The Game Plan Pre Draft (#FantasyFootball)

Fine readers of the Going For 2 fanbase my name is @TheBLeagueSays and I am 100% grateful for #NFLDraft happening, it gives me content to communicate with you and right now that’s about all we have in life right? This week I will present to you the @GoingFor_2 ‘The Game Plan Pre Draft’ where I will give to you some plays to make in regards to your Dynasty evaluations or to target in the prop bet market.

But for now, thank you – stay safe – and enjoy! 

Slant Route

Who’s role seems secure before the Draft?

For one more year, Todd Gurley is likely the name that we toss-and turn-over due to the carousel of narrative which we have created for him. Let’s start from the top so we can clear the air on his circumstances:

• He’s had knee issues since college which isn’t news, and that’s fine he’s not the only player to get hurt at that level and make it through to the pro level and manage his health.
• In 2018, he gets paid in a big way, which should have seen him as a Ram until 2023 and through to his age 30 season.
• He looks hurt during the 2018 season causing Sean McVay to almost ‘on the fly’ restrict his touches and adds C.J. Anderson out of nowhere, who outperforms Gurley leading up to their Superbowl showing.
• In 2019 it sounds as if (via Sean McVay) Gurley is getting a full workload, but he kind of isn’t, but kind of is. And no one knows what the hell to make of all the pre-season ‘coach speak’. He looks fine for most of the year and misses one game due to a quad injury – no. related to the knee issues he’s had in the past.
• This offseason the Rams flat out cut him due to contract bonuses and cap restrictions. Within what felt like not even a day, Gurley found a new home back in Georgia with the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, we get to deal with the ‘how will they use him’ conversations again. My guess is the Falcons will run him into the ground as almost a 1-year rental. But for now, there is no one on that roster right now that will touch any of his workloads and I’d be surprised if the Falcons look to a Rookie prospect in the Draft next week unless they take a flyer on Day 3. No disrespect to Ito Smith and Brian Hill, but this is Todd Gurley‘s world now which almost makes him a must-start in your fantasy leagues in 2020.

Flat Route

Who’s role seems less secure before the draft?

Devin Singletary is a guy I liked at the start of 2019 and as the season wore on he took a larger role. And that was pretty cool to see because we have seen the teams that Frank Gore plays on and he generally out-survives everyone around him, and T.J. Yeldon didn’t factor in at all. Buffalo has had a productive #FreeAgency, which included stocking up the Defensive side of the ball with some key additions while also adding Right Tackle Daryl Williams as well as trading for Stefon Diggs out of Minnesota. Buffalo has loaded up with the chance to steal and dominate the AFC East for the first time in a long time as the New England Patriots look to rebuild (don’t @ me they are).

Do you know what the Bills didn’t do?

They didn’t chase Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon or Devonta Freeman. They stayed away from the Running Back position outside of the backend roster fillers. And this week the Bills ‘suits’ are starting to talk about how the role is Singletary’s to take.

And we all know what that means, right?

They’re taking a Running Back in the Second Round, this always happens, doesn’t it! Running Backs in this year’s draft are ridiculously good, but teams are catching onto the longevity of the position as an issue. If Singletary can come out of this without strong competition then it could be your last chance to sell high if you want to cash out. Should they Draft say a Cam Akers or J.K. Dobbins? Well, your Singletary stock could plummet.

Comeback Route

Who can benefit from a good draft?

Carson Wentz is in the precarious position of needing help, but he’s kinda alright if he doesn’t – weird right?

At the start of 2019 if you had taken Carson Wentz and DeSean Jackson in your Best Ball teams you’d have been a pretty happy camper. And after Week 2 probably not so much…

The Eagles didn’t really do much in Free Agency for their Offense but did they really need to? Andre Dillard should slide in where Jason Peters left off. Halapoulivaati Vaitai is also a loss but can be replaced, but outside of the two Offensive Linemen and Nelson Agholor what did Wentz really lose? We all said last year that it was going to take JJ Arcega-Whiteside a year to get it right and learning from Alshon Jeffery would be the best thing for him – and that’s how it looked he was/is a work in progress. Agholor was a mess at times and a stud at others and now he’s gone. The Eagles will have the steady hands of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert who look to keep improving again as the Second Round Tight End had a strong showing in 2019. So the Eagles are probably going to add some weapons for Wentz to utilize which would probably one or two of the top Wide Receivers in the class and that could be huge for Carson Wentz and for your fantasy teams. Imagine him with Henry Ruggs, Denzel Mims and/or Justin Jefferson? 

For #FantasyFootball – yes, please.

For my New York Giants – no, thanks.

Screen Route

Contrarian Rookie Prospect that we aren’t talking about enough:

If you are Patrick Taylor you must be thinking to yourself ‘what do I have to do to catch a break’, right? 

In 2019, when you think about the Running Back class a couple of Memphis Tigers stood out and Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard were names we became familiar with as the Draft process wore on. As we saw the season unfold, Pollard was stuck behind Ezekiel Elliott and had shone in the moments he has been given. And Henderson with all the hype heading into last year’s draft also got stuck behind an elite running back in Todd Gurley. Although it was in 2018, with both Henderson and Pollard alongside him, Taylor who had the 208-1122-18 TD season.

Fast-forward a year, and here comes Patrick Taylor again, with an opportunity to shine in 2019 and maybe gain a bit more of the spotlight on the Memphis Football program; before a foot injury in the season opener derails most of his 2019 season. And now, the name from Memphis that everyone is talking about is Antonio Gibson who is drawing David Johnson comparisons because of his dual position ability. 

As a dart throw at the later stages of the NFL Draft, we could hear his name – and there is a chance that we may not. But in case we do, this perennial committee back who can produce in the right circumstances might be a name for you to watch at the end of your Rookie Drafts.

Out Route

Whose scenario should we be wary of during the draft?

If you have Marquise Brown I’d be hitting the ‘Sell’ button right now.

The Ravens have moved away from Hayden Hurst in a trade with Atlanta, and this trade of the Tight End to the NFC South this gives the Ravens an extra Second Round pick. But it’s not just that is it? With the way compensation picks work, they have dual late-round picks not only in the Second Round but the Third and Fourth Rounds also.

They still have Willie Snead and Miles Boykin who are the only other Wide Receivers standing next to Brown worth noting, and Brown really holds the appeal as more of a ‘boom/bust’ product – which is fine – but at some point in Fantasy, you are probably edging towards something a bit more consistent. Again, if you are a ‘playing the matchups’ kind of person then Brown holds massive value and if you are working on your Best Ball teams he should be revered also.

But, at some point, you would have to wonder if Baltimore bites the bullet and doubles down on their strategy from last year and take another Wide Receiver in the First Round who may be more of an underneath possession-based receiver. I mentioned earlier with Philadelphia the names of Mims and Jefferson – I could see both fitting in nicely with Lamar Jackson and co.

The 9 Route

Straight forward steal of the Draft will be:

Now everyone always throws their name onto a prospect at this time of the year and says ‘that’s my guy’ and normally I steer clear of that sort of a thing but I’m in isolation and I’m feeling froggy. So this year I’m jumping on the Texas Longhorns Wide Receiver Devin Duvernay.

And I slapped myself for it too…

I, again am a New York Giants guy and the more I watch Duvernay, the more of a Sterling Shepard / Golden Tate hybrid that I see. He walks around with similar body composition, he can be deployed inside or out, he has the ability to rush the ball also, is slippery at times too. He can gain plenty of YAC, has safe hands also with an 84.1% catch rate and has a nose for Touchdowns as an added bonus (which helps, right?).

He is a solid prospect who had the 5th most receiving yards and the third-most receptions in 2019, but it’s still likely going to be a team that absolutely loves him to take him early enough in a loaded Wide Receiver class. Now, Tate and Shepard were both Second Round Picks, can Duvernay be the same? I don’t have enough moxy to say yes, but a late day two pick? I’d say that’s possibly his ceiling (I’m looking at you Baltimore with your compensation Pick 106, go on, do it!), but he could fall into Day 3 most likely and I’m looking forward to finding out where.

The Hail Mary

A hail mary encouraging you to go out and BUY Jimmy Garoppolo now? The same Quarterback that just featured in the 2019 Superbowl? I know, I know. I’m going out on a limb here – I get it. But let’s go over a couple of things:

San Francisco was a Bottom 4 Passing Offense last year but that was also in good company with the likes of Baltimore, Minnesota, and Tennesee (oh you mean strong Running Offenses? Ah!) and yet despite the low Attempts, they were slightly above average in Passing Yards. San Francisco also held a Top 3 Completion % (just behind New Orleans’ Drew Brees) and finished 7th overall in Quarterback Rating and 6th overall for Yards gained per Completion. Garoppolo was solid. He had big games, and quiet games but for the most part he was safe and worked with what he had around him. The 49ers did all that with a Rookie Wide Receiver in Deebo Samuel, and a mid-year trade for Emmanuel Sanders (who’s no longer with the team) and George Kittle. Aside from the three players just mentioned – nobody else had over 50 Targets or over 500 Receiving yards. And outside of Samuel and Kittle nobody had more than 50 Receptions.

San Francisco now holds the 13th pick of the Draft after trading away DeForest Buckner, holds the 31st pick also. This is where we say either CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy is landing, right? Just like Philadelphia and Baltimore, the 49ers need more Receivers. And I think like the following teams mentioned they could walk away with a few early on. That means big things for ‘Jimmy G’, and again, your Dynasty Rosters.

I want to thank you for getting this far and taking in everything I have presented. You can as always follow and find me at @TheBLeagueSays and offer any view or conversation about this. Don’t forget to check out the #GF2 weekly rankings which you can find https://goingfor2.com/2019-fantasy-football-redraft-rankings-gf2-consensus/, and to subscribe, rate, review, and share and listen to The Back Row Giants podcast I host every week; which you can follow @BackRowGiants also.

Let’s all get better together!

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