Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Lynn Bowden, RB/WR LV

The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.

Name: Lynn Bowden

Position: Running back

Pro Team: Las Vegas Raiders

College Team: Kentucky

Draft Status: Round three, 80th overall

Video Highlights

Combine Review

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 204 lbs
• Arms: 30.88″
• Hand: 9.75″
• 40-yard dash: N/A
• Bench press: 13 reps
• Three-cone drill: N/A
• Vertical jump: N/A
• Broad jump: N/A

Strengths

• Versatility to play quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and kick/punt returner in college.
• Football IQ. Ability to get ahead of plays mentally and understand the dynamics of an offense.
• Creating yards after the catch.
• Great first step and explosiveness.
• An elusive runner with video game-like maneuverability.

Weaknesses

• Lacks true breakaway speed.
• Needs to improve strength and pass blocking capability to become reliable third-down back.
• Will struggle versus press coverage against stronger, more physical defenders.
• Jack of all trades, master of none.

Opportunities

Bowden steps into a young Raiders organization that will garner plenty of hype heading into the 2020 season. New team, new city, new opportunities. Head coach Jon Gruden is not opposed to leaning heavily on first-year players as we saw in 2019 and he has been thoroughly impressed with Bowden’s IQ heading into the summer.

Bowden will get a tremendous amount of opportunities to make plays in 2020. Gruden will find ways to get him the ball, as his third-round draft capital suggests. I can see him starting as the kick/punt return specialist and garnering more opportunities in certain offensive packages that are geared towards getting him the ball in open space.

Threats

The unfortunate part of being a jack of all trades is that you welcome more threats to every position that you can play. I think Bowden will lock down the return specialist position. However, the running back and wide receiver positions will become crowded quickly if Bowden is not able to solidify a niche for himself in the offense.

Josh Jacobs is the clear RB1 in this offense and Gruden stated he wants to get him even more involved in the passing game in 2020. The Raiders brought back Jalen Richard on a strong deal to back up Jacobs and be the driving force out of the backfield on third-downs. This limits Bowden as a running back in year one.

I would expect Bowden to also line up as a receiver at times, mostly coming out of the slot, or out of the backfield. With Tyrell Williams, Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards, and Hunter Renfrow all competing for snaps, Bowden is another name that will have to outplay at least two of these receivers to gain consistent snap percentages.

Short-Term Expectations

Bowden will be a stash and play option in 2020. While he offers a tremendous amount of ability to the Raiders, it is quite difficult to foresee any situation that involves a heavy snap count unless a significant injury occurs. Short-term, I expect Bowden to be the day-one starter on special teams, and to have at least five-to-eight plays in a game that are designed for him to touch the ball. Outside of that, his usage could be limited.

Long Term Expectations

I love Bowden long-term, which is why I have no problem acquiring him at his current ADP value. Richard’s contract suggests that the Raiders will use him heavily in 2020, but I suspect that Bowden will supplant him as the third-down back by the end of the 2020 season.

Bowden could find himself in a Rex Burkhead-type role, capable of coming out of the backfield and lining up in the slot and causing matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. This could skyrocket his fantasy value. I think it will at least be until 2022 when the Raiders find true success, but Bowden should begin returning a value on investment immediately in 2021 at the latest.

NFL Player Comparison

Bowden has a lot to offer an NFL franchise, especially with an offensive-minded coach capable of bringing the best out of each player. While we already mentioned Bowden fitting into the ‘Burkhead role’ in the Patriots offense. Bowden reminds me of former Kentucky star Randall Cobb. You may remember Cobb’s first game as a rookie where he took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. It was his special teams abilities that forced the Packers to utilize him on offense. Cobb has even at times had to line up as the starting running back when injuries have depleted the depth chart.

Bowden has a bigger and stronger body type than Cobb but has the same versatility and football IQ. He can make a difference during the third phase of the game, allowing him to be injected into the offense to add new life.

Projected Rookie Draft Range

Bowden is currently our 27th-ranked rookie in the 2020 class, just behind Anthony McFarland and just ahead of Devin Duvernay. At the beginning of March, Bowden’s rookie ADP value was at 37.70, a late fourth-round pick in rookie drafts. Since then, his ADP has risen to 26.90 (early third) and should continue to rise a few more spots as fall camp approaches. I like his value here in the third round and would not hesitate to make some moves for the rookie based on his long-term value that he can bring to the Raiders.