I'm afraid of spiders, I hate needles and I worry outside of time travel, the Terminator series is going to end up looking like a documentary.
I'm not afraid of predicting the outcome of sporting events. They pay me to prognosticate. It's what I do.
Indeed, in this space last season, I wrote, "Carolina's Christian McCaffrey won't repeat as the highest scoring non-quarterback in fantasy this season. ... Temper your expectations when you take the all-around stud first overall."
Not everything I write is as prescient, but everything that follows is based on sound reason, not science-fiction.
Here are my fearless fantasy predictions for the upcoming season:
— Atlanta's Kyle Pitts will break Mike Ditka's 60-year-old record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end (1,076).
— New Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will set career highs in passing yards (5,038) and passing touchdowns (41) while outproducing Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes.
— Jacksonville savior Trevor Lawrence won't be the top-scoring rookie quarterback on a points-per-game basis. Both San Francisco's Trey Lance and Chicago's Justin Fields will surpass the top overall pick from the 2021 NFL draft.
— Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams will set career highs in receiving yards (1,001), receiving touchdowns (10) and receptions (49).
— Only three players have won three straight rushing titles since 1932: Jim Brown, Earl Campbell and Emmitt Smith. Tennessee's Derrick Henry won't be the fourth.
— Tennessee's Julio Jones will play in at least 14 games, but fail to produce double-digit touchdowns for the ninth straight season.
— Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts will pass for at least 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns while running for another 1,000 yards and 10 scores.
— Cincinnati's Joe Mixon will finish as an RB6 or higher in most formats. His floor is 1,600 total yards, double-digit touchdowns and at least 50 receptions.
— Miami's Tua Tagovailoa will pass for at least 3,800 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding another six scores on the ground.
— Kickers will continue to be a waste of our time.
