2020 NFL Draft Dynasty Review: AFC East

The AFC East is officially competitive again. With Tom Brady out of town in New England, the rest of the teams and fans are rejoicing at the possibility of winning their division. In this new-look AFC East, will there be another dynasty? It’s far too early to tell, but teams certainly stocked up in this stacked 2020 NFL Draft hoping to put their team over the top.

Let’s examine the fantasy-relevant picks made by each AFC East team in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Buffalo Bills

Zack Moss, RB Utah (Round 3, Pick 86)

The Buffalo Bills have been linked to running backs all off-season, whether veterans like Melvin Gordon or rookies like Jonathan Taylor. Ultimately, the Bills took Moss towards the end of round three as a running-mate for efficient second-year back Devin Singletary. Opinions about Moss have been split all off-season. According to Pro Football Focus, Moss ranks as one of the most elusive running backs to come out in the last decade, forcing a missed tackle on 38% of his carries in 2019. However, Moss also profiles as one of the least-athletic running backs in this year’s class boasting only a 4.65-second 40-yard dash.

Frequently ranked as the RB6 after the “Big Five” running backs in pre-draft, Moss has fallen to 21 overall in real MFL superflex rookie drafts. High-value opportunities in the Buffalo Bills offense may be hard to come by; Singletary projects as the lead pass-catching back, and Josh Allen may continue to score one his own at the goal line. Allen ranked eighth in the NFL last season with eight rushing touchdowns inside the ten-yard line. If Moss is relegated to low-value between-the-20s carries, he will wind up helping the Buffalo Bills more than your dynasty teams.

Gabriel Davis, WR UCF (Round 4, Pick 128)

In round four, the Bills diversified their receiving core by adding the 6’2”, 216-pound Davis to their wide receiver room. When considering that the Bills’ top three receiving options – Stefon Diggs, John Brown, and Cole Beasley – are all under 200 pounds, this pick makes a lot of sense. As a prospect, Davis checks a lot of boxes. The UCF playmaker boasts an age 19-breakout age and over a 30% dominator rating in addition to coming into the NFL at a young 21 years old. While overall passing volume is the main concern in Buffalo, expect Davis to compete for a starting role by 2021. He is a sneaky stash currently drafted at 49 overall in rookie drafts.

Jake Fromm, QB Georgia (Round 5, Pick 167)

Fromm is a depth pick behind starter Allen and, despite Allen’s struggles as a passer, doesn’t project to start any time soon. Once a highly-regarded quarterback prospect, a down junior season caused Fromm to slip to round five in the NFL draft. While starters have come from day three in the NFL draft in recent years, notably including Dak Prescott and Gardner Minshew, Fromm’s chances at NFL and fantasy relevance appear slim. Still, he’s worth a late-round stash in superflex formats in the case that he gets thrust into a starting position unpredictably.

Isaiah Hodgins, WR Oregon State (Round 6, Pick 207)

As the second wide receiver selected by the Bills, Hodgins is another big-bodied receiver. Hodgins has a similar profile to fourth-round pick Davis, so the two will likely battle in the coming years for playing time. The wiser bet here, due to draft capital, would be Davis for fantasy football relevance, and with Hodgins’s ADP sitting at 60 overall, dynasty leaguers seem to agree.

Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama (Round 1, Pick 5)

With reports leading up to the draft about Tagovailoa’s potential fall, it was reassuring that the Dolphins took the Alabama signal-caller with the fifth overall pick. The Dolphins appear to be building their team the “right” way for the future, loading up on offensive line and defense with the vast majority of their picks. Tagovailoa, given his injury, is unlikely to start right away, and there’s a good chance we don’t see the top five selection until late in the 2020 season (if at all). Ryan Fitzpatrick, flawed as he may be, might actually be the second-best QB in the AFC East in 2020. The Dolphins are a sneaky team to watch in 2020 as they grow their roster and give Tagovailoa the reins in 2021.

In superflex dynasty leagues, Tagovailoa is more-or-less as locked-in top five rookie draft selection along with the top running backs and fellow quarterback Joe Burrow. Without his late-season injury, there’s a real chance Tagovailoa would have been the 1.01 selection in both the NFL Draft and dynasty rookie drafts. As it stands, Tagovailoa is in a good position to succeed in what appears to be an up-and-coming Miami Dolphins team poised to compete in the Tom Brady-less future of the AFC East.

Malcolm Perry, WR Navy (Round 7, Pick 246)

Perry was the only other skill position player the Dolphins drafted. He was a swiss-army-knife type player for Navy, predominantly playing quarterback in his college career. As one might know with Navy’s offense, however, the quarterback is also a rushing threat. Despite being a quarterback, Perry rushed for over 2,000 yards in 2019. However, switching positions to wide receiver in the NFL, Perry is both undersized and not the caliber athlete that makes for a fantasy-relevant wide receiver. He will likely come in on some wildcat packages and may have Taysom Hill-like upside in regards to his usage. Perry will have a chance to make an NFL impact on some packages, but he’s particularly not worth a stash in dynasty leagues.

New England Patriots

Devin Asiasi, TE UCLA (Round 3, Pick 91)

The Patriots chose to ignore both wide receiver and quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft. The first of their two third-round tight end selections was UCLA playmaker Asiasi. In 2019, Asiasi broke out for 44 receptions, 641 yards, and four touchdowns. As the Patriots take dart throws on playmakers, Asiasi could develop into a solid option for the Patriots in the near future. Asiasi checks the speed box at tight end, registering a 4.73 40-yard dash, however he’s a bit undersized at 6’3” and a bit heavy at 279 pounds. There are very few notable tight ends since 2000 with this size profile (data from Pro Football Reference).

Dalton Keene, TE Virginia Tech (Round 3, Pick 101)

The second of the two third-round tight ends, Keene profiles as the better fantasy football player. Coming into the league at a young 21 years old with solid athleticism across the board, Keene has the requisite size, athleticism, draft capital, and production dynasty leaguers look for in a tight end prospect. His college stats don’t seem impressive on the surface, but Keene’s total production in the context of the low-passing volume Virginia Tech offense was equally as impressive as Asiasi’s at UCLA. Plus, check out that mustache.

New York Jets

Denzel Mims, WR Baylor (Round 2, Pick 59)

The “fall” of Mims in the 2020 NFL Draft is largely overblown. While, yes, Mims was the 13th wide receiver selected, his overall draft capital is still higher than Seahawks rising star DK Metcalf had in 2019. With the best combination of size and athleticism of the 2020 draft-eligible wide receivers, the sky is the limit for Mims tied to Sam Darnold for the foreseeable future. Mims is considered to be a “raw” prospect with a lot of growth needed to tap into his potential at the NFL level.

As previously mentioned, Mims may have a lot of growth needed in his rookie season to see fantasy-relevant playing time. The rookie projects to be behind Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman for targets in 2020, but with a strong late-season showing, it would not be shocking it Mims is drafted as the Jets WR1 in 2021 redraft leagues. As the 13th overall selection in MFL 1QB rookie drafts, dynasty leaguers are certainly hoping Mims reaches his upside sooner rather than later.

Lamical Perine, RB Florida (Round 4, Pick 120)

The Jets’ running back depth heading into the NFL Draft was severely lacking. Enter Perine, who profiles as a solid, well-rounded running back. At 5’11” and 216 pounds, Perine was the requisite size to be an every-down NFL running back. Coupled with a 40-reception senior season on his prospect profile, Perine is a solid dynasty stash who could produce in 2021 and beyond if the Jets decide to move on from Le’Veon Bell. This pick, both for the Jets and dynasty players, looked better before the signing of the ageless wonder Frank Gore, but there’s still long-term upside here for Perine in the fourth round of dynasty rookie drafts.

James Morgan, QB Florida International (Round 4, Pick 125)

There’s usually some upside or silver lining in every prospect. You probably know where this is going, but there’s really nothing that stands out about Morgan. A four-year starter at Florida International, he only cleared 7.5 yards per attempt in one season, doesn’t rush the ball, and is actually older than Sam Darnold by almost a full year. Even if Darnold doesn’t pan out in the next two seasons, Morgan is not going to be the Jets starting quarterback of the future. He’s not worth a roster spot in the vast majority of superflex leagues, which his 69 overall rookie ADP in MFL superflex leagues indicates as well.