With the Football Season upon us, it is Fantasy Football Draft season. Everyone is excited and looking for guys with massive amounts of upside to draft. Roster construction will completely determine how you draft your team.
Below is a list of players that offer the most safety, or perhaps the least amount of risk, for the moments when you are looking for a solid reliable player you can count on, or you have already loaded up on risky players and need to balance your team.
Obviously, there are a ton of safe picks in the first few rounds. Therefore this article focuses on players who are being drafted later and can still be reliable anchors on your teams. If you haven't already check out my top-10 riskiest players for 2018.
2018 Fantasy Football Top 10 Safest Players
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Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers (ADP 31)
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Not much to say here. Fantasy Football’s consensus QB1, Rodgers has consistently finished in the elite tier of Fantasy QBs.
Larry Fitzgerald, QB, Arizona Cardinals (ADP 36)
Especially, in PPR leagues, Fitzgerald is constantly undervalued. He has been great throughout his career and has finished as a WR1 three years in a row, so old-age isn’t a valid argument. He will look to benefit from Bradford’s tendency to complete short passes.
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos (ADP 44)
Last year broke Thomas’s streak of five consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons. Thomas was only 51 yards short of his sixth in a row. He did this with, shall I say, awful quarterback play.
If Case Keenum can continue his 2017 success with the Broncos, Thomas will be back on Fantasy radars as a safe, high floor, WR2.
Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions (ADP 47)
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90+ receptions and 1,000 yards are what you get out of Tate. He won’t catch more than around five touchdowns, but his reception and yardage total and his role in the Detroit offense, make him a safer pick in the later rounds.
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints (ADP 65)
Looking back to 2012, Brees has failed to finish lower than a QB1 in every season since. He had what appeared to be a down year last year, as the offense was more dependent on the rushing attack, and Brees’ touchdown totals were lower than normal.
However, expect the Saints to trend somewhat back towards their identity, which not only makes Brees a safe option, but also a high-upside option.
Lamar Miller, RB, Houston Texans (ADP 61)
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As ineffective as Miller has been since joining the Texans, he is still a starting running back for what should be a good offense.
He has finished as an RB2 or better since joining the Texans, and has done that behind a terrible offense, for the most part.
Now, with Watson healthy, and D’Onta Foreman sidelined, Miller should see close to 20 touches per game, in an exciting offense. We are talking about a starting running back that you can draft in the 6th round or later.
Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers (ADP 63)
Olsen consistently finishes in the top-3 at the tight end position. Because of an injury-plagued year, owners are forgetting how good Olsen has been for Fantasy. Cam Newton and Olsen have great chemistry, making Olsen one of the safer picks at the tight end position.
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos (ADP 84)
Another Bronco worth mentioning, Sanders was a solid WR2 until the quarterback play in Denver fell apart over the past two years. Case Keenum just supported two high-end wide receivers in Diggs and Thielan, and Sanders reminds me a lot of Thielan. As a wide receiver, you can get around the 9th round, Sanders provides a safe floor with WR2 or higher potential.
Isaiah Crowell, RB, New York Jets (ADP 94)
Crowell disappointed last year, as many people were expecting big things from him. Because of that, and his move to a Jets’ team, which isn’t projected to be good, Crowell has fallen to nearly double-digit rounds in Fantasy.
This isn’t about the biggest upside pick or the flashiest pick, but a starting running back on an NFL team, who is guaranteed to get the bulk of the carries means, starting role and volume alone make Crowell a safe Fantasy pick.
Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (ADP 113)
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Finishing around the back end of the QB1s over the past few years, Rivers has been a reliable Fantasy option who you can consistently get late in drafts.
Last year, Rivers finished as the eighth best QB in Fantasy, and in a pass-heavy offense who many have as a dark horse for the 2018 season, Rivers will once again be a safe quarterback that can be drafted late.
Bonus: Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers, (ADP 95)
Aaron Rodgers has consistently supported two high-level Fantasy wide receivers. Cobb has had success in the past as the number two guy in this offense, and with Rodgers healthy and Jordy Nelson gone, Cobb provides a safe floor, with a ton of upside in the later rounds.
Visit the F6P Fantasy Football Draft Kit Page for more advice to prepare for the 2018 season.
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