ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which incoming rookie are you most looking forward to watching this preseason?
L'ROY ANTHONY HALE
I think Todd Gurley is the most intriguing rookie to watch this preseason. He is undoubtedly talented, but his knee injury is a major concern. It is hard to put too much stock in offseason coach speak; how much and how well he plays in preseason will go a long way to determine his fantasy draft stock this year.
Hale is the founder of the Fantasy Maxam family of websites, Fantasy Gives, Fantasy First and Fantasy Football for Females, a charitable organization that utilizes fantasy sports to support non-profit groups. For the first time ever, Fantasy Gives will turn fantasy football in to a national fundraiser where participants can win thousands of dollars in weekly prizes while supporting their favorite charity.
JAY HARDING
When it comes to rookies, I’m definitely what you would call a conservative; they always seem to get drafted earlier than I would consider selecting them. That said, for 2015 Amari Cooper is intriguing to me, for a few reasons. First, how long has it been since anyone has been this excited about a Raider for fantasy purposes? Seriously though, it seems to me that the situation is ripe for Amari to succeed in the silver and black and possibly right out of the gate. For one Derek Carr appears to have the head game needed to run the show there in Oakland, plus I really like the addition of Helu in the backfield (Sorry to all you Latavius apologists, I like him but we need more sample). Mr. Helu is very balanced in his skill set, he can definitely run and when it comes to pass catching he is one of the most underrated in the league in my opinion. Heck, even if I’m wrong on Helu and Latavius continues to do what he has done in his limited time that still bodes well for Amari, right? Lastly, we're still 6 weeks away from opening night, yet there is no question about who will be the No. 1 WR option in Oakland and his name is not Crabtree.
Harding, owner of The Fantasy Football Firm has been playing and winning fantasy football since 1987. The Firm specializes in helping fantasy owners win in three key post-draft areas. Senior Partners at The Firm get all three publications: “Effective Team Management”, “Waiver Wire Wisdom” and “The Trade Maker” a combined 57 pages packed with sound, proven and effective strategies focused solely on helping partners win their league championships and to do so more consistently than ever before. On Twitter: @UDONTWINONDDAY.
MICHAEL NAZAREK
Amari Cooper should be very exciting for the Raiders. Anyone who knows me knows I lived in Alabama and follow all Crimson Tiders closely. Beyond Julio Jones, Cooper is one of the most talented receivers to come out of 'Bama in years. He should make an immediate impact for any fantasy owner who drafts him this summer.
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
IAN ALLAN
I didn’t think too much of Bishop Sankey last year. He was ordinary all year long. When he put up big numbers in college, maybe that was in part because Washington was using a hurry-up spread system. So I am interested to have a look at fifth-rounder David Cobb. He put up good numbers his final year at Minnesota, and he seems to bring more tackle-breaking ability to the table. He’s a bowling-ball kind of runner, who can bounce off tacklers and burrow for yards. He’s not a can’t-miss prospect. He doesn’t have ideal speed (which is why he lasted until the fifth round). But I think there’s a reasonable chance he outperforms a lot of the second- and third-round running backs who are getting more attention — Yeldon, Abdullah, Coleman and the Johnsons.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.
JOSHUA SIMMONS
The NFL rookie I most look forward to watching in preseason action is Marcus Mariota. Will his enormous collegiate success translate to the next level, or is he merely the "system quarterback" some folks peg him as? Marcus' athleticism is alone worth circling Titans games on the schedule. Acclimating to Ken Whisenhunt's offense will give him plenty to learn, which of course will be fun to keep tabs on.
Simmons has been a contributor for FantasySharks.com since 2007. His responsibilities include dynasty rankings, weekly projections-driven content and staff representation in various leagues.
SAM HENDRICKS
Amari Cooper. What's not to love: 4.4 speed, 4th overall draft pick paired with a young, up-and-coming quarterback in Derek Carr. Cooper runs a great route and has the pro level experience most rookies lack. Think OBJ but with da Raiders. I am excited about his possibilities!
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013. Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.
ALAN SATTERLEE
Is "all the above" an answer? Like last year, there are so many rookies that I think will have a big 2015 season. It's seems impossible to pick just one. I certainly want to see the rookie quarterbacks and how they play, and seeing Jameis Winston toss the rock to Mike Evans. If I had to say just one rookie I would go with Melvin Gordon, mainly as I think he will have a monster season. I would rather have Gordon than either Matt Forte (who I think will be a disappointment) and Arian Foster, so watching Gordon in game action will be a must see. Likewise, I look forward to seeing T.J. Yeldon in a pro uniform and how he looks in a starring role with the Jaguars. Additionally, it will be interesting to see both the Johnson rookie running backs (Duke and David) and insights to the roles they will have.
Satterlee is a co-owner and senior writer for Dynasty Football Warehouse. DFW is comprehensive site covering dynasty, redraft, IDP and Daily formats. DFW has a large writing crew with many people from the DFW community contributing to the insights and discussion. Alan is also the Fantasy Football Insider for the Charlotte Observer and is syndicated in a few other newspapers in the southeast.
SCOTT SACHS
The Cleveland Browns didn't seem to need a running back in the draft, yet they plucked The U's Duke Johnson in round 3. He is Miami's all-time leading rusher -- over Edgerrin James, Portis, McGahee, Gore, et al. The Browns will play defense and run the ball in 2015, so Johnson will add pass catching and homerun capability to the Browns backfield, both missing in the team's second-half tumble last year. In 2014, the tandem of West and Crowell had very good overall stats, but both had fumble issues and lackadaisical work habits. Johnson, at minimum, will be the 3rd down guy at the beginning of camp. Any back that can catch the ball, return kicks, and be a legitimate threat to score anytime he touches the ball gives me confidence to predict that Duke Johnson will emerge eventually to be the Browns No. 1 running back.
With two perfect seasons to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Consulting & Advice. He was the 2011 winner of Fantasy Index's Experts Auction league, as well as the winner of the 2012 Experts Poll. In 2013, he finished 2nd in the Auction and 3rd in the Draft league; in 2014, 3rd in the Auction league.
ANDY RICHARDSON
Ameer Abdullah. Undersized third-down back or future featured runner for the Detroit Lions? I think he could be the latter, and am looking forward to seeing him on the field to see if he provides glimpses of it. Pretty interested to see Melvin Gordon on the field for the Chargers, too, perhaps in part because I got burned by the last Wisconsin back, Montee Ball. Gordon should be much better, but I'm hoping we see it right away.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.