2019 Fantasy Winners and Losers, Post NFL Draft Edition

The NFL Draft has come and gone, and there have been major fantasy implications as a result. Several rosters have gone through shakeups, and we take a look at which players won and lost based on what their teams did in the draft.

Save 20% or more on select NFL T-shirts at Fanatics.com

Winners

QB Carson Wentz (PHI)

Wentz must have loved what the Eagles did in the offseason. First, they signed Jordan Howard to give him a legit NFL talent at RB for the first time in his career. Then in the draft, the selected 3 offensive talents to help Wentz into the future. The selection of Andre Dilliard solidifies the LT spot after Jason Peters’ inevitable exit. The selection of Miles Sanders and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside upgraded a nice draft to an excellent one. Sanders is the first running back selected in the second round or earlier by the Eagles since LeSean McCoy in 2009. Sanders is tabbed as the future at RB after years of spare parts acquisitions. JJAW is another great red zone target and the heir apparent to Alshon Jeffrey. Health is the only thing standing in the way of Wentz having a huge year.

RB Ronald Jones (TB)

Jones was relegated to bust status pretty quickly, after being selected in the second round of the draft last year.  Losing his job to journeyman Peyton Barber didn’t help much. It’s not to say Jones is going to be a stud in this league but writing him off after 30 touches was never logical for the Bucs, which is why they didn’t draft a running back. Give him a year with Bruce Arians and see if he can be developed into maybe a poor man’s version of the running back Arians left in Arizona, David Johnson.

WR Sterling Shepard (NYG)

The trade of Odell Beckham makes it appears the Giants are set on Shepard being their No. 1 option on the perimeter this year. That role comes with some expectation but he is in line to be getting a lot of targets, which means his stock just improved. The Giants had so many needs, we didn’t know if they’d be taking a receiver early, but they didn’t take one until the fifth round. The lack of other options in the passing game is a boon to Shepard.

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (NE)

The #1 Tight End in NE usually gets some decent run in fantasy. The retirement of Rob Gronkowski opened the door to a huge amount of targets in the Patriots passing game. The Patriots went through the draft not selecting a TE, suggesting they have confidence in the players on their roster. After Seferian-Jenkins, you have Matt LaCosse and Stephen Anderson, so it appears he’s entrenched as the starter for the Patriots in 2019 and foreseeable future. His stop at the Jets shows how capable he is when given a chance.

Losers

QB Joe Flacco (DEN)

Joe Flacco signed with Denver to be their new QB in the offseason. There wasn’t much competition for the job, but then the Broncos used theirfirst-roundd pick on QB Drew Lock. Lock did start all four years at Missouri, but he does come in somewhat raw. This gives some leeway to Flacco, but you don’t spend first rounders on players you don’t expect to play. This makes Flacco a dicey play, as he will looking over his shoulder the whole year.

RB Mike Davis (CHI)

Free Agency was an exciting time for Davis owners, as he appeared to be locked in as the starting running back. The NFL draft then happened, and Davis took the quick ride to irrelevance, as David Montgomery is a better running back in every facet of the game. Now the number three running back behind Montgomery and Cohen, Davis has no real pathway to meaningful snaps.

WR Alshon Jeffery (PHI)

Jeffrey has been the #1 wideout for the Eagles ever since he was signed. Well, it appears they may have just drafted his replacement in JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Jeffrey is set to become very expensive very soon, which means that he may be on the cutting room floor sooner than later. Arcega-Whiteside is the same type of receiver at a much cheaper price. The addition of Miles Sanders and Howard also takes some targets away from Jeffery, which doesn’t bode well for his fantasy ceiling.

 TE Kyle Rudolph (MIN)

Rudolph has been a mainstay in the Vikings offense for years. There have been rumors that the Vikings may be ready to move on from Rudolph once his contract was up, though there wasn’t any logical replacement for him on the roster. Enter Irv Smith Jr. in the second round of the draft., an athletic TE prospect who can more than shoulder the load and is the TE of the future for the Vikings.  Rudolph doesn’t seem long for the roster, and there is no guarantee that he finds himself in a favorable situation once his contract is up.

ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.