Only 25 days remain for drafting in the 2022 Footballguys Players Championship. We are seeing some teams play their starters early and often so far, and that coaching process should give drafters in the FPC more pieces of information to work with. How are they utilizing that knowledge in the draft rooms? That is what I am here to break down! Remember that fantasy managers are chasing a $500,000 grand prize in drafts going off daily, and I have a front-row seat for all the action as one of the online facilitators of these drafts. If any of the drafters have a connection issue, cannot get into the draft room, or experiences any other obstacles in making their picks, I am there in the draft room to assist. In this piece, I want to share a few of the things I have noticed while monitoring these drafts over the last week:
Has the bottom fallen out on Antonio Gibson?
Frankly, I cannot see this getting any worse. In Washington’s first preseason game, Gibson fumbled and did not look great. Moreover, he was also getting time with the backups in that game as well. Now, we have seen the reports that he is working with the third string and punt team for the Commanders. What makes matters even worse is that rookie running back Brian Robinson looked good in that game and got into the end zone. And don’t forget about J.D. McKissic—the pass catcher extraordinaire that is destined to take third downs away from Gibson as well.
I have seen Gibson slip to the ninth round over the last couple of days in Footballguys drafts—something I did not think was even thinkable a month or two ago if he was healthy. While he is settling in as a borderline top-30 running back (Elijah Mitchell, Tony Pollard, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and more are solidly in front of him now), high-stakes drafters do have to question what kind of upside they are getting with that draft capital, even if it is much lower now than it was before.
Conversely, Robinson has now entered the 11th round, nearly going in front of Gibson in some drafts. They probably will permanently flip-flop this drafting season if Gibson does not flash. McKissic has risen a little bit, but he is still behind Robinson, usually going in the 13th round.
How high are Footballguys Players Championship drafters selecting Dameon Pierce?
I know I have not read or seen anything negative about Texans rookie Dameon Pierce that has been significantly memorable since the Texans drafted him. One of the things to keep in mind about high-stakes drafters is that they tend to take bigger chances on the unknown in drafts. In other words, even though Marlon Mack is listed as the starter (alongside Rex Burkhead), Pierce is the person getting all the love from FPC gamers.
Pierce has now reached the eighth round of the Footballguys Players Championship, with some drafters selecting him as high as the mid-seventh over the last couple of days. When beat writers keep writing about how good Pierce looks relative to Houston's other options, drafters read and react despite the depth chart. And that reaction has been targeting Pierce early while letting Marlon Mack slip to the late 14th round and Rex Burkhead become an afterthought in the 18th.
Based on recent news, who is a player to watch in the next week?
Trying to make sense of the New England backfield is the fantasy football equivalent of kids playing with matches, but I think this is a situation worth watching here. Earlier this week, we saw the retirement of longtime Patriots pass-catcher (and Super Bowl hero) James White, which means third downs are officially open for business in Beantown. So who is going to reap the benefits?
It could be Damien Harris—the running back the FPC-ers had been selecting first out of the Patriots’ rushers initially at the launch of the Footballguys Players Championship in May. However, he has now fallen to the eight/nine turn. Remember, Albert Breer mused that maybe the Patriots could entertain trading Harris before he becomes a free agent this offseason. It is not as if New England does not have other options in the backfield.
Maybe Ty Montgomery is the "new James White." I have seen him selected in the 19th and 20th rounds over the last couple of days. In addition, the Patriots did draft Pierre Strong who has been solidly in the 18th round throughout the summer. Nevertheless, I am guessing the biggest beneficiary is going to be Rhamondre Stevenson.
We already knew Stevenson was working on his pass-catching in minicamp, and now Bill Belichick has gone out of his way to talk about how much better Stevenson has gotten in pass protection. Stevens has shot up in drafts, as he is now usually going in the mid-seventh. I even saw one owner draft him in the fifth round this week. How high will he continue to ascend? I’m not sure, but by the time you read this, he probably will have moved passed Gibson in ADP at a minimum.
Thanks for reading, everyone! I will see you in the Footballguys Players Championship draft rooms!
Eric Balkman is an online commissioner for live Footballguys Players Championship drafts at MyFFPC.com. He is also the host and producer of The High Stakes Fantasy Football Hour, the RotoViz High-Stakes Lowdown, and the FFPC Live Best Ball Coverage shows broadcast on all FFPC media outlets.