2020 NFL Draft Dynasty Review: NFC South

Michael Zingone Posted On May 6, 2020

The NFC South projects to be one of the most competitive divisions in football. With a new-look Carolina Panthers offense, the G.O.A.T quarterback Tom Brady entering the mix, Drew Brees playing better than ever, and the Falcons offense looking primed for another solid season, fantasy players are grabbing pieces of this division left and right. With teams generally happy with their offenses, many focused on defense in the 2020 draft. However, there are still some notable players looking to make an impact in the NFL and for fantasy teams.

New Orleans Saints

Adam Trautman, TE Dayton (Round 3, Pick 105)

Trautman is widely considered to be one of the best receiving tight ends in this draft class. The senior from Dayton logged a very solid 70 catches for over 900 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2019, and the Saints took notice. Trautman does not project to have a lot of opportunity in 2020 with a veteran receiving group of Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and Jared Cook likely to secure the vast majority of Drew Brees’s targets. However, with Cook entering the final year of his contract, there is reason to believe the Saints selected Trautman to be his successor. He’s a late-round stash in dynasty rookie drafts in 2020, but Trautman could be a rising tight end this time next season.

Tommy Stevens, QB Mississippi State (Round 7, Pick 240)

Stevens is an interesting story. The Saints, reportedly after hearing that the division rival Panthers wanted Stevens as a UDFA, trading a future sixth-round selection to grab Stevens in late round seven. At this point in time, the Saints did not have Jameis Winston yet on the roster. Sean Payton’s “obsession” with Stevens is for a similar role to Taysom Hill, who recently signed through 2021. It’s an interesting story, but it’s probably a wasted pick for the Saints. There’s no need to grab Stevens in even the deepest of superflex leagues.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB Vanderbilt (Round 3, Pick 76)

Easily the most notable draft pick for fantasy football purposes in the NFC South was Vaughn in the third round to the Buccaneers. It happened, dynasty players, a notable running back went to Tampa Bay. Vaughn was a personal favorite of mine predraft. His college production at Vanderbilt behind one of the worst offensive lines in the nation (hello, Cam Akers) along with solid athleticism across the board makes for one of the more well-rounded prospects in this year’s draft.

Vaughn has since vaulted up draft boards, rising from 19 overall to 10 overall in April to May DLF 1QB Rookie ADP. It’s easy to see why: immediate opportunity. Despite second-year running back Ronald Jones eclipsing 1,000 total yards in 2019, both the fantasy football world and head coach Bruce Arians wanted the Buccaneers to bring in serious competition for touches. Jones is a good player, but his inconsistency, as well as lack of pass-protection skills, was a real challenge for a team with Super Bowl hopes in 2020. Enter Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

word image 7

In a lot of ways, Vaughn has become the riskiest first-round rookie pick in 2020. While Vaughn certainly has the opportunity and skillset to be a solid NFL running back, the 23-year-old rookie could see himself in a timeshare with Jones for much of the season. With former Buccaneer Peyton Barber out of town, there is a lot of natural opportunity for Vaughn to take. He will surely command Barber’s work, and with success, may find himself as a true workhorse by season’s end. The upside is there for Vaughn to be a fantasy starter as early as this season. If he doesn’t, though, expect the then-24-year old running back to sour in dynasty circles in 2021.

Tyler Johnson, WR Minnesota (Round 5, Pick 161)

If you have followed rookie conversations throughout the off-season, then you know that Tyler Johnson posts some of the best analytical production metrics in this draft class. With a 19-year-old breakout age, over a 50% college dominator, and with NFL size at 6’2” 205 pounds, Johnson checks nearly every box you want with a college wide receiver prospect. Since the end of the college football season, though, things haven’t been great for Johnson. He was not invited to the Senior Bowl, did not participate in the Combine workouts, and did not have a chance for his pro-day. The NFL never liked Johnson as much as dynasty analysts did.

With fifth-round draft capital, the odds are stacked against Johnson to ever be a fantasy-relevant wide receiver. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers boast possibly the best WR duo in the league in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but the WR3 spot on the depth chart is certainly up for grabs. Johnson makes for an appealing rookie draft stash for leagues with taxi squads in hopes that the analytical star can translate his college dominance to the NFL. Buyer beware, though, that it may take years for Johnson to break out, if at all.

Raymond Calais, RB Louisiana-Lafayette (Round 7, Pick 245)

Calais is a small-stature running back who can blaze, running a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He doesn’t project to catch passes in the NFL (just 17 receptions in his four-year college career) and doesn’t have the size to compete for a starting NFL job. This pick is more than likely for special teams contributions. He doesn’t need to be rostered in dynasty leagues but certainly deserves a big congratulations for getting drafted in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers

N/A

The Panthers selected seven defensive players in the 2020 draft. New head coach Matt Rhule clearly likes the offense this team has put together through free agency. The Panthers have once again neglected to bring in any serious backup for superstar running back Christian McCaffrey, so expect the dynasty and redraft 1.01 selection in many drafts to be on the field nearly 100% of the snaps yet again.

Atlanta Falcons

N/A

Much like the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons chose to not address any fantasy-relevant positions in the draft. They did select Matt Hennessey, a center out of Temple, in the third round to hopefully boost their 24th-ranked run-blocking offensive line (per Football Outsiders) in 2019. While there are of course no players to discuss in regards to the draft for the Falcons, Todd Gurley stands out as a player who avoided serious competition. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff noted that there was really good value at running back in the 2020 draft. Yet, the Falcons chose to ignore the position despite Gurley’s known knee problems and one-year contract. Expect Gurley to see a big workload in 2020 as the Falcons use him to the full extent of this contract.