5 Overlooked 2016 Performances
While 2016 produced more fantasy football content than ever, I believe these 5 players performances flew under the radar. This piece will highlight the productive seasons of Pierre Garcon, Cole Beasley, and Carlos Hyde, while exploring Breshad Perriman and Dorial Green-Beckham‘s second seasons in the NFL. Let’s dig in…
Carlos Hyde RB SF
2014 83 carries – 333 yards – 4.0 YPC – 4 TDs
2015 115 carries – 470 yards – 4.1 YPC – 3 TDs
2016 217 carries – 988 yards – 4.6 YPC – 6 TDs
Being a member of a dreadful 49ers team has not prevented Carlos Hyde from being a productive fantasy asset. Though an arbitrary measurement, he’s one of eight running backs since 1970 to average over 4 yards per carry in each of his first three seasons (min. 80 carries per season). Others include Herschel Walker, Thurman Thomas, Fred Taylor, DeAngelo Williams, and Jonathan Stewart. For San Francisco, there’s nowhere to go but up. If the 49ers become more competitive, Hyde could vault himself into a weekly RB1 lock.
Pierre Garcon WR WAS
2013 113 receptions – 181 targets – 1,346 yards – 11.9 yards per rec – 5 TDs
2014 68 receptions – 105 targets – 752 yards – 11.1 yards per rec – 3 TDs
2015 72 receptions – 111 targets – 777 yards – 10.8 yards per rec – 6 TDs
2016 79 receptions – 114 targets – 1,041 yards – 13.2 yards per rec – 3 TDs
2016 was Pierre Garcon‘s best season since his 181 target outlier season in 2013. On 3 more targets than 2015, Garcon improved his Y/R by nearly 2 1/2 yards and increased his catch percentage by almost 5%. Garcon enters free agency as one of the best available receivers. Regardless of where he signs this off-season, Garcon has re-established himself as a fantasy relevant player and someone I’d offer a 1 or 2 year RSO contract.
Cole Beasley WR DAL
2014 37 receptions – 49 targets – 420 yards – 11.4 yards per rec – 4 TDs
2015 52 receptions – 75 targets – 536 yards – 10.3 yards per rec – 5 TDs
2016 75 receptions – 98 targets – 833 yards – 11.1 yards per rec – 5 TDs
Cole Beasley quietly finished the 2016 season as the #33 WR in PPR scoring, according to ESPN Scoring Leaders. With a career-best and team-high 98 targets, Beasley‘s role expanded from valuable role player to the team’s #2 WR. In my opinion, there’s no reason to expect his role to diminish as he enters his age-28 season because Dallas has many needs to address on the defensive side of the ball this off-season.
Breshad Perriman WR BAL
2015 n/a
2016 33 receptions – 66 targets – 499 yards – 15.1 yards per rec – 3 TDs
While Perriman‘s dynasty value is at an all-time low, his 2016 season encouraged his owners as he was able to suit up for all 16 games. Playing third and sometimes fourth banana in Baltimore, Perriman finished 2016 with 499 yards. The yardage may not seem impressive, but Perriman flashed his upside with several big plays. Let’s not forget he ran a 4.24 at the 2015 NFL Combine. His potential remains the same as when he was drafted. Sure we have more awareness of his injury history, but I consider this to be a great time to buy Perriman. He should enter next season as one of Baltimore’s best options in the passing game and can hopefully take that next step after participating fully in OTAs and training camp.
Dorial Green-Beckham WR PHI
2015 w/ Titans 32 receptions – 66 targets – 549 yards – 17.2 yards per rec – 4 TDs
2016 w/ Eagles 36 receptions – 74 targets – 392 yards – 10.9 yards per rec – 2 TDs
With plenty of opportunity on an Eagles team dearth of receivers, Green-Beckham failed to earn a prominent role in Doug Pederson’s offense. This is best exemplified by his 13% target share in the 15 games he played last season. Green-Beckham‘s yards per reception plummeted from 17.2 to 10.9 after failing to show much route versatility besides the slants he so frequently ran.
Among 2nd-year receivers with 70+ targets, Dorial Green-Beckham has the 9th lowest Yards/Target since 1970. As the Eagles look to bolster Carson Wentz‘ supporting cast, DGB is no lock for a prominent role in 2017.
*All stats from www.pro-football-reference.com
Bio: An avid fan of all things NFL, Dave has been playing fantasy football since 1999. Though Dave participates in all types of fantasy football including redraft and daily, he prefers keeper and dynasty leagues as talent evaluation and scouting are integral components of each. Follow him on Twitter @DaveSanders_RSO
