2020 DRAFT GUIDE PREVIEW
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 1212 | TDS: 11 | REC: 96
REC YARDS: 779 | TDS: 4
He has caught no fewer than 80 passes in any season. The worst finish for a running back with at least 80 catches is the RB12 and the average is the RB7 in ppg over the last 5 years. But he is so much more than that. He just had the 2nd best fantasy season of all time and while regression will hit, he still has the highest ceiling and floor of any player. Don't overthink it. CMac should be the 1.01.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 1437 | TDS: 12 | REC: 74
REC YARDS: 590 | TDS: 3
His 2nd season was a letdown, but make no mistake, Barkley is the most athletically gifted running back in the game with receiving ability that's second only to Christian McCaffrey. Even in a down year playing through a high ankle sprain and missing 3 games, he still managed to finish as the RB10 and was the RB7 in points per game. He should easily be the 2nd player taken in your drafts.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 1501 | TDS: 10 | REC: 57
REC YARDS: 466 | TDS: 2
2019 was the first time in his 4-year career that Elliott failed to reach 20 points per game, but he was right there with 19.5, which was the 5th most by a running back. His 22.2 touches per game were the 3rd most, and he had the 3rd most goal line carries. He is playing in a high-octane offense that will be in scoring situations often, giving him one of the highest floors and ceilings of any player. He's an easy Top 5 pick.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 7 | REC: 136
REC YARDS: 1452 | TDS 9
Fantasy Guides top ranked wide receiver going into last season, Michael Thomas separates himself from the pack among wide receivers. In his 4-year career he has yet to catch fewer than 90 passes, 1,100 yards or 5 touchdowns. If that were not enough, in sixe games played with backup Teddy Bridgewater, Thomas averaged 22.3 ppr points per game, with his lowest single game performance being 16.4 fantasy points. He's as rock solid as they come, he's QB proof and no wide receiver is safer or has a higher ceiling than Thomas.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 907 | TDS: 10 | REC: 81
REC YARDS: 682 | TDS: 3
If you just took the pulse from most fantasy players on how Kamara played in 2019, you would think he finished as an RB2, even though he finished as the overall RB9 in just 14 games. The big difference between 2018 and 2019 was 14 less touchdowns. Let that sink in. Most projections have Kamara scoring more than 10 touchdowns in 2020. Even though he was good in 2019, expect him to be better in 2020.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 1273 | TDS: 10 | REC: 62
REC YARDS: 541 | TDS: 2
I correctly predicted last season that a Dalvin Cook pick would like carry you to the playoffs. I have no issues taking him again this season in the first round despite him suffering a season-ending injury last season. Unfortunately Alexander Mattison was also injured, but that is an extremely unlikely situation. Mattison is a strong runner and the clear handcuff to Cook further reinforced by the Vikings taking zero running backs in the draft. Dalvin Cook is one of the most talented RBs in the league who puts up top end RB1 numbers whenever he’s on the field. He has fully recovered from his ACL injury as evidenced by his offensive juggernaut performance last season and would also expect him to be fully recovered from his shoulder injury. It’s rare to have such talent, combined with a run first/workhorse mentality OC in Kubiak and a clear handcuff. Draft Cook with confidence.
🚑 INJURY RISK LEVEL = 🟡 MEDIUM
@fantasydocsSTRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 1375 | TDS: 13 | REC: 18
REC YARDS: 164 | TDS: 1
Did you know, over the last 10 years there have been 4 running backs out of 100 to catch fewer than 20 passes and still finish as a top 10 running back in ppr? That's what Derrick Henry did in 2019, finishing as the RB5. His league leading 1,540 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns were the driving force. When using average regression for past rushing and touchdown leaders over the past 10 years (including games missed due to injury) Henry's RB5 finish would drop back to something closer to RB10-12. Maybe Henry is that rare speciman who just doesn't play by regression's rules, but keep that in mind if you decide to draft him as a top 5 running back in 2020.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 1296 | TDS: 8 | REC: 51
REC YARDS: 378 | TDS: 2
I was going to write about a certain Eagles RB but that was too easy. Sanders is a good-all-around running back in a great situation, and has a great supporting cast. Joe Mixon on the other hand is much more challenging to evaluate. Mixon is what every team wants from their running back on the field. He can do everything. He has ideal speed (4.43s 40 time), especially for his size (6-1, 220 lbs). He has power and knows how to gain yards no matter the situation. Even though he was on by-far the worst team last year, he still beasted the last eight weeks of the regular season averaging 18.2 fantasy points per game on the Bungles.
Here are the red flags... The first half of the season Mixon was terrible (10.0 fpts/game). It was so bad that by the time he turned things on, it was too late for fantasy owners and they ended up missing the playoffs because of him (not a personal anecdote from my 12-team money auction league). But I'd rather have a player turn things on and end the season on a good note (a la Derrick Henry late 2018) than start off fast and be on the decline.
Mixon has a fire burning inside of him and really turned it on. I see a fierce competitor who is just as competitive as any other player in the league. But I also have seen immaturity and some bad decision making. He showed up to rookie minicamp 10 pounds overweight but quickly lost the weight and said he'll "never be that heavy again". As far as bad decisions go, let's talk about the elephant in the room... I believe the college incident where he assaulted a female was an isolated incident and something like that will never happen again. How do I know this? Because I personally know Joe Mixon and have worked with him. I believe he is a good person, and without getting into the details of the incident, I would just say that there was a lot more to it than was publicized. Not defending his actions by any means, but as far as giving you fantasy advice, I am confident he won't be getting into any serious trouble off the field and that he learned his lesson.
As far as the holdout talk... well the Bengals didn't draft a running back in the 2020 NFL Draft and they have the cap space, so as long as Mixon isn't trying to see Zeke nor C-Mac money, I think the Bengals will get 'er done. If you believe in Joe Burrow like I do and the Bengals do, then you should invest in Joe Mixon. If you're afraid of the holdout talks, you still think the Bengals will be the worst team in 2020 and you have serious question marks about Joe "Exotic" Burrow, then I recommend you target him early round 2 in one or two of your leagues and avoid him in the rest. Me, I'm drafting him at the end of round 1 because I'm a risk taker. Mixon is a natural pass catcher and I expect his 35 receptions he had in 2019 to double this upcoming season. We saw running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire catch 55 passes from Burrow the last year in college, and Mixon can easily surpass that.
When I worked with Mixon I was fortunate enough to film one of his work outs. Running comes natural to almost every NFL running back as long as they're settled in with their team and offensive linemen. So pass-catching and conditioning is all he really works on, and he works hard. Burrow is going to uplift this team and the entire city of Cincinnati and I want a piece of that offense on my fantasy team.
Click Here to watch the last 90 seconds of my video to see the workout footage with Joe Mixon.
@fantasycouchSTRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 0 | REC: 101
REC YARDS: 1265 | TDS 10
Last season, despite playing through turf toe, Adams averaged the 6th most fantasy points per game. He was Top 12 in target share, targets per game, receptions per game and yards per game and was Top 5 in yards per route run. He has very little in the way of target competition. The packers did nothing to address the wide receiver position in the draft which will continue to leave Adams as Rodgers' go-to guy and a Top 5 finisher at the wide receiver position in 2020.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
RUSH YARDS: 12 | REC: 101
REC YARDS: 1451 | TDS 7
2019 was the first time in the last six years that Julio Jones failed to reach at least 1,400 receiving yards....he missed it by six yards. He also missed one game. No receiver is more consistant year after year than Jones. The only knock is his enigmatic ability to NOT score touchdowns. Only once in his career has he managed to score at least 10 touchdowns. While you can't count on the touchdowns, you can count on elite consistency, and if he just happens to turn in his 2nd double digit touchdown season, JACKPOT!
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
REC: 95 | YARDS: 1173 | TDS: 6
The TE1 from 2019 is making a strong push to overtake Travis Kelce as THE tight end to own in fantasy in 2020. His 15.9 points per game were tied for 1st and his target share of 28% was 4% higher than the 2nd closest, Travis Kelce. He's one of the biggest play makers as the position and will likely be the most targeted. The 49ers wide receiver position is not a whole lot different from 2019, with veteran Emmanuel Sanders replaced by Brandon Aiyuk. Kittle should again be considered as a top 2 tight end in 2020.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
O-LINE TIERS & 2019 WEEKLY FINISHES
*each color bar represents 1 game
2020 PROJECTED STATS
PASS YARDS: 3507 | TDS: 29 | INT: 9
RUSH YARDS: 1098 | TDS: 6
Lamar put up the best fantasy season on a ppg basis of all time by a quarterback. He will likely be drafted during the 1st two rounds of most fantasy drafts. For the first time ever, he's a quarterback that may actually be worthy of a late 2nd round pick, due to his elite rushing ability and high floor. Exercise caution however when drafting as only two quarterbacks, Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb have repeated as the QB1 in ppg two consecutive seasons since 2002. Lamar's 9% touchdown rate was one of the highest we've ever seen and will absolutely regress. Lamar should absolutely be the 1st quarterback taken, but the advantage he gives you over replacement quarterbacks drafted later will likely not be as high as it was in 2019.
Bye = Week 8
Key Losses: Javon Hargrave (DT)
Key Additions: Chris Wormley (FA, DT)
Analysis: The 2nd best fantasy defense returns practically unchanged and looks to improve in 2020 if they can get some help from their offense which will have a fully-healed Big Ben. They have top 5 defense written all over them.