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Cole Kmet Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Tyler Strong, April 12, 2020

Cole Kmet is among the more highly-rated tight end prospects, exhibiting plus athleticism and having produced in a relevant college program at Notre Dame. His size brings up NFL comparisons such as Vance McDonald and Rob Gronkowski. At 6-4, 262-pounds, he has a clear path to a role as a blocking and receiving hybrid. Earning snaps at every juncture of the game is how tight ends break out. While his run-blocking isn’t pristine yet, the tight end learning curve is well-documented. That’s not something to knock him for too harshly.

While Kmet is not yet a complete blocker, his pass-catching ability should catch the eyes of NFL teams early. He has body control and a 10.08 (66th-percentile among qualified tight ends) Catch Radius. Kmet’s contested catch ability and potential as an every down player are his top marks, and he’s currently the odds-on favorite to be the first tight end drafted. We love draft capital. He makes perfect sense as a third round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.

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Joshua Kelley Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Marc Mathyk, April 12, 2020

Joshua Kelley had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and did not disappoint at the 2020 NFL Combine. He ran a 4.49 40-Yard Dash which is in the 80th-percentile among qualified running backs. At 5-11 and 212-pounds, he has the ideal running back frame for today’s game. He’s agile and strong. The only metric in which he scored below average was his 113.2 (23rd-percentile) Burst Score. This is a slight concern because there are only a handful of running backs who are not bursty and have found success in the NFL.

Kelley’s production yields a 33.2-percent (77th-percentile) College Dominator Rating, In addition, he has a 9.2-percent (69th-percentile) College Target Share. His most comparable player is Sony Michel. This may seem disappointing, but remember that Michel was a second-round talent drafted in the late first-round. Kelley needs to find a team that treats him like an every-down back because, like Michel, he has the size, production and versatility to be used in all phases.

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Don’t Sleep On Marquise Brown in Fantasy Football

by Etan Mozia, April 12, 2020

Marquise Brown finds himself receiving wary glances from many in the dynasty community. This despite boasting an impressive 5.08 (No. 4 among qualified wide receivers) yards of Cushion, a 123.2 (No. 6) QB rating when targeted, and 2.25 (No. 25) yards per pass route (one of the most predictive metrics around). Even his +14.0 (No. 21) Production Premium is dismissed. Injuries sustained before the Combine and during the 2019 season have most turning on the diminutive deep threat.

Last season, he compiled his counting stats on a 59.0-percent (No. 102) Snap Share. He actually ran a route on only 67.2-percent of Baltimore’s total passing plays, outside the Top 70. The assumption that Baltimore heavily managed his snaps due to injury in his first season is built on solid ground. A year removed from his debut campaign, both Jim Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson admitted that their star wideout was nowhere near 100-percent last season. That will likely change in 2020. Pathways to increased volume are endless.

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Eno Benjamin Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Edward DeLauter, April 11, 2020

The most impressive part of Eno Benjamin’ profile is his college production. He was a bellcow as a true sophomore, breaking out for over 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns. While he failed to meet that production in 2019, he remained a focal point of the offense. He amassed a 37.4-percent (85th-percentile among qualified running backs) College Dominator, including a 14.4-percent (92nd-percentile) College Target Share.

With a bellcow resume on his profile, Benjamin is a satellite back-plus fantasy running back that can provide sneaky fantasy value. Add in his freshman season special teams contributions, and we have a versatile college producer who has proven that he can do it all on the field. With comparable players such as Duke Johnson and Aaron Jones, he will just need opportunity to see the field. Once he gets that chance, he will excel as a pass-catching threat out of the backfield.

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Jauan Jennings Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Sean McClure, April 11, 2020

Jauan Jennings has many key traits we look for in NFL prospects. At 6-3 and 215-pounds, he has the ideal size for a primary receiver at the NFL level. He had a solid 37.9-percent College Dominator Rating, ranking in the 76th-percentile among qualified wide receivers. His profile looked great across the board until his athleticism testing came back from the Combine. If he is to succeed and become a fantasy asset, he will have to do so despite his subpar athleticism.

Jennings is nowhere near a lock, but he at least has a chance given his good college production at a high competition level and 19.2 (87th-percentile) Breakout Age. He is an over-sized possession receiver that should work from the slot. The absolute best-case scenario is that he can soak up targets in that role similarly to Keenan Allen. Due to his archetype’s reliance on volume, draft capital will be a key checkpoint of his early fantasy value.

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Walking on Landmines: Players to Avoid in Upcoming Rookie Drafts

by Ron Stewart, April 11, 2020

Based on speed alone, Henry Ruggs has the potential to be a weapon for an NFL offense in the years to come. With that said, he should be viewed as more of an NFL talent than a dynasty asset. He projects to be a field stretcher with low volume and unpredictable week to week production. Going at the 1.10 (WR5) in rookie drafts, he’s a must fade at his current ADP with alternatives such as Denzel Mims, Jalen Reagor, and Justin Jefferson all going around this same spot.

Zack Moss has been praised as the next Kareem Hunt or Le’Veon Bell. PlayerProfiler’s more realistic comparisons include the likes of Montee Ball, David Montgomery, and Benny Snell. None of these players fit the profile of a top-24 back in dynasty. Moss is currently going at the 2.02 in rookie drafts and should move up in ADP if Day 2 draft capital is spent on him. He’s an easy fade given the high-upside options available in the late-first.

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Isaiah Hodgins Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Matthew M. Stevens, April 10, 2020

Isaiah Hodgins sports the build of a prototypical NFL receiver. He boasts a 10.23 (88th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) Catch Radius, 9 7/8-inch (83rd-percentile) hands and a 124.1 (66th-percentile) Burst Score, giving him an edge in catching balls outside his body. Despite his lack of elite speed, he still has the physical tools to beat defensive backs. His 104.9 Athleticism Score ranks sixth among qualified rookie receivers. He can use his big frame to bully defensive backs, and his elite Catch Radius allows him to win 50-50 balls and use high-pointing to his advantage.

Hodgins faces an uphill battle to NFL and fantasy football relevancy, but he has the tools to get there. Playing for a terrible Oregon State team in a perennially weak Pac-12, he never garnered much national attention. He ran a 4.61 (25th-percentile) 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His shortcomings are amplified by the depth of this rookie class, but that can’t hide the fact that he’s a well-rounded prospect who will find success at the next level.

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James Proche Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Marc Mathyk, April 10, 2020

No matter what future lies in store for James Proche at the NFL level, he is in the college record books. Currently, he ranks No. 16 in NCAAF history with 301 career receptions. It wasn’t until his final two seasons however, after both Courtland Sutton and Trey Quinn left, that he caught most of them. In total, he had 301 receptions for 3,949 yards and 39 total touchdowns. Good for a 38.4-percent (78th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) College Dominator Rating.

What Proche has going for him is his pedigree. In the past decade, SMU has given the NFL Courtland Sutton, Trey Quinn, and Emmanuel Sanders. Like Quinn, Proche shouldn’t expect to hear his name called out before Day Three. As such, we shouldn’t expect him to hit the ground running in his first professional season. Hopefully he falls to a team that wants an average athlete who can play football. If this is the case, then he can be a great later round add in dynasty that turns into a PPR machine.

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Aaron Parker Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Tyler Strong, April 10, 2020

Aaron Parker toiled away at Rhode Island for the duration of his college career, but he exhibited prolific production and athletic dominance over his competition. While that competition was the Colonial Athletic Association, Parker led the entire conference with 81 receptions and 1,223 receiving yards in his final year. He first broke out in his true freshman season with 23 catches for 441 yards and four scores, and he never looked back. That 18.3 Breakout Age is in the 99th-percentile among qualified wide receivers.

Due to his lack of collegiate pedigree and middling performance at the Combine, Parker is destined to be a later pick in this year’s draft. That said, his upside represents a low-risk, low-investment pick for both NFL teams and our dynasty teams. His athleticism and ability to consistently make contested catches, an ability that’s more innate than teachable, will pop off the screen for NFL talent evaluators, making him an attractive dart throw late in rookie drafts.

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Devin Duvernay Rookie Profile and Fantasy Football Outlook

by Sean McClure, April 9, 2020

The most well-known fact about Devin Duvernay is that he is fast. The former high school track star can blaze both on and off the football field. It was no surprise that he posted a spectacular 4.39 (95th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) 40-yard dash time at this year’s NFL Combine this year. At 5-11 and 200-pounds, his 40-time netted a solid 104.7 (82nd-percentile) Speed Score that ranks among the top of this year’s wide receiver class. His speed and athleticism is the defining trait that gives him a chance to succeed in the NFL.

The key for Duvernay, even more so than other prospects, will be to fall in the right landing spot. He does not project to be a true alpha or X-receiver that can win with volume alone. He will need to be in a dynamic offense with an above average quarterback that can get him in space with accurate short and intermediate targets, where he can use his speed to break game-changing plays. If he is miscast as a deep threat because of his speed, it would kill any week-to-week fantasy potential outside of deep best ball leagues.

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