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Athleticism matters a great deal for predicting fantasy success at the tight end position. Height-Adjusted Speed Score is the most important athleticism metric, followed by the agility drills (3-cone and 20-yard shuttle) that comprise the Agility Score and explosion exercises (broad/vertical jump) that comprise the Burst Score. Metrics such as Catch Radius, Athleticism Score, and SPARQ-x also do a good job of summarizing a player’s overall athleticism and predicting a tight end’s chances of NFL success.

Albert Okwuegbunam is intriguing. We don’t have his Catch Radius, and his 11.8 Yards per Reception fell just below the threshold we look for, but his 129.6 (99th-percentile among qualified tight ends) Speed Score and 31.2-percent (90th-percentile) College Dominator Rating indicate that he is poised to be a fantasy stud.

Pick 1.02 offers the best opportunity at a well-executed Robust RB draft strategy in a Best Ball league. With the run-oriented Jason Garrett’s arrival, Daniel Jones’ continued development, and significant offensive line improvements, generational talent Saquon Barkley should challenge Christian McCaffrey in both the rushing and receiving departments.

Targets are “earned” unless your name is Leonard Fournette. After posting 316 (No. 2 among qualified running backs) Weighted Opportunities last season, Fournette enters a contract year at the peak of his powers and yet is somehow still available in the third round of fantasy drafts.

There’s no denying Marvin Jones ran hot in the touchdown department last season. He caught eight red zone touchdowns when his expected total would have been slightly over five given his opportunity metrics. Eight red zone touchdowns tied him with Michael Thomas for most among qualified wide receivers. In PPR leagues, taking away three touchdowns means at least 21 points come off the board, dropping Jones from WR28 to WR36.

It is unlikely DeVante Parker will be as efficient at translating red zone opportunities into touchdowns in 2020 as he was last year. With the return of Preston Williams and further development of Mike Gesicki, there’s reason to doubt Parker will garner even the same level of opportunity this year. Having said that, this is still a team projected to be among the top in the league in pass attempts with a consolidated target breakdown. Parker will still be a viable fantasy option, just don’t expect the same touchdown output.

The investments in Cleveland’s offensive line and a new coach in Kevin Stefanski who funnels the offense through the running backs are green lights for Kareem Hunt. Even with all the upside, there’s a small chance he is dangled as a trade chip mid-season, which would likely see him enter an even more valuable role as a team’s clear RB1. There are too many avenues for Hunt to outperform ADP. He makes a great first RB to target after smashing wide receivers in the early-to-mid rounds.

Kenyan Drake performed well as a Cardinal, but has a small sample size as a lead dog and was buoyed by touchdown variance down the stretch. In fact, Chase Edmonds outperformed Drake in True Yards per Carry, Yards per Touch, Breakaway Run Rate, basically everything. The two players should be closer in FFPC ADP (RB9 vs RB50) based on their similarity in skill. One player benefits from recency bias, and the other had an unfortunately timed injury. I’ll take Edmonds at the discount every time.

James White’s 72 targets and 95 receptions both ranked No. 6 among qualified running backs in 2019, a significant decrease from 2018. Despite regression, he still finished among the top 24 players at his position in Fantasy Points per Game. Furthermore, his role in the New England backfield is secure with the personnel remaining unchanged from last year. The receiving room can improve if N’Keal Harry ascends, but White’s role is safe.

White also has no significant injury history, having missed only two games in three years. At 28 years old, he will have no issues staying on the field. Whether going Robust RB or Zero RB, White should have a place on our fantasy teams. He’s a PPR monster and his role in this offense goes beyond Tom Brady’s tendency to check down. Whether its Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham under center, checkdowns to White will be plentiful in 2020.

After starting his rookie year on the injured reserve list, Jace Sternberger has a nonexistent regular season. Now with Jimmy Graham, out the door, Sternberger has the requisite size at 6-5, 251-pounds to take over the starting tight end role in Green Bay. He only has to compete against career blocker Marcedes Lewis and undrafted Robert Tonyan. Look for Sternberger to eclipse his final season stats at Texas A&M, as Aaron Rodgers’ outlet off play action a la George Kittle. 

A 6-5, 226-pound behemoth at wide receiver, Jalen Hurd was receiving praise from players and coaches before sustaining a season-ending back injury. His size and versatility as a former running back, combined with a 98.5 (64th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) Speed Score, make him a matchup nightmare. Now that fellow draftmate Deebo Samuel is having foot surgery, Hurd’s opportunities will increase. His versatility will ensure that he records usable fantasy weeks this season.

The hesitation with drafting quarterback early has always been justified by the value of the late rounder. Waiting to draft Philip Rivers in order to accrue talent at the other skill positions made for sound strategy. That is no longer the case. Not only are mobile quarterbacks taking center stage, but there is an argument to be made that the other skill positions are as deep as ever.

The days of drafting that league-winning quarterback in round 12 of a fantasy draft are over. The fantasy community is now woke to the idea that drafting the position early is not the pitfall it once was. In fact, there is a clear advantage in doing so. With depth and value at every other position, it makes drafting a top quarterback an easy decision in 2020.

Derrius Guice has the profile of an all-purpose RB1 stud. He showed signs at LSU where he had a 32.2-percent (73rd-percentile among qualified running backs) College Dominator Rating with 6.4 (82nd-percentile) Yards Per Carry. His Best Comparable Player is Ezekiel Elliott. Knee injuries have prevented us from seeing his full potential in the NFL, but given a full time opportunity, he will be a fantasy RB1. 

James Conner is heading into a contract year and has the highest fraglity rating on PlayerProfiler. Enter Anthony McFarland. The Steelers took McFarland in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He comes in with a 107.0 (85th-percentile) Speed Score combined with a 30.1 (80th-percentile) BMI. He adds size and speed to a running back room that seriously lacks it. If Conner goes down or isn’t productive, its feasible for the offense to turn to McFarland.

Nick Chubb be the feature back in a Browns offense that has made significant upgrades on the offensive line with the addition of tackles Jack Conklin and rookie Jedrick Wills. Both of whom graded above 80 in their run blocking according to Pro Football Focus. The team also added Austin Hooper in free agency, which indicates more 12-personnel or two tight-end set usage. This will increase the overall run game effectiveness.

With the upgrades to the offense combined with the emphasis on a run-based scheme and the potential positive regression, Chubb not only has a high floor with a secure role as the No. 1 RB on the depth chart, but the ceiling is incredibly high with his ability to break off long runs and the potential increased opportunities as the goal line back. While a reception is worth more than a carry, touchdowns and opportunity are king in fantasy. Chubb can lead you to the crown in your fantasy league in 2020.

In 2019, the Steelers threw the ball only 510 times because they had Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges starting at quarterback. In 2018, Ben Roethlisberger was given full play-calling autonomy at the line scrimmage. This led to a league-leading, and career-high, 675 (No. 1 among qualified quarterbacks) passing attempts. The Pittsburgh offense is a major buy low when Big Ben has his way and is allowed to call all the plays at the line of scrimmage again.

Seattle has a skeptical running back group and face a murderer’s row of run defenses, the worst projected schedule in the league per Sharp Football. In addition, per Football Outsiders’ DVOA rankings, their defense has slowly been regressing since 2014. Their rankings have dropped in each of the last five seasons, making Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett, and D.K. Metcalf wise investments for fantasy teams.