Quarantine Day 41:
The price of oil hit -$37 per barrel yesterday. That’s not a typo, NEGATIVE 37 dollars! As in, they’ll pay you $37 to take a barrel of oil off their hands. So I told my oil guy to mark me down for 1,000 barrels. Figure I should be able to fit at least 900 barrels in my bathtub and then a couple dozen in the kitchen sink, right? Hope so, because I already spent my $37,000 on Chicago Bears season tickets. Da Bears are even throwing in a 20-pack of N95 masks as part of the deal this year. To avoid thinking about how the Bears will blow this years draft picks (at least we don’t have a 1st rounder to waste) I’ve compiled my top 20 rookies for 2020 dynasty football—went over the top 10 rookies last week. Obviously we don’t know landing spots or draft capital yet, so take these rankings with a chaser of West Texas crude. Anyway, here’s my top 20 rookies for 2020 PPR dynasty football:
Name | Age on 9/1/20 | Height | Weight | Position | College
Tier 4 (cont’d)
11. Zack Moss | 22 | 5’9″ | 223 lbs | RB | Utah
His full name is Zaccheus Moss which is an instant classic. I’ve been looking to add a Zaccheus to my dynasty portfolio for years. Moss would likely be a little higher on most draft boards if it weren’t for his checkered injury history which includes a toe injury, torn meniscus and shoulder sprain. Injuries come with the territory of being a hard, physical runner like Moss. He’s on the slower side in RB terms with a 4.65 forty time, but it’s not the end of the world for a power runner with good vision and balance.
Potential Landing Spots: Bills, Cardinals, Ravens
Tier 5
12. Jalen Reagor | 21 | 5’11” | 194 lbs | WR | TCU
The fantasy community seems to have soured a little on Reagor after a letdown 4.47 forty at the combine. Imagine 4.47 speed being a letdown . . . but it was expected he’d be in Henry Ruggs speeding bullet territory. Reagor’s a dangerous deep threat who could exceed in a slot role. Feels like he has a pretty high fantasy floor.
Potential Landing Spots: Ravens, Packers, Broncos
13. Henry Ruggs III | 21 | 5’11” | 188 lbs | WR | Alabama
You may have heard Ruggs is fast. Like, really fast. Like, 4.27 forty fast. The question is whether he’s more Tyreek Hill fast or John Ross fast. I’ve gone on the record saying I think he’s more John Ross, but smarter people than I (alright, that’s everyone) think he’s more Tyreek Hill. I’m definitely not writing him off and do think he’d be a nice fit with Courtland Sutton and Drew Lock in the young Broncos offense where most couch scouts project him to land.
Potential Landing Spots: Broncos, 49ers, Raiders
14. Tee Higgins | 21 | 6’3″ | 216 lbs | WR | Clemson
Higgy has been compared to A.J. Green and it makes sense based on size and forty time—4.54 for Higgins vs. 4.50 for Green. Obviously I’m skeptical that he’ll ever reach elite WR1 territory, but he does have the size and physicality to succeed on the outside. Higgins would likely be a lot more talked about in a less loaded class.
Potential Landing Spots: Chargers, Packers, Jets,
Tier 6
15. Laviska Shenault Jr. | 21 | 6’0″ | 227 lbs | WR | Colorado
Lots of elite names in this draft class. The one they call Viska has been talked about more for his health than his skill over the past month. He is very skilled, but has dealt with post-combine core muscle surgery and pubic bone inflammation—insert pubic bone inflammation jokes here. Plus he battled a torn labrum and turf toe in college. But if an NFL team has enough confidence to pony up a day-one draft pick, then I’ll likely jump him into my first round for dynasty rookie drafts.
Potential Landing Spots: Packers, Jaguars, Seahawks
16. Michael Pittman Jr. | 22 | 6’4″ | 220 lbs | WR | Southern California
I can’t remember any other draft class having so many big sexy wide receivers. Pittman excelled at the combine showing off impressive speed and agility for a big man, possibly moving him up NFL draft boards. While somewhat one-dimensional, he has a relatively high floor as your prototypical large red zone target and deep threat.
Potential Landing Spots: Broncos, Ravens, Jets
17. Bryan Edwards | 21 | 6’2″ | 212 lbs | WR | South Carolina
Here’s your high ceiling, low floor prospect that I’m always a sucker for. It’s like going after the super hot chick who you know is batshit crazy. The difference is, I can actually get Bryan Edwards because I have a bunch of draft picks this year! Scouts have questioned his hands, but he has the frame and athleticism to develop into a fantasy WR1—those guys don’t grow on trees unless you have one of those wide receiver trees. Hopefully the broken foot which caused him to miss the combine is fully healed by August.
Potential Landing Spots: Redskins, Vikings, Broncos
18. Eno Benjamin | 21 | 5’9″ | 207 lbs | RB | Arizona State
I took Benjamin at pick 24 during our dynasty rookie mock draft in late March and here’s what I said, “Played the bellcow role at Arizona State the past two seasons, accumulating over 550 carries and 77 receptions. He falls into the “undersized” bucket at only 5’9″/207 lbs, but at this point we’ve seen enough running backs of his build succeed at the next level. Landing spot and draft capital will mean everything for Eno. But if you need an RB, this dual threat youngster should be on your radar around pick 20.” March Donkey knows what he’s talking about. Let’s hope for a juicy landing spot.
Potential Landing Spots: Patriots, Chargers, Lions
19. Ke’Shawn Vaughn | 23 | 5’10” | 218 lbs | RB | Vanderbilt
We have a wave of Ke’Shawns and KeeSeans hitting the NFL 20ish years after Keyshawn Johnson’s heyday. Well, there’s been two, but that’s how trends start. Wonder when all the Ochocincos will start hitting the NFL? Vaughn and Benjamin are the types of backs who might get more love in other draft classes, but this one’s deeeeeep and there’s only so many teams with immediate backfield needs. Vaughn is a well rounded asset who can do it all well but won’t wow you anywhere. He can run inside and outside, has adequate hands, blocks well, makes sharp cuts, but has mediocre speed. In the right system, he’ll be an immediate fantasy attrition target.
Potential Landing Spots: Rams, Ravens, Chargers
Tier 7
20. Chase Claypool |22 | 6’4″ | 238 lbs | TE/WR | Notre Dame
I ranked Deadpool, I mean Claypool, #15 in my top 15 dynasty tight ends and there was outrage. And the outrage wasn’t even because Claypool might not be drafted as a tight end (he might not be). The criticism was that he hasn’t “earned” it. If you wait for players to earn it then you’ll never own any rookies! Now image the matchup nightmare of this 238 pound, 4.42 forty-running-beast against a linebacker. There’s elite fantasy tight end potential here. I won’t like him as much at wide receiver, but I’ll still like him.
Potential Landing Spots: Jets, Colts, Giants
