With all the noise we hear about the importance of keepers, one thing is clear, last year’s crop was truly unremarkable. Of the 31 keepers kept last season, only four managed to earn any kind of All-Robio award and only one of those was not a category one player (and that player’s owner tried desperately to unload him prior to the season).
Of those 31 players kept, only 11 finished the season as a starter for the team that drafted them. Two others were traded and started for other teams. 11 of the keepers finished outside the top-20 at their respected position. Worse yet, of all the players kept in category two, none cracked the top-18. Brutal.
Below, there are two lists. Best keepers individually and best team keepers.
PLAYER RANKINGS
1. Todd Gurley, Round 4 (Matt) | RANK: #1 Back in 2016, Neatock was struggling, thus shipped off first-rounder, Julio Jones, for a struggling Gurley, who did nothing that year. However, thanks to the fact the Rams hired a coach who understood that the concept of offense is to move forward, Gurley finished 2017 as the league’s best back, scoring back-to-back 600-pt games in the postseason. It was the second year in a row where a RB traded away by Bob, lead a team to a title run.
2. Carson Wentz, Round 14 (Matt) | Rank: #2 Obviously, we’ll give Matt his due for drafting and keeping Wentz (although I’ll fault him for not redshirting him in 2016). Yet, luck goes a long way. Matt tried all of August to ship Wentz off, but fortunately for him, no else saw the greatness either. Wentz was a top-three quarterback all season long, even scoring over 400 in a game where he tore his ACL. Sadly, he had to watch Nick Foles earn Matt his third fantasy title.
3. Antonio Brown, Round 1 (Eric) | Rank: #1 I traditionally don’t like to rank first-round keepers up this high, but A) this is not a great class of keepers and B) Brown was that much better. He scored 444 more points than the next best receiver.
4. Melvin Gordon, Round 3 (Jeff) | Rank: #6 Drafted as a rookie back in 2015, the Chargers running back as been a blessing for Jeff the past two seasons. Despite never averaging four yards per carry, thanks to the fact that San Diego just feeds him the ball a bunch, Gordon earned his second straight All-Robio award (despite missing one game).
5. Travis Kelce, Round 4 (Colby) | Rank: #1 With a brilliant week thirteen effort, Kelce stole the top spot from Gronkowski, proving to be an excellent keeper late in category one. However, despite being the best at a position, he gets knocked down one spot simply for being a tight end and if available, he would at best been a late second round pick. The question now is, if Kelce was back in the draft pool this year, would he go ahead of Gronk?
6. Michael Thomas, Round 11 (Griff) | Rank: #12 Thanks to over 100 catches and 1,200 yards, the Saints second year receiver finished the season as a low-end WR1. The only thing keeping him from the elite are his lack of touchdowns. He had only five last year, four less than his rookie season. If he had four more scores, he would have finished as the 8th best receiver.
7. Jordan Howard, Round 15 (Eric) | Rank: #12 In reality, Eric is allowed to be disappointed in Howard’s 2017 results. He averaged a yard less per carry than his rookie year (5.2 vs 4.1) and produced 364 less total yards. Still, a low-end RB1 in the last round is still amazing. Than Colby….who actually drafted Howard and cut him. Such a Murray move.
8. Tom Brady, Round 4 (Rob M) | Rank: #4 While Brady didn’t seem to dominate like he had in previous seasons (his touchdowns were down, his interceptions were up), Rob always knew he could put Brady out there and the Pats arm would never cost him a game. Good news for a fourth round pick.
9. Tevin Coleman, Round 13 (Colby) | Rank: #13 Coleman is just a hard player to judge. He’s the backup to Freeman, but about 40% of the time, he’s the better back. In a league with a flex spot, he’s a fine starter. In this league, he’s a gamble. Last season though, he finished a career high #13, thanks to Freeman missing some time due to injury.
10. Jimmy Graham, Round 13 (Rob M) | Rank: #4 With the way he started the season, it’s a shock that Graham was one spot away from earning another All-Robio award. Having said that, there was a big difference between Kelce and Gronk and someone like Graham (more than a 600-point difference).
11. Julio Jones, Round 1 (Bob) | Rank: #4 He was a first round pick, so anything short of a All-Robio performance is a minor disappointment. Yet, I would argue that Julio was a major disappointment in 2017, thanks to what I dub the “Masterson Math”. What is Masterson Math? Rob once made a good argument that not all high scoring teams or players are equal. One great game or one great performance can make one seem great, but erase that one bit of production and they’re pretty average. For Julio, 28% (656 points) of his points total last year came in one game. Take that game away and he average just 152 points per game, which makes him as good as Doug Baldwin.
12. Ezekiel Elliott, Round 1 (Don) | Rank: #9 How does one judge Elliot? He missed six games due to suspension. However, when healthy, Elliot was one of the best in the business. Think about it, he finished in the top-10 among all backs, playing in just eight games. I call that the “Bo Jackson algorithm.” In the end, Don dumped him for the future, landing Alvin Kamara late in the draft for two more years.
13. Carlos Hyde, Round 3 (Robio) | Rank: #11 Hyde was as frustrating as one could be for a guy who technically finished as a low-end RB1. Five times he broke 200+ fantasy points in game, but I swear, I had him on the bench for two or three of those. But when he laid eggs and scored less than 100, you can surely bet he was starting, front and center.
14. Brandin Cooks, Round 2 (Marc) | Rank: #8 Cooks proved to be very Allen Robinson during his one year in (New) England. He only caught 65 balls (on 114 targets), but since he averaged over 16 yards per catch, he had over 1,000 yards on the season.
15. Devonta Freeman, Round 4 (Rich B) | Rank: #19 Through nine weeks, it was tough for Burrier to know what he was getting from Freeman. He did have a pair of 300-point games, but through nine weeks, he was the better back in Atlanta in only five of the games (Coleman outscored him four times). Unfortunately, Freeman shredded up his MCL and would miss games down the stretch, eventually ending up on Rich’s bench.
16. Matt Ryan, Round 11 (RICH C) | Rank: #16 We verified one thing in 2017…Steve Sarkisian is no Kyle Shanahan. This just goes to show, you have to pay attention to who is designing and calling the plays. With Shanahan, Matt Ryan was an elite quarterback and a steal in round 11. With Sarkisian calling the shots, the fact that Calderon had to start Ryan at all, showed how weak his quarterback spot was. Ryan finished 16th among all quarterbacks, despite not missing any games. Brutal.
17. Isaiah Crowell, Round 5 (Griff) | Rank: #25 When you look up the word “average” in the dictionary, there are two photos…my penis and Isaiah Crowell. On the season, he had 206 carries, 853 yards, barely average four yards per carry and scored only two touchdowns. He’s played four seasons and Crowell has still not broken 1,000 yards rushing. Obviously, he finished the year on Griff’s bench.
18. Jay Ajayi, Round 6 (Rich B) | Rank: #27 After watching what Drake did down in Miami once Ajayi was traded, how can Rich not feel disappointed in Ajayi? Once in Philly, he was sharing the backfield with Blunt and never sniffed 100 yards, scoring zero rushing touchdowns. He, like Freeman, finished the year on Burrier’s bench. Yet, with Blount gone, could Ajayi again feel like a good pick?
19. Marcus Mariota, Round 9 (Matt) | RANK: #21 Thanks to a shit show that was the Tennessee offensive play calling, Mariota did not make that expected leap forward. Luckily for Matt, he didn’t need him and was able to trade him off to a desperate Robio for a solid Seahawks defense.
20. Michael Crabtree, Round 10 (Bob) | Rank: #37 With Amari Cooper playing so poorly, Crabtree was actually the number one option in Oakland. Of course, all things relevant, that didn’t mean much. He had 31 less catches and nearly 400 less yards than 2016, as Derek Car couldn’t hit the side of the barn if he was standing three feet from it.
21. Jordy Nelson, Round 11 (Robio) | Rank: #44 With a healthy Aaron Rodgers, Nelson showed All-Robio potential. Three of his first five games were 200+ games. Yet, when his starting quarterback was knocked out for the year, Nelson was done. He caught just 28 passes after week six. Benched.
22. Derek Carr, Round 12 (Marc) | Rank: #18 Holy hell was Carr a bust. He was just awful. The only silver lining is that I was so desperate for any quarterback, I was happy to trade McKinnon to Marc for Carr and now McKinnon has a shot at being a starter in SF.
23. Jamison Crowder, Round 8 (Colby) | Rank: #39 Through five weeks, few were worse than Crowder. He had no 100-point fantasy games, getting -2 in week one and shutout three weeks later. Later, he would produce a couple decent games and get picked up by Jeff, but he never became a starter, finishing the year south of 800 yards receiving.
24. Sterling Shepard, Round 8 (Eric) | Rank: #46 Considering that the Giants lost both Beckham and Marshall, the window of opportunity to be a solid sleeper was there. Unfortunately for Eric, Shepard couldn’t take advantage of it. 60% of his points came in three games and he was on Eric’s bench for all three.
25. Jameis Winston, Round 15 (Jeff) | Rank: #12 Injured, suspended and tossing interceptions is no way to go through life. He could have been one of the great category three sleepers of all time. Instead, RapeyMcGrope makes us all ask, “Wow, Jeff was really starting this guy in the playoffs?”
26. Bilal Powell, Round 9 (Marc) | Rank: #34 Based on what he did when he was a starter in 2016, one would think the Jets would let him run wild. Of course, this is the Jets. Powell got 20 carries just once all year, against the Jaguars and he scored over 400 fantasy points. He failed to get double digit carries six times and the sleeper was never allowed to wake up.
27. Ty Montgomery, Round 7 (Robio) | Rank: #45 In weeks one and two, the Packers starting running back scored 246 and 340 fantasy points. I was giddy. Then he got hurt. Then Rodgers got hurt. I ended up picking up every Packers back I could find and Montgomery slipped down into the depth chart. Eventually, I cut him.
28. DeMarco Murray, Round 3 (Rich C) | Rank: #16 Murray was better than a lot of players on this list, but there are two reasons why he’s lower than most. First, he cost Rich a third-round pick. However, more importantly, at least with the ass-hats who failed the rest of us, failed badly enough we easily benched or cut them. Murray was the gift that kept on giving. He was never truly bad, so Rich kept having to decide who to start; Murray or Henry. Unfortunately, it always seemed Rich guessed wrong.
30. Terrelle Pryor, Round 7 (Rob M) | Rank: #93 This pick is brutal for so many other reasons. A) Rob had a lot of good options in category two and he guessed wrong…by a lot. Second, Pryor was just awful. Expected to be a low-end WR1, thanks to having a real quarterback, Pryor never found a groove. After catching six balls in week one, he caught 14 in his next eight. By then Rob had benched him and eventually cut him.
31. David Johnson, Round 10 (Griff) | Rank: #106 Easily the most painful injury, arguable, in league history. Griff picked up Johnson late in 2015 and the Cardinals back led him to a championship. In 2016, Griff missed the playoffs last year, but it had nothing to do with Johnson, who earned a first-team All-Robio award. In his final year with the team, D.J. was going to be the centerpiece for Griff’s rebirth. Instead, he was lost for the year in week one. I can’t think of a more important player getting hurt in this league.
TEAM RANKINGS
1. MATT NEATOCK Rd 4 Todd Gurley, RB-LAR – #1 Rd 9 Marcus Mariota, QB-TEN – #21 Rd 14 Carson Wentz, QB-PHI – #2
Clearly, the best of then bunch. Not only because Matt landed two All-Robio stars in cat one and cat three, but he was able to trade Mariota away from a solid Seahawks DST.
2. ERIC VOZZOLA Rd 1 Antonio Brown, WR-PIT – #1 Rd 8 Sterling Shepard, WR-NYG – #46 Rd 15 Jordan Howard, RB-CHI – #12
I don’t love first-round keepers, but I do when they outscore everyone by a lot. Besides, it’s not like Eric missed out on any other options. Would have liked to seen more from Howard, as Eric should be able to feel confident he is a legit starter.
3. COLBY HALL Rd 4 Travis Kelce, TE-KC – #1 Rd 8 Jamison Crowder, WR-WAS – #39 Rd 13 Tevin Coleman, RB-ATL – #13
Overall, good numbers with the top tight end and a high-end RB2, but like so many other category two players, Crowder had no impact on the fantasy season.
For Jeff, one hit and one miss. Gordon continues to put up first-round numbers and only cost Jeff a third-round pick. Still, in this day and age, if you don’t have a guy worth keeping in category two, you’re doing it wrong.
5. ROB MASTERSON Rd 4 Tom Brady, QB NE – #4 Rd 7 Terrelle Pryor, WR WAS – #93 Rd 13 Jimmy Graham, TE SEA – #4
For Rob, he got a pair of players who finished #4, which is pretty good. However, he gets knocked down a peg based on what he missed. In category two, he kept Pryor, who was awful. Instead, he could have kept two better players. One was Davante Adams in round eight. He struggled at times when Rodgers went down, but he was brilliant down the stretch, finishing 13th among all receivers. Also, Rob could keep him one more year. Second, Masterson could have kept Mark Ingram for one more season in round 10. Ingram finished 2017 as the league’s fifth best back.
Despite all the great moves Bob made last year to come within one game of the playoffs and also land him both Elliot and Watson in 2018, he made some poor decisions in last year’s keeper class. As I pointed out above, Julio was a disappointing first-round keeper. Instead, Bob should have kept and stashed Henry. As the starter in Tennessee this year, he would have been a solid keeper option in round five. Still, the biggest mistake was in category two. In round seven, Bob could have kept Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs receiver finished the year as the 5th best receiver, which according to my math, is 32 spots better than where Crabtree finished.
With Freeman and Ajayi, it looked like Burrier had two surefire RB1s starting for him in week one. By the quarterfinals, they were both on his bench.
8. GRIFF COOMER Rd 5 Isaiah Crowell, RB-CLE – #25 Rd 10 David Johnson, RB-ARI – #106 Rd 11 Michael Thomas, WR-NO – #12
Average. Bad. Good. Thomas was solid, Crowell was a waste, but just imagine how good this “playoff team” could have been with a healthy David Johnson all season.
9. DON VOZZOLA Rd 1 Ezekiel Elliott, RB-DAL – #9
His suspension made a tough season into a bad season, but at least, he helped set up Don for 2018. Things could have been a little better if Don would have also kept the Rams DST in round 10. They finished the season ranked 4th and would be a even better keeper in 2018.
10. MARC PATINI Rd 2 Brandin Cooks, WR-NE – #8 Rd 9 Bilal Powell, RB-NYJ – #34 Rd 12 Derek Carr, QB-OAK – #18
Molly didn’t leave Marc a lot of good options in his first season and only Cooks did anything worth bragging about. At least he was able to ditch Carr onto my roster, although looking back, he probably would have been better keeping Stefon Diggs in round 11. He only finished ranked #25 in 2017, but with Cousins in Minnesota now, he could be a great sleeper candidate in 2018.
11. ROBIO MURRAY Rd 3 Carlos Hyde, RB-SF – #11 Rd 7 Ty Montgomery, RB-GB – #45 Rd 11 Jordy Nelson, WR-GB – #44
When Aaron Rodgers went down, two-thirds of my keepers became worthless and my season ended way too early. Instead, I should have kept either Philip Rivers (round 7) or Kirk Cousins (round 8). That would have prevented me from drafting Rodgers in round two and perhaps life would have been better.
12. RICH CALDERON Rd 3 DeMarco Murray, RB-TEN – #16 Rd 9 Jordan Reed, TE-WAS – #35 Rd 11 Matt Ryan, QB-ATL – #16
Calderon is getting knocked down to the bottom simply because two of these sad saps (Murray, Ryan) were somehow his best starting options heading into the playoffs. How did he win nine games last year?
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