New NFL Situations That Could Produce Fantasy Standouts in 2015

NFL training camps are right around the corner, which means that fantasy draft season is nearly upon us.

By now, you probably have a pretty good idea which players you want to target in the first couple of rounds. However, experienced fantasy owners know that maximizing value beyond the first round is the real key to pulling off a successful fantasy draft.

This is why countless articles are published every year focusing on potential busts, sleepers, productive rookies and breakout players.

This is going to be another one of those articles. Well, sort of. 

Today, we're going to focus on veteran players who are entering a new situation in 2015 and could see a significant rise in fantasy production because of it. These are guys with a minimum of one year of playing experience who either switched teams or experienced a coaching change during the offseason.

Some of the players listed here may seem fairly obvious (Frank Gore to Indianapolis, perhaps?), but a few names might surprise you. Read on to find out more. 

Jordan Cameron with the Miami Dolphins

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

Tight end Jordan Cameron was a disappointment (24 receptions for 424 yards and two scores) during his injury-plagued 2014 campaign. However, he racked up 80 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns during his Pro Bowl season of 2013.

Cameron's production with the Miami Dolphins this season is most likely to mirror to what we saw two years ago, assuming he can stay healthy. 

At 6'5" and 260 pounds, Cameron is a quintessential red-zone target. This is why he brings value to the Dolphins, who ranked 21st in red-zone scoring a year ago. Miami's lack of an established end-zone threat is part of the reason why Bill Lazor's offense holds value for Cameron.

“I think that’s my responsibility and the coaching staff, to evaluate the guys you have and use them how they should be used,” Lazor said earlier this offseason, per Chris Perkins of the Sun-Sentinel. 

Lazor's uptempo offense also suits Cameron's status as a deep-ball receiver. The Cleveland Browns were more of a methodical ground-and-pound unit in 2014.

According to Pro Football Focus, Cameron ranked 10th among all tight ends with 1.93 yards per route run in 2014; he was fourth among tight ends who were targeted at least 10 times. Cameron can be both a downfield receiver and a red-zone target in Lazor's offense.

The presence of quarterback Ryan Tannehill is also likely to benefit Cameron. Though Tannehill isn't an elite quarterback, he is far better (ranked 11th among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus last season) than anything Cameron experienced during his four seasons with the Browns.

Cameron lasted until the 15th round in a recent ESPN Fantasy mock draft, according to ESPN.com's Christopher Harris. Consider him a legitimate sleeper in 2015.

Frank Gore with the Indianapolis Colts

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Running back Frank Gore didn't have a particularly bad fantasy season (1,217 combined yards and five touchdowns) with the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. However, he could be in store for some serious production now that he is a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

For starters, Gore isn't likely to see a lot of defensive fronts that are geared toward stopping the run. With quarterback Andrew Luck passing to the likes of T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, Dwayne Allen and Phillip Dorsett, opposing defenses will have to respect the vertical threat.

“I’ve never seen a six-man front," Gore said earlier this offseason, per NFL Media's Jeff Darlington. "Hopefully, this year it happens. And hopefully, I can take advantage of it."

Gore is also likely to see an increase in value in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues. For as bad as he was overall in 2014, Trent Richardson still caught 27 passes for 229 yards. That's 16 more receptions than Gore produced.

Richardson combined with backup Ahmad Bradshaw to produce 65 total receptions. The depth behind Gore this season (Dan Herron, Vick Ballard) isn't exactly stellar, so he will likely see plenty of work on passing downs. Expecting 65 receptions would be unrealistic, but we could well see something in the 35-50-catch range. 

Gore had five straight seasons of at least 40 receptions before Jim Harbaugh came to San Francisco. We could see similar results this season under offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who was with the 49ers during Gore's 61-catch season in 2006.

Devonta Freeman Under OC Kyle Shanahan

Rogelio Solis/Associated Press

When the Atlanta Falcons announced the hiring of Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator, running back Devonta Freeman had to be excited.

Shanahan has traditionally been able to get some pretty solid ground production out of his zone-blocking scheme. Heck, he even made the Browns offense look pretty dangerous for much of last season when rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell combined for 1,280 yards and 12 scores.

Freeman showed some promise as a rookie last season as well, and he is expected to enter training camp as the starter, according to Fox Sports. This means that Freeman will get the first opportunity to be the feature back under Shanahan, though he may eventually be overtaken by rookie Tevin Coleman.

The good news is that Freeman should still hold some solid value in PPR leagues even if the Falcons employ a backfield committee. He hauled in 30 passes despite playing a very limited role last season.

Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports recently listed Freeman as a potential sleeper, saying:

"

Freeman might have the edge on Coleman in PPR formats based on the Falcons continuing to talk up Freeman's pass-game skill set, including his pass protection, which is important when it comes to Matt Ryan. We could see a scenario where playing time is split on rushing downs early in the season, but Freeman should dominate playing time in passing situations.

"

At the very least, Freeman should be worth a late-round pick, especially in PPR leagues. If it appears in Falcons camp that Freeman is firmly ahead of Coleman on the depth chart, adjust his value accordingly.

C.J. Spiller in New Orleans

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Even though he is coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued season, running back C.J. Spiller could be on his way to a fantasy rebound with the New Orleans Saints.

This is especially true in PPR formats.

Head coach Sean Payton loves to take advantage of quick, shifty playmakers by getting them the football in space. Just look at what Payton has accomplished with guys like Reggie Bush and Darren Sproles over the years. Neither was a workhorse running back, but both were multidimensional weapons in the New Orleans offense.

For example, Sproles averaged 77 receptions and 1,016 combined yards per season with the Saints.

For all intents and purposes, Spiller should be seen as the new Sproles in Payton's offense. He will most likely play behind Mark Ingram, but that doesn't mean Spiller won't be extremely valuable.

"He can take it the distance," Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said of Spiller, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. "He's an outstanding competitor and he's an exceptional guy. And he's not just a little guy; he's got good size to him. But he runs like he's a little tiny guy. He's special with his speed. ... He's got home run speed."

Spiller was rated 11th overall among all running backs in receiving last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Expect him to see a very heavy workload in the passing game—and put up a plethora of fantasy points in the process.

Mike Wallace with the Minnesota Vikings

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Wide receiver Mike Wallace was traded to the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason, and he should immediately become the team's No. 1 receiving option.

Wallace shouldn't see too much of a difference between his old quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, and his new signal-caller, Teddy Bridgewater. Both are young, mobile and relatively consistent, though Bridgewater is a better deep passer than Tannehill, according to Pro Football Focus.

Where Wallace's situation really changes is the fact that he will now be teammates with running back Adrian Peterson. No offense to Lamar Miller over in Miami, but he doesn't encourage opposing defenses to cheat up against the run the way Peterson does.

With Peterson regularly drawing seven- and eight-man fronts, Wallace should see his fair share of single coverage, resulting in plenty of deep-ball opportunities. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner loves to pass vertically using play action (just look what he did with Josh Gordon in 2013). 

If your league awards bonus points for longer receptions, value Wallace accordingly. 

Wallace hasn't been a top-tier fantasy receiver since his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he has produced at least 64 receptions and 830 yards in each of the past four seasons and is coming off of a 10-touchdown campaign.

In PPR leagues, Wallace will be even more valuable.

Stevie Johnson in San Diego

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Wide receiver Stevie Johnson has become largely forgotten in the fantasy world after last year's disappointing season with the San Francisco 49ers. He caught just 35 passes for 435 yards and three scores in 2014.

Now that he is a member of the San Diego Chargers, Johnson should have some fantasy relevance once again. He is certainly going to be part of a much more productive passing attack, at any rate.

His new quarterback, Philip Rivers, was ranked seventh overall among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus in 2014. His quarterback from last season, Colin Kaepernick, was rated 61st.

San Diego also averaged nearly 65 more passing yards per game than San Francisco in 2014.

According to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, Johnson has already developed a strong rapport with Rivers this offseason.

Consider Johnson a deep sleeper, especially in PPR leagues. He averaged 72.3 receptions per season in the four years before joining the 49ers.

C.J. Anderson Under HC Gary Kubiak

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson exploded during the back half of the 2014 season, finishing the year with 1,173 combined yards and 10 touchdowns. Now that Gary Kubiak is the head coach in Denver, Anderson could be in store for real fantasy stardom.

Kubiak has helped coax a 1,000-yard season out of his running back 16 different times as a head coach or offensive coordinator in the NFL. He most recently helped Justin Forsett produce 1,266 rushing yards with the Baltimore Ravens in 2014.

It also helps that Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison has been with Kubiak for the past two decades.

Kubiak and Dennison seem to share a vision for a balanced and often run-oriented offense. This could mean a lot more opportunities for Anderson than he ever would have seen under former offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

None of this is even remotely a secret, of course. USA Today ranked Anderson 10th among running backs in its 2015 fantasy football rankings. The trick here will be to pay close attention to how the running back situation in Denver shakes out during training camp and the preseason.

Kubiak has shown in the past that he isn't afraid to split carries or switch starters (Bernard Pierce was originally the Ravens' starter last year). If a guy like Montee Ball or Ronnie Hillman impresses in camp, you need to be careful not to overvalue Anderson on draft day.

Sam Bradford in Philadelphia

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The last situation on our list is easily the one that has received the most hype this offseason.

Of course, we're talking about quarterback Sam Bradford and his new home with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not only will Bradford get to play in Chip Kelly's explosive, quarterback-friendly offense in 2015 (the Eagles ranked sixth in passing yards last season), he will get to play alongside the league's reigning rushing leader, DeMarco Murray.

"If he does manage to avoid an August faceplant and stay healthy for 16 games, he's a virtual lock for a career year in an inherently quarterback-friendly system," NFL Media's Chris Wesseling wrote of Bradford earlier this month.

Bradford will also get to play with a much better offensive line. The Eagles were ranked eighth in pass blocking last season by Pro Football Focus. The Rams were rated just 27th. He shouldn't be quite as worried about suffering another injury as he would if still in St. Louis.

Bradford will have some legitimate weapons in the coming season like Murray, Riley Cooper, Zach Ertz and Brent Celek. And he could approach top-10 fantasy QB production.

The problem is that there will always be an injury concern with Bradford.