A player's fantasy football value is generally tied to the opportunity he receives. For veteran players, that can be impacted by whether their team brings in additional competition during free agency and the NFL draft.
Now that draft weekend is behind us, we asked our ESPN Fantasy analysts to list a vet who benefited from the way things played out in the draft.
In the next few months leading up to the start of the regular season, we will cover many key storylines like this. Check out our 2021 fantasy football rankings, which will be updated throughout the offseason. They serve as a great starting point as you prepare for fantasy draft season.
Which veterans benefited from NFL draft happenings?
Stephania Bell: Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins
It's pretty self-evident that a team is comfortable with who they've already got when they don't make significant positional adds at draft time. Although the Dolphins selected Gerrid Doaks with their final pick, there's no imminent threat to Gaskin's standing atop the Dolphins running back depth chart, even with the signing of Malcolm Brown. Other than the games missed due to a knee injury and COVID-19 protocols, Gaskin dominated the workload distribution in Miami with frequent red zone responsibilities in 2020, something that should delight fantasy managers in anticipation of next season.
Matthew Berry: Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Davis saw his Falcons not draft a RB but did draft TE Kyle Pitts. Led by a great passing game (assuming Matt Ryan and Julio Jones stick around), the offense should be highly efficient and in scoring position often, where Davis is likely to lead the backfield for new head coach Arthur Smith. When Smith was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee, his Titans were second in RB carries, first in RB rushing yards and the fifth-run-heaviest offense inside an opponent's 10-yard line. Davis is obviously a different back than Derrick Henry, but he has produced when given the chance, as he averaged 15.2 PPG in his 12 games last season with at least 10 touches.
Matt Bowen: Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Even in Baltimore's run-heavy offense, the selections of rookie wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace are a boost for Jackson and the Ravens' pass game. With Bateman, the Ravens are getting a nuanced route-runner who can be deployed like Allen Robinson II, aligned as the backside receiver in 3x1 sets or bumped inside to create matchup advantages in the slot. And Wallace gives Baltimore some big-play juice, along with the ability to finish on 50/50 throws. With the addition of the two rookies here, plus veteran pass-catchers Mark Andrews, Sammy Watkins and Marquise Brown, Jackson will be in a position to increase his passing totals in '21.
Mike Clay: Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins
Miami did not draft a running back in the first six rounds, which sets up Gaskin as the team's lead back again in 2021. Gaskin played 69% of the snaps and was RB8 in fantasy when active last season. He finished no lower than 17th in each of his final six outings. The 24-year-old shouldn't have trouble fending off Salvon Ahmed and Malcolm Brown for 15-plus touches per game again this season and is very much in the RB2 discussion.
Tristan H. Cockcroft: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
Sometimes, it's less about what a team did and more about what it didn't do. The Lions did little to address a subpar receiver corps in the draft. Sure, the team selected Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth round, but he shapes up as another supporting piece among a group of wideouts that combined to catch only 20 passes for the 2020 Lions. Hockenson stands out as far and away the team's top pass-catching target, and he gets the benefit of a quarterback in Jared Goff who likes to look in his tight ends' direction, targeting the position fourth-most often from 2018-20. It's also a help that the team drafted pass-blocking tackle Penei Sewell in the first round.
Daniel Dopp: A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans
I was looking to see how the Titans would address the WR position during the draft and was pleasantly surprised to see them wait until the sixth round to do so. In the 2020 season, Corey Davis, Jonnu Smith, Adam Humphries and Kalif Raymond (all with new teams now) accounted for 207 targets, 138 catches, 1,847 receiving yards and 15 TDs. Obviously all of that won't go to Brown, but after the team passed on WR in the draft and didn't bring in any big-time replacements -- no offense to Josh Reynolds -- you better believe he's in for a Davante Adams-type workload in 2021.
Eric Karabell: Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Well yeah, if you are not a rookie, then you must be a veteran, right? Not only did the Eagles pass on other QBs, but they provided Hurts with awesome Heisman-winning WR DeVonta Smith, electric RB Kenneth Gainwell and, if healthy, relevant G/C Landon Dickerson. Look, Carson Wentz was in no position to succeed in 2020, but Hurts has more weapons and while he may differentiate himself in fantasy with his legs, his arm sure has intriguing people to throw footballs to now.
Field Yates: Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons
As an ardent Davis supporter, my outlook for him was already rather optimistic. Couple that with the fact that the Falcons did not use a single draft choice on a running back and Davis has a clear pathway to the lead back job in what should be a very strong offense this season. He's a quality pass-catcher, too, which always carries value in fantasy.