2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Consensus Third Round
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 continue to dig in to these early 2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Consensus Rookie Rankings. If you missed round one, you can catch up here. Round two can be found here as well.
TIER FOUR (CONT.)
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 four continues and consists of just one more player who joins Bryan Edwards, Joe Burrow, Antonio Gibson, Tua Tagovailoa, Zack Moss, Darrynton Evans, AJ Dillon and Chase Claypool.
3.01 = Anthony McFarland, RB PIT
With James Conner seemingly always banged up and Jaylen Samuels still a little uproven, McFarland has a chance to carve out a role early in the season. It’s surprising the Steelers passed on the upper tier of running backs, but that’s clearly McFarland’s gain here. He doesn’t have the experience or pedigree as some of the other running backs in the class and was the twelfth running back taken overall, but he’s landed in a great spot for production, if and when Conner’s injury woes rear their ugly head again.
TIER FIVE
Our final tier features some talented players who have a chance to be dynasty factors. While this tier features some dart throws, they’re calculated and at least have a chance to hit – perfect for round three.
3.02 = KJ Hamler, WR DEN
The multi-talented Hamler would have likely been a first round NFL Draft pick if this year wasn’t so loaded with receivers. Instead, he went in the second round to the Broncos, joining fellow rookie Jerry Jeudy. Hamler is a very talented player and should eventually start in the slot in three-wide sets with Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. The trouble here is going to be lack of targets in a loaded offense, along with the fact Drew Lock hasn’t proven anything. Still, Hamler was taken ahead of other receivers like Chase Claypool, Van Jefferson, Denzel Mims, Lynn Bowden and Bryan Edwards. The draft capital used on him and his upside make him a great pick in round three.
3.03 = Justin Herbert, QB LAC
You could argue Herbert landing in Los Angeles was the best situation for any quarterback in this year’s class. You could also argue Herbert has some flaws in his game that will cap his upside in the NFL. Still, having Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Hunter Henry to throw to should put him into an immediate position for success. Tyrod Taylor may start the season, but Herbert will be under center sooner, rather than later. He has some solid upside and a great supporting cast that should put him on the radar here in round three.
3.04 = Devin Duvernay, WR BAL
The Ravens love Duvernay and have reportedly compared him to former Ravens greats like Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin. That’s high praise for a rookie and also a lot of “coachspeak.” Still, Duvernay exploded for 106/1,386/9 line last year at Texas, has legitimate track star speed and should thrive as a slot receiver. The Ravens run the ball more than any other team and you could say Marquise Brown and Duvernay are too similar to be effective as well. Still, this is round three and you have to take the good with the bad. Duvernay is a solid selection here.
3.05 = Cole Kmet, TE CHI
The tight end position this season was far from the strength of the draft. Kmet was the highest drafted at the position as he went in round two to the Bears. The landing spot isn’t that exciting as the Bears offense isn’t exactly explosive. However, Chicago has been looking for a capable tight end since the days of Greg Olsen and Martellus Bennett. Jimmy Graham is far from the long-term answer and Kmet will provide value very quickly. He may not have elite upside, but he does have a pretty high floor.
3.06 = Adam Trautman, TE NO
While Kmet is the short-term play in dynasty leagues for the tight end position, Trautman represents more of a “boom or bust” long-term investment. He’s raw and needs some seasoning, but there’s no doubting this kid’s ability. With Jared Cook in tow for at least one more season, Trautman likely won’t do much in year one. However, you have to love this landing spot for his long-term dynasty value – he’s worth a look in round three for patient dynasty owners and could really pay off starting in 2021.
3.07 = Lynn Bowden, RB LV
Much like Antonio Gibson with the Redskins, it looks like the Raiders are going to make Bowden a running back instead of a receiver. Like every player here in round three, there are no sure things. With Bowden, it’s unclear just what the Raiders have in store for him and it’s quite possible he becomes a more valuable player in reality than fantasy. You just have to love his ability, though. There are few players in this draft who possess his kind of versatility and he’ll be quite the swiss army knife in Las Vegas. It’s hard to say what that will translate to in fantasy, but clearly worth the risk here.
3.08 = Van Jefferson, WR LAR
With Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds all set to start next season, and the combination of Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee taking on more of the load, the Rams weren’t one the teams rumored to be in the market for receiving help. With a draft this deep, they couldn’t help themselves and took the talented Jefferson in round two. though. He represents the perfect round three dynasty prospect as a player with loads of talent but on a team without a clear path to playing time, making him drop further than he should in rookie drafts. In time, he should give you a really good return on this late investment.
3.09 = La’Mical Perine, RB NYJ
The Jets don’t have much behind Le’Veon Bell and it seems they really don’t even want him anyway. New York can (and surely will) get out of Bell’s contract after this season and if Perine shows well, he could be the future for the Jets. There aren’t too many players you can grab this late in a draft with a chance at a starting running back job, but Perine fits the bill. He may not play a ton next season, but dynasty owners should be looking further into the future when investing in him.
3.10 = Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR WAS
One of the draft’s more likable characters, AGG was taken by the Redskins in round four. An incredibly productive player at Liberty, AGG scored a whopping 20 touchdowns in the last two seasons, catching 150 passes for 2,433 yards in the process. While he hasn’t played against top-end competition, those numbers are nothing to sneeze at. The Redskins don’t have a ton at receiver and AGG does seem a little like Kelvin Harmon. Still, you have to love this landing spot and AGG does have a tremendous amount of talent and an unrivaled work ethic. This is a great spot to take a player with a combination of some skills and a desirable situation.
3.11 = Jordan Love, QB GB
Well, this is getting interesting. Love is likely to rise up in our rankings a little bit now that it seems the Packers may be bracing for the departure of Aaron Rodgers sooner, rather than later. While Rodgers hasn’t said anything publicly about the drafting of Love, the tea leaves (and Brett Favre) are revealing that either Green Bay may be tiring of his passive aggressive nature and bracing to move on or Rodgers himself is warming to the idea of playing for another franchise during his last few seasons. It’s a really strange turn of events and may turn out to be nothing but posturing on the part of the Packers or Rodgers. You still have to consider Love was taken in round one and is clearly the future for Green Bay. Nobody is sure when that future may come, but it looks like it may not be three or four years, as most speculated on draft night. While drafting Love and having him on your roster season after season could be a bit frustrating if he does have to wait for an opportunity, he has big upside. The floor is low here as well, but patient dynasty owners could be rewarded handsomely.
3.12 = Tyler Johnson, WR TB
Bruce Arians himself has said he was stressing out on draft night and hoping Johnson would fall to him after he fell in love with his game when Minnesota played in the Outback Bowl. Why wouldn’t he? Johnson burned Auburn in that game for 12 catches, 204 yards and two touchdowns, becoming Minnesota’s all-time leading receiver in the process. There are a lot of targets to feed in Tampa Bay, but if Johnson can earn the slot role in between Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, he could be in for some big-time production. After all, it’s not like we haven’t see Tom Brady make slot receivers into fantasy superstars in the past. Getting a player like Johnson this late just shows the strength and depth of this year’s receiver class.
Just missed: Eno Benjamin, Jalen Hurts, DeeJay Dallas, Joshua Kelley, Devin Asiasi, Albert Okwuegbunam, Gabriel Davis, Brycen Hopkins, Donovan Peoples-Jones
Thanks for checking our round three 2020 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings. Please stay tuned for the final round 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 is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
