Are you a true hometown NFL fan? Here’s how to draft an entire fantasy football team out of Maryland-based players.
COLLEGE PARK, Maryland — What if you tried to assemble a fantasy football team made only out of players who played their home games in Maryland?
Doing so might leave some glaring holes in your lineup, but there are nevertheless plenty of valuable fantasy players on Baltimore’s and Washington’s NFL rosters. Here are four players from each squad, along with their average draft position in ESPN fantasy leagues (as of Friday morning), what roles they should occupy on your fantasy team and why you should consider them.
All statistics come from pro-football-reference.com.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
1. Terrelle Pryor Sr. (WR, Washington)
Average draft position: 32.9
Target as your: WR2
Why: Pryor wasn’t even a wide receiver until last year, when he converted from quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. He eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for a bad offense in 2016 and, through free agency, he joined Washington just as the team lost both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. He’s widely considered the best wide receiver on the team now. Though not at the level of Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham Jr., Pryor is a great fit for your starting lineup.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
2. Jordan Reed (TE, Washington)
Average draft position: 45.4
Target as your: TE1
Why: Reed missed four games last year due to multiple injuries, but when he’s on the field, he’s one of the best tight ends in the business. In 2015, he had the second-most receptions among NFL tight ends (in just 14 games, no less). Over the last two seasons, Reed has caught 75.4 percent of passes thrown his way. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better tight end after Rob Gronkowski is off the board.
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)
AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File
3. Jamison Crowder (WR, Washington)
Average draft position: 65.2
Target as your: Flex/WR3
Why: Whenever opponents blanket Pryor and Reed in coverage this year, the 5-foot-9 Crowder should wiggle his way open. He had 67 catches and 99 targets last year while surrounded by Garcon, Jackson and Reed. He led the team with seven touchdown receptions, too. Washington throws the ball enough to keep giving Crowder a relatively high volume of targets. If he’s on the board in the sixth round, consider him as a flex option.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
4. Danny Woodhead (RB, Baltimore)
Average draft position: 65.8
Target as your: Flex/bench option
Why: Woodhead’s average draft position places him in the seventh round for 10-team leagues, but only target him that high if you play in a PPR (points per reception) league. Woodhead is expected to split carries with two other running backs, and last year the Ravens posted the NFL’s third-fewest rushing attempts as a team (367). But in the last four seasons he played for the Chargers, Woodhead averaged 4.5 receptions a game and scored more touchdowns receiving (13) than rushing (five).
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
5. Kirk Cousins (QB, Washington)
Average draft position: 79.6
Target as your: QB1
Why: By now you’ve read about the various receiving targets Washington has. Well, one guy is throwing to all of them. Cousins may be a polarizing figure, but ESPN analysts see him as the sixth-best fantasy quarterback this year. He approached the 5,000-yard mark in his fifth NFL season, finishing third in the league with 4,917. Another reason to be high on Cousins (at least statistically): His running back stable of Rob Kelley, Samaje Perine and Chris Thompson is among the least impressive in the league.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
6. Mike Wallace (WR, Baltimore)
Average draft position: 102.6
Target as your: Flex/bench option
Why: Wallace was targeted 116 times last year, and it’s not ridiculous to think that number could go way up. The Ravens no longer have tight end Dennis Pitta (waived after injury) or wide receivers Steve Smith Sr. (retired) and Kamar Aiken (left in free agency). Even with Jeremy Maclin joining the receiving corps, Wallace stands out as great value late in your draft.
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
7. Justin Tucker (K, Baltimore)
Average draft position: 105.2
Target as your: Final draft pick
Why: Tucker’s average draft position means people are selecting him long before the final round of their draft. You should never reach for a placekicker like that, but if Tucker is available for your last pick, he’s a great option. No kicker in NFL history has a better career field goal conversion rate than Tucker (89.8 percent). And last year he reached double-digit fantasy points in nine of 16 games for the Ravens.
(AP Photo/Gary Landers)
AP Photo/Gary Landers
8. Joe Flacco (QB, Baltimore)
Average draft position: 133.2
Target as your: QB2
Why: Flacco is not an elite quarterback, but he’s a good backup in a pinch. An injury he sustained in training camp raised questions about his availability for opening weekend, according to RotoWire, which has lowered his draft stock. However, no quarterback dropped back to pass more often than Flacco in 2016 (672 pass attempts and 33 sacks, just higher than Drew Brees’ 673 attempts and 27 sacks). That amount of passing opportunities can translate into more opportunities for fantasy points.
(AP Photo/Gary Landers)
