Under-The-Radar Losers From the 2020 NFL Draft (Fantasy Football)

We know who the obvious losers were, let’s get that out of the way. Aaron Rodgers, The Packers fan base, every Packers player, etc. The list goes on. Mostly in Green bay. All joking aside, there were a few pretty obvious blemishes that have been discussed at length and can be seen in the amazing content on this site by my fellow contributors. I already wrote up the winners you may not have noticed, so it’s time to do the other side of the coin. These are more ‘deep thought’ situations that aren’t rearing their ugly head just yet, but might. It would be wise to make calculated dynasty moves now before others start to discuss these types of things.

Listen to the Fantasy Footballers cover the major winners & losers from the 2020 NFL Draft on this week’s podcasts. Let’s take a look at five less-than-obvious losers from the NFL Draft.

Tyler Boyd

Boyd has been a fringe fantasy asset for a while now. It’s not that he’s a bad player – he’s just not someone we really trust. It may be the random breakout or the lack of monster games, but there’s just something that feels off. The Bengals apparently agree since they took Tee Higgins at the top of round two to pair with Joe Burrow, when they have a lot of holes elsewhere. This signals to me a lack of faith in Boyd, but not a death sentence. Hopefully, Burrow will improve the entire offensive output, so Boyd’s sliced target share will be balanced out by some additional touchdowns. Right now I’d be cautiously holding Boyd, but not necessarily buying. 

Drew Brees

Brees is gonna Brees in 2020, but the fact that his offense is still entirely dependent on only Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara worries me. He’s on the verge of retirement, and he’s coming off a year where he spent a lot of time rehabbing an injury. It’s not a huge deal, but at his age, every big hit to his body is a scary one. Thomas is a monster, but imagine what he’d turn into if the Saints could pull some coverage off him just once in a while. He may break fantasy. For now, Brees is still a streamer on the road and a starter in good matchups at home, but he wasn’t exactly helped in this draft. Hopefully, one of my favorite TE targets in Dynasty leagues – Adam Trautman, will step in and become that number two option for Brees’ successor someday. If it’s Jameis, at least Trautman and Thomas will capture a lot of air yards. 

Sony Michel 

Michel is already a worrisome asset to own, and that was with Tom Brady at the helm. Right now the Patriots appear to have blind faith in Jarrett Stidham or have committed to tanking. Michel will now be a back on an offense that won’t see as many goal line touches, which means his value might decrease even more. On the flip side, it’s possible the Patriots open it up a bit and allow Stidham room to make mistakes. Either way, I’m scared to have Michel on a dynasty roster right now. He was tough to trade before the draft, so for me, he’s a hold. 

Austin Hooper 

The Browns took ANOTHER tight end. They have David Njoku who’s younger than half the guys in college, and they went out and snagged Austin Hooper who is one of the better tight ends in the league. They drafted another one in Harrison Bryant, who doesn’t dominate in any aspects of the game but does all things well. Hooper should be the starter, and Njoku will come in for certain personnel packages, but overall it’s a bizarre vote of confidence for Hooper as a pass-catcher. I would not be shocked at all if Cleveland still put Njoku on the field more in passing packages, and delegated Hooper to end zone and blocking duties more often than they send him downfield. I’m still targeting Njoku in dynasty since he’s dirt cheap and he’s like 12 years old, but I’m staying away from Hooper unless he falls in my lap. 

Allen Robinson 

Allen Robinson’s situation is a national travesty. He’s one of the best pure receivers in the league, but he’s held down year after year by terrible quarterback play and a lack of weapons elsewhere. The Bears took their tenth tight end (that’s not hyperbole, they actually have ten), and they made no investments in the skill position department in terms of immediate production. Cole Kmet has all the tools to be an impactful player eventually, but he won’t help Robinson in the short term in terms of drawing any coverage. It’s looking like another year of poor timing and under-throws, but Robinson should still produce for the most part since he’s a stone-cold baller. I can’t wait until he has the opportunity to take the next step, because I can assure you he’s talented enough to be a staple of this league. Our only hope is that Anthony Miller can take the next step and they can cover for Trubisky’s weaknesses.