With the NFL season coming up, it’s almost that time of the year again. Fantasy Football is just around the corner so let’s take a look at what to expect, and hand out some preseason awards.

MVP: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers - McCaffrey took on a much larger role in the Carolina Panthers offence in his second NFL season. The 23-year-old started all 16 games, accumulating 100 more rushing attempts, and 600 more rushing yards in his sophomore season than his rookie year. McCaffrey is also a real threat in the passing game, and his connection with his quarterback – Cam Newton – helped him lead all running backs in 2018 with 867 receiving yards on 107 receptions. Going into 2019 McCaffrey’s biggest competition for fantasy MVP will be Saquon Barkley. The Giants running back set the league on fire in 2018, but the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. should hurt Barkley’s production as teams can now game plan solely to shut him down.

SLEEPER: Josh Gordon, WR, New England Patriots – It’s no secret that Gordon is a top talent in the NFL when he plays. The wide receiver was first-team All-Pro in 2013, leading all players with 1,646 receiving yards – the 14th highest total in a single season in NFL history. But a lot has happened since his stellar 2013 season as Gordon has struggled to stay on the field due to several off-field issues. The star wide out missed all of 2015 and 2016 due to violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Gordon returned to action in Nov. 2017, and after just one game in 2018 he was traded by Cleveland to New England, where he found success. In 11 games he brought in 40 receptions, three touchdowns and averaged 18.0 yards per reception. It was clear that he and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady worked well together. However, his season was cut short for once again violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. But Gordon has been given another chance by the NFL, and if he’s able to make good on this opportunity he has proven that he is a top receiver in this game. He’s a talent that, under normal circumstances, would be an early round draft pick in most leagues. But Gordon is a special case. If you can grab him late, his ability alone is worth the risk.

BUST: Eric Ebron, TE, Indianapolis Colts – Everything fell into place for Ebron in 2018. Cut after spending four seasons with the Detroit Lions, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts and produced a career year. One factor for Ebron was fellow Colts tight end Jack Doyle only playing in six games. While Doyle struggled with injuries, Ebron thrived in his absence. But Doyle still managed to take targets away from Ebron during his limited action, catching two touchdowns and 78.8 per cent of all passes thrown his way in those six games. The other big factor for Ebron was his connection with Andrew Luck. The two got together for 13 touchdowns in their only season together – two more than the tight end had during his four years in Detroit. Luck targeted Ebron 110 times last season – just 10 fewer times than team leader T.Y. Hilton – and only three NFL tight ends were targeted more in 2018. With Doyle back in the Colts lineup, the loss of Luck and an expected touchdown regression, it seems likely that Ebron won’t be a top fantasy tight end this year.

BREAKOUT: Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs - It was Williams who stepped up when Kareem Hunt was removed from the Kansas City Chiefs lineup and Spencer Ware got hurt in Week 13 last season. After barely seeing the field all season, the 27-year-old fit right in with the high-powered Chiefs offence. In three regular-season starts, Williams had four touchdowns, 203 rushing yards, and 119 receiving yards. Williams has started just seven games in his five-year career, and his 256 rushing yards in 2018 were a career-high. Williams’ speed and ability to break a big play were on full display in the Chiefs Week 3 preseason game. The running back caught a 10-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes and took it 52 yards after the catch to pay dirt in the kind of play that every fantasy owner dreams about. Now that Hunt and Ware find themselves with different originations, Williams has a prime opportunity for a big season in an offence that paced the league in yards and points per game in 2018.