Twitter Observations: Draft Week
At long last, the dynasty community will have an influx of players to scrutinize while providing fresh material for dynasty rankings. A lot of rookie drafts will take place, too, now that we know the landing spots for those rookies. During those drafts, you’ll be hit with trade proposals possibly involving the veterans below. Let’s see which ones you should look to acquire and which ones you should let go.
Never Fournette
Jaguars have had trade discussions with other teams regarding RB Leonard Fournette, league sources tell ESPN. Fournette is due $4.16 million in base salary in 2020. It's a situation that bears watching as this week's draft approaches.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 18, 2020
Yes, the NFL Draft is a small catalyst in the momentum picking up for a Leonard Fournette trade. More so, it’s the upcoming contract decision the Jaguars will have to make that is factoring into these talks. Fournette is entering his fourth year in the NFL but the decision to pick up his fifth-year option is due soon and the Jaguars, by way of these rumors, are making their intentions known.
The desire to move on from Fournette is not necessarily because he hasn’t produced. In fact, it’s the opposite – because Fournette is producing in the run (and passing) game, he’ll likely demand a big contract extension. And what happens to those backs lucky enough to land a contract? Let us look at recent history:
WHO COULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING
Top 5 RBs in 2019 cap hit:
1. David Johnson – traded
2. Todd Gurley – cut
3. Le'Veon Bell – 3.2 YPC*
4. Leonard Fournette – trade block
5. Lamar Miller – now a free agent*worst YPC in his 7-yr career https://t.co/R1FIWIiFEj
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 18, 2020
Dynasty Impact: Where Fournette ultimately ends up in 2020 will have a huge impact on his dynasty value. If he stays in Jacksonville, his dynasty ADP should remain about where it is now which is on the RB1/2 line:
However, it’s very possible a team trades him to be a rental and, worse, part of a committee. His 265 rush attempts last year were seventh-most in the league, and a big part of why he was so valuable for dynasty teams. Should he lose that workhorse status before the NFL Draft this week, it’ll already be too late to get equal value. I’d look to sell.
The Rolling Jones
Dave Gettleman says there's "a lot of talent" in the OL class.
Also: "It’s very very difficult for Saquon to run the ball if the holes aren’t there, and it’s difficult for Daniel Jones to throw the ball when he’s on his back. … Is it a pressure point? To a degree."
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) April 17, 2020
If you weren’t paying attention to Daniel Jones towards the end of last season, you missed out on a rookie that was showing some serious promise while producing for his fantasy teams. Over November and December, Jones played in six games and threw for 300 yards in three of them while throwing for 14 touchdowns. He did turn the ball over quite a bit but, being a rookie, he can be afforded some slack (for now). In all, the home stretch resulted in Jones’ dynasty ADP rising all the way to low-end QB1 status. Not bad for someone who was immediately doubted after unexpectedly going sixth overall in the draft.
Dynasty Impact: Now that Eli Manning has officially moved on, the Giants can be very clear about their intentions with Daniel Jones and ensure he gets all the help he can get. Offensive line wouldn’t be a bad place to start especially considering the Giants fielded a middle-of-the-pack unit. It would obviously help stud running back Saquon Barkley too which, in turn, would help Jones. No matter what direction the Giants go in the draft, Jones is a solid hold right now.
Fly, Eagle, Fly
Miles Sanders
In 2019
Juke Rate: 5th ✅
Yards per Touch: 7th ✅
Evaded Tackles: 13th ✅pic.twitter.com/jc08hqT8qG
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) April 17, 2020
Despite the lack of 100-yard rushing games, touchdowns, or even touches in general, there’s a reason Miles Sanders is a top-ten dynasty back in our rankings. He’s now the top option on an extremely run efficient offense and will be in only his second year. But the run game isn’t the only place he was featured. In the run game, he had double-digit rush attempts in every game from November 1 on (except for one) but also saw at least five targets over the last six weeks of the regular season. By the end of the season, Sanders was a fantasy RB1/2.
Dynasty Impact: There’s going to be plenty of running backs drafted this year which will just dilute dynasty rankings. But for those looking to acquire Sanders, that’s a good thing. Using the DLF Trade Machine, you can pluck Sanders – straight up – for the likes of Amari Cooper or Derrick Henry both of whom I would trade for Sanders. You may want to wait until after the draft, so the glow is still on those rookie backs, but Sanders is about as solid of a fantasy back next year as it gets. He can easily be your RB1 on a wide receiver-heavy dynasty team.
An Odell to Arms
I chased the Odell Beckham Jr. trade talk. I was told unequivocally the #Vikings haven't had any trade discussions with the #Browns about Beckham Jr. No calls about Beckham Jr. and no discussion of trade compensation. As an aside, the #Browns do not have Beckham Jr. on the block.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) April 16, 2020
What a long, strange journey for Odell Beckham. After shooting out of the gate as a rookie with ‘The Catch,’ Beckham went on to record at least 1,300 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in each of his first three seasons. He was the consensus top receiver, and player, in dynasty leagues. But injury struck in 2017 and Beckham has yet to reach those incredible numbers again. Sure, he’s topped 1,000 yards in his last two seasons, but just barely, and has scored only ten times in that same span.
It’s hard to believe but Beckham is still just 27 so he has a few years left to be elite. The Browns also have a new coaching staff, headed by Kevin Stefanski, who was most recently the offensive coordinator in Minnesota. Stefanski has experience feeding two stud receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen so feeding Beckham and teammate Jarvis Landry shouldn’t be an issue.
Dynasty Impact: Nobody would blame you for wanting to move on from the drama that is Odell Beckham, Jr. Yes, his dynasty ADP is that of a low-end WR1, but you never know what you’re going to get. The high-end is a 1,300, ten-touchdown receiver while the low-end is barely topping 1,000 yards. It may not seem like a wide variance, but it is when you consider Beckham’s place among the top receivers and how important the top receiver is on your dynasty team. No matter where Beckham ends up, you’d be wise to move on from him while his value is still this high. Part of an elite receivers (Michael Thomas, Davante Adams, etc.) value is their reliability. They aren’t going anywhere, and their offense is stable. Beckham’s been in Cleveland for a year and is already on his second coach. Yikes.
