon, Isaiah Crowell and Knile Davis will lead their teams in rushing over the last 8 weeks of the season and become fantasy playoff darlings. Some because the guys in front of them will get injured (Ben Tate and Jamaal Charles) and some because their teams will eventually figure out they are the best RB on their roster. All four have the skill set to be three down running backs and will be especially good in PPR formats.”
– Ken Zalis (Fans Fantasy Football)
“Ahmad Bradshaw will turn in his first full season since 2010 and finish a top 10 running back. Not bad for a backup back with an RB ADP of 45 heading into the season. In a weird way, the continued criminal loss of carries to Trent Richardson may actually help his value by keeping the injury-prone back fresher down the stretch.”
– Sablich Brothers (The New York Times)
“Danny Amendola will not land on the IR for at least two more weeks. Wait. Actually, that might be too bold. So how about Keenan Allen will have top 10 wide receiver value for the rest of the season? There are a lot of reasons to not believe this, and those reasons are named Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd, and Eddie Royal. Also, if I did the math right, he’s had a total of 3 receptions and 4 yards for the season thus far. But believe it or not, Allen still leads the teams in targets (42), and has been bogged down by an under-reported quad injury. As his health improves, you’ll see him move away from being a decoy/blocker and be the receiver he was last season. And I think that starts this week against the Chiefs.”
– Jason Longfellow (Razzball)
“It’s a little easier to predict a big second half for Jordan Cameron after he had his first 100-yard game of the year in a win over the Steelers where Brian Hoyer attempted 17 passes. The Browns tight end will continue that production and lead all players at his position the rest of the season. Cleveland has a tight end-friendly schedule and Cameron will be a major part of their passing attack. When Josh Gordon returns in Week 12, the targets he takes away from Cameron will be offset by the coverage he draws. After being hampered by a shoulder injury at the start of the year, Cameron is ready to win back the love of his fantasy owners.”
– Justin Boone (The Score)
“Rueben Randle currently ranks 47th among wide receivers in STD and 36th in PPR. With Victor Cruz’s season now over, Randle assumes the No. 1 role in the Giants offense and is peppered with enough targets for him to produce as a high-end WR2 from here on out. At the season’s end, Randle finishes inside the top 20 at the position in both STD and PPR.”
– Kyle Wachtel (Forensic Fantasy)
“Mohamed Sanu is the best Bengals wideout the remainder of the season, as A.J. Green struggles to return to top form after his toe injury. Even if Green does make a full recovery, Sanu has shown enough to justify a WR3 tag. But I also see an exciting potential upside for Sanu here.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo)
“Alex Smith will put up the eighth-most fantasy points among quarterbacks. The Chiefs’ offense doesn’t get much respect, but it was above average in the touchdown department last season, and is actually scoring at a higher rate in 2014. With Andy Reid at the controls, this is a team that will throw the ball plenty. Smith will also add points with his legs (only three quarterbacks have more rushing yards through Week 6).”
– Mike Clay (Pro Football Focus)
“Mike Wallace finishes the year as a top 10 wide receiver in PPR Leagues. Yes, that Mike Wallace who over his career has been very inconsistent and unreliable in the fantasy point production department. So far through his first five games, he has caught at least five passes for 55 yards in 4 of them and caught at least a touchdown in 4 of 5 as well. Wallace’s schedule down the stretch is pretty favorable and as long as target volume remains, he should have multiple touchdown games in his near future. I’m becoming a true believer in his consistency this year which will help him finish the year among the elites.”
– Terrance Bridgett (ProjectRoto)
“Not to toot my own horn, but right here on FantasyPros I recommended grabbing Travis Kelce off the waiver wire and predicted he would crack the top 10 TEs before the end of the season. He has since shot up the ladder and is currently ranked No. 10 in fantasy points among all tight ends. I’m going to grab a ride with my good ol’ friend Momentum – his speed and power will continue to make him a big target. He’s developed into one of the most trusted guys in KC. I boldly predict Kelce will be a top 5 TE before the end of the year. That would mean overtaking monsters like Gronkowski, Graham, etc.!”
– Adrian Pereira (eDraft)
“Colin Kaepernick will finish the season as a top 5 fantasy football quarterback. Everyone identifies the San Francisco 49ers as a smash-mouth football team, however that’s not the case. The 49ers rely on the arm (and legs) of Kaepernick. In just six games, Kaepernick has completed 64-percent of his passes while throwing for 1,456 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also leads all quarterbacks with 242 rushing yards. Kaepernick is on pace to set career highs in every major statistical category. The stats don’t lie and it’s safe to say that CK7 will be a top scorer weekly and finish the season toward the top of the quarterback rankings with the likes of Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers.”
– Marc Caviglia (Bruno Boys)
“Shane Vereen will post top 10 PPR numbers for the rest of the season. I’m not sure I 100 percent believe this, but you asked for bold, so there it is. He has performed at an RB1 level in PPR in stretches in the past, and with Stevan Ridley out for the year, the Patriots may choose to give him the 15-20 touches that he deserves. He’ll need to stay healthy and see some of the goal line work, but it’s possible.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)
“Davante Adams will be a top 20 fantasy receiver in the second half of the season. Adams is only Aaron Rodgers’ third receiver, but we’ve seen the Packers support three wideouts in the past when Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Randall Cobb were all big producers. Adams has seen his playing time and involvement in the offense increase over the previous three weeks. He enjoyed somewhat of a breakout performance last week as he hauled in six passes for 77 yards. He also saw more targets come his way (8) than Cobb did (7). Adams played a career-high 62 snaps after being on the field for 37 and 46 snaps in the previous two contests. The Fresno State product is clearly becoming a larger part of the offense each week, and there’s no reason to think the Packers will just stop utilizing him. Here’s the kicker: Adams could really take off if either Nelson or Cobb goes down. If that happens, Adams could creep into the top 15 receivers to close out the year.”
– Walter Cherepinsky (WalterFootball)
“I’m sticking with my guns in terms of rookie IDP potential. Cleveland Browns ILB Christian Kirksey started off slow in 2014, but over recent weeks his snap count and production has been climbing. I expect Kirksey to have a great remainder of the season and will finish as a top rookie IDP.”
– Kelly Smelser (Punch Drunk Wonderland)
