Teddy Bridgewater is the best-value quarterback in fantasy football. Curtis Samuel is quietly in a win-win position.
Zack Moss is good enough to challenge Devin Singletary. Joshua Kelley will surprise fantasy gamers in year 1.
How do you detangled a player from his environment? PlayerProfiler, duh. Joe Mixon was top-5 in both Juke Rate and Yards Created Per Touch last season, which is especially impressive given his volume. The Bengals signaled an extension is coming sooner rather than later when the team refused to use the NFL Draft to gain additional leverage on Mixon. The new collective bargaining agreement’s punitive measures against failing to report to training camp will further dissuade a holdout.
Atlanta opted to give up a second round pick in one of the most talent-rich drafts in NFL history for Hayden Hurst. Few tight ends enter 2020 in a better situation as Atlanta has the most top-heavy receiving corps in the league. You don’t want to know who sits behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Hurst on the depth chart. While Julio and Ridley are in high-demand, Hurst is still relatively inexpensive across all formats.
How mad is Aaron Rodgers about Jordan Love? How soon can Jalen Hurts be a starting quarterback?
Get ready for Ke’Shawn Vaughn SZN in Tampa. Ronald Jones should be worried.
The Jacksonville Jaguars quietly ranked No. 10 in Team Pass Plays Per Game in 2019. Most sportsbooks have them as a four-win team, so Gardner Minshew will be chucking the ball to D.J. Chark often in 2020. That is a recipe for success given Chark’s 115.3 (96th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) Speed Score and Minshew’s 45.1 percent (No. 5) Deep Ball Completion Percentage. At just 23 years old, Chark will be a dynasty building block for years to come.
While most of the weapons return to the Chargers offense, the quarterback shift will change the identity of the offense. Whether Tyrod Taylor holds onto the starting job or Justin Herbert steals the show, the team won’t want either of these passers slinging it 30 times a game. Over the last three seasons, Keenan Allen has averaged 148 targets per year, giving him a monster floor in PPR leagues. That floor will evaporate in this new-look offense.
The Steelers front office puts a premium on character and relationships. This combined with the team’s close connection to the University of Maryland helps explain how Anthony McFarland ended up in Pittsburgh with a high-value fourth round selection. The team refuses to commit to the oft-injured James Conner, Benny Snell is just a guy, and Jaylen Samuels never fired. The runway lights are lit for McFarland and his 4.44 speed to lift off as Ben Roethlisberger returns in 2020.
If you think Austin Ekeler’s extreme efficiency will carry over into 2020 sharing a backfield with a rookie quarterback behind an ineffective offensive line, this whole fantasy football things probably isn’t for you. Joshua Kelley is the only Chargers running back with the requisite size and all-purpose skillset to endure as a primary back in the league. The fourth round is the new third round given how the NFL has devalued the RB position. Kelley is the best-value rookie running back in dynasty.
Jerry Jeudy is slipping in drafts and it makes sense. Henry Ruggs has truly special traits.
Can’t talk enough about the Tee Higgins landing spot. Bryan Edwards has a smooth path to a No. 1 WR role in Las Vegas.
Hunter Renfrow was second in the 2019 rookie wide receiver class in Yards Per Pass Route only to A.J. Brown. In addition to his efficiency, he earned 71 targets. From day one, he earned opportunities and was efficient on the field. There’s not much more we can ask. The Raiders did add talent to their receiving corps with Henry Ruggs, Lynn Bowden, and Bryan Edwards, but Renfrow will still see his share of the targets in year two.
Andy Isabella’s 3.1 Yards Per Pass Route looks much less impressive in the context of his 13 rookie season targets. The Cardinals ran 4-5 wide receiver sets a league-high 31.9-percent of the time and he still couldn’t earn looks in a weak receiver room, seeing fewer targets than the likes of Damiere Byrd, KeeSean Johnson, and Pharoh Cooper. In the context of the data, he becomes an easy fade despite the hype around his prospect profile.
The Cowboys may have had a perfect draft, starting with CeeDee Lamb. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is already a second round pick in seasonal leagues.
Bill Belichick is doing his best Emperor Palpatine. What the hell are the Packers doing?
If you’re looking for a bit of Steelers nostalgia, look no further than Diontae Johnson. He’s practically an Antonio Brown clone. Johnson and Brown share similar frames, athletic profiles, college production, and special teams dominance. Brown averaged 1,144 special teams yards per season with five return touchdowns in college. Johnson averaged 723 with four scores and made an impact as a rookie, putting up 248 punt return yards with a touchdown.
The best way to capitalize on this talent-rich roster is with the guy throwing the ball. Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL in passing yards in 2018 and has finished top-7 in both yards and touchdowns in each of his last three healthy seasons. He also has an elite pass-blocking offensive line that has afforded him a top-3 Protection Rate over the last three seasons. Roethlisberger has all the makings of an elite, gunslinging fantasy quarterback if his elbow holds up.
Tua Tagovailoa has as much upside as any rookie quarterback. Is Justin Herbert undervalued in superflex?
D’Andre Swift is the one elite running back prospect who did not land in a best-case scenario. J.K. Dobbins has No. 1 running back in fantasy upside.
