2020 NFL Draft Dynasty Review: AFC North
Is this the most talent-rich division in the NFL? Aside from the Ravens, 2019 was a very disappointing fantasy season for the AFC North. From the Browns’ disappointment and the numerous busts that came along with their disaster campaign, the Steelers offense being derailed by an early Ben Roethlisberger and the Bengals being the worst team in the NFL, the division is bound for a rebound. After a strong free agency period, the AFC North added a lot of intriguing talent in the draft and is bound for a major resurgence in dynasty production heading into the 2020 season.
The storylines should be abundant and now that the draft has come and gone, let us look at the moves each team made and how they could impact your dynasty teams for 2020 and beyond.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Joe Burrow, QB LSU (ROUND 1, 1st PICK)
What more can be said about Burrow that has not already been mentioned? The consensus number one pick left little intrigue come draft night as the Bengals selected him with the first pick of the draft. The real questions begin when you are on the clock in your superflex draft. What is Burrow’s upside?
He currently slots in at QB9 in the latest overall ADP and given there is more than a round separating QB6 (Russell Wilson) and QB7 (Josh Allen), does he have room to grow? He rushed for 767 yards in 28 games at LSU and is comparable to Jared Goff. Goff finished as QB12, QB7, and QB13 in the past three seasons under Sean McVay and Burrow’s new head coach Zac Taylor will likely envision similar production from his top overall pick.
Unlike Goff, who has rushed for 215 total yards in 54 career games, the running bonus puts Burrow’s ceiling even higher than his current value. He needs to be drafted in the top three of every 12-team superflex draft and number one overall in every 14-team superflex, 16-team superflex, non-point-per-carry superflex and start 2QB required league respectively. His ultimate ceiling might be QB3 but like Kyler Murray after the 2019 NFL Draft, there is still room to grow.
Statistics from sports-reference.com.
Tee Higgins, WR Clemson (ROUND 2, 33rd, PICK)
After selecting a quarterback with the first pick, the Bengals spent no time adding weapons around him by drafting Higgins as the first pick of the second round and the seventh receiver off the board. Higgins is the seventh-youngest wideout in the draft and comes with the Clemson pedigree of producing many fantasy-relevant receivers.
After drawing comparisons to AJ Green, Higgins will now be playing with him and tied to a franchise quarterback for his entire rookie contract. He currently sits at the 2.04 in May superflex ADP and falls in the same tier with numerous others in the same position. When you reach the 1.12 in your draft, there is an element of safety that comes with Higgins’ situation compared to others around him and can justify taking him slightly higher. If you picked Burrow in the top three, consider stacking Higgins in the second round.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
JK Dobbins, RB Ohio State (ROUND 2, 55th PICK)
For months, mock drafters toyed with a running back going to Baltimore and after selecting Dobbins with the 55th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, we might have found ourselves the best value of this draft. An elite, five-star recruit out of high school, Dobbins had an elite career at Ohio State and was constantly seen as a safe prospect in this class.
As the fifth running back off the board and in a spot with an incumbent RB1 in 2019, Dobbins comes in at the 1.05 in superflex ADP but could fall as far as the 1.07 and the last running back in the second tier. The Ravens gave 206 touches to the other backfield members not-named Ingram last season and Dobbins is in-line to see a solid workload right off the bat. If you are bullish on him over Cam Akers and D’Andre Swift, move to the 1.04 and make the pick in superflex.
Devin Duvernay, WR Texas (ROUND 3, 92nd PICK)
One of the major debates prior to the NFL Draft was what to do with a receiver that the Ravens select. After all, Lamar Jackson ranked 26th in the NFL in 2019 with only 401 pass attempts and a league-low 116 receptions went to his wide receivers. Where does Duvernay slot in? The slot. He played 97% of his snaps last season at Texas from the slot and likely starts from day one in Baltimore. Coming off the board at the 3.07 in superflex drafts, his stock has risen in the last few months. You can select Duvernay if you miss out on KJ Hamler or Van Jefferson and if you are considering Chase Claypool, trade down a few spots and grab a more productive prospect. As a bonus, Duvernay should start from day one and could be a flip candidate if you are not a long-term believer.
James Proche, WR SMU (ROUND 6, 201st PICK)
Proche is the fourth-oldest prospect in the draft and the second slot receiver drafted by the Ravens. He was very productive in his final two years of college at SMU but as a late declaration and a late day three pick, the odds are already stacked against him. He landed in a very-low volume passing attack and is likely a special teams contributor who will need to show a lot to earn a bigger role. I would avoid him in all drafts and would favor both Darnell Mooney and John Hightower as a priority waiver pickup.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Chase Claypool, WR Notre Dame (ROUND 2, 49th PICK)
Wide receiver? For now. The combine buzzed with the results of Claypool’s workout and at the extreme end, comparisons were made to one of the biggest freaks of all-time, Calvin Johnson. He tested in the top 10% in all speed metrics and when adjusting for his 6-foot-4, 238-pound frame, many dynasty owners jumped into the camp and really put him on the radar.
The Steelers backed that up by drafting him as the 11th receiver off the board and follows JuJu Smith-Schuster (2017) and James Washington (2018) as recent second-round picks to Pittsburgh. He currently slots in at the 3.01 in superflex ADP for May and despite all of what is mentioned above, remains a cost-prohibitive slot for me to select him.
The one potential upside for his value is a future move to tight end, but regardless of how the Steelers use him on the field, positional eligibility is all that matters and to date, nothing from the team indicates he will ever be considered at another position. Instead of selecting Claypool, consider KJ Hamler a few picks later or trade down and take a chance on a running back like Darrynton Evans or Anthony McFarland. I am willing to be wrong on Claypool regardless of what the metrics say. The player comparisons would largely agree.
Anthony McFarland, RB Maryland (ROUND 4, 124th PICK)
The Steelers drafted Benny Snell with the 122nd pick of the 2019 NFL Draft and despite getting some work during James Conner’s prolonged absence, the team went back to the well a year later and selected a name many devy players are very familiar with. McFarland looked to vault his stock up after the graduation of Ty Johnson, but his 2019 year was majorly disappointing. Injuries cost him some time and his numbers declined outside of his reception total.
It is fair to wonder what McFarland’s role might be. The Steelers have typically preferred to use one bell-cow running back during Mike Tomlin’s time as head coach and with Conner entering his unrestricted free agency season and being unable to remain on the field, the backfield oozes with opportunity for early production. McFarland is rising on draft boards as he sits at the 3.06 in superflex ADP but be prepared to select him at the round two/three turn if you need a ball carrier.
The question remains – can he break the mold and carve out a split role in Pittsburgh? His size (5’8″ and 208) doesn’t suggest a massive workload and his college production does not support that he can handle that. With that said, do not be surprised if this is one of the more immediate contributors and profit-snags in this year’s class. He is RB53 overall in dynasty ADP and I expect that to get closer to the top 40 by the time the preseason is over.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
Harrison Bryant, TE Florida Atlantic (ROUND 4, 115th PICK)
Bryant was the sixth tight end off the board going with the ninth pick of the fourth round to Cleveland. After a productive senior year at Florida Atlantic, Bryant is still one of the younger prospects at his position and his landing spot will make him a high-priority waiver wire target in dynasty. If your draft only goes four rounds, consider taking him at the very end of the fourth round to secure his services prior to the waiver wire.
Despite signing Austin Hooper in free agency and picking up David Njoku’s fifth-year option, the Browns new coach Kevin Stefanski uses a high number of two-tight end sets and the crowded depth chart could allow Bryant to mature on your taxi squad. His upside could be top three in the class and I predict his ADP will rise between now and the end of the summer. Get him now while you can and be thankful in a few years when you have yourself a viable dynasty asset.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR Michigan (ROUND 6, 187th PICK)
I will not get into the history of Peoples-Jones and his enigmatic profile. Check out this article by Ray Garvin from earlier this spring that goes in-depth on the former Michigan wideout. He was selected in the sixth round to the Browns and was the 27th receiver drafted in the class. At the time of the pick, Rashard Higgins was still a free agent and the Browns have since re-signed Higgins. The depth chart is manageable for Peoples-Jones, but the hype has kept him relevant up until now and it continues into dynasty rookie drafts.
He is going at the very end of the fourth round in superflex drafts but is being selected in favor of others with higher draft capital such as Gabriel Davis, Quintez Cephus, and John Hightower. If you can get DPJ at the end of the fourth round, go for it, but make sure you diversify between these other players in different drafts. One positive is his contribution to special teams in college and this should at least secure his roster spot in 2020. He is worth a pick, but more than like end up being more bark than bite.
CONCLUSION
The AFC North only selected nine total offensive skill players in this draft and only five on day two or higher of the NFL Draft. Regardless, this division has become one of the more fascinating for fantasy football as it boasts 18 players in the top eight rounds of superflex startup ADP. With Joe Burrow joining Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield, the division has three of the top ten dynasty quarterbacks and should give dynasty owners some very entertaining contests in the upcoming season.
- Four Tight Ends to Buy, Sell, or Hold in Dynasty Leagues - August 23, 2023
- Four Wide Receivers to Buy, Sell, or Hold in Dynasty Leagues - August 16, 2023
- Four Running Backs to Buy, Sell, or Hold in Dynasty Leagues - August 9, 2023
