Last week, Matthew Berry released his early top 10 RB ranks. Before I get into them, I'm not in the business of bashing Berry. I don't think he's the worldwide leader (get it?) for fantasy football analysis but he means a lot to the community, no matter who you are. We are many months away from a single snap of pigskin, so I’ll take the rankings with a grain of salt and just as a conversation starter. And a conversation starter it was. David Johnson as a top 10 RB? Is there a new RB named David Johnson that I’m unfamiliar with? Anyone who has David Johnson as a top 10 let alone a top 15 running back in 2020 has a typo on their 2016 tape of him and it was marked 2019 on accident.
Since a standard league at ESPN is PPR, I'm assuming that this is a PPR list. The rest of his list is pretty standard. He has the regular top 4 of Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley, and Ezekiel Elliott. The rest of the list rounds out like this: Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones, Austin Ekeler, and of course, David Johnson. I'm not sure about the order that I would have my top 10 going into 2020, except that I will probably have Austin Ekeler over Aaron Jones. But I do know that as of now, Miles Sanders will be a top 10 PPR back for me.
Monthly Archives: March 2020
Earlier this week I gathered nine of my closest quarantined fantasy football industry friends for an arguably pointless dynasty rookie mock draft. After all, the NFL draft isn't for another month; we don't know what team these rookies will be drafted by. We also don't know in which round those unknown teams will draft them. And we definitely don't know what their immediate opportunity might look like on those mystery teams. But strangely enough, some dynasty leagues actually hold their rookie drafts prior to the NFL draft. And honestly, my schedule is pretty open these days other than scavenging for toilet paper and other softish paper products calling my butt's name. Anyway, this was a 10-team, 3-round dynasty rookie mock draft for PPR, 1-QB leagues:
2020 Devy Top 20 WR Rankings
March 28, 2020 | Dynasty Leagues, Fantasy Football Dynasty Leagues |by: al_FF_red
The combine has passed, the draft is yet to happen which leaves us in a free agency frenzy... that is unless you are interested in "devy" leagues, short for developmental leagues. In this setup, managers can select players who are still in college (or high school) and stash them on a separate, inactive roster until they are drafted into the NFL.
For the devy manager, there is truly no offseason as we must take the months with no NFL to update our devy ranks and prepare to dig deep and draft some unknown lottery tickets hoping that you can pick up the next Jonathan Taylor or CeeDee Lamb before your league mates even know their name.
The shocking news that Tom Brady will no longer quarterback the New England Patriots surprised many. It also ignited a ripple effect through the NFL. While not surprising, Carolina parting ways with Cam Newton added even more waves.
Philip Rivers' career as the Chargers field general is also done. Jacksonville shipped a former Super Bowl MVP north to The Windy City. What plans might the Chicago Bears now have for their no-longer-our-franchise-quarterback Mitchell Trubisky?
The Bengals are going to draft their quarterback-of-the-future, so what's the future hold for Andy Dalton? If these changes aren't enough to cause you to scratch your fantasy head in bewilderment, what about the two former Heisman Trophy winners who may be suddenly available?
The first two draft picks from the 2015 NFL Draft are undoubtedly going to be playing elsewhere, if not this year, soon. Both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota have been huge disappointments.
However, stranger events have happened to quarterbacks over the years, sudden changes that revitalized their careers. The 2020 NFL Draft will unfold in about a month. This may answer a few questions, but the months leading up to training camp may answer even more.
Let's take a look at four of these quarterbacks and see what kind of effect they might have on the 2020 fantasy football rankings going forward. We'll skip Brady as a Buccaneer and look at how much promise these other transplanted quarterbacks may have to lead you to fantasy football glory.
2020 NFL Draft Preview: Laviska Shenault Jr.
March 26, 2020 | 2020 NFL Draft Preview, Fantasy Football Dynasty Leagues |by: B_Don
Laviska Shenault Jr. - University of Colorado - 6'1" 227 lbs. - 10/5/1998 (21 years old)
- Can shake defenders at the line with moves or physicality.
- Understands where to sit against zone coverage. Will take advantage of loose coverage by sitting down quickly and then using his ability to make yards after the catch.
- Route running will require some refinement.
- Doesn't get to his spots at times.
- Had a difficult time creating separation against tougher corners.
- Speed doesn't flash in short and intermediate routes like it does down the field.
- Something in his running style looks awkward at times. Upright, arms kind of lock into position at his side, and doesn't look fluid in shorter areas.
- Occasions where he doesn't time his route to be able to body the defender to go up and fight for it. Some of his timing issues could be fixed by a more accurate and on time QB at the pro level.
Times, they are changing, and rapidly. Nobody really knows what tomorrow will bring with the Covid-19 outbreak currently ravaging the globe. That hasn’t stopped NFL free agency. At least we have something in the sports world to day dream about and project.
The cancellation of the Olympics is the beginning of the realization that Covid-19 could affect the 2020 NFL season. I’m not a science expert and I’m rarely considered a fantasy football expert for that matter, but I do believe that there is a solid possibility that football could fall victim to a postponement.
I’m not embracing full blown panic that football will be cancelled in it’s entirety for the 2020 season, but if I had a guess, proper precautions will be taken by any means necessary. That’s enough for the subject that nobody can get away from. Fantasy football is our escape after all, so let’s keep try and find a light at the end of the tunnel. There are roster changes happening daily which of course means shake ups in fantasy football value for players across the league.
Fantasy Football Podcast: The Start of NFL Free Agency and Trades
March 24, 2020 | Razzball Podcast |by: B_Don
The dynamic duo are back from a short hiatus to bring you some news and notes from around the league. Sports may be suspended, but that hasn't stopped NFL free agency or trades.
B_Don and Donkey Teeth discuss the DeAndre Hopkins/David Johnson trade rape, and the fall out for each team. We discuss Todd Gurley landing in Atlanta and Stefon Diggs to the Bills before breaking down the free agent signings by position. Let us help snap you out of that non-sports COVID funk!
Quarantine Day 11:
2-ply is but a distant dream. We're in the endgame now: poop showers.
The average American 401k value has sunken below my prized Ryan Leaf card collection. And even worse, Belgium has, "outlawed non-essential indoor sexual activity of three people or more." The horror!
2020 NFL Draft Preview: Jalen Reagor
March 21, 2020 | 2020 NFL Draft Preview, Fantasy Football Dynasty Leagues |by: B_Don
The draft won't take place in Vegas, and there are conflicting reports out there about whether it will be suspended or not. Regardless, now is as good a time as any to try and get some more profiles out.
Jalen Reagor - Texas Christian University - 5'11" 206 lbs. - 1/1/99 (21 years old)
Inconsistent quarterback play and the emergence of Taye Barber cut into his workload in his junior season, but Reagor brings an impressive open field ability and glimpses of greatness.
- Good long speed and strong initial burst can put corners in a chasing position early.
- Got work on sweeps and screens to get the ball in his hands and let him work.
- Ability to take well defended screens and burst outside for 10+ yards and a first down.
- Worked on kick off and punt returns. Averaged 20.8 yards per punt return his junior year and the touchdown you see below.
Top 7 Pre-Draft Rookie TE Rankings 2020
March 20, 2020 | 2020 NFL Draft Preview, Dynasty Strategy, Dynasty Targets |by: al_FF_red
The tight end position is similar to QB in fantasy, in the sense that only an elite player really turns tides for your team. Most TE production is replaceable week in and week out. In 2019 the top 7 tight ends ranged between 16.6 and 13.6 in PPR points per game before a 1.3PPG gap to TE 8. The elite tier was even more dramatic in 2018 when the top 2 TEs averaged 3 PPG more than TE3.
Because of this, in most leagues the TE position is an afterthought on draft day. In dynasty rookie drafts it is difficult to know how to value a TE because 1) they take a while to develop for fantasy and 2) they are so often replaceable compared to other positions. If you are going to take a rookie TE, it better be in an attempt to land a whale.
Hopkins Traded for Three Ounces of Purell
March 18, 2020 | Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 2 Commentsby: Donkey Teeth
As I crawled through the desert wearing my backpack filled to the brim with toilet paper and various lotions, dying of sports thirst, a small rain drop landed squarely on my nose. The NFL players narrowly approved a new collective bargaining agreement Saturday night, lengthening the season by one game and expanding the playoffs to 14 teams; the rain drop for which I'd been longing. Then on Monday, the flood gates opened with a downpour of high profile free agent signings, trades and franchise taggings on the first day of legal tampering.
Lightning struck when then Texans inexplicably handed DeAndre Hopkins and a 2021 4th rounder over to the Cardinals in exchange for David Johnson, a 2nd round draft pick and a 2020 4th rounder. The amount of hand sanitizer included in the deal was not disclosed, but my sources tell me at least three ounces of Purell headed back to Houston. The echo chamber seems to believe this move will have a decidedly negative affect on Nuk's fantasy value, but I'm rose-colored in my year two outlook for the Kliff Kingsbury/Kyler Murray show. If he's a mid to late 2nd round fantasy pick this year, I'll dhop all over him.
Later the thunder rumbled as Stefon Diggs was dealt with a 2020 7th rounder to the Bills in exchange for pick #22, their 2020 5th, 2020 6th and 2021 4th rounder. I've seen many folks say this was a terrible deal for the Bills, but if you toss the 26 year old Diggs into this draft class he'd go top 10, right? And he's signed to a reasonably team friendly deal thru 2023. Change of scenery may be just what Diggs needed. I'll be buying again in 2020 and bumping Josh Allen up my board as well. Anyway, here's what else I saw for 2020 fantasy football during this already crazy coronavirus-filled NFL offseason:
Bill O'Brien is a man with too many responsibilities for a billion dollar organization. Bill O'Brien comes from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, but he's not as savvy. Luckily for O'Brien, the dominoes have fell in his favor in regards to appearing in the postseason. The Texans have made the playoffs in 4 out of the last 5 seasons including two wins.
The Texan's 2019 playoff appearance can be attributed to a nice home win against a depleted Patriots roster, and a shocker on the road against the Chiefs, but outside of that it seemed like they skated by. If Andrew Luck hadn't retired, the playoff picture probably would have looked a lot different. Lost in the fact that the Chiefs made a historic comeback in the divisional round against the Texans is the fact that Bill O'Brien and the Texans were embarrassingly unprepared to maintain a lead after already winning at Arrowhead that season. Pat Mahomes very well could end up as the best quarterback of our generation, but the Texans blew it with questionable play calling being at the forefront.
