Scoresman
Footballguy
There will always be situations that happen over the course of the season that everyone fails to predict and the pre-season consensus is way off on. But there seem to be some pretty wild outliers this year in terms of team offenses in the NFL compared to how we (and Vegas) predicted. These have had pretty big fantasy implications. Were any of the situations below predictable in any way? Were there signs we should have seen coming and can we look for these signs when evaluating teams next year?
1. Denver Broncos - This is the biggest surprise. With Russell Wilson coming to town, everyone thought they would drastically improve offensively. Instead they are at the bottom of the offensive ratings. What happened here? Is Russell Wilson washed up? I don't think the Javonte injury would cause that much of a dip in the offense.
2. Indianapolis Colts - Same kind of situation as the Broncos, but not as surprising. Still, nobody expected the Colts to be as bad as they were this year or JT would not have been the consensus 1, and Pittman would not have been such a pre-season favorite. While no one thought the Colts would be a top offense, the consensus thought they would be good enough to support some players at ADP. Everyone thought this team would be improved with Matt Ryan on board. From googling what may have gone wrong, I can't seem to pinpoint what went wrong. It seems to be a combination of bad coaching and an underperforming O-line. But I don't know how we could've spotted such a low floor in the pre-season.
3. Miami Dolphins - Few would've predicted the Dolphins to be a top 10 offense. I remember reading a statement that was analyzing Hill and Waddle. It said that there was no way the Dolphins could support two top 20 wide receivers which I agreed with at the time. In reality, Hill and Waddle are both in the top 10 (in my league's scoring), which is nuts. I seem to remember most people thinking the Dolphins would be more run heavy. What did we not see here? Too much talent in the passing game to not be utilized?
4. Seattle Seahawks - Same situation. An offense that performed way above expectations. I don't know how anyone could have predicted Geno Smith having the kind of success he is having.
Any other surprising team situations? What can we learn from these when going into next year's projections?
1. Denver Broncos - This is the biggest surprise. With Russell Wilson coming to town, everyone thought they would drastically improve offensively. Instead they are at the bottom of the offensive ratings. What happened here? Is Russell Wilson washed up? I don't think the Javonte injury would cause that much of a dip in the offense.
2. Indianapolis Colts - Same kind of situation as the Broncos, but not as surprising. Still, nobody expected the Colts to be as bad as they were this year or JT would not have been the consensus 1, and Pittman would not have been such a pre-season favorite. While no one thought the Colts would be a top offense, the consensus thought they would be good enough to support some players at ADP. Everyone thought this team would be improved with Matt Ryan on board. From googling what may have gone wrong, I can't seem to pinpoint what went wrong. It seems to be a combination of bad coaching and an underperforming O-line. But I don't know how we could've spotted such a low floor in the pre-season.
3. Miami Dolphins - Few would've predicted the Dolphins to be a top 10 offense. I remember reading a statement that was analyzing Hill and Waddle. It said that there was no way the Dolphins could support two top 20 wide receivers which I agreed with at the time. In reality, Hill and Waddle are both in the top 10 (in my league's scoring), which is nuts. I seem to remember most people thinking the Dolphins would be more run heavy. What did we not see here? Too much talent in the passing game to not be utilized?
4. Seattle Seahawks - Same situation. An offense that performed way above expectations. I don't know how anyone could have predicted Geno Smith having the kind of success he is having.
Any other surprising team situations? What can we learn from these when going into next year's projections?