Rookie Report Card: Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins and Darrynton Evans
Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and how well he’s lived up to those expectations at the NFL level to this point, I’ll grade the player in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, rookie season potential, and long term upside.
The series continues with a look Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins, and Darrynton Evans.
Jalen Reagor, PHI WR
Week 15 Stats: five receptions, 49 yards (eight targets)
One of the most electrifying players in college football in his three seasons at Texas Christian University, Reagor caught 148 passes for 2,248 yards and 22 touchdowns. Although his final season was down statistically due to inconsistent quarterback play, he entered the draft process with the pedigree to be more of an “offensive weapon” than a traditional wide receiver.
Due to his explosiveness and change of direction ability, Reagor profiles as a receiver who can be moved around the formation – whether that be on the outside, in the slot, or even as a gadget play wildcard out of the backfield or on jet sweeps. On top of those skills in the open field with the ball in his hands, he also showed while in college that he can be a solid route runner with the upside to be great if he can get off press coverage with more regularity and eliminate his inconsistencies making catches in traffic.
Lethal after the catch, weaving through defenses while breaking tackles, dynasty managers dreamed of the former Horned Frog landing on a roster with a creative play-caller. When he was selected by the Eagles as the fourth wideout off the board, he settled in as a mid to late first-round rookie pick although some tabbed him as the top dynasty rookie wide receiver due to Philadelphia’s need for a playmaker at the position.
Since the draft, there hasn’t been a time when considering Reagor’s rookie season when dynasty managers haven’t been disappointed. Personally, I’ve been waiting patiently to feature him in the Rookie Report Card following a breakout performance but it feels like week 15’s five-catch, 49-yard effort may be the closest thing we get.
To go along with his disappointing statistical season which has kept him from being useful to dynasty managers – hauling in just 27 of 46 targets for 351 yards and one touchdown in nine games – Reagor also battled a thumb injury. Perhaps most disappointing to those that invested in the 5’-11”, 197 pound bolt of lightning may be how he’s been used.
Although he’s carried the ball four times for 26 yards and has been targeted on bubble and tunnel screens a handful of times, Reagor seems to be just another receiver in Philadelphia, running far too many drag routes and crossers for a player who thrives with the ball in his hands. So far as a rookie, he’s gotten a lot of the same opportunities Greg Ward and Travis Fulgham has received when it seems like he should be getting the type of chances to make plays that fellow rookie Brandon Aiyuk is getting in San Francisco.
Despite the disappointment surrounding his rookie year, dynasty managers should hold out hope that there is an underlying reason the Philly coaching staff aren’t creatively using the dynamic Reagor. Perhaps they want him to have a firm grasp of the playbook before incorporating more gadget plays and a full off-season will accomplish that or maybe the thumb injury slowed his development.
No matter what the reason is, Reagor won’t reach his WR1 upside until he’s seen by the Eagles as a playmaker in space that can also be mixed in as a traditional receiver – not the other way around.
Luckily for dynasty managers, a lackluster rookie season is likely to create a buyer’s market this off-season. Those wishing they had more shares of Aiyuk should knock on the door of the Reagor manager. The price should be much lower.
Quez Watkins, WR PHI
Week 15 Stats: Three receptions, 40 yards, one touchdown (four targets)
A sixth-round pick out of Southern Mississippi, Watkins was the fastest player on the field (most of the time) in college and ran an impressive 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the combine but many wondered if that speed would translate to the NFL and questioned if he was a strong enough route runner or if his inconsistent hands would keep him from making an impact at the next level.
Sure to be buried on the depth chart in Philadelphia, dynasty managers never really got on board with Watkins in rookie drafts of as he went unselected in many four-round drafts. Nevertheless, he made the Eagles’ roster as a field-stretcher but has played in just four games, catching four of five targets for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Most of that production came on one play in week 15 against the Cardinals when he caught a tunnel screen, spun to the outside, and outraced the defense down the sideline for a 32-yard score.
Most likely those types of opportunities will go to Reagor in the future so it shouldn’t be surprising if that play is the biggest Watkins makes as a pro.
At this point, Watkins’ name should remain on the radar of dynasty managers but probably shouldn’t be on any dynasty rosters outside of the deepest of leagues.
Darrynton Evans, RB TEN
Week 15 Stats: Eight carries, 30 yards, two receptions, 27 yards, one touchdown (two targets)
Piling up nearly 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Appalachian State, Evans had a cult following in the dynasty community in the months leading up to the NFL draft because of his one-cut running style and breakaway speed (4.41-second 40-yard dash.)
A patient runner with a quick first step, Evans sets up his blocks well and depends on his quickness to slip through running lanes and make defenders miss in the open field. Although he’s seen as a complementary back rather than a featured runner, many think of him as a player with the upside to do more with less.
When he ended up in Tennessee as the ninth running back off the board at the end of the third round, many were thrilled at the landing spot. Thinking he could mix in on passing downs (he was a solid pass catcher in college catching 39 passes for 319 yards and six touchdowns) and relieve Derrick Henry from time to time, the Titans were a perfect match for the 5’-10”, 200-pound slasher.
A favorite in the third round of rookie drafts for many, Evans moved up rookie draft boards for those drafting late in the off-season due to countless whispers out of Tennessee that the rookie was very impressive and could be worked into a rotation with Henry. There was even a report that the Titans’ brass saw Evans as “a poor man’s Alvin Kamara.”
Unfortunately, Evans missed most of the first four months of the season with a hamstring injury but returned in week 15 to be the primary backup to Henry, carrying eight times for 30 yards and catching two passes for 27 yards and a score. Decisive and quick as a runner and opportunistic as a pass-catcher, most of his production came with the Titans up by multiple scores. Nevertheless, he had his first RB2 game for dynasty managers, scoring 13.7 PPR points.
Although he’s had a slow start to his career, Evans is a player who should remain on the radar of dynasty owners. Much like Chase Edmonds in Arizona, he may never be an RB1 in fantasy. But his pass-catching prowess and quickness in the open field make him an intriguing stash for those who can appreciate a backup running back with regular flex appeal and RB2 potential if the starter ever goes down.
- League Tycoon: Dynasty Salary Cap Fantasy Football - December 15, 2023
- Final Dynasty Rookie Report Card: Wide Receivers, Part Two - March 22, 2023
- 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Offensive Player Dynasty Review - March 10, 2023
