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2013 Fantasy Football: Top 10 Keepers That Are 25 Or Under
Top 10 Keepers 25 Or Under
In fantasy football dynasty leagues, the number people look at more than a player’s bye week is the player’s age. You don’t want to invest a high pick in a guy who is over 30 years old, because he doesn’t have much keeper value.
Most players in the NFL have a very small window to become a household name. The average career for a NFL player is around 3.5 years, which makes latching onto a young superstar in fantasy very important.
Last year showed that there was numerous young signal callers worth stashing long-term. Guys like Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and Colin Kaepernick are the future of the quarterback position in fantasy.
The running back position is not as stacked, mainly because most backs in the league right now are well into the downward slope of their careers. Perennial first round backs like Adrian Peterson (28), Maurice Jones-Drew (28), Arian Foster (27), Chris Johnson (27), and Ray Rice (26) are all getting up there in age. These backs only have a year or two left of All-Pro fantasy production, so it is always smart to try to lock up the next AP.
There are several amazing talents at the wide receiver position as well. Wideouts A.J Green, Julio Jones, and Dez Bryant are currently in everyone’s top-10 fantasy wideouts, but the terrific threesome have still yet to reach their full potential. They will all anchor many fantasy squads for the next several seasons.
For those of you in dynasty leagues, here are the top 10 fantasy football keepers that are 25 years old or younger.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
10. RB Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
RB Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins – Morris exploded during last preseason and the former sixth round pick established it into a full-time gig in Washington. He finished second in the league last year with 1,613 rushing yards and the youngster has developed into a great RB1.
Age: 24
2012 Stats: 335 carries, 1,613 rushing yards, 13 TDs
9. WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons – Jones has hauled in 18 touchdowns in his first 29 games in the league. WR Roddy White isn’t getting any younger and it is only a matter of time until Jones becomes the number one option for QB Matt Ryan. Jones is the future of Atlanta’s passing attack, and considering Ryan isn’t going anywhere, the wideout has a huge fantasy career in front of him.
Age: 24
2012 Stats: 79 rec., 1,198 receiving yards, 10 TDs
8. WR Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
WR Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys – Bryant will always come with some off-season headaches, but he showed last season that he can be a legitimate number one fantasy wideout. He grabbed 10 touchdowns in his final eight games of the season and did it all without the assemblance of a running game. Dallas looks much stronger this season, though, so expect Bryant’s fantasy value to keep going up.
Age: 24
2012 Stats: 92 rec., 1,382 receiving yards, 12 TDs
7. QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks – Wilson has perfected the read-option and the former Wisconsin standout is one of the most poised quarterbacks in the entire league. He certainly is not afraid to run the ball, but he also isn’t afraid to sit in the pocket and let one fly. The loss WR Percy Harvin for most of the season hurts the quarterback’s value slightly this season, however, Wilson still remains one of the top-tier keepers in all of football.
Age: 24
2012 Stats: 3,118 passing yards, 26 TDs
6. QB Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
QB Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers – Kaepernick’s stats from last fantasy season may not seem like much, but keep in mind that he only started seven games. Kap still led his team to the Super Bowl and has become one of the most sought after signal callers in all of fantasy this off-season. He has the ability to rack up rushing yards, evident by his 181 rushing yards in the NFC Divisional Game, but the kid also has a cannon for an arm. He can make very throw on the field and will be a top-10 fantasy field general for the next five years.
Age: 25
2012 Stats: 1,814 passing yards, 10 TDs
5. WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals – After a decent rookie season, Green followed it up with a phenomenal sophomore season. He hauled in 97 balls for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns. He showed he could fight off defenders to get the ball in the air, which is probably for the best since QB Andy Dalton doesn’t possess the best arm. Green has several seasons of 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in front of him.
Age: 25
2012 Stats: 97 rec., 1,350 receiving yards, 11 TDs
4. QB Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
QB Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins – RG3 has finally been listed as the starting quarterback and fantasy owners couldn’t be happier. RG3 will likely be running a little less this season as he is still recovering from the torn ACL that has drawn so much media attention this off-season. However, the former Baylor star has proven that he has an above-average arm and will still be able to put up All-Pro fantasy numbers on a weekly basis.
Age: 23
2012 Stats: 102.4 passer rating, 3,200 passing yards, 20 TDs, 815 rushing yards
3. RB Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
RB Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns – T-Rich showed last year that his downhill running ability can transition well into the NFL. He wasn’t afraid to get a little dirty and the former Alabama standout has earned his stripes as a RB1. Richardson should have no problem going over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns on a yearly basis.
Age: 22
2012 Stats: 267 carries, 950 rushing yards, 11 TDs
2. RB Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Martin took the fantasy world by storm in his rookie season. He finished with an astonishing 1,926 all-purpose yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. The Muscle Hamster is extremely compact (5’9, 215) and never shies away from contact. Martin is one of the leaders of the next wave of running backs in fantasy.
Age: 24
2012 Stats: 319 carries, 1,454 rushing yards, 11 TDs
1. QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts – Luck is the future of the quarterback position. People may be infatuated with running quarterbacks at the moment, but Luck is by far the safest quarterback out of the bunch. He is every bit as good as people think he is and the comparisons to Peyton Manning are not that far fetched.
Age: 23
2012 Stats: 4,374 passing yards, 23 TDs
