DLF Devy Team Roundtable: Above Consensus

Joseph Nammour Posted On September 12, 2020

I am a true degenerate. I have gotten involved in deeper and deeper devy leagues each year I’ve played the game of dynasty fantasy football. As such, one of my hobbies is watching film and researching entire position groups or whole classes of prospects, so I certainly have my own stances on college prospects.

In the off-season, especially an atypical one like 2020 – with no real news and the uncertainty around whether a college season will even take place – it’s common to see the masses inch towards a general consensus on player value. However, each analyst and fan alike evaluates players differently and can value certain traits or metrics more than others.

Armed with this idea in mind, I posed a simple question to DLF’s devy team:

Who is one player you are higher on than consensus, and why?

Each writer contributed a player and their thoughts. The results are below.

Dyami Brown, WR North Carolina

Brown led UNC in receiving yards (28% of team total) and receiving touchdowns (12) as a true sophomore. He should continue to impress as Sam Howell‘s top threat. With his mind-bending speed, Brown will rise in devy rankings this season. I have him placed where I believe he will wind up once it’s all said and done as the 2021 WR5. – Alfred Fernandez (@al_ff_red)

Jordan Whittington, WR Texas

Whittington is a player I’m much higher on than consensus. He checks multiple boxes, including recruiting profile, versatility, size (6-1, 215 lbs), character and athleticism. As an early enrollee, he earned rave reviews throughout summer workouts and fall camp before his true freshman season was derailed by two sports hernia surgeries. The injuries alone depressed his devy value and he now routinely drops outside the top 60 in devy drafts. His multifunctional skill set is well suited to today’s NFL. I expect him to again be a hot devy commodity. – Frank Gruber (@threedownhack)

Anthony Schwartz, WR Auburn

Everyone knows about the speed. It’s world-class, literally. He would be the fastest player in the NFL. Digging deeper – if he enters the 2021 draft and pursues football, he will be only the second skill player in modern history to play in the NFL at age 20 (JuJu Smith-Schuster is the other).

His slight frame? Not concerned, as evidenced by the draft capital on Marquise Brown and KJ Hamler in the past two years, and both checked in lighter than Schwartz’s 179 lbs. Draft capital likely has a high floor, given how teams covet speed. The big questions, again – does he pursue football (not track), and does he enter the 2021 draft?

If both of those are a yes, he’s the most undervalued WR in devy. He’s free right now. Do I want him for dynasty? Likely not; he’s an easy bet against as an actual contributor. But as a guy I want if there is a value spike? For sure. – Scott Connor (@CharlesChillFFB)

Max Borghi, RB Washington State

A name I have seen falling down ranks and being talked down about is Borghi. I think the three-down potential is there if he adds some bulk. He is a phenomenal pass-catching back, undisputed. He has the ability to change direction, coupled with balance and a decent amount of pop. Give me the max amount of Borghi anywhere I can get him! – Dwight Peebles (@FFPeeblesChamp)

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR USC

St. Brown isn’t mentioned often when you talk about top wideout prospects, but he should be. He possesses good hands, excellent spatial awareness, and a polished route tree with a great size/speed ratio. – James Koutoulas (@JamesTheBrain)

Jah-Maine Martin, RB North Carolina A&T

I am partial to Martin, a shifty back from North Carolina A&T. Martin is bursty (respected word in the scientific community) runner with a compact frame well-suited to treating defenders like a trampoline. There are big questions to ask — largely in the passing game — but Martin deserves more helium in the community. – Rob Willette (@RobWillette24)

Zamir White, RB Georgia

To me, White is the ultimate lottery ticket in the devy community. I believe if he declares for the 2021 NFL Draft he has that upside to be the top RB taken, but, like a lottery ticket, he could bottom out and be little more than a UDFA flier.

White was the consensus top-ranked RB coming out of high school. As a freshman in high school, he squatted 405 pounds. Knee injuries have derailed this special talent. He tore his right ACL in November 2017. He put in work and was on the practice field at Georgia just a few short months later when tragedy struck again, and while fielding punts in August 2018, he tore his left ACL.

Coaches rave about his work ethic. He has that three-down prototype size with a thick lower body like Saquon Barkley and muscled-up upper body. A healthy 2020 could lead to a big jump in draft stock for the Georgia Dawg. Buy now. – Pete Lawrence (@_PeteLaw)

Zach Evans, RB TCU

Evans was almost universally considered the best running back in the 2023 class before a whirlwind recruitment took place. He was suspended during his senior season of high school for a violation of team rules and seems to have had some difficulty making the right decisions, based on what we know.

However, after committing and de-committing from Georgia and waiting until after National Signing Day to decide on a school, Evans landed at TCU. The Horned Frogs lost quarterback Max Duggan for the season, and without Jalen Reagor on the team, will almost certainly be a very run-heavy team. Evans will get a chance to break out at an early age.

He has prototypical workhorse size at 5’11”, 200 pounds, with the frame to fill out and add another ten to fifteen pounds or so. He has good speed, great burst, and terrific agility, posting the best short shuttle time among running backs at The Opening.

There are a bunch of red flags all over his profile, but the landscape of devy running backs is bleak. Evans has the potential to hit and hit big, and is almost a certain lock to gain significant value over the coming year. – Joseph Nammour (@jnammour24)

Hope you enjoyed this quick piece. Next week, we’ll do the same for players the team is lower on than consensus.