2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Consensus First Round

Ken Kelly

Editor’s Note: These 2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings are just a starting point for your dynasty rookie draft! Make sure you’re ready for your dynasty league rookie draft by checking out our 2020 Rookie Draft Guide, which is now updated with post-draft profiles for all your favorite prospects, our current Dynasty Rookie Rankings and our convenient Rookie Draft Cheat Sheets. Looking to move or acquire some of those picks? Make sure you take a look at our new Dynasty Trade Analyzer to get maximum value. There are simply no better resources out there for dynasty fantasy football draft preparation.

Every draft has its own uniqueness. This year’s version promised some real talent at the running back and quarterback positions, but the depth and quality of this wide receiver class has been in the spotlight for months. In the end, a record 37 wide receivers were drafted, with a whopping 13 taken in the first two rounds. To put that into perspective, 20% of the picks in the first two rounds were wide receivers and that may honestly never happen again. The depth and quality of this draft is perfect for dynasty leagues and now it’s time to break it down.

Let’s dig in to these early 2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings and start figuring it out!

Be sure to keep checking in on our Complete Dynasty Rookie Rankings for constantly updated rookie values!

TIER ONE

The tiers and commentary I’ll make on this post are my own, comprised of my opinions. The rankings are based on our consensus rookie rankings. Tier one is comprised of the two players we’re most likely to see taken at picks one and two in early rookie drafts.

1.01 = Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB KC

Nobody benefited more from their drafted situation than Edwards-Helaire, who was taken with the last pick of round one by Kansas City. The Chiefs have an extraordinarily explosive offense already and Edwards-Helaire is going to make them that much better. He was reportedly hand-picked by both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes and should take over for Damien Williams early in his career. It has been reported Reid believes Edwards-Helaire is better than Brian Westbrook, whom Reid made a fantasy football Hall of Famer during his time in Philadelphia. While you’re always a little wary of players climbing all the way up a rookie draft board after being viewed as a mid-to-late dynasty rookie first rounder prior to the NFL Draft, this situation is just going to be too much for many dynasty owners to pass up.

1.02 – Jonathan Taylor, RB IND

The other player getting massive consideration for the 1.01 in early drafts is new Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. After an unbelievable career at Wisconsin that featured him averaging 2,000 rushing yards per season, Indianapolis took Taylor and he’s immediately viewed as the best running back prospect they’ve had in the fold since the days of Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James. Taylor is going to face some early competition from Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines, but there’s no doubt he’ll rise to the top of the depth chart in little time. Taylor is going to be running behind a dominant offensive line and while he needs to work on his ball security and passing game prowess, his short and long-term value looks to be some of the safest in dynasty drafts this year.

TIER TWO

You could easily make the case for tier one being up to seven players deep. However, early drafts are showing the players in tier one being consistently taken with the first two picks, edging them slightly ahead of this group. Still, a top seven pick in this year’s draft has massive value and anyone landing a tier two prospect this year isn’t exactly walking away disappointed.

1.03 =  D’Andre Swift, RB DET

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Swift could be the most talented running back in this class, but it’s going to take some courage to draft him. The Lions have been a terrible landing spot for running backs for the better part of the past decade. Taking Swift means you don’t believe in a curse that has taken out the value of previously highly regarded running backs like Jahvid Best, Mikel Leshoure, Kevin Jones, Kevin Smith, Ameer Abdullah and now Kerryon Johnson.  While dynasty owners have notoriously long memories, passing on Swift could be a huge mistake. He’s arguably the most talented of any of those aforementioned running backs and the Lions will undoubtedly make use of his skillset both running and catching the football. It would honestly be no surprise if Swift actually ends up being the best dynasty running back in this class. Of course, there is that curse.

1.04 = JK Dobbins, RB BAL

Dobbins is going to represent the ultimate dynasty rookie pick this off-season. While his rookie season doesn’t promise to be dominant as he plays in a committee with Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, it’s clear Dobbins is the future in Baltimore. Ingram is aging and Dobbins is going to be the perfect replacement on a team committed to running the ball more than any other team in the league. While taking Dobbins means you may need to punt on some 2020 production, the long-term value he has is nearly unmatched within this class.

1.05 = CeeDee Lamb, WR DAL

Speaking of patience, owners may need to have some with Lamb as well. The Cowboys never expected Lamb to be there with the 17th pick, but took him when he fell on Thursday night. In fact, it’s been said Dallas performed two dozen mock drafts prior to the real thing and Lamb was never available in any of those scenarios. However, when he dropped in their laps, they didn’t hesitate. And, really. Why would they? Lamb is an explosive playmaker who is going to make an already loaded Dallas roster very tough to stop. It’s fair to wonder just how much he’ll produce as a rookie with the likes of Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup already established as reliable offensive weapons. However, there’s simply no way the Cowboys can keep all these players together long-term and Lamb’s ability to produce in the slot should give him a high floor, even as early as this season.

1.06 = Jerry Jeudy, WR DEN

If you’re looking for a safe bet with your coveted rookie pick in the middle of round one, look no further than Jeudy. While there are no guarantees with Drew Lock, Jeudy is the best route runner in the class and may be the most pro ready receiver we’ve seen in years. Courtland Sutton is the WR1 in Denver and Jeudy may not overtake him any time soon. However, the bust factor with Jeudy is almost non-existent and he should follow in the footsteps of other talented Alabama receivers like Cooper, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. If you need immediate production from your rookie receiver, this is the easiest pick in the draft.

1.07 = Cam Akers, RB LAR

To me, the last choice in this tier is Akers, who landed with the Rams and should take over for the departed Todd Gurley, While there’s going to be some work to do for Akers to climb the depth chart, there’s no doubt he’s more talented than Darrell Henderson or Malcolm Brown. The Rams need to improve their offensive line and Akers needs to be more consistent, but there’s a real opportunity here for him in Los Angeles. We saw what the Rams did with Gurley and Akers could eventually be used in a similar fashion.

TIER THREE

And now the 2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings get fun.  The NFL Draft will go down in history for its depth at the receiver position and this third tier has no fewer than EIGHT of them in a row.  Owners are going to need to decide between talent and situation with a lot of these receivers, but there are some serious dynasty prospects in this group.

1.08 = Jalen Reagor, WR PHI

The first receiver from the tier is Reagor, who was a pre-draft riser and landed in the perfect spot with the Eagles. Philadelphia has had a terrible time trying to get a functional receiving corps over the past couple of years. Alshon Jeffery‘s status is unclear, DeSean Jackson is aging, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside has looked about as good as I would have in the offense thus far. Reagor should slide right in and produce quickly.

1.09 = Justin Jefferson, WR MIN

Of all the drafted spots, this one may have been the best. Jefferson should fill the void left by Stefon Diggs and be an instant contributor for the Vikings. Jefferson was a highly productive receiver at LSU and did it against the best competition in the country while playing in the SEC. He may not have a truly elite trait, but like Jeudy, it would be a real shock if he wasn’t a highly productive receiver in both fantasy and reality. The bust chance with Jefferson is really, really low.

1.10 = Henry Ruggs, WR LV

If you’re looking to hit a home run in this tier, Ruggs is your guy. The Raiders took a stacked receiver draft class, rated Ruggs as the best, and took him off the board as the highest drafted receiver. There are valid questions about his lack of production and if Las Vegas has the right quarterbacks to get him the ball. However, there is no doubting the talent and athleticism you see with Ruggs. He’s truly a physical freak and while some other receivers have high floors, he may just have the highest ceiling in the draft class. It’s going to take some courage to take Ruggs in a dynasty rookie draft and there’s a real chance he could flame out. However, dynasty owners could also look back at this class in a few years and wish they had taken the plunge. It’s almost unfair as Ruggs is likely going to end up with a dynasty owner who has a competitive team and can take the risk rather easily late in the first round.

1.11. Tee Higgins, WR CIN

In just about any other year, Higgins would have been a highly regarded pick in round one of the NFL Draft. Instead, he lasted until round two when the Bengals took him with the first pick on the second day. Higgins is oozing with talent and upside. Unfortunately, it may take a while for dynasty owners to really see his potential harnessed into production. With AJ Green playing on the franchise tag and Tyler Boyd emerging as a legitimate player, Higgins may struggle for short-term production. Still, this looks like Green’s last year with the Bengals, John Ross looks like a wasted pick and Higgins can run circles around Auden Tate. Patience will be rewarded in time with Higgins.

1.12 = Michael Pittman, WR IND

Pittman is the final pick of round one based on our consensus rankings, though he’s not the last player in this tier (more on that later). The Colts have been looking for receiver help and were fortunate to have Pittman fall in their laps with the second pick of round two. He doesn’t have the speed of some of the other prospects in this class, but he makes up for it in other ways. He’ll need to work on refining his route running, but he’s a big-bodied receiver who wins at the contested catch point. The Colts will know how to use him and have little competition outside of TY Hilton standing in his way at the moment.

2020 dynasty fantasy football rookie rankings

Thanks for checking our round one 2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings! Please stay tuned for future rounds and check out all of our other terrific resources for preparing you for you dynasty rookie drafts!

2020 Rookie Rankings
2020 Rookie Draft Guide
2020 Rookie Draft Cheat Sheets
Dynasty Trade Analyzer

ken kelly