Fantasy football is in the air, and the unique offseason is causing more questions than answers as we enter our fantasy football drafts. Today we focus on Denver Broncos QB Drew Lock and his fantasy football potential this year.
Drew Lock’s fantasy football ADP
Average draft position on MyFantasyLeague: 137 (12 teams, PPR redrafts)
Min. pick: 38
Max. pick: 306
Reasons to draft Lock
- The 23-year-old Lock is brimming with upside after he recovered from a preseason wrist injury/injured reserve stint and finished his 2019 rookie season with a flourish. He won four of his five starts while completing 64.1 percent of his passes, throwing seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Lock’s best outing was a 38-24 road win over the eventual AFC South-champion Houston Texans, completing 22 of 27 attempts for 309 yards and a trio of TDs. Lock also flashed some mobility, rushing for 72 yards on 18 attempts. All in all, it arguably was the best quarterback play the franchise has seen since Peyton Manning’s heydays in 2012-14, and the Broncos have fully entrusted the young QB with the keys to the offense, jettisoning veterans Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen.
- The Broncos doubled down on their faith in Lock, spending their top-two draft picks on WRs Jerry Jeudy of Alabama and KJ Hamler of Penn State and adding Lock’s Missouri college teammate, TE Albert Okwuegbunam, in the fourth round. In free agency, they added RB Melvin Gordon, adding to an impressive young corps which already included Pro Bowl WR Courtland Sutton, second-year TE Noah Fant and back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay. Expect the Broncos offense to be noticeably improved in 2020 after ranking 28th in scoring and total yards a year ago, and Lock figures to be one of the top fantasy beneficiaries.
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Reasons not to draft Lock
- While Lock’s above-mentioned big afternoon in Houston did produce 28.9 fantasy points, he didn’t score more than 16.2 points or top 208 passing yards in his other four starts. That is not top-30 fantasy QB material, and we simply need to see more.
- Going back to his final season at Missouri, Lock is learning his third new offense in as many years with the Broncos bringing in new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur along with several new players. But with COVID-19 shuttering offseason team activities and the preseason, it’s a horrible year to be learning a new offense and developing continuity. Don’t be surprised if that results in a slow first half of the season for Lock and Co.
- When you have the likes of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, Jared Goff and Tom Brady ranked in the teens, that’s fantasy QB depth. Even if you prefer young potential to aging veterans, you likely still can choose from a group that includes the Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield, the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones and Cincinnati Bengals rookie Joe Burrow in addition to Lock.
Should I draft Drew Lock?
In standard 10- and 12-team leagues, probably not. The Huddle currently has Lock ranked 23rd among fantasy QBs and that’s two-QB league and superflex territory. Better to have Lock on your early-season waiver radar and swoop in if he gets off to a hot start.
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