And just like that, we've come to the end of #DraftSZN.
The 2020 NFL Draft is now upon is -- in virtual form! -- which means it's time to shake up some fantasy expectations. Keep it here as we update the fantasy relevant players going off the board over the next couple of days as we recap what this could mean for your fantasy drafts this summer.
Round 1
Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals: If you didn't see this one coming, where have you been? The Bengals now have their quarterback of the future and a guy who can give them a little more firepower in the passing game. Like all of the quarterbacks in this year's draft, their upside is greater in dynasty leagues than traditional setups. But Burrow will have some intrigue as a QB2 in a lot of leagues. The bigger news is likely for the Cincinnati pass-catchers -- A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and John Ross -- now that they have a new young arm delivering the ball. Even then, the best of them (likely Boyd) won't be more than a WR2 in 2020.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins: #TankForTua worked out for Miami, despite winning more games than anticipated in 2019. The key for Tagovailoa will be health. Will he be ready to go at the start of the season (whenever that is) and how long will it take for him to surpass Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers: With Tua going to Miami, this pick felt inevitable. It's hard to envision Herbert immediately coming in and winning the starting job over Tyrod Taylor but he could become the QB1 before the season is over. In some ways, he could end up being a younger version of Philip Rivers. That might be a good thing. It might not. Either way, you're not counting on Herbert in 2020.
Henry Ruggs III, WR, Raiders: Everyone will look at this pick and immediately say "Raiders." With Ruggs' blazing speed, it seemed like a match made in football heaven. But beyond just the speed, Ruggs will have plenty of opportunities in a wide receiver corps in desperate need of help. The question becomes whether having a speed burner encourages Derek Carr to take more deep shots.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Broncos: The Broncos has been linked to Henry Ruggs throughout draft season but with Ruggs gone and the other top receivers still available, Denver got arguably the best route runner in the bunch. Jeudy now gets paired with Courtland Sutton to create a dynamic duo of pass-catchers. But the biggest winner here is Drew Lock. The second-year quarterback showed promise at the end of last season and now is surrounded with talent. Lock has big sleeper potential in 2020.
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys: Lamb falling all the way to the Cowboys at 17 was one of the bigger surprises of the night but Dallas ends up getting a gem to add to an already productive offense. This likely sets up a battle between Lamb and Michael Gallup for targets behind Amari Cooper. Yet again, we have a quarterback as the big winner here. Dak Prescott was the QB2 last season and looks poised for another top three finish in 2020.
Jalen Reagor, WR, Eagles: Reagor was a late riser on a lot of draft boards but still most observers thought Justin Jefferson would be the pick for Philly. Instead, the Eagles get an explosive player who can give Carson Wentz a playmaker on the outside. It also allows J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to move to the inside and work as a big slot receiver. There's some late round upside for Reagor here.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers: The Niners get their wide receiver after swinging a deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Aiyuk is great with the ball in his hands which makes him a solid complement to Deebo Samuel and another moveable chess piece for Kyle Shanahan. Whether that translates into immediate fantasy production is debatable. Aiyuk isn't likely to make a fantasy impact in 2020.
Jordan Love, QB, Packers: With everyone expecting the Packers to draft a wide receiver to help Aaron Rodgers, they surprised everyone by trading up to draft ... a quarterback? Love had drawn a lot of buzz though there was no consensus on his overall outlook. Nonetheless, he's stuck behind Rodgers for the foreseeable future.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Chiefs: I had advocated for the Chiefs to take one of the top running backs with the final pick in the first round and they did. Edwards-Helaire is a do-it-all guy who excels as a route runner and will give defenses aneurysms as part of an RPO offense in Kansas City's backfield. This selection likely makes him the top player in dynasty rookie drafts and vaults him into the top 50 in redraft leagues. This was a fantasy manager's dream.
Round 2
Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals: NFL Media's Lance Zierlein compared Higgins to A.J. Green, so it seems the Bengals have a type. It's good news for Joe Burrow that Cincinnati seems committed to putting weapons around him. The problem for Higgins is that he'll be in a battle for snaps and targets with Tyler Boyd, John Ross and, of course, Green. The veteran isn't likely to be around much longer but is likely to be part of the crew standing in Higgins' way in Year One.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts: Indianapolis has been building its receiver corps over the past couple of seasons. Adding Pittman gives them a solid addition with reliable hands. There's not a lot of clarity in this pass-catcher group but it's likely some insurance in the event that another injury apocalypse hits in 2020. It's also hard to think that this is going to add any more shine to Philip Rivers in Indy.
D'Andre Swift, RB, Lions: Not sure how many people saw this coming but it sounds like a clarion call that Kerryon Johnson has fallen out of favor. His lack of durability in his first couple of years could have something to do with that. Either way, Swift is poised to take over the lead role in the Detroit backfield. We just have to hope this doesn't turn into a committee.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts:Marlon Mack and Kerryon Johnson could start a support group. Both guys were poised to have breakout seasons in 2019. One year later, they watch their teams draft highly-touted rookies in the second round. Putting Taylor behind Indy's offensive line feels a little unfair. The question is how much Mack will still work in.
Laviska Shenault, WR, Jaguars: Shenault was a jack-of-all-trades for Colorado and will bring that same versatility to Jacksonville. That might do some good for the Jaguars offense, it might be frustrating for fantasy managers. At best, Shenault is a late-round flier but he might not have immediate fantasy impact.
Cole Kmet, TE, Bears:Bears, wyd? After this pick, Chicago has 10 tight ends on its roster. Yes, it normally takes tight ends a few years to develop and Jimmy Graham is probably on his last NFL stop. But there's no way to accurately predict what's going to happen with this group. Considering the quarterback situation, it might not matter anyway.
K.J. Hamler, WR, Broncos: This appears to be another nail in DaeSean Hamilton's Denver coffin. Is it irony that it comes in the form of another Penn State receiver? Hamler still has a tough path to consistent targets with Sutton, Jeudy, Noah Fant, et al on the field.
Chase Claypool, WR, Steelers: Claypool is a big body guy who straddles the line between receiver and tight end. Receiver didn't seem to be an immediate need for Pittsburgh and it will be interesting to see where he fits in the passing game. His fantasy value in 2020 will be minimal.
Cam Akers, RB, Rams: Akers is an intriguing prospect. He produced in college despite playing behind a bad offensive line. Now he lands in Sean McVay's offense but he's going to be in a timeshare with Darrell Henderson, automatically capping his value. Nonetheless, he should still see the field quite a bit as a rookie and should be one of the first RBs off the board in dynasty rookie drafts.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles: Yet another head-scratcher. With Carson Wentz entrenched at quarterback, it's hard to see a real plan for Hurts in Philly. All that running ability doesn't matter if you can't get on the field. Being a gadget player or a backup quarterback earns no fantasy points.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ravens: The Ravens have built a solid stable of running backs by adding the speedy Dobbins. That doesn't seem like great news for Mark Ingram, who already had a lot of his touchdown upside snatched away by Lamar Jackson. If Dobbins is able to start getting running back touches, this could be an incredible headache for fantasy managers.
Van Jefferson, WR, Rams: This is a depth pick for Les Snead and Sean McVay. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp have the top receiver spots locked down which puts Jefferson in competition with Josh Reynolds for those extra targets.
Denzel Mims, WR, Jets: Mims has speed for days and wins contested catches. That's good! He's been thrown into Adam Gase's offense. That's ... not good. But he should have plenty of chances to make plays on a team that had one of the league's worst receiving corps. Still, just being in that offense will cap any excitement fantasy managers have for him.
A.J. Dillon, RB, Packers: Wut? We finally got to see Aaron Jones be great in 2019 and apparently the Packers decided they'd had enough. In reality, this is probably worse news for Jamaal Williams. Nonetheless, the already-expected regression for Jones could get worse if Dillon actually gets snaps.
Round 3
Antonio Gibson, RB/WR, Redskins: Gibson was an intriguing prospect as a hybrid running back/receiver. Going to Washington means he probably moves over to the receiver position. That would give him an easier path to getting on the field at a spot where the roster is lacking. The offense doesn't yet inspire enough confidence, however, to consider Gibson as anything more than an end-of-draft flier.
Ke'Shawn Vaughn, RB, Buccaneers: The prevailing wisdom is that Vaughn is going to push Ronald Jones out of a job in Tampa. Yet the Buccaneers coaches tried to convince us that they'd like to expand Jones' role in 2020. That could certainly be a smokescreen but it seems unlikely that Bruce Arians is going to completely hand over the reins after running a committee last season. This might deflate whatever value both running backs had.
Lynn Bowden, WR, Raiders: Bowden is most noted for being a multi-dimensional player during his time at Kentucky. What that means for his fit with the Raiders remains to be seen. One thing is for certain, Jon Gruden is giving his quarterback -- whoever it might be -- every resource to succeed.
Bryan Edwards, WR, Raiders: What did we just say about the Raiders quarterbacks? This is yet another addition to a wide receiver corps that desperately needed a talent infusion. Edwards is a solid pick in the third round and should have a good chance to find his way onto the field in 2020.
Zack Moss, RB, Bills: What are you doing to us, Buffalo? A year after many of us wished great things for Devin Singletary, the Bills add more competition for opportunities. As a bruiser, Moss is likely to get the few goal line chances that Josh Allen doesn't keep for himself. Neither Buffalo back is likely to offer great returns.
Devin Asiasi, TE, Patriots: You might have heard that a former Patriots tight end moved down to Florida. Asiasi isn't going to make us forget about him. And with the current state of the New England offense in major flux, Asiasi won't register on most fantasy draft boards.
Devin Duvernay, WR, Ravens: Baltimore obviously needed more wide receiver help to pair with the flashy but inconsistent Marquise Brown. Duvernay has good speed from the slot and outstanding hands. The Ravens will still be run-heavy but when they do throw the ball, Duvernay has a chance to be in the mix.
Darrynton Evans, RB, Titans: Could this be the Titans preparing for life after Derrick Henry? Evans is going to play a supporting role in 2020 while Henry plays on the franchise tag but a much bigger role could open up in 2021 if Tennessee decides it doesn't want to pay Henry.
Josian Deguara, TE, Packers: Deguara is listed as a tight end but is more of an H-back or fullback.
Dalton Keene, TE, Patriots: See above.
Adam Trautman, TE, Saints: New Orleans traded all of its Day 3 picks to move up and draft Trautman. He'll be down the depth chart this season but has a path to being a starter not too long from now. The big question is "who will be throwing him the football?"
Marcas Grant is a fantasy analyst for NFL.com and a man who is jealous of the lighting in his kid's bedroom. Send him your home decor wishes or fantasy football questions on Twitter @MarcasG or Instagram at MarcasG.
