Fantasy Football – Page 88 – Syndication Server

2020 Fantasy Football WR price check

Examining this year’s wide receiver fantasy class and looking at which players offer value in the later rounds.

The main questions most are faced with when building their fantasy roster is: Because there are so many quality pass-catchers in the league these days, when should you draft them? Do you wait? Or, do you draft them early and try to just use that position as a strength to outscore your opponents?

“The Price Is Right” often plays this game called “Hi-Lo”, where contestants have to guess if the price of an item is too high or too low.

Below is a twist on that game as it relates to this year’s wide receivers and their fantasy value. Let’s take a look at which wide receivers are being valued at the right price and which ones are plain wrong at this point during the fantasy draft season.

The price is right

D.J. Moore, Panthers, Average Draft Position (ADP) 33 — Moore will see a ton of targets in the new Panthers offense and they will most likely trail on the scoreboard often this season, which will force them to throw the ball in high volumes late in games.

Calvin Ridley, Falcons, ADP 42 — The Falcons offense has the potential to be very explosive and that means more opportunities for Ridley while most teams will focus on Julio Jones.

D.K. Metcalf, Seahawks, ADP 55 — The height, weight, speed combination for Metcalf is very impressive. He also had a really good rookie year, so look for him to take another leap with Russell Wilson in 2020.

D.J. Chark, Jaguars, ADP 56 — He compares to A.J. Green of the Bengals with the way he is built and his game really took off last year. Look for him to be a deep threat again this season in that Jaguars offense.

Robert Woods, Rams, ADP 57 — Woods is so consistent. He is just a pro in every sense of the word. With Bradon Cooks now playing for the Houston Texans, Woods should have even more opportunities to find the endzone more in Los Angeles.

Terry McLaurin, Washington, ADP 61 — Not many offensive options to be excited about on the Washington Football Team, but McLaurin is a rising star. Hopefully, they will target him a ton and let his talent shine.

Stefon Diggs, Bills, ADP 62 — The Bills paid a king’s ransom to obtain him this offseason. He is a polished technician with the ability to get open deep. Look for Josh Allen to launch it downfield to Diggs this year and for his numbers to likely be the best of his career so far.

Mike Williams, Chargers, ADP 120 — Williams was a high draft pick that has never reached his full potential. This could be the year he puts it all together and outplays his very low ADP in drafts. He is a steal if his new quarterbacks can get him the ball more.

The price is wrong

Kenny Golladay, Lions, ADP 25 — Golladay has played great recently, but this draft position makes him a WR1 on your fantasy team and that is a very expensive price tag considering other players being drafted in that same range.

Allen Robinson, Bears, ADP 28 — He had a very nice bounce-back year after finally getting over some injuries and moving to the Bears. He is a very good player, but his draft stock seems extremely high. Hard to take Robinson as a Top 30 player unless he finds an amazing volume of touchdowns again — something that he has not done since 2015 where he scored 14 times.

Adam Thielen, Vikings, ADP 31 — He is solid, but not dynamic. Now that Diggs is in Buffalo and replaced by a rookie in the starting lineup, Thielen is all alone. He is not an elite fantasy talent at the position and that is where you have to draft him. His best years are likely behind him.

Amari Cooper, Cowboys, ADP 32 — Cooper has everything you look for, except consistency. He will have huge weeks and then disappear. There are better options in the mid to late second round for you to take as his offense will probably spread the ball around more this year with all the weapons they have.

A.J. Brown, Titans, ADP 36 — The Titans are being thought of as a top team due to the playoff run they made last year. But Brown’s quarterback is Ryan Tannehill and the Titans love to run the ball, both of which hurt him. It will be difficult for Brown to replicate the big plays he had week in and week out last season, and while I expect him to be a quality wide receiver during his career, he’s not one worth his current ADP in 2020.

As you can see, it’s important to understand a player’s ADP value before your fantasy football draft begins. There is a lot of talent and all the players listed above would all help your fantasy team, but at what price?

Try taking running backs early and then wait it out for value-based wide receivers in the middle rounds, where you can maximize their value, and make sure the price is right while you build your team.

When should you draft Colts QB Philip Rivers in fantasy football?

Is Philip Rivers a reliable streaming option?

With training camp ramping up its physicality, fantasy football managers are trying to figure out their draft plans as the regular season is expected to begin in less than a month.

The Indianapolis Colts will have a new leader under center in Philip Rivers, who joins the offense on a one-year deal after the Jacoby Brissett experiment failed. Rivers is reunited with head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, both of which have worked with the 38-year-old gunslinger with the Chargers.

But as fantasy football drafts get underway, when should Rivers be drafted?

Current ADP

According to the average draft position (ADP) data courtesy of Fantasy Football, Rivers is currently being drafted as the QB22 at 14.04. This means he’s the 22nd quarterback drafted off the board in the fourth pick of Round 14.

This range feels about right for what Rivers will give fantasy managers on a weekly basis.

Projected Stats

In my own fantasy football rankings, Rivers comes in at QB19 in four-point scoring. He should be throwing the ball a fair amount, but the Colts want to run the ball in neutral game scripts, which limits his upside on a weekly basis.

Here’s how I currently have Rivers statted-out for the 2020 season:

Attempts	Comp.	Comp. %	Pass Yards	Pass TD	INT	Fantasy Points
580	404	69.7%	4478	29	15	266.7

When should you draft Rivers?

In a standard league with only one starting quarterback, Rivers probably isn’t on the radar of many fantasy managers. At best he turns into a high-end streaming option and as a target for the very late-round quarterback crowd.

However, the most likely outcome is that Rivers will be a fair streaming option with some consistency issues for fantasy managers. Given how the Colts want to run their offense, it is entirely possible there are games in which Rivers is simply not needed because of the rushing attack.

It should be expected that at least a few times this season, the rushing duo of Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor will take over a game giving the Colts a large lead without having to throw the ball. This makes Rivers a riskier option to rely on as a weekly starter in fantasy football.

But for where he is going, Rivers is a fine price. For those in 2QB and Superflex leagues, he’s a strong late-round target. But Rivers is be nothing more than a streamer to begin the season and taking him around the QB20 area is probably the earliest I would go.

Conclusion

The addition of Rivers will help the Colts offense drastically. He’s great for the value of the pass-catchers in the offense, all of which are current bargains at their ADPs. He will provide the Colts a more stable option in real football under center.

However, he shouldn’t be relied upon as a weekly starter in fantasy football to begin the season. Maybe the Colts wind up being more pass-happy than projected, but Rivers is more of a streamer in the right matchup until we get a better idea of how the offense will be split.

Browns 2020 position preview: Wide receivers

Projecting what the productivity for Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and the rest of the Browns WRs will look like in 2020

Last year notwithstanding, the Cleveland Browns do not have a rich recent history of wide receiver duos on their roster. The previous wide receiver tandem to go over 200 targets for the Browns was Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman. Yikes!

This year’s crop of wide receivers, similar to 2019, is a top-heavy group. Fortunately for the wide receivers behind Beckham and Landry, both players are on the mend, and there will be opportunities to work with Baker Mayfield.

Snapshot of the depth chart

Key Returnees: Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge, Damion Ratley, Taywan Taylor, D.J. Montgomery

Newcomers: Donovan Peoples-Jones, JoJo Natson, J’Mon Moore

Key Departures: None

Factors Surrounding the Wide Receivers

I need to see what Beckham and Landry can do together healthy. In 2019, both players dealt with injuries, which could have slowed them down to impact their overall performance. Even with these injuries, both players rarely left the field; they played over 93% of the Browns’ offensive snaps.

With two target hogs on the field, there isn’t much room for targets behind either one. On top of limited opportunities for targets, the Browns won’t have a use for a deep wide receiver bench. The Browns expect to play primarily out of 12-personnel (two tight ends), and there won’t be much playing time available for anyone else.

My concern for the Browns, even though there won’t be much playing time, is the depth. Beckham and Landry are amazing but there are serious questions about the other players behind them. If the Browns move on from either, or both, in the coming offseason or two, the Browns will have serious question marks at the position.

Predictions:

I don’t have concerns about this position on the football team. The Browns have two elite targets at wide receiver for Baker Mayfield. The Browns also made a smart move to re-sign Rashard Higgins, who has shown good chemistry with Mayfield in the past. They also drafted explosive rookie, Donovan Peoples-Jones, on Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Projected Stats:

Odell Beckham: 88 receptions (144 targets), 1,226 yards, 7 TDs

Jarvis Landry: 93 receptions (144 targets), 1,150 yards, 6 TDs

Rashard Higgins: 31 receptions (43 targets), 297, 2 TDs

*Only projected the top-3

PFF ranks Alexander Mattison as 3rd-best RB handcuff for fantasy football

Dalvin Cook is the starter in Minnesota, but if Cook gets hurt, Alexander Mattison will be next in line for a heavy workload.

It’s fantasy football drafting month! Wahoo!

We already know that if you have a mid first-round pick, drafting Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is probably a good idea.

If you do draft Cook, drafting his backup, Alexander Mattison, is also probably a good idea.

Sosa Kremenjas over at Pro Football Focus ranked the top-five running back handcuffs in the league and Mattison ranked third.

Here’s what Kremenjas wrote about Mattison:

Mattison is the quintessential handcuff back, as his current workload in an RB2 role is quite minimal. But his potential volume as a starter would be astronomical within the run-first Vikings offense. In 2019, Mattison totaled 110 touches for 70.4 total points, which placed him at RB60.

Cook has missed 19 games in the first three seasons of his career, so there’s a world in which Mattison carries a big load in Minnesota — albeit that’d be not-so-great for the Vikings.

With all the players you could take fliers on late in your fantasy draft, drafting Mattison is a smart move and could pay off in a big way.

Fantasy Football: 2020 Top 10 WR Rankings

Our Derek Okrie looks at the 2020 Fantasy Football market and ranks his Top 10 wide receivers for the upcoming season.

The NFL is a passing league and having a good set of wide receivers on your fantasy football team is vital to success.

The Detroit Lions have subscribed to this idea the past few years too as they have had their best success in the passing game when having three effective wide receivers in the lineup. This is the same strategy that leads to success for your fantasy team. You want two top, dynamic wide receivers and one solid player in most league formats to be very competitive.

Here is what I look for when I’m drafting a top wide receiver in fantasy football:

Is his quarterback an elite player?
What is the style of offense? Run first or pass-heavy?
You want your receivers on a team that throws the ball
You want a wide receiver on a team full of other weapons alongside him, as it helps reduce double teams.

Top receivers can put up huge numbers and are key to winning your fantasy league, especially when in most leagues, you have to start three receivers and only two running backs. If you can land an elite receiver — or even better, two — it will enhance your chances to be at the top of the standings in your fantasy league.

Here is my Top 10 list for this season.

Top 10 WR’s for 2020:

1. Michael Thomas, Saints – He has been so amazing the past few seasons, averaging 126 receiving yards per season over the last three years, I couldn’t put anyone else at the top.

2. Chris Godwin, Buccaneers – Having him ranked here may surprise most people, but I see him in the perfect situation to fly up charts coming off a tremendous season last year.

3. Odell Beckham Jr., Browns– He says he healthy now, the blonde hair is back, and I expect him to return to his electrifying form where he puts up big numbers each week.

4. Tyreek Hill, Chiefs – Speed kills and Tyreek Hill is pure speed. He also has Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball. Enough said.

5. DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals – The offense in Arizona is projected to be high powered, but I would think Hopkins takes a bit of step back in his first year with the Cardinals.

6. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers – Another player that I have higher than most. He’s young, has the skill set needed to dominate in the slot, and is getting his Hall of Fame quarterback back again this year. I think he will have a huge season on the gridiron to quiet all the doubters.

7. Julio Jones, Falcons – He probably is still the most physically gifted receiver in football, but he’s getting older and he doesn’t score many touchdowns. That bumped him down my list a bit, which could come back to bite me, as I expect Atlanta to have a good offense this year.

8. Mike Evans, Buccaneers – Tom Brady is now his quarterback, and Evans has always been one of the most consistent wide receivers in the NFL. He flies a bit under the radar despite his six straight 1,000 plus yard seasons. He’s only played six seasons in total and has nearly 50 touchdowns in his career during that time.

9. Amari Cooper, Cowboys – One of the top route runners in the sport. He’s also that receiver that can win a week all by himself by putting up 200 plus yards and multiple touchdowns any given game.

10. Davante Adams – Most of the time you will see Adams in the top five on most lists. I’m not a huge fan. He will get heavy volume in the passing game though, so I still had to put him in top pass catchers based on that. He’s only had 1,000 yards once in his entire career.

Lions Players:

Kenny Golladay – I know most Lions fans may be wondering why he isn’t in my Top 10. I just couldn’t fit him in there. He had very good seasons the past two years, but I expect a bit of dip in his production while Matthew Stafford spreads the ball around more again this year in a potentially explosive Lions offense.

Marvin Jones Jr. – Now this is a player that most are forgetting about, but I don’t think the Lions coaching staff has forgotten. Expect Jones Jr. to have plenty of chances to produce if he can stay healthy this year. Try to get him in the later rounds before someone else does, and he will be great depth for you at the position as you can start him as a bye week replacement and feel very good about it.

Danny Amendola – The tenured, crafty veteran had a great season last year in Detroit. I’ve seen him sneak on people’s fantasy rosters in the last round in a few leagues, but I’d stay away. I hope Amendola has another solid statistical season for the Lions, but it’s what he does off the field and in practice that is most valuable to the team. I don’t expect his gameday production to be enough to justify a roster spot on your fantasy team.

Where does Adam Thielen rank among WRs in fantasy football?

Thielen had a down 2019 after two-straight 1,000-yard seasons.

We’re at the “when’s your fantasy draft?” time of the summer.

If you’re a Vikings’ fan, you’re probably trying to figure out how you can get one or two players in purple on your team.

What about wide receiver Adam Thielen, who had an injury-riddled 2019 season after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons?

Nathan Jahnke over at Pro Football Focus put receivers into different fantasy tiers and Thielen is in the fifth tier, behind 10 other receivers.

Other receivers in the fifth tier include Odell Beckham Jr., Tyler Lockett, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.

For what it’s worth, former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs finds himself in tier seven.

You can check out the full tier rankings here.

Giants’ Evan Engram named fantasy football player to avoid

Is New York Giants tight end Evan Engram a fantasy football player you should avoid in your upcoming draft?

New York Giants tight end Evan Engram is widely considered one of the best in football, and his hype train has reached entirely new levels this offseason.

Anyone who is anyone has been pounding the drum for Engram in recent months, but Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report is here to pump the brakes on that.

Moton recently broke down a list of fantasy football players that should be avoided in any upcoming drafts, and Engram rounded out said list.

Evan Engram has the size, speed and hands to push for a top-five spot in points among tight ends in PPR leagues. On the other hand, he hasn’t been able to shake the injury bug over the last two seasons, missing 13 contests since 2018. Because of his spotty availability, the Ole Miss product has become an unreliable component within the New York Giants offense.

Beyond just the injuries, which have defined Engram’s early career, Moton suggests that the versatile tight end is simply too inconsistent even when he’s on the field and that a surplus of offensive weapons will make his production unstable.

Engram has the talent to pop up with a handful of productive games if he stays healthy, but the fourth-year pro will compete with a solid wide receiver group and running back Saquon Barkley for targets.

Jones can spread the ball among Tate, Slayton and Sterling Shepard. Per head coach Joe Judge, Big Blue’s offense will share similarities with the Dallas Cowboys unit from previous years as Jason Garrett takes over play-calling duties, per NFL Network’s Kim Jones. That’s good news for Barkley, who may handle a high volume of touches comparable to 2016 and 2018 rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott.

In some weeks, Engram may become an afterthought within the offense because of the plethora of weapons at wideout and a high-usage running back.

The Giants and second-year quarterback Daniel Jones do have a good amount of options on the offensive side of the ball, but so did the Dallas Cowboys under Jason Garrett and tight end Jason Witten was never short on production.

If Engram can stay healthy in 2020, his fantasy output should be through the roof. However, there is no guarantee that Engram can somehow buck his injury trend and that does make him a risky option in fantasy football drafts.

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Fantasy Football: 2020 Top 10 RB Rankings

Our Derek Okrie looks at the 2020 Fantasy Football market and ranks his Top 10 running backs for the upcoming season.

At this point, it’s safe to say that the running back has returned as the dominant position in fantasy football once again.

Regardless of your league format, you’ll need to take running backs with your first couple picks because if you wait they will be gone, and then you will be hunting for late-round gems — hoping they get you by.

Former Detroit Lions’ coach Jim Schwartz often said, “Hope is not a strategy”, so don’t hope to find running backs. Instead, use a proven strategy to draft them early and often. You can select your other needed positions later.

The Lions have taken that same strategy of drafting running backs early the past few years and look at how they are positioned now. By invested highly in the position, the Lions will arguably have their best running backs since Barry Sanders and you should do the same in your fantasy football drafts.

Here is what you want in a fantasy football running back:

Can he catch the football?
Does his team throw him the football often?
Does he score touchdowns?

If your answer is yes to those three questions, you are well on your way to a top fantasy running back worth drafting high. Other factors such as injury history, overall usage, character, offense style, quarterback play, etc. should all factor into your draft strategy.

Now on to my list of running backs you want on your team for 2020.

Top 10 RB’s for 2020:

1. Christian McCaffrey, Panthers – He’s the top pick in every fantasy draft you will see regardless of format. He can do it all and the volume will be there in both the run and pass game. McCaffery is averaging 111 catches over the past two seasons, which is insane for a wide receiver let alone a running back.

2. Saquon Barkley, Giants – Look for a huge bounce-back year from Barkley this season. It is funny how one injury will make people forget about the elite talent a player has. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he finishes as the top running back in fantasy if the rest of the New York Giants help him out.

3. Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys – He’s just solid and consistent every year. I would like to see them throw Elliott some more passes this year, but I expect him to have more touchdowns in a potent Dallas offense.

4. Alvin Kamara, Saints – He has a similar skill set as McCaffery, and this seems to be the year where he might put it all together and even land higher than where I have him right now.

5. Joe Mixon, Bengals – This is my breakout player this year. He’s been solid, but with Joe Burrow now as the Bengals quarterback and weapons on the outside at wide receiver, I expect Mixon to have amazing numbers. His yards per carry average (4.2-yards over his career) and his catches (36 per season on average) need to increase to reach his ceiling. They just have to feed him the ball more in Cincinnati.

6. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs – Most won’t have him this high, but he’s climbing quick. He seems to be the obvious top running option now on the Kansas City Cheifs and you know that equals mega-points early for the talented running back out of LSU.

7. Dalvin Cook, Vikings – He really jumped off the screen when I watched him last year. His burst and ability seemed to be at another level. Can he repeat 13 touchdowns again this year or more? Injuries have always been his issue though and I expect it to be more of the same this year. Flashes of brilliance and more time in the trainer’s room.

8. Derrick Henry, Titans – The Titans decided to pay Henry, and I’m not sure that is a good thing for many different reasons. You can’t argue with his pure size and power though, so that still makes him dangerous every week. His heavy workload always gives him a high floor too. He’s a safe option, but not one I’m overly excited like others are coming off his dominant season in 2019.

9. Miles Sanders, Eagles – Another one of my favorite, young players here. He can catch the football and has similar athleticism to Saquon Barkley. He had 50 catches as a rookie and I only see that climbing exponentially this season. I expect Sanders to be dynamic in the Eagles offense and pick up where he left off at the end of last year.

10. Josh Jacobs, Raiders – I love the player and I love his situation, but I don’t love the shoulder injury he is coming off headed into this season. If he’s healthy all year and they throw him the football more, I could see him much higher when it’s all said and done.

Notable Lions RBs:

D’Andre Swift – Swift will be a fan favorite in Detroit, but may not be used to his full potential early. Stay patient and enjoy having Swift in a Lions uniform for years to come. I see him splitting with Kerryon Johnson early, but eventually being the main guy. Take him as one of those rookies you roll the dice on in the middle rounds.

Kerryon Johnson – I could see a bit of a bounce-back year coming if he’s healthy. Many are counting him out, but he still has the talent to run the ball well. He’s a late-round option, but I’d stay away for the most part until we know more about how he will be used with Swift now on the team and his overall health with the leg injuries he’s had.

Bo Scarborough, Ty Johnson, Jason Huntley – None of these guys should be on your fantasy team, but they could all help the Lions get more wins on the field in 2020 as they represent power, versatility, and speed between the three of them.

Will Dalvin Cook be a top-5 PPR fantasy player in 2020?

Last season, Cook finished with his first 1,000-yard season. Could he improve on that even more in 2020?

We’re at that point in the summer where fantasy football drafts are starting to ramp up.

Who should you draft? What are your league formats? Who made the chip dip?

Ian Haritz over at Pro Football Focus made predictions for each team entering the 2020 season. His prediction for the Vikings is that running back Dalvin Cook would be a top-five player in PPR formats.

Here’s what Haritz wrote about Cook:

Cook has a real case as the league’s best-pure runner with the ball in his hands. The lead back of a Gary Kubiak-coached offense has averaged north of 290 touches per season, largely serving as a fantasy cheat code over the years. Overall, he’s enabled eight different RBs to a combined 15 top-12 PPR seasons from 1995-2019. Cook played at least 60% of the offense’s snaps with 16-plus touches in every game from Weeks 1-11 before getting injured in 2019. A potential holdout is unlikely, and there’s little doubt that Cook will continue to cook (sorry) as the focal point of this offense when on the field in 2020.

If he can stay healthy, Cook will certainly be in that conversation. But health has been a problem for Cook in his career. Through three seasons, Cook has already missed 19 games.

With that being said, if you have a top-five pick in your upcoming draft, Cook needs to be a player you consider.

Just make sure to grab his backup, Alexander Mattison, too.

12 undervalued fantasy football targets for 2020

James White headlines this list of undervalued fantasy football targets for the 2020 NFL season.

Every year, there are players who end up outperforming their average draft position in fantasy football. Here are 12 players who are poised to provide great value in the mid to late rounds of your fantasy draft this summer.

(Current average draft position in parentheses.)

1. RB James White (RB41)

There’s no guarantee that Cam Newton will start for the Patriots this season but it seems like a safe bet, which is good news for White. In 2018 — the last time Newton played (almost) a full season — Christian McCaffrey was targetted 124 times. Granted, White has never put up McCaffrey-level numbers, but he did catch 72 passes last year and 87 passes in 2018. White could be a PPR-gem as the 41st RB off the board.

2. WR Emmanuel Sanders (WR40)

Last year, Sanders played with Joe Flacco and Jimmy Garoppolo and finished the year as WR30 in fantasy. Now Sanders will get to play with Drew Brees in New Orleans and many fantasy owners seem to be undervaluing him. When he played with Peyton Manning in Denver, Sanders averaged 1,269 receiving yards and 7.5 touchdowns per season. Sanders should provide great value as WR40 now that he’s playing with a top QB again.

3. QB Kirk Cousins (QB22)

Cousins finished as QB15 last year but he’s being drafted as QB22 this offseason. Yes, the Vikings lost Stefon Diggs this offseason, but Minnesota also gained Justin Jefferson to pair with Adam Thielen. Cousins has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in four of the last five seasons and has thrown at least 25 touchdown passes every year since 2015. There’s no reason to believe his numbers will see a big decline in 2020.

4. TE Dawson Knox (TE30)

Fantasy owners shouldn’t reach for Knox but he has good value as a TE2 and great value as a TE3. Knox won’t be the Bills’ top receiving threat this season but he was targetted 50 times as a rookie and that number should go up in 2020. NFL tight ends often make a big leap in Year 2 and Knox could end up being a late-round steal.

5. RB Chris Carson (RB18)

The arrival of Carlos Hyde in Seattle shouldn’t scare owners away from Carson, who finished as RB12 in 2019. Even after the Seahawks selected Rashaad Penny in the first round of the 2018 draft, Carson has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. As long as he stays healthy, Carson appears poised to remain Seattle’s workhorse back.

6. WR Keenan Allen (WR20)

In PPR leagues, Allen ranked sixth among wide receivers in fantasy last year. His numbers will likely see a dip after the departure of Philip Rivers but Allen would still be a steal as the 20th WR off the board. Allen has averaged 101 catches for 1,262 yards and six touchdowns per year over the last three seasons. That kind of production deserves a higher average draft position — even with uncertainty at quarterback.

7. TE Greg Olsen (TE23)

During his final two seasons in Seattle (2016-2017), Jimmy Graham caught 16 touchdown passes. Last season, Jacob Hollister received the third-most targets (59) among Seahawks players and Will Dissly was thrown to 27 times in six games before going down with an injury. This year, Olsen might receive the bulk of Seattle’s tight end targets — including targets in the red zone. If he gains the trust of Russell Wilson, Olsen could end up being a big steal as a late-round pick.

8. RB Damien Harris (RB63)

Harris is a bit of a risky pick because the Patriots’ backfield is so hard to predict but he could easily outperform his RB63 ADP. After being selected by New England in the third round of last year’s draft, Harris appeared in just two games as a rookie. Sony Michel has struggled with various injuries and he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in 2019. If Michel gets banged up or underperforms this season, Harris could carve out a role in the Patriots’ offense. Consider him a late-round sleeper to draft and stash for later in the year.

9. TE Jace Sternberger (TE28)

Sternberger, like Harris, is a risk because of his small sample size. Last year, Sternberger dressed for just six games and didn’t catch any passes. This year, his main competition for the Packers’ No. 1 tight end position will be 36-year-old Marcedes Lewis who totaled just 156 receiving yards and one touchdown last year. Sternberger will likely emerge as Green Bay’s top receiving tight end and he could prove to have decent value as a late-round TE2 (or a TE3 in deeper leagues).

10. QB Tyrod Taylor (QB32)

In an offseason highlighted by reduced practice time and a shortened preseason, rookie QB Justin Herbert won’t be the favorite to start for the Chargers in Week 1. Taylor will be entering his second season in Los Angeles and his experience will likely give him an advantage in the Chargers’ QB competition. In 2017, the last year he was a full-time starter, Taylor finished as QB16. He will likely provide good value as a QB2 or QB3 in the first half of the 2020 season but owners should be aware that Herbert will be a mid-season threat to take over if Los Angeles is struggling to win.

11-12. WRs: Antonio Brown (WR71) and Josh Gordon (WR127)

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports and Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)

These receivers are risky picks and owners shouldn’t reach for either of them. That said, Brown and Gordon might return to action by mid-season (after completing possible suspensions) and they could provide a late-season boost when owners are fighting to make the playoffs. You could wait to add them if/when they are signed, but selecting Brown or Gordon near the end of the draft would ensure another team doesn’t beat you to them on the waiver wire later this year.

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