With NFL free agency slowing down, and the top veterans on the market agreeing to new deals, let's flip this forward to the draft from a fantasy football perspective. I've gone through the tape on some of my favorite skill-position prospects, looking at pro traits and how they will fit in today's NFL offenses.
From Georgia running back D'Andre Swift to Notre Dame's Chase Claypool, here are 15 prospects to put on your fantasy radar for the 2020 season.
RB D'Andre Swift, Georgia
With traits that can be comped to New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, Swift has RB1/RB2 upside as a rookie if the scheme fit is there. He's a slasher in the zone run game, a one-cut back with the 4.48 speed to get loose in the open field. And with the receiving skills to be utilized on screens, plus underneath matchups versus linebackers in coverage, Swift has the makeup of a consistent fantasy producer with the frame to handle NFL volume. I'm all-in here.
WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
It's the silky route running with Jeudy. He's a twitchy, sudden mover, with the stop-and-start ability to set up defensive backs and the separation burst to shake coverage. Jeudy has enough long speed at 4.45 and he played in a pro passing system at Alabama. With the expectation that Jeudy goes in the top 10-15 picks, he's going to land in a rhythm-based pass offense that creates consistent targets. And that will put him in a position to post WR2/WR3 numbers as a rookie. Pro-ready skillset here.
WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
Lamb is going to fit with multiple pro clubs as a mid-first-round target. And we know what the Oklahoma star can do after the catch on inside shallows, crossers, digs and the wide receiver screen package. That's where his game speed and open-field vision take over. He's a dynamic threat there. But Lamb can also win outside on isolation concepts, and the ability is there to finish downfield on contested throws. While I do see Lamb as a little more scheme-specific than Jeudy, if he lands with a team that utilizes his play-strength as a big slot receiver, then I believe his fantasy value will climb as a WR2/3 as a rookie.
WR Denzel Mims, Baylor
With a 6-foot-3, 207-pound frame and 4.38 speed, Mims fits as a scheme-specific route runner. That's why I'm looking at the systems in Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Seattle. Use play-action here to target Mims on deep overs and crossers. Target the Baylor product underneath on quick-game slants, and also create isolation matchups outside on vertical throws. If Mims lands in the right pro offense, he can be viewed as a WR3/flex with scoring upside given his projected red zone traits.
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
Edwards-Helaire has the contact balance to bounce off tacklers at 5-7, 207 pounds, and the footwork pops, too. This guy can slip or slide past tacklers in an instant with his high-end change-of-direction skills. However, don't forget about the LSU product in the pass game. Angle routes, quick throws to the flat, wheels and the screen game. Like every prospect on the list, scheme fit matters. And I would love to see Edwards-Helaire in Tampa this season as a Day 2 pick with new quarterback Tom Brady. That would immediately put Edwards-Helaire in the RB2 mix given his dual-threat ability at the position.
RB Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State
Keep an eye on where Evans lands, because he could be a fantasy sleeper this year as a Day 3 pick with the traits to play early in the season as a third-down back. Evans is a prime fit for a zone run offense given his loose hips, second-level vision and the 4.41 speed in the open field. Explosive play juice there. Now pair that with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He's a solid prospect who can get touches in a committee approach, with flex upside.
WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
Ruggs is a blazer, an explosive-play threat at all three levels on the field. And the route running is detailed, too. He's more than just a deep-ball target. Ruggs can produce underneath on slants and shallows, work the middle-of-the-field in-breakers, and also set up safeties to make plays over the top. With first-round talent and the traits to take a three-step route to the house, Ruggs is a high-ceiling, WR3 target as a rookie. And he won't need top-end volume to fill up the box score.
RB Zack Moss, Utah
Moss has all the qualities of a between-the-tackles runner at the next level with his 223-pound frame, power and balance and the added wiggle to slip past linebackers at the point of attack. While Moss isn't a true home run hitter, he's set up to be a volume back in the pros who can also contribute on screens and swings in the pass game. Toss in some goal-line carries and Moss could find a spot as a lower-tier RB2/flex in non-PPR formats.
TE Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
This rookie tight end class isn't loaded with talent. But Bryant has the receiving ability and formation flexibility to find his way into fantasy lineups as a rookie. Whether he is aligned in the slot or as the backside receiver in 3x1 sets, Bryant has enough speed and lateral agility to work inside verticals, uncover versus safeties and generate the separation needed to produce. Think of Bryant as a seam-stretcher who can be schemed open off play-action concepts.
RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Taylor was a heavy-volume back at Wisconsin. The downhill, pro-level running traits are there, so is the big-play speed. Taylor posted a 4.39 40 at 5-10, 226. That's moving. But don't sleep on Taylor as a pass-catcher. Even though he wasn't featured as a consistent target in the pass game in college, Taylor can burst to the flat, set up a linebacker in coverage, and the open-field vision translates to screen-game production as a pro. Taylor can find daylight in both zone- and gap-run systems, and I believe he will see pretty consistent volume in the league, with a ceiling in the lower-tier RB2 range.
WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
By the end of the 2020 season, Jefferson could be one of the top rookie receivers in fantasy because of his ability to win in the slot, which leads to quick-target volume in the NFL. The LSU product, who posted a 4.43 40, is a nuanced route runner who can make plays on contested throws with his 6-1, 202 frame. That sets up well with today's NFL offenses inside the numbers, too. Quick game, RPOs and seams. Jefferson checks those boxes with the upside of WR2/WR3 in PPR formats.
WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
Despite poor testing numbers at his pro day, we have to trust the game tape on Higgins. He's a 6-4 target with the route running to win on deep in-breakers and the body control to track the ball jumps off the screen. Plus, with Higgins' ability to align inside, pro teams can scheme up matchups from the slot. Add in the red zone ability here, too. Higgins can be a prime target off play-action as a rookie, with WR3 value in the right system.
RB J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
If Dobbins lands in a system that leans on the inside zone run scheme, then you could see the fantasy value jump for the Ohio State product. At 5-9, 209, Dobbins has explosive traits to hit the hole with speed. And while I don't see Dobbins as a consistent tackle-breaker in the pros, he's a twitchy runner who can scream through open daylight, with the pass-catching skills to add more volume to his game.
WR KJ Hamler, Penn State
Game-breaking speed in the slot. Hamler reminds me of Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman. It's the instant burst and twitch to get up on the cushion of defenders and separate with ease. At 5-9, 178, Hamler doesn't have the size to make consistent plays in traffic on middle-of-the-field throws. However, in a pro offense, running slot fades, shallows and deep crossers? Yep. That's a fit. He's a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect with the traits to make his mark as a big-play target.
WR Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado
Shenault is unique, given his 227-pound frame and the multiple options he brings to a pro offense. The explosive qualities are there on tape. He can accelerate immediately on quick-game throws and his physical makeup shows after the catch. Shenault can work vertically down the field, too. Plus, the Colorado product can be featured on jet sweeps, reverses and screens. I think he is a very scheme-specific prospect who must be utilized in an offense that caters to his versatile traits.
WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
Claypool brings position flexibility to the league, due to his size/speed combination. At 6-4, 238, with 4.42 speed, Claypool can track deep-ball throws outside of the numbers. He's going to go up and get it, too. Plus, the Notre Dame product can align in the slot as a big middle-of-the-field target with some legit juice after the catch. Scheme will play a major role here in Claypool's fantasy ceiling as a rookie, and some teams might view him as a hybrid WR/TE. But this is a prospect I think could produce early in an NFL passing game, given his versatility.