2019 Keeper Selections

Julio Jones
Top 5 WR (2015 Franchise Tag)
Two things in this world are certain, taxes and Julio Jones. He’s started 67 of 70 possible starts since the lost 2013 season and 28 or his last 28. Julio leads the franchise in starts with 80 and is second in scoring only to Antonio Brown. The third place scorer is nearly 400 points behind him. He would finish 2018 as the #5 wide receiver in football. This will mark his 7th consecutive Keeper Ceremony as a member of the Electric Horsemen – the only remaining member of the 2012 draft class.


Michael Thomas
Top 5 WR
Previously acquired in the 2017 offseason, the Horsemen were forced to send away Thomas due to cap restrictions. Fortunately for them, Straight Laced would fall victim of the same restrictions and the Horsemen were able to reacquire him at the cost of Stefon Diggs and a mid second round pick. His 2017 stint with the franchise wasn’t an overly memorable one, as he averaged only 9 points per game in his 9 starts (with a 7-1 regular season record and a 2017 championship ring), but should he resume his 2018 production level away from the team the Horsemen should have the most dangerous wide receiver core in the league… again.

Le’Veon Bell
Top 15 RB
Usually teams with only five returning keepers are limited due to the rescinding of a franchise tag – the Horsemen were, however, limited by a year long hold out. He would forego an opportunity to overcome Matt Forte as the top running back in franchise history and, in the process, would be overtaken by Todd Gurley in only his second year with the team. A change in scenery will hopefully do him some good. The Horsemen may not be able to improve much from the 3rd most adjusted points in league history (most points in league history), but with Le’Veon back in action they should be a force to be reckoned with in their comeback bid.

Antonio Brown
Top 15 WR (2016 Franchise Tag)
It was a strange offseason for Antonio Brown. After some controversial interviews and controversial mustaches, the most productive receiver in franchise history found himself moved on from the Steelers to a questionable landing spot in Oakland. Hopefully that’s where the strange ends and we get back to the normalcy which is over 15 points per game over his 76 starts with the Electric Horsemen.

Todd Gurley
Top 15 RB
Gurley’s early offseason ADP had him as a sure top 5 pick in redraft leagues, but with the continued discussions about his arthritic knee he has tumbled into the 3rd round in some circles. It’s nothing short of amazing what Todd has done for the Horsemen in his 2 years with the team. He eclipsed Matt Ryan for 3rd in all-time scoring and now sits behind only Julio Jones and Antonio Brown on the list, and is only 400 behind Julio with 53 less starts. The team is hoping that all the noise surrounding his knee is just noise and he’ll be able to lead the Horsemen to another championship after letting the trophy fall into enemy hands after 3 years of dominance.

Zach Ertz
Top 5 TE
After being reacquired in 2017 from Straight Laced (a common theme), Ertz exploded past all tight ends in franchise scoring. His 2018 compaign was dominant, averaging over 15 PPG and scoring more than 25 on two separate occasions. Targets may be a little tougher to come by a year after setting the record for tight end receptions, but his relationship with a recently extended Carson Wentz should maintain the level of security the franchise is used to. He rounds out a keeper class primed to retake the Waylon Hepburn trophy in 2019.