Yesterday started like any other Saturday in this current timeline. I woke up and had my morning coffee and started meal planning for the weekend. What more is there really to think about right now other than eating and watching TV? It’s getting warmer out, so why not fire up the smoker? Ribs it is. I ran off to the grocery store after a proper hand cleaning and got my materials and fired up the smoker. If you have smoked ribs before, you probably know that the go to method is 3-2-1. Three hours unwrapped, two hours wrapped with liquid, and one hour wrapped with sauce. Bang, fall-off-the-bone goodness.
So I have three hours to kill until I need to worry about the ribs, so some Twitter entertainment is in order. And…. President Trump is tweeting about a Lamar Jackson draft pick video. Am I in some covid fever dream? I know that Trump tried to buy the Buffalo Bills some years ago but I didn’t think he was still a casual enough observer to know of Lamar Jackson’s greatness. I thought that the extent of his football attention was being mad at the kneelers. Anyways, jokes are tweeted and I am entertained.
The ribs finish up 6 hours later and I have an accompanying appetite for sports. I check ESPN the Ali vs. Frazier trilogy is playing consecutively. I casually know the backstory but this is a perfect opportunity to enjoy a piece of history that I previously wouldn’t have made time for. I am glad I took the time to appreciate these battles. The first and third matches were jaw-dropping wars. It was nice to be lost in athletic competition again and being in awe of superior athletic ability. And to my luck, I got inspired to write up a comparison piece about two other athletes at the top of their position. And they happen to be going back to back at the end of the first round of fantasy drafts. Who will come out on top between Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams?
Both Adams and Tyreek Hill faced injury riddled seasons that led to each only playing 12 games in 2019. Similarly in 2018, both Adams and Hill had their best fantasy seasons to date. Both receivers are in prime ages of their careers with Hill being 26 years old and Adams at 27 and not turning 28 until December. Both play for franchise quarterbacks that are worshiped by their fan bases. And neither of these receivers was a first round NFL draft pick with Adams being selected in the 2nd round and Hill being selected in the 5th for…. obvious reasons.
One clear advantage that Davante Adams has had over Tyreek Hill is targets. Adams has paced Hill by over 30 targets in each of the past two seasons. With Travis Kelce being a huge functional part of the Chiefs offense and nobody really competing with Davante Adams in Green Bay, that trend will likely continue if there is a season in 2020. Another advantage that Adams has is in the red zone. Adams has 3 double digit touchdown seasons and Tyreek has one. Patrick Mahomes has a couple more options than Rodgers has, including Travis Kelce.
Going forward, everything else favors Tyreek Hill for me. Hill plays in one of the sharpest offenses in the NFL with the best passer. There is also more fluidity in the ways that Tyreek Hill can be used. Let’s not forget that Hill also has 4 career rushing touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers is getting up there in years and the Packers are building their offense to not be so dependent on his arm under Matt LaFleur. Matt LaFleur even wants to add another running back this offseason. Possibly in this week’s upcoming draft.
Even when talking in terms of PPR leagues, Adams only has one season with 100 catches under his belt. If Tyreek Hill can stay healthy, I expect his 2020 season to look a lot like his 2018 season where he caught 87 passes for 1,479 yards. With Sammy Watkins back in 2020 and the threat of Mecole Hardman torching a defense at any given time, Hill should have room to do what he does best. There is no good way to put the brakes on the Chiefs offense. The only thing holding Hill back is off the field issues if they pop up again.
Tyreek will definitely be a draft target for me if I’m picking in the back end of the first round of snake drafts. For me to end up with any Davante Adams, he will likely have to fall into the second round which isn’t going to happen. If you end up with the 10th-12th pick in the first round, going Hill-Henry or Hill-Godwin is a great start to a draft.
