In case you haven’t noticed, and this year it would be easy to do so, it is August. At this time of year, NFL teams are a couple of weeks deep into their training camps. We would have had the Hall of Fame Game and the first preseason games would be days away. Football related news would be coming at us by the day, sometimes by the minute. But, this isn’t a normal season, as we all know. Everything about pro football seems like it has been under wraps, like old Christmas decorations deep in the attic. It doesn’t take a lot of listening to hear the crickets. There is no doubt that this season, pro football approaches quietly. We have to take it upon ourselves to liven things up. We here at Belly Up Sports are here to do just that! Nothing brings out the passion in football fans quite like fantasy. Let’s bring on the debate!

Question 1: What is Todd Gurley’s Fantasy Worth?

The world of fantasy football is all over the map regarding Todd Gurley. He did play a full season for the Rams a year ago, but only rushed for 857 yards. As we all know, a total like that won’t get anyone invited to Thanksgiving dinner. But he got into the end zone 14 times. That will get an invitation to the head table. So, what do we do with Gurley coming into his first Atlanta Falcons season?

First, it is vitally important to keep tabs on his health. But don’t look to get an answer on the field. Head coach Dan Quinn stated recently that Gurley will be limited when practices start to ramp up. We also know there are no exhibition games this year, so there is no help there, either. In most seasons, it would take a high draft pick to get Gurley onto a fantasy roster. Not so this time around as Gurley has a 5th round ADP. We will have to take the Atlanta staff’s word on his health outlook.

Second, because of his ADP, there is a lot less fantasy risk than if he were a first or second round pick. He is on Yahoo’s All Upside team right now But, there is still risk involved. You have to assess your risk tolerance level before the draft to make a quality choice. Only you can decide on this as pro football quietly approaches. As for me, if I am not sure of his health, it will be a hard pass for me on draft day.

Question Two: What is a Zero RB strategy and should it be used?

Let me make this clear right up front- I had never heard of a zero RB strategy before this year. I am learning about this just the same as many of those reading this. What the strategy is NOT is that a fantasy team will have no running backs on the roster. Such would be impossible as all teams must have at least two. Fantasy settings will not allow an owner the choice.

So, now that it has been established what it isn’t, let’s get to what it is. Simply stated, the zero RB strategy dictates that a manager will ignore any and all running backs in the first three, four, or five rounds. The round is dictated by the owner’s personal strategy. It gained traction a few years back when the NFL moved to emphasize the forward pass and running the football was devalued by many teams, The idea of the strategy is to have top point scorers at every position other than running back.

In other words, an owner will have the two of the top 10 point scorers at WR, TE and QB. That all sounds great, but if the RBs selected late don’t work out, that will create a huge hole in a roster. As with any strategy, it is not for the inexperienced. There must be practice drafts before the real thing. I have always believed that the correct strategy is to select the best player available at the top of a draft, regardless of position. And with runners such as CMC, Elliot, Barkley and many others now in the league, teams ARE running the football. It is safe to say that I will not be using this strategy any time soon.

Question Three: Will the Opt Outs Affect Fantasy Teams?

The players that opted not to play football this season will most affect fantasy leagues that have already had their drafts. If any these players were selected, they need to jettisoned to the waiver wire yesterday. Don’t waste another second. If anyone is not sure who has opted out, the complete list can be found here. While it is recognized the reason why so many leagues draft early is to get and keep everyone in the league interested and motivated, this opt out shows why it is prudent to wait until late August to do a draft.

Easily the most visible of the players to opt out is Chiefs running back Damien Williams. He led the defending Super Bowl champions in rushing last season. It is clear that the biggest beneficiary of this move will be rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire, as he immediately assumes the starting job. He is zooming up draft boards. He is projected by some to be a first round pick. That makes sense in dynasty, but that’s it. Don’t let the hype force such a draft day decision. in the second round, he makes sense. Remember I told you so.

Other significant opt outs:

Devin Funchess of the Packers opted out and he was the only significant move Green Bay made with their receivers in the off season. It means that Davante Adams will be even more important to the Packer offense and is absolutely worthy of a mid first round selection. Expect a healthy season from Adams and a increase in his 83-997-5 2019 line to something similar to 2018- 111-1,386-13.

It is noteworthy that the New England Patriots had by far the most opt outs of all the teams with eight. While most of the players aren’t worth mentioning here, the fact is that the moves will have an impact on the Patriot’s offense line and defense depth. There are a lot of uncertainties on New England heading into the season (insert Cam Newton here) and maybe we shouldn’t have Patriot players as high on draft boards as we do. It is certainly something to keep in mind as pro football quietly approaches.

Question Four: What’s Dalvin Cook’s Story?

Talk about quiet, there hasn’t been a peep heard out of Minnesota regarding Dalvin Cook. He put together a tremendous season last year, as you can read about here. There was a threat of a holdout, but that didn’t happen. Cook reported to camp on time. We are two weeks in and there is no deal signed or even that one is even close to happening. The important thing is that Cook is in camp and there should be every expectation of him being there when the season’s opening bell rings. He is absolutely a top five selection in redraft leagues. The uncertainty for next season should cause him to slip in dynasty, though. Prepare to draft accordingly.

It has been a pleasure having you join me as pro football quietly approaches. Please feel free to comment as I welcome your input. Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and make sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Picks for all the latest NFL and sports news!