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Fantasy Impact of Day Two of The NFL Draft

Jeremy Popielarz

@PopesFFH

Day Two NFL Draft Fantasy Impact 

Wow Friday night got crazy early as the trades started flying in! We saw 14 trades in round two and it had us on the edge of our seats. Most of these moves were made to bulk up the trenches for most of these teams. This is a great move by these teams as this class is on of the best recently. However for us fantasy managers we wanted that flashy skill player run. Remember though the skill players cant help us without the offensive line, so even if thy are not flashy those picks are helping your fantasy players! Lets break down the skill players from day two of the NFL Draft and the fantasy impact of their landing spot.

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Arizona Cardinals

The cardinals helped their young quarterback in round two as they used their 49th pick on Rondale Moore. Moore is a speedy undersized playmaker, he has great quickness and lateral agility. He fits Kingsbury’s model, he is a player when you get him in space it’s havoc trying to tackle him.

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As far as usage goes, I see him coming in and eating into the Kirk and Isabella roles. To me though Moore is going to be the Cardinals Deebo Samuel. He will take most of the jet sweeps and screens. I see him in the 15 percent target share range and becoming a staple near the goal line. This will be great for fantasy purposes, however don’t expect him to climb much higher then Mid level WR2 numbers ever. He is a WR3 with WR2 upside.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers committed to Darnold early on friday night passing on Mac Jones and Justin Fields, They also went on to pick up his 5th year option. So like all smart teams do they spent day two helping the young man out. They added one of my favorite receivers in this class in Terrace Marshall in the second, and Tight End Tommy Tremble in the third. Tremble does not excite me too much for fantasy as he feels like a full back than a tight end. He may be worth a late flier or free agent add post rookie draft.

Marshall is a big receiver who has good speed and contested catch ability, along with the ability to play in the slot and outside. On paper many will not like this landing spot, however I do! Last season Joe Brady ran a 3WR set over 70 percent of the time, when maintaining a 59 percent neutral pass rate. Although not the same skill set Marshall can come in and play as a big slot guy and hopefully get the 86 targets Curtis Samuel is leaving behind. This was an 18 percent target share, and they could even spread the ball more and bump it to 20 percent. Is he going to be a fantasy stud WR1, most likely not in this situation, but he can easily be a WR2 especially if he takes over the red-zone because of his size advantages.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns added their first offensive weapon in round three, as they added Anthony Schwartz. This speed wide receiver out of Auburn is a great add to an aging group of wide receivers. Schwartz is a field stretcher who will find his role through manufactured touches. He has track speed moving north and south, but he slows to a snail’s pace when asked to move laterally and make a defender miss. You will probably hear Tyreek Hill comps but please don”t listen he is not even close nor will he ever be. So as a fantasy asset I don’t find much here other than a late flier in rookie drafts.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos jumped up the board in a trade with Atlanta, when this happened I thought it had to be linebacker. However it was not as they added my RB1 in Javonte Williams. I love the pick and love the landing spot. On paper people may hate this and thats great for you and me, as he should slide in drafts. Williams brings size, vision, contact balance and a great catching ability to the back field. Gordon is aging and is on his last year of his deal.

Williams may split the work load in Denver with Gordon however we all saw Williams be highly productive in that situation for three years at UNC. For me we saw Gordons touches get limited at the back half or the season and this is a sign that Williams will be involved heavily. Lindsey saw 118 carries last season well getting 132 opportunities(carries+targets). Most of this work came in the later half of the year. If Williams is given this work load he could easily squeak into the RB2 range, then in 2022 its blast off and you have a lead back getting close to 280 opportunities. Patience is a virtue, remember that!

Green Bay Packers

The Packers finally did it folks! They selected a wide receiver who will fit in perfectly to Lafluer’s scheme. Adding Amari Rodgers in the third round was great this gives them a great slot slash hybrid weapon to use. He brings speed, physicality, good route running and versatility to this offense.

For him to become a fantasy relevant player he will have to eat into some targets from players like Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. I see him receiving a lot if not all of the Jamaal Williams passing work and taking some of these others targets. He could easily see a 15-18 percent target share. Rodgers is going to have a chance to finish as a top 20 wide receiver if he can win that second target role in this offense. This is all if Aaron Rodgers stays in Green Bay.

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Houston Texans

The Texans finally got to pick in round three on day two and they made a splash. With out saying it told us a little bit about the Watson situation possibly. They added Davis Mills with the third pick in the third round. Mills began to gain some steam as the draft drew near and for good reason. He was a top recruit who was derailed by some injuries, who has got pocket awareness and is very accurate passer. Find more on Mills in my Rookie Sleeper Article. He could see the field this season if Watson is done, which any fear.

Whoever the passer may be the Texans wanted to add a weapon for them, so they traded back into the third round and added Michigan receiver Nico Collins. I love this pick for Collins ad a fantasy asset. The Texans have ranked in the 20s when it comes to passing attempts the past two seasons. This is not a high volume passing game, however they lost Will Fuller in free agency and Collins is walking into a WR2 role on day one. Collins will be a WR3 with WR2 upside for fantasy. He should take over the red-zone targets as he is great at leveraging and with contested catches. He will be a riser in rookie drafts so don’t be afraid to take him in the mid second round he will pay off for you!

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers added two weapons to the offense for Justin Herbert in rounds two and three. Adding Josh Palmer and Tre McKitty, both are slightly un proven talents at the college level. McKitty is a tight end out of Georgia, who had limited touches but flashed when given the chance. There is a clear need at the position for the chargers so McKitty could find a route to fantasy relevance if given the main role for the chargers. I don’t expect crazy numbers from him but he is worth a flier in TEP leagues late in drafts.

Josh Palmer is a touch more interesting, as the chargers used high third round capital. He was taken over many other higher ranked players, but he brings size and contested catch ability to the group. He reminds me of a slower Mike Williams so he could find himself in Mike’s role in the next few years. I don’t see a route to fantasy relevance atleast on a regular basis for him in 2021. He is a high quality stash though, great round three or fourth target in rookie drafts.

Los Angeles Rams

In round two the Rams added another speedy weapon to for Matt Stafford, as they draft Tutu Atwell. He is very undersized at 5-9 and 155 pounds but he has great speed and can be used as weapon more than a receiver. I personally do not see a route for him to gain much fantasy relevance even in this landing spot.

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Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins added a second receiving tight end to their group as they draft Hunter Long in round three. I am not sure how I feel about this spot as he will be the second option behind Mike Gesicki. However Long is a nice prospect and is a solid blocker who can make an impact in the receiving game. He will most likely find little fantasy relevance unless he take over a lead role in the future. I will still be adding Long late in rookie drafts as he is a great stash.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings may have drafted Cousins successor in Kellen Mond in round three. Mond is an extremely raw talent who has mobility and a strong arm. However he struggles in decision making in the passing game and when to flea the pocket. He is a good stash based off of his huge upside if he puts all the traits together.

New York Jets

The Jets used their only pick on day two to add another weapon for Zach Wilson. Drafting Elijah Moore, the versatile receiver out of Ole Miss. He will be added to a crowded room in New York, However he is a very talent player who should win out. I feel like Crowder may be a cap causality with this pick. I can see Moore seeing close to a 15 percent target share and producing WR3 type numbers in year one.

This is a hard pick to gauge until we see what the team does the rest of the off season. I am still very much excited for Moore at the next level, year one may not be great but WR2 numbers are in his future. Do not miss out on him in the second round of your rookie drafts.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers addressed the tight end position on day two by adding Pat Freiermuth in the second round. I love this pick for the Steelers  and for Pat as a fantasy asset.  He is a big bodied tight end who is a solid blocker and does well in the receiving game. I can see him beating out Ebron year one, who had a 15 percent target share along with a 23 percent red zone target share.

Freiermuth should be a must add in the second round of rookie drafts even though the long term quarterback situation is in question. I can see high end TE2 numbers as a floor and middle TE1 numbers as his ceiling. Im all in on Freiermuth and I think you should be too!

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks used their only pick on day two to add D’Wayne Eskridge to the receiver corps. Eskridge is a speedy slot receiver who can take the top off a defense. Any Receiver paired with Wilson has my attention. However the Seahawks are rumored to want to get back to the ground game more this season. I still think there will be some serious passing volume coming out of Seattle.

This will be a good thing for Eskridge as he may become a solid flex play or fill in on bye weeks. I do not see him producing much more than WR3 numbers but in a fantasy world were more leagues are adding more and more flex positions he is a greta depth piece. You should be targeting him in the third round of your rookie drafts for sure.

San Fransisco 49ers 

The 49ers added Trey Sermon on day two, he joins a crowded backfield that includes Mostert, Wilson, Gallman and Hasty. I like the landing spot for Sermon as he brings something that all the others do not which is size and physicality. I will be keeping a close eye on the 49ers reports all summer as Sermon will have huge upside if some of these backs are released.

It is going to be a guessing game each week until we see the usage. This is going to be something to monitor in rookie drafts as he will jump up boards now for sure. We should be willing to spend a late second rounder or mid if you feel the need to add a running back. His upside is not huge as the 49ers like to deploy multiple backs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers added Kyle Trask late in the second round on Friday night. Trask is for sure a developmental piece behind Tom Brady, but he has a lot of work to do. Trask seems to be a career backup in my mind, his arm talent is questionable. He also does not add much in the rushing game so his fantasy outlook is not great even though he landed in Tampa bay. I will still be passing on Trask in rookie drafts, although in superflex leagues he will be worth a late flier.

Washington Football Team

The Football Team added Dyami Brown in the third round yesterday. I like the fit here as he can play as the second receiver to Mclaurin. Both guys have similar skill sets, this is not a bad thing as both can be effective underneath and over the top.

In an offense who passes 60 percent of the time in neutral game scripts there should be plenty of opportunity for Brown. He is going to be a second round pick in rookie drafts this offseason. I see Brown being used as a field stretcher more though and he has low-end WR2 potential in this offense.

 

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Jeremy Popielarz

@PopesFFH
I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. I am happily married to my wonderful wife Lauren. I am a life long Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres fan. To set the record straight, we don’t always have snow, and we do have the best pizza and wings! I have been playing dynasty fantasy football since 2016. Dynasty fantasy football is my niche, the process it takes to build a dynasty is so rewarding! I am excited to bring my ideas here to Yardsper, My evaluation process is a two step process. I use film study along with statistics and build a case for or against players. With this I determine their viably for fantasy production. 60 percent of the time it works all the time! Picking apart the incoming NFL rookie prospects has become one of my favorite parts of dynasty. My most important goal is to help everyone succeed and enjoy fantasy football as much as I do! Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @PopesFFH

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