NFL Draft Dynasty Fantasy Football: Day Three Recap
This is where the work begins.
While most casual dynasty owners focus on the big names at the top of the draft board, savvy owners know day three can bring some serious value to their dynasty squads. After all, few things are better in dynasty leagues than landing the next big star with a late round draft pick. It’s like getting free money and few would argue with that. With that in mind, let’s run through some notable names taken on the last day of the NFL Draft.
4 (2) – Michael Carter, RB NYJ
Overshadowed by his teammate Javonte Williams in the days leading up to the draft, Carter lands in perhaps the best situation of them all. The depth chart in New York is ripe for the taking as it currently boasts the likes of Ty Johnson, Josh Adams, Tevin Coleman and La’Mical Perine. There’s a chance Carter gets overdrafted in rookie drafts as some owners assume he’s going to walk in and start. However, Carter does now become one of the highest boom or bust picks in this year’s rookie draft.
4 (4) – Dez Fitzpatrick, WR TEN
Fitzpatrick wasn’t talked about too much amongst the draft community prior to this weekend, but he’s clearly one of the fast risers after it. A former teammate of Lamar Jackson and Tutu Atwell at Louisville, Fitzpatrick rode a solid Senior Bowl and Pro Day to the top of round four. He lands in Tennessee and it’s a great spot as he’ll compete to be the third receiver behind AJ Brown and Josh Reynolds. While his touchdown production (only three last year and 21 for his career) isn’t amazing, he averaged nearly 17 yards per catch and landed in one of the best spots for a receiver. He’s going to be on the radar for a third round rookie pick as a result.
4 (7) – Amon-Ra St Brown, WR DET
After the Lions passed on the top receivers in the draft to take Penei Sewell, they unexpectedly had St. Brown drop to them in round four. It’s a great development for the Lions and for dynasty owners alike as St. Brown lands in one of the most desirable spots for a receiver. While there are a lot of questions about just how good he’ll be, the depth chart in Detroit is ripe for taking as they currently “boast” the likes of Quintez Cephus, Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams. The draft capital used (or not used) on St. Brown creates some risk, but he’ll be a solid dart throw late in round two of most rookie drafts this off-season.
4 (14) – Kene Nwangwu, RB MIN
Nwangwu is likely going to be a special teams player for the Vikings, but could take over as the third running back, a spot vacated by the departure of Mike Boone. With only 150 career touches, not much is known about Nwangwu. Still, he has some late round sleeper appeal as a talented player with some decent draft capital spent on him.
4 (15) – Rhamondre Stevenson, RB NE
In a COVID world with few certainties, it’s comforting to know the Patriots can still take a solid rookie running back and ruin his dynasty prospects. Stevenson will join a crowded depth chart in New England and on a team unwilling to ever rely on just one runner consistently. His selection is destined to be a better pick in reality than fantasy. Stevenson’s rookie draft stock is going to fall based on his landing spot, making him a later round prospect in most formats.
4 (21) – Chuba Hubbard, RB CAR
#buzzkill. Hubbard was a monster in 2019 at Oklahoma State when he posted over 2,000 rushing yards and averaged over six yards per carry, but cooled off at the beginning of last year before shutting it down to prepare for the draft. He has some serious speed, but there are workload and injury concerns with him, making him more of a committee back at the next level. This pick is perfect for the Panthers, who needed a capable backup to Christian McCaffrey, but this is also a classic case of a pick being better in reality than fantasy as Hubbard won’t see the field much unless McCaffrey is hurt again. At this point, he looks more like a handcuff than a salivating rookie prospect.
4 (24) – Jaelon Darden, WR TB
Darden is the son of famous OJ Simpson prosecuting attorney Christopher Darden (OK, he’s not, but I thought that would have been a really cool draft note) and lands in Tampa Bay. Darden is a burner and a solid slot candidate. Unfortunately, he’s found himself on a roster that already has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller, and Justin Watson. Uh, that’s a lot. Camp reports on Darden will be important to determine if he’s worth a late round rookie investment.
4 (26) – Tylan Wallace, WR BAL
Baltimore entered the draft needing to surround Lamar Jackson with weapons and have done just that by adding Rashod Bateman and now Tylan Wallace. Those two will join Sammy Watkins, Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin in what now looks like a crowded receiver room. With this many mouths to feed and a run-centric offense in general, Wallace’s stock takes a hit with this landing spot. He’s looking more like a late round selection in rookie drafts at this point.
4 (28) – Ian Book, QB NO
The Saints are in the market for a long-term answer now that Drew Brees has retired. If the combination of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill don’t work out, the Saints could eventually turn to the former Golden Domer, who has more wins than any quarterback in Notre Dame history with 30, one more than Brady Quinn and 30 more than I have. Book is a better athlete than some give him credit for and is a fiery competitor. Sean Payton was on record after the pick saying he loves Book’s mechanics and competitive spirit. Book would be a late round flyer in 2QB formats and a “wait and see” prospect in conventional leagues.
4 (36) – Jacob Harris, WR LAR
Harris goes 6’5 and 219 pounds (I go 6’3″ and 202 if you’re wondering) and played more as a tight end than receiver in college. An older player at 24, the former soccer star has a ways to go in order to crack the Rams roster and would likely have a better chance to do so at tight end than wide receiver. Still, there’s some intrigue here and the fourth round isn’t a dart throw type of an investment for Los Angeles. Like many others drafted on the third day, we’ll watch the camp reports and monitor his progress.
5 (3) – Brevin Jordan, TE HOU
The Texans need a little bit of everything and that includes a tight end. Jordan was projected to go a little higher in the draft. Instead, he ended up being the ninth tight end taken, behind many less heralded pre-draft prospects. Still, Jordan landed in a good spot and merits a look in the final rounds of rookie drafts.
5 (6) – Kenneth Gainwell, RB PHI
Gainwell had to wait longer than expected, but landed on his feet with the Eagles in round five. His draft stock obviously took a decent hit over the past few months and it looks like the Eagles will employ him as a possible passing down back or special teams player. He’s likely not much of a threat to take too many carries away from Miles Sanders, though Gainwell could obviously work his way into a bigger role with a solid camp. His draft weekend tumble likely takes him into the third round of rookie drafts.
6 (10) – Elijah Mitchell, RB SF
If you’re looking for a late round or UDFA sleeper running back, this might just be your guy this year. Mitchell lands in running back heaven in San Francisco and will compete with the likes of Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, JaMychal Hasty, Wayne Gallman, and fellow draftee Trey Sermon. While that’s a loaded depth chart, the former Ragin’ Cajun has some real talent. While he needs to work on his pass catching ability and doesn’t have the prototypical size you’d like to see, the one-cut 49ers scheme will always be a boom for running backs and he should be monitored if he makes the team or practice squad.
6 (12) – Gary Brightwell, RB NYG
Brightwell would have gone higher in the draft had his production not fallen off precipitously last season. Still, there’s handcuff appeal here with Wayne Gallman gone and Saquon Barkley needing some more backup running backs behind him. He’s more of a watch list player in dynasty leagues at the moment.
6 (14) – Larry Rountree, RB LAC
As I say each and every year, I love to see productive late round SEC running backs. Rountree fits the bill this year as the former Missouri back posted 3,720 rushing yards and 40 career touchdowns for Missouri. Rountree is far from an elite athlete (that’s an understatement), but he’s strong, productive and there’s no doubt about his competition level. With Joshua Kelley failing to impress last season, there’s room for a project behind Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. Rountree is going to be one of my favorite late round sleeper targets this off-season.
6 (18) – Chris Evans, RB CIN
There isn’t much known about Evans as he never had a big workload at Michigan and lost a season of eligibility due to a mysterious academic mistake. Still, his testing numbers are off the chart and while he’s old (24) for a rookie, there’s some intrigue here. The Bengals depth chart isn’t that impressive behind Joe Mixon, so keep an eye on the progress of Evans moving forward this Summer.
6 (20) – Shi Smith, WR CAR
Smith should have never been available for the Panthers in the sixth round, yet there he was. A productive slot receiver, Smith will likely have to earn his chops on special teams. Still, his skill set and production merit him being on your watch list. He’ll need to work on his strength and stop dropping easy passes, but there’s some potential with him for sure.
6 (33) – Khalil Herbert, RB CHI
Herbert finds himself behind David Montgomery, Damien Williams and Tarik Cohen on the Bears depth chart, but this kid has some real intrigue. He was fifth in the nation in rushing last year with 1,182 yards and posted eight scores on the ground while catching ten passes for 179 yards and one more touchdown for Virginia Tech. He may start out on kick returns, but an impressive Summer and that special teams ability could help him avoid the practice squad and possibly begin his climb up the depth chart. I like Herbert as a final rookie pick flyer in deep leagues.
6 (34) – Sam Ehlinger, QB IND
Ehlinger will look to usurp Jacob Eason as the long-term backup to Carson Wentz. It’s just sad to see him leave Texas where we could expect to hear Gus Johnson say “Ehlingerrrrrrr,” each Saturday.
6 (35) – Seth Williams, WR DEN
Williams was one of the draft’s big losers as he fell all the way down to the Broncos in the sixth round. With the depth chart in Denver, he’s likely headed to the practice squad and that sends him tumbling down the rookie rankings.
7 (17) – Gerrid Doaks, RB MIA
The Dolphins were one of the hot spots for pre-draft running back speculation, but instead seem content with the committee of Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, and Malcolm Brown. Regardless, Doaks is on the radar simply because none of those three have established themselves as the long-term answer for Miami. He’s a watch list or late round flyer candidate in dynasty leagues because of his premier landing spot. Who knows, he could be the next Arian Foster as a relative unknown who turns out to be a star or the next Brian Caliope, the hot late round running back prospect in the 80s who fades into relative obscurity.
7 (29) – Kylin Hill, RB GB
Wow. Hill really fell in the draft and ended up in a tough spot with the Packers. He’ll have to make some noise on special teams to avoid the practice squad. His rookie draft stock took a major hit.
We’ll hit the UDFAs later this week.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
- 2024 Rookie Bust Mock Draft (Pre-Draft Edition): Round Three - April 24, 2024
- 2024 Rookie Bust Mock Draft (Pre-Draft Edition): Round Two - April 21, 2024
- Dynasty Running Back Danger Rankings: 16-9 - April 21, 2024
