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With the 2020 NFL Draft over, which teams did the best and worst for fantasy football owners? Rishi Patel examines the biggest winners and losers of the draft by breaking down key rookie additions at QB, RB, WR, and TE.
A lot of NFL teams boosted their offenses through the draft that just passed. Several teams added missing pieces at fantasy-friendly positions like wide receiver, running back, and tight end, while others elevated their entire offense to a new level.
Speaking from a fantasy perspective, some QBs saw their values go up while some rookies also landed in a spot where they merit some relevance. Other veterans may be feeling a bit nervous as a potential successor could have been drafted, spelling more pressure to perform.
Here’s the breakdown on NFL Draft winners and losers from a team perspective, with a fantasy spin of course.
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Winner - Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos may have taken the biggest win on offense post-draft. After rookie Drew Lock went 4-1 to conclude 2019, John Elway went out and got the kid some help in the form of some receivers who are absolute studs.
Denver loaded up big, grabbing Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy, Penn State WR K.J. Hamler, and an old buddy of Lock’s in tight end Albert Okwuegbunam out of Missouri. That’s three new pass-catchers who bring a versatile range of skills.
Jeudy was long considered one of the top prospects in this deep receiver class and for good reason. He compiled over 1,000 yards receiving and at least 10 touchdowns in two of his three college seasons. He averaged 17.2 yards per catch, which means he brings big-play potential.
Hamler is a smaller guy but has incredible speed. He claims he has clocked a 4.27 in the 40-yard dash. He finished with 1,658 yards receiving total in two college seasons and averaged 16.9 yards per catch. Add these two wide receivers to a unit headlined by Courtland Sutton, who finished 2019 with 1,112 yards and averaged 15.4 yards per catch, and the Broncos may have just created a nightmare scenario for opposing defenses.
And that’s only the receivers. Lock’s former tight end at Missouri, Albert Okwuegbunam, has now rejoined his arsenal of weapons and provides a big-bodied target. The tight end had his best statistical season in college with Lock during 2018, in which he garnered 466 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 10.8 yards per catch. The two already have a rapport, so now Lock could have a safety blanket.
Overall, with Melvin Gordon, Philip Lindsay, Noah Fant, Courtland Sutton, and the new weapons, the Broncos offense looks legit for the first time since the record-breaking 2013 season with Peyton Manning. With Drew Lock poised to build on his rookie season, 2020 could see a revamped Broncos offense take foes by storm. In turn, several fantasy stars could emerge from this team depending on who takes the top spot on each depth chart, but QB Drew Lock is notably one of the biggest fantasy winners this offseason.
Loser - Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers passed up on too many wide receivers to count. They were a game away from the Super Bowl last season, and they clearly needed receiver help. Instead of building around Aaron Rodgers now, they built for the future by drafting Utah State QB Jordan Love.
This is no knock on Love, who can surely be a fantastic NFL QB someday, but the Packers are in win-now mode. Rodgers targeted wide receivers 314/573 times in 2019, which is 54.7%. Even with that, only Davante Adams had 997 yards or anywhere close to 1,000.
Next up was Allen Lazard with 477 yards, then Marquez Valdez-Scantling with 452 yards, and other WRs Geronimo Allison, Jake Kumerow, and Trevor Davis did not accumulate more than 300 yards receiving individually. No wide receiver on the team proved they could be the complement to Adams.
The team also drafted running back A.J. Dillon, who rushed over 1,000 yards during all three of his seasons at Boston College. Nevertheless, this doesn’t help the team because RB Aaron Jones rushed for 1,084 yards last season amidst a breakout and Jamaal Williams was solid as a backup. Now, Jones’ excellent fantasy value may take a hit if Dillon eats into his touches.
The team also drafted tight end Josiah Deguara out of Cincinnati in the third round. The TE finished his college career with a modest 1,117 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns total. However, with Rodgers under the helm last season, tight ends only got 94/573 targets, which is good for 16.4%.
With the head-scratching addition of a QB in the first round, a running back when there was already a capable one, and a tight end with a relatively modest college career, the Packers still only have Adams as a fantasy standout. Aaron Rodgers still lacks stars to help him out, which means his fantasy value going into 2020 should stay the same as it was going into last year, if not decrease.
Winner - Philadelphia Eagles
Aside from drafting QB Jalen Hurts, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted as expected and built on a squad that was severely lacking wide receiver depth last season due to injury. In the wild card against Seattle, quarterback Carson Wentz was throwing to receivers we had never heard of! It might as well have been you and I in that game!
Now that issue is hopefully over. With Alshon Jeffery hindered and DeSean Jackson aging, Philly took WR Jalen Reagor out of TCU. The rookie is dynamic, garnering 2,248 receiving yards in three college seasons, including a 1,061 season in 2018. He finished with 22 overall touchdowns in college and averaged 15.2 yards per catch. Reagor has a chance to accumulate some fantasy relevance if Jeffery continues to be hampered by injuries.
Not only that, but the team traded for Marquise Goodwin from San Francisco late in the draft, who is a true speedster that never broke out in the Bay. In the 2013 NFL combine, the receiver clocked a 4.27 in the 40-yard dash and has averaged 16.6 career yards per catch.
With the addition of two explosive receivers, Carson Wentz’s fantasy value elevates and he is one of the biggest fantasy winners from the draft. With Zach Ertz, Carson Wentz, Jalen Reagor, and maybe Alshon Jeffery/DeSean Jackson, the Eagles now have several fantasy-worthy players to consider drafting.
Loser - Dallas Cowboys
This is a tricky one, so let me explain. The Cowboys won the draft in real life by drafting a legit WR in CeeDee Lamb from Oklahoma. Jerry gets props for that one (and the yacht).
In addition, Dak Prescott’s fantasy value should see an uptick now that he has two elite receivers in Amari Cooper and Lamb, along with emerging receiver Michael Gallup.
Here’s where the loss is: all the Cowboys receivers lost a bit of fantasy value/luster. CeeDee Lamb easily could have been a top WR fantasy option if he went to, let’s say the Eagles. However, in Dallas, Amari Cooper is coming off a 1,189-yard season, which naturally threatens Lamb’s fantasy ceiling.
In return, Lamb is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Oklahoma and averaged a whopping 19 yards per catch in three seasons total. Therefore, Lamb threatens Cooper’s value. And to make matters worse, the large expected target share for both puts a damper on the expected third-year breakout of Gallup, who is coming off a 1,107-yard season himself and could have been a stellar fantasy option this season.
Now, it’s a logjam, and you never know which receiver could stand out each week, which makes it tough for owners to decide who to draft from the Cowboys.
Though the WRs will get their share, their potential is not as high as it could have been if they were the true WR1 on the team.
Winner - Minnesota Vikings
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was unhappy in the Twin Cities and got shipped to Buffalo. That left a void in the receiving corp, but the Vikes made a stellar move by grabbing WR Justin Jefferson from LSU in the first round.
Standing at 6’3”, Kirk Cousins was supplied with another potent weapon who is quite explosive. Last season at LSU, Jefferson got 1,540 receiving yards, 18 touchdowns, and averaged 14.6 yards per catch in college overall.
With Adam Thielen and Jefferson, Kirk Cousins once again has an elite receiving duo. From a fantasy perspective, the Vikings won in the draft. Kirk Cousins’ fantasy value may increase a bit and Justin Jefferson’s fantasy potential remains solid too. Just look at the Diggs-Thielen duo that was stellar in fantasy. Now, it’s Jefferson-Thielen time.
Loser - New England Patriots
The New England Patriots did not draft a quarterback in the 2020 NFL draft, a move that was widely expected after Tom Brady bounced. Instead, they now have second-year QB Jarrett Stidham leading the troops heading into 2020. The 23-year-old only has 14 career passing yards and one pick to his name.
The only other notable QB on the squad is journeyman Brian Hoyer, who has not eclipsed more than 3,326 yards in his career, and that was in 2014. He also has a 52:34 touchdown to interception ratio, which is average (or below-average).
On top of that, the Patriots did not take a wide receiver in the draft to help last year’s ailing unit. Instead, they return tough but small receivers Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, and new signee Marqise Lee. Whether any of those WRs prove to be a true top option for Stidham remains to be seen.
Although Edelman is a solid receiver, last year proved New England needed another receiver to shoulder the top role. But since they didn’t load up in the draft, Edelman should be the only receiver to draft from this team for now, as he is a proven player who had 1,117 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Finally, the Pats drafted two tight ends, Devin Asiasi from UCLA and Dalton Keene from Virginia Tech, just 10 picks apart. The team now has four tight ends (also Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse), so they naturally knock each other’s fantasy value out since none of them are considered the TE1 as of now.
With the Pats, the lack of drafting a QB and WR, along with drafting two tight ends makes them an unappealing team in regards to fantasy prospects. RBs Sony Michel and James White, along with Julian Edelman, remain the only reliable options, but they should not be considered elite considering the downgrade to the QB position.
Winner - Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback Derek Carr has been subject to trade rumors for a while, but now he has that chance to prove himself in 2020 in a new city.
The Raiders prioritized wide receiver in the draft and grabbed a playmaker in Henry Ruggs III with their first-round pick. Ruggs should naturally be elevated to WR1 status on the team since nobody broke out last season after Antonio Brown’s “problems” led him to be dismissed from the club and Tyrell Williams struggled with plantar fasciitis all year.
The newest Raider brings speed, as he has a 4.27-second 40-yard dash. He also brings explosiveness, something the Raiders badly needed from their receiving corps. The Alabama product averaged 17.5 yards per catch in college, including 18.7 last year. He also finished his three-year tenure at Alabama with 1,716 receiving yards. There is no question Ruggs can be a solid fantasy option this season on a Raiders team that lacked at the position.
The team also added help for Carr in the form of Bryan Edwards from South Carolina and RB/WR Lynn Bowden Jr. out of Kentucky, who is considered a Swiss army knife type of player.
Therefore, Carr’s fantasy value increases, assuming he beats out Marcus Mariota in training camp that is. Just how much remains unknown since the QB has never been a fantasy star in his career. For now, Vegas is feeling pretty lucky.
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