What’s Wrong With Jonathan Taylor?

By: Brandon Carr

(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

A lot of rookies in the NFL this season have impressed. Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert look like franchise quarterbacks. Wide receivers like CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Jerry Jeudy, Tee Higgins, and Chase Claypool have all flashed in their own right. Running backs Clyde-Edwards Helaire and undrafted rookie James Robinson are both top 6 in the NFL in rushing yards. There is one rookie however who has received a lot of buzz, but for the wrong reasons. 

This rookie is Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. Taylor is one of the most successful college running backs we have seen in a long time. Taylor in 3 seasons playing for the Wisconsin Badgers had maybe the most dominant 3 year stretch in NCAA history for a running back. Taylor ran for the 6th most rushing yards in NCAA history with a total of 6,174 yards and had 55 total touchdowns. Taylor was a 2-time consensus all-American and won the Doak Walker award twice which is being recognized as the best running back in college football that season.

Taylor after entering the NFL draft was invited to participate in the NFL combine. Taylor at the combine was measured as being 5’10 and weighing 226 pounds which equates to workhorse/bell-cow running back size at the NFL level. Along with that size, he demonstrated his speed. Taylor at the combine ran a 4.39 40 which was the fastest out of any running back at the combine despite his size. He’s a freak athlete, you don’t see that combination of size and speed very often. PlayerProfiler’s comparison to Taylor is Ezekiel Elliott who Taylor is bigger and faster than which says a lot. 

With his measurements, college production, and athleticism, it seems like you’re looking at a can’t miss prospect at the position. Some have even tabbed Jonathan Taylor as a “generational” prospect with all of this getting taken into consideration. Taylor was the 3rd running back off the board and drafted by the Colts in the 2nd round of the NFL draft. 

Taylor by all accounts had a great training camp according to Colts media that were in attendance. Many had pointed out his power and speed being shown off on numerous occasions throughout camp. 

Frank Reich, despite Taylor flashing during training camp, still wanted this to be a committee backfield. Calling him and Marlon Mack a “1-1 punch” with Nyheim Hines being the third-down/satellite back. Many believed like me, that Taylor was going to be a league-winning type of player this season which is why Taylor was being drafted in the 3rd and 4th rounds of fantasy drafts. I for one believed that he was going to take Marlon Mack’s job at some point in the season because he was the better talent. But Taylor didn’t even need to do that to get the job.

Mack in week 1 against the Jaguars, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. This was an unfortunate way for Taylor to become the Colts starter, but anyone that invested in him felt that this was the time for Taylor to breakthrough. He had a 100-yard rushing game against the Vikings the next game and many thought that this was going to be a common theme. Taylor handled 26 carries in that game and while it may have not been an easy path to 100 yards (3.8 YPC), he still was the bell cow handling a majority of the Colts carries. You thought with a dominant Colts defense, a great offensive line, and Taylor being the best talent at the position by far on the roster, that you just got a steal in the draft with a guy who was getting RB1 volume in that game. However, that’s when things began going downhill.

Taylor since that game has not hit over 70 yards on the ground and has not hit over 20 carries in a game. But why is this the case? There’s a lot of different reasons but one that sticks out to me that I find to be pretty concerning is his sudden inconsistency with his vision. Taylor at the college level I thought possessed great vision. There weren’t many times where I thought Taylor missed holes while watching his tape. Watch this run right here. 

Unbelievable patience and vision to let the holes come to him and attack them with power the way he does on that play. Here is one more run showing that vision being put to display.

Exceptional vision on that play as well. But this hasn’t been the case so far at the NFL level. Here is the one play I have seen on Twitter that has gotten a lot of people talking.

This one is bad, he has a wide-open hole to the left side but he instead chooses to just run straight up the middle into a cluster.

It’s extremely odd, to say the least. This wasn’t a problem for him in college. His only knock was his that he had a tendency to fumble the ball which he has only done once this season so that hasn’t been an issue. There are more instances of Taylor being slow to read his blocks and it’s pretty concerning but I think looking deeper into it, it’s not all Jonathan Taylor’s fault. The Colts offensive line this season has been very underwhelming. They were Football Outsiders’ 12th ranked run-blocking offensive line last season and now this season, they currently are ranked 25th. Taylor has been nursing a minor ankle injury that could be hampering him slightly, the Colts have had a multitude of different ways of scoring touchdowns from inside the five that has limited his touchdown upside, and he is also seeing the 3rd most average defenders in the box according to PlayerProfiler with 7.3. But all in all, this has been a very disappointing season for someone a lot of people were very high on with everything seemingly in his favor to be successful. Taylor’s last three games especially have been disappointing, 61 rushing yards and 24 carries total with snap counts of 26, 21, and most recently 17. Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines have been out touching and out producing Taylor during this three-game stretch who aren’t on the same level of talent as Taylor.

If there is any bright spot to take away from Taylor’s season, it’s that he has been one of the more efficient pass-catching running backs this season. On 20 receptions he is averaging 8.9 yards per reception which is 4th among running backs and has a 90.9% catch rate which is 3rd among running backs (Player Profiler). Pass catching is something Wisconsin didn’t give him a chance to demonstrate very often but he’s shown he can be an every down back in NFL by excelling at this.

I think if I owned him in redraft, his value isn’t high right now so I would hold on because he has the Texans twice, the Packers, Raiders, and Titans in his remaining schedule who are all relatively friendly running back matchups where Taylor could breakthrough but I wouldn’t be opposed to moving him to try and upgrade if you can. In dynasty, I would hold on. I think before you anoint him a “bust,” I think you have to give him another season to see if there is any improvement. I think he’s a great buy-low candidate if the Taylor owner is tilting right now. 

I think Taylor can turn things around because he has the talent, it’s just a matter of will he be able to read his blocks better and if the Colts offensive line can help him out more. I think the game could be just hitting Taylor too fast which makes sense because some guys take longer to adapt to the next level especially the system he was in at Wisconsin, it was easier for him to be successful than it is now for him. He has had a couple plays where he’s flashed but I think time will tell. Don’t give up yet!

NBA Award Predictions (2019-2020 Season)

By: Brandon Carr

The NBA has officially announced the finalists for every regular-season award. There are 6 major awards the NBA gives out that includes, the MVP, the DPOY, the ROY, the COY, the MIP, and the 6th MOY. In this article, I will be making my NBA writing return by giving my predictions on who will win each of these awards. So let’s get right into it!

Taken From @NBA On Instagram

6th Man Of The Year

Finalists: 

Montrezl Harrell (Clippers)

Dennis Schröder (Thunder)

Lou Williams (Clippers)

Having a good 6th man that provides that spark off the bench is crucial to team success. Fortunately this season, we have three guys who are all deserving of this honor. I had thought coming in that I had a clear winner here for this award, but after doing research and comparing all three of these players seasons, I found that I had a new clear winner of this award.

The winner of the 2019-2020 NBA 6th man of the year award should be Montrezl Harrell. This may come as a surprise to some of you, but if you look at the numbers, Harrell far and away had the best numbers out of both Dennis Schröder and Lou Williams.

According to Basketball-Reference, Harrell had more total win shares and more defensive and offensive win shares than Williams and Schröder. What win shares are if you don’t know, tells you how many wins that player contributes via their offensive and/or their defense. Harrell was better than both of them in these categories despite playing fewer minutes per game than Williams and Schröder. Harrell also was second only behind Kawhi Leonard on his own team in win shares, which was even more than Paul George.

Harrell, if he wins this award, would be the first big man since Lamar Odom in 2011 to win the 6th man of the year award. I think it’s pretty clear that he should take home this award. If you want to look at win shares again, Schröder is 6th on his own team in total win shares and in offensive/defensive win shares. Williams was 5th in total win shares and offensive win shares on his own team and 7th in defensive win shares on his own team. I thought going in, Schröder was going to be the guy I would take but after my research, I am taking Harrell with no doubts.

Winner: Montrezl Harrell

Taken From @NBA On Instagram

Most Improved Player

Finalists:

Bam Adebayo (Heat)

Luka Dončić (Mavericks)

Brandon Ingram (Pelicans)

The most improved player of the year award in the NBA is awarded to the player who has a huge improvement from the season they had previously. The NBA had a lot of improved players, some who were first-time all-stars due to their improvements. But they have narrowed it down to 3 guys.

I eliminated Luka Dončić from the equation because yes he improved a lot, but I think everyone expected this from him based on what we saw in his rookie year. We knew Dončić was going to be special right out of the gate and he proved that. Now with Brandon Ingram and Bam Adebayo, I don’t think we expected these two guys to be here when the season started.

Deciding who would win between the both of them was hard for me, but after research and thinking about it, I would have to go with Bam Adebayo as the 2019-2020 NBA most improved player. 

Adebayo, unlike Ingram, wasn’t a starter last season in Miami. Adebayo only started in 23 games for the Heat out of 82 and only averaged 8.9 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game in 23.3 minutes of play. This was because of the presence of Hasaan Whiteside, who was the Heat’s starting center during the 2018-2019 season. Whiteside was traded in the offseason to the Portland Trail Blazers and this opened up an opportunity for Adebayo to insert himself in the starting lineup. With this opportunity, he proved why he was a first-round pick back in 2017.

Adebayo’s numbers shot up from 8.9 PPG to 16.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG to 10.4 RPG, and 0.6 BPG to 1.3 BPG which earned Adebayo his first NBA all-star selection of his career.

I won’t take anything away from Brandon Ingram who had himself an incredible season. Ingram improved in a lot of major statistical categories on a new team. He was the Pelicans’ leading scorer on the season and he became a first-time all-star himself which is nothing to scoff at. It was certainly a tough decision for me to make but based on how much they both improved, I think Adebayo improved a lot more than Ingram did by coming off the bench into an all-star starting power forward and center which was enough for me to give Adebayo the edge. 

Winner: Bam Adebayo

Taken From @NBA On Instagram

Coach Of The Year

Finalists:

Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)

Billy Donovan (Thunder)

Nick Nurse (Raptors)

The coach of the year award might be the most sought after award in the NBA. It’s an award that doesn’t get enough recognition from fans, however, for coaches, this is a prestigious award to win. You think about some of the greatest coaches of all time like Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Gregg Popovich who have been multiple time winners of this award. You want your name to be with these all-time greats if your a head coach.

I like all three options for this year’s COY as they all have a compelling case to be made on why they should win this award. The one that I would say sticks out to me the most is Nick Nurse from the Toronto Raptors.

Nurse and the reigning and defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors had a lot of doubts if they could repeat their success from the season prior. They lost their finals MVP and one of the best players in the NBA in Kawhi Leonard to free agency. According to Pro Basketball-Reference, the Raptors were slated to finish as the 5th seed in the eastern conference with a 46.5 over/under win total. Well, the Raptors did go over that amount and are currently the number two seed in the eastern conference, showing that they still can be a good team even with the loss of their superstar small forward. 

What also brought me to choosing Nurse over both Mike Budenholzer and Billy Donovan is first of all for Budenholzer, according to ESPN, there has never been a back to back head coach of the year in the history of the NBA which means history is against him for winning it again this year despite having the best record in the league. For Donovan, the Thunder have blown away expectations and they have gone from being a team that wasn’t going to make the playoffs in many people’s eyes, to currently the 5th seed in the western conference. But history is also not on Donovan’s side as a coach has not been named coach of the year with a seeding lower than the 4th seed since 2007 when Sam Mitchell coached the Raptors to a 47-35 record. If Donovan can get the Thunder to the 4th seed, then I would strongly consider him, but I think Nick Nurse as of right now should be named as the NBA coach of the year.

Winner: Nick Nurse

Taken From @NBA On Instagram

Defensive Player Of The Year

Finalists:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

Anthony Davis (Lakers)

Rudy Gobert (Jazz)

Defense is a part of basketball that a lot of players pride themselves on to be good at. It sometimes is scarier to your opponent that you are a good defensive player rather than a good scorer. They say defense wins championships all the time in sports, but right now we’re going to talk about which one of these three guys’ defense should win them the NBA defensive player of the year.

The three names on this list are all according to Pro Basketball Reference, top 3 in the NBA in defensive win shares. Rudy Gobert is looking to be the first player since Dwight Howard to win the defensive player of the year award, three times in a row while Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are looking for their first defensive player of the year awards of their careers. Although Antetokounmpo is the NBA’s leader in defensive win shares, he is not the guy I am taking to win this award. 

Anthony Davis is number two on this list, but for Davis, him coming over to the Lakers caused them to improve significantly on defense. The season prior, they were ranked 12th in the NBA in defensive rating which is still above average, but now adding Davis has them currently ranked 3rd in the NBA in defensive rating. Davis between Antetokounmpo and Gobert had averaged more blocks and steals per game as an added incentive to his chances of winning.

Antetokounmpo may have finished number one in the NBA in defensive win shares and Milwaukee may have finished number one in the NBA in defensive rating in 2019-2020 as a team, but if you take a look at where Antetokounmpo’s teammates finished in defensive win shares compared to Davis’ teammates, you can see that it wasn’t just Antetokounmpo who made Milwaukee a defensive juggernaut. According to Pro Basketball Reference, Milwaukee had 5 players, including Antetokounmpo, finish 21st in the NBA or higher in defensive win shares. Most notably center Brook Lopez finished 4th in the NBA in defensive win shares. Davis only had one teammate in the top 30 with LeBron James finishing 6th in defensive win shares. So essentially, Antetokounmpo had more help defensively than Davis did and the Lakers still were 3rd in defensive rating despite only 2 players in the top 30. I will give Davis the edge over the Greek Freek for this award.

Winner: Anthony Davis

Taken From @NBA On Instagram

Rookie Of The Year

Finalists:

Ja Morant (Grizzlies)

Kendrick Nunn (Heat)

Zion Williamson (Pelicans)

The rookie of the year in the NBA, an award that so many all-time greats have won. All-time greats like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Larry Bird to name a few, have won this award. The award this year has had some buzz around it with the number one and number two overall picks in the 2019 NBA draft in Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. I have had many debates with who should win this award, and as of today, I still stand by my pick.

Ja Morant was made the number two overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft when the Memphis Grizzlies selected him. Morant has shown throughout the season that he has lived up to the hype as the #2 pick. Morant led all rookies this season in points per game (min 40 games played) with 17.8 PPG and in assists per game with 7.1 APG, while currently having the Grizzlies in position to grab the 8th seed in the western conference.

Why I would take Morant over Zion Williamson is very simple. Williamson as of today has only played in 23 games in his rookie season and he projects by the end of the season to have only played in 26 regular season games as a rookie. Morant has played in 41 more games than Williamson has and no matter how much better Williamson has been than Morant when he has played, he doesn’t have enough games to win this award. I am not taking anything away from Williamson, he has been nothing short of spectacular when has played, but he has missed too much of the season to be named over Morant.

Winner: Ja Morant

Taken From @NBA On Instagram

MVP

Finalists:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

LeBron James (Lakers)

James Harden (Rockets)

The NBA MVP, the most prestigious individual regular-season award in all of basketball. The award that represents who the best player in the NBA was for that season. An award that every all-time great has won and this season, we happen to have all former MVPs as the three finalists to add another MVP to their trophy room.

This year, I think you can make an argument for all three finalists for this award. There however can only be one winner of the MVP award, so it has to go only one of these superstars. That guy for me, goes by the nickname of the Greek Freak.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was the winner of this award last season, and rightfully so. Antetokounmpo took the Milwaukee Bucks to the number one seed in the eastern conference with an NBA best 60 wins in the 2018-2019 season. Antetokounmpo happened to do the same thing this season. The Bucks are the number one seed in the eastern conference with the most wins in the NBA. Well, you may be thinking to yourself, Antetokounmpo’s numbers can’t possibly have gotten better from last year’s MVP season. But you are mistaken because he got better.

Antetokounmpo’s stat line from his 2018-2019 MVP season looked like this, 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, and 57.8% FG. Antetokounmpo’s stat line this season looks like this, 29.7 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 55.5% FG. Now yes, his assist numbers did take a slight dip and so did his field goal percentage from last season, but with an improvement in points per game and in rebounds per game, I think it’s safe to say that he did improve from the season prior. Even his three-point percentage went from 25.6% to 30.8% which is what you don’t want if you are any opposing team is to see Antetokounmpo hitting threes. His win shares have gone down which is expected with his team winning fewer games than they did the previous year, but at the end of the day they are still the number one team in the NBA in terms of team record and the biggest reason is because of the Greek Freak.

LeBron James and James Harden both had tremendous seasons and if you pick any of them I will have no problem with it, but when you improved upon the MVP season that you just had with really the same narrative last season in your favor once again as to why you won the award, then how could the Greek Freak not be the league’s MVP again? 

Winner: Giannis Antetokounmpo

I would love to hear your predictions on these awards! My Twitter is @bcarr_13 and you can let me know if you agree or disagree!

Early Preview Of The 2021 Wide Receiver Draft Class (Part 1)

By: Brandon Carr

One of my favorite things that I look forward to every year is the NFL Draft. I know we are only in the summer and we still have an entire college football season to play, but I figured it isn’t too early to take a look at some of college’s best prospects. I wanted to focus on the wide receivers in this article because this class is being hyped up as being even better than the class we just had, which an argument can be made for that. But that isn’t the focus of this article. In this article, I will be previewing the class and what I think about each receiver, so without further ado, let’s get right into it! (These are not my rankings, will come at a later date)

Photo Taken By (Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)

Ja’Marr Chase (LSU)

Ja’Marr Chase is coming off of maybe the best sophomore wide receiver season we have ever seen in college football. Chase last season caught 84 passes for 1,780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. Chase led the NCAA in receiving yards and in receiving touchdowns this past season playing for the national champion LSU Tigers. This performance led to Chase winning the Biletnikoff award for being the nation’s most outstanding wide receiver, being an unanimous All American, and earning a first team All-SEC selection in 2019.

From what I watched on film from Chase, I saw that he clearly has that dog in him that a true number one wide receiver possesses. Chase is a phenomenal athlete who is great after the catch, a great route-runner, a great jump ball receiver, and can separate against most corners. Here are a couple of in game clips from Chase….

Chase I believe doesn’t have any weaknesses to his game, except for one thing that I noticed when watching one of his games. When LSU played Mississippi State this year, Chase caught 5 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, which sounds like a decent game but what gets talked about is when he lined up against Cameron Dantzler in that game. Chase only caught 1 pass for 6 yards when he lined up against Dantzler. Dantzler is a tall corner as he is 6’2 and uses that to his advantage when going against his competition. Chase struggled to get separation against Dantzler, especially in press coverage. This wasn’t the only time Chase struggled against physicality at the line of scrimmage. When LSU played Alabama this year, Chase did have a great game but there were times if you go back and watch the tape, Chase was being pressed and tended to struggle getting separation due to those corners getting up in his face. This doesn’t mean that Chase is necessarily not physical. Look at Chase when he is attacking the ball in the air and when he gets the ball in his hands. He will need to find different ways to separate against those types of corners, but he’s just so good that I know he can figure it out and this is something that can be worked on.

Really think about what Chase did last season. He showed that he was the alpha wide receiver on a LSU team that arguably is the greatest college football team of all time and he was only a sophomore. That is unbelievable!

Chase is just too damn good to not really see a significant drop off in his production. Plus, there are a lot of targets that are no longer on LSU with Justin Jefferson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Thaddeus Moss all heading to the NFL. Chase already has gotten praise from people in the NFL. Here is a quote from a NFC executive on Chase, How good is he? He’s better already than Odell [Beckham] was coming out,” said one NFC exec. “Dynamic. A game-changer.” And if he’d been eligible, he’d probably have been the first receiver to go this year.” Chase could’ve very well been the first guy off the board. He will have a new quarterback in Myles Brennan this year but I think with a larger target share in this offense, means that he will receive more volume which means his numbers will still be good. Look for him to be a Biletnikoff finalist once again this season and a early first round selection in the NFL draft.

Social media reacts to Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman's decision to ...
Photo Taken By (Jesse Johnson/USA Today Sports)

Rashod Bateman (Minnesota)

Next we have Rashod Bateman from the Minnesota Gophers. Bateman, unlike everyone else on this list, has opted out of this season due to COVID-19 concerns. For Bateman it makes a lot of sense considering he is already being seen among NFL scouts and draft analysts as a first round prospect. Why is he a first round talent? All you have to do is just watch Bateman play to see that he can be an alpha WR at the NFL level. 

Bateman served as the team’s second option in the passing game for the first two seasons of his college career as he played alongside Tyler Johnson who eventually would be selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL draft. Bateman last season posted phenomenal numbers when he caught 60 passes for 1,219 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns even with Johnson in the fold. Bateman’s performance earned him First Team All-Big Ten honors, a semi-finalist finish in the Biletnikoff award race, and was named the Big Ten receiver of the year when he won the Richter-Howard award. 

Bateman when you watch him on film is just so talented. You can make an argument that Bateman is the best all around receiver in the class. He’s not the fastest or the most athletic receiver in this class but he makes up for it with his superb route running, separation, hands, and RAC ability. Here are a few clips that show Bateman putting all of these tools to use….

Bateman if he had played this season could’ve cemented himself as the best WR in this class because he would be the no doubt alpha on this Gophers team with little to no competition for significant targets. Bateman even though he didn’t produce as much as Johnson did, you could tell that he was far better than Johnson was on the field which says a lot of how good Bateman can be at the next level. I don’t suspect his draft stock will fall with him opting out of the season, he has two years worth of film for teams to look at and I think that’s enough for teams to be content with selecting Bateman in round 1 of the draft.

Who is Chris Olave? Meet Ohio State football's latest living ...
Photo Taken By (Joe Maiorana/USA Today Sports)

Chris Olave (Ohio State)

Chris Olave from Ohio State is next up to talk about. Olave, coming off of his sophomore year, was one of Justin Fields’ go to options in the passing game. Olave racked up 48 receptions for 840 yards and 12 touchdown receptions which earned him Third Team All Big-Ten honors.

Olave has a lot of great wide receiver skills that can translate to success at the next level. The only thing he lacks in my opinion is that he’s not a big enough receiver to be effective after the catch and be a physical presence but everything else that Olave is good at are all traits that can make him a solid NFL wide receiver. Olave is sneaky fast, he’s not your usual 4.3 Ohio State wide receiver, but he’s faster than a lot of guys on the field. He’s a crafty route runner who plays more physical than he looks with his above average jump ball ability. Here are a couple of clips so you can get a visual representation of what he can do….

Olave this upcoming season is going to feast with K.J. Hill, Austin Mack, and Binjimen Victor all out of the picture. Olave will work alongside sophomore Garrett Wilson and a lot of incoming true freshman. Olave should be the number one for Justin Fields this season once again and his numbers are bound to improve even more. I think Olave is a guaranteed second round pick for the 2021 NFL draft, with upside to crack the first round.

Jaylen Waddle helps Alabama regain lead on 58-yard TD! | Roll Tide ...
Photo Taken By (John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports)

Jaylen Waddle (Alabama)

We’re going to finish up part 1 of this article by talking about two Alabama wide receivers. First let’s get to Jaylen Waddle. Waddle this past season took a dip in his receiving numbers from his freshman season but Waddle in the 2019 season finished with 33 receptions for 560 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns. What Waddle excels at is his kick/punt return ability. Waddle returned 20 punts for 487 yards, returned 5 kicks for 175 yards, and finished with 2 special teams touchdowns. Waddle led the NCAA in punt return yards (487) and average yards per punt return (24.4 YPPR). Waddle’s season led him to be named the SEC special teams player of the year and to be named to the First Team All-SEC team. 

If I could use any word to describe Jaylen Waddle, it would probably be electrifying. When he gets the ball in his hands, good luck to opposing defenders. Waddle is elite in the open field, he’s got extremely fast twitch reflexes that cause him to be able to change direction on a dime while maintaining his speed. His ability to make people miss might be the best I have seen in a long time. Enjoy these clips I found that will just blow your mind on how good Waddle is with the ball in his hands….

Waddle this season with Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs leaving for the NFL draft, will have an expanded role in the 2020 season. His only real competition for targets will be DeVonta Smith at Alabama which means he’s due for a huge season in the receiving game. Waddle had been operating as the team’s fourth string receiver ever since he was at Alabama and he’s done a lot with his opportunities when he has gotten on the field. To me it speaks volumes that in his freshman season he was able to catch 45 passes for 848 yards and 7 touchdowns, being behind all of these other guys. Waddle needs to expand his route tree with his larger role and he’s still raw in some technical areas of his game, but from what I have seen from him when he runs the routes he is asked of, he looks really sharp. I think that this transition to a larger role will be no problem for Waddle and I can’t wait to watch him go to work this year. I think Waddle also is a name to watch for the Paul Hornung award this year as the nation’s most versatile player based on what he’ll do on offense and special teams this year. Waddle I project will be a first round pick when we get to the 2021 NFL draft.

Spotlighting DeVonta Smith as he looks for first-round value
Photo Taken By (Nelson Chenault/USA Today Sports)

DeVonta Smith (Alabama)

Now we get to the other Alabama wide receiver and his name is DeVonta Smith. Smith in his junior season last year, caught 68 passes for 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns. Smith earned himself the First Team All-SEC honors with this peformance.

Smith reminds me a lot of Chris Olave who I talked about earlier. Both are the same height at 6’1, but both also are lean with by weighing under 200 pounds. Smith will need to put on more muscle in order for him to fare better against physical corners, but like Olave, they both can beat coverages with footwork and route running ability. Smith is sneaky fast, along with being a great route runner, he is a guy who isn’t afraid to go across the middle with sure hands and make plays after the catch. Smith is a great all around wide receiver, who can succeed at the NFL level. Here are some clips I found of Smith that show his strengths….

Smith in 2021 just like Waddle, will be able to capitalize with more targets set to come his way however unlike Waddle, Smith was able to have a monster season despite Ruggs and Jeudy being there. Smith led the team in receiving touchdowns and yards so his chances of doing that again are even higher with more targets his way. When a receiver puts up a stat line of 11 receptions for 274 yards and 5 touchdowns in a game against SEC competition, you know that they have to be something special, and that’s what Smith is. To think of what he did last year and with those numbers being even better, it’s truly mind blowing that he could break Alabama team records. This makes Smith a favorite to win the Biletnikoff award in 2020.

For both Waddle and Smith losing Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback is going to be a challenge, however Mac Jones I think will be competent enough for Waddle and Smith to produce, especially how both can separate at a high level, it’ll make Jones’ job a lot easier. Smith will be at the very least a second round pick, and if he has a better year than last year, he should earn himself a first round selection in April.

That will do it for part 1 of this early preview of the 2021 wide receiver class. Make sure you follow my Twitter @bcarr_13 so you can know the next time I put out another article!

Grading Antonio Brown’s Rumored Landing Spots For His Fantasy Football Outlook

By: Brandon Carr

Photo Taken By (Lynne Sladky/Associated Press)

Here we are in July with the NFL season drawing closer and closer and Antonio Brown is still not on an NFL roster. Brown was last seen on the Patriots back in Week 2 of the 2019-2020 NFL season before he was then released after sexual assault allegations. Since then Brown has been linked with a few NFL teams. The following teams have had rumors recently that have linked Brown to them, the Houston Texans, the Seattle Seahawks, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers and the Ravens both have denied having any interest in signing Brown meanwhile the Texans and the Seahawks have not denied any reports. For the purposes of this article, let’s say that Brown does have the interest of all of these teams. 

Instead of looking at it in terms of what would be best for Brown to be happy, I want to take a look at it in terms of fantasy football. What would happen if Brown signed with these teams? Who would benefit and who wouldn’t? And most importantly, what would this mean for Brown’s fantasy outlook?

Before I dive into the four teams, let’s take a look at Brown’s fantasy finishes since 2013 in half-point PPR formats….

Antonio Brown Fantasy Finishes Since 2013 (HPPR)

  • 2013: WR6 (253.9)
  • 2014: WR1 (316.4)
  • 2015: WR1 (314.2)
  • 2016: WR3 (254.3)
  • 2017: WR2 (259.8)
  • 2018: WR4 (271.7)

Brown’s five top 5 HPPR finishes since 2013 are the most by any WR in the NFL and his 1,669.7 HPPR fantasy points in total, are the most by any WR in the NFL since 2013. Brown also had the second and the third best full PPR finish in a season for a WR since 1995 when he scored 388.2 points in 2015 and 386.9 points in 2014.

Just goes to show how great Brown has been since he emerged. You can make an argument that he has been the best fantasy football WR this past decade. A true elite WR1 option that couldn’t do any wrong and a player that was on plenty of championship-winning rosters.

Brown is currently is still under investigation by the NFL and this could lead to a possible suspension for Brown once the NFL concludes their investigation which is something to keep in mind. 

In my opinion, I believe Brown still has it in him to be a great fantasy option. Maybe not a surefire WR1 option but I think the talent is still there for Brown to be very relevant for fantasy. If he is suspended by the NFL, he could still be relevant for the second half of the season which could lead to a similar situation with Kareem Hunt last season. All of this depends on the situation he finds himself in. So with that being said, let’s take a look at these potential landing spots for Brown (I will be grading Brown’s fantasy outlook)…

Houston Texans

The rumors of Brown to the Texans started when former NFL wide receiver and friend of Brown, Chad Johnson tweeted the following….

After this was tweeted, Texans starting quarterback Deshaun Watson tweeted this photo adding more fuel to the fire….

Now, the Texans are a very interesting team for me when it comes to fantasy football. They just traded away their best receiver and considered one of if not the best wide receiver in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins. To help replace Hopkins’ production, the Texans then traded for former Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks to fill in that void. Right now the Texans wide receiver corps consist of the following players….

  • Brandin Cooks
  • Will Fuller
  • Kenny Stills
  • Randall Cobb
  • Keke Coutee
  • Isaiah Coulter (Rookie)

The top two receivers on the depth chart Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller have been injury prone up to this point in their careers. Fuller has never played a full season in his career, suffering injuries such as an ACL tear, a core muscle tear, a clavicle fracture, along with many other injuries that has caused him to miss time. As for Cooks, he has been knocked out of many games especially over the past couple of seasons due to mainly concussions.

Considering that you have your two starting outside wide receivers who can’t be trusted to play a full 16 games and with the rest of the receiving corps being average, signing Brown doesn’t seem like a bad option for the Texans. Deshaun Watson is going to need someone that he can trust on this Texans offense and Brown can be just that for Watson. Watson is one of the game’s best quarterbacks and is just entering his prime. DeAndre Hopkins in his three years as Watson’s number one target has averaged 162.3 targets over that span and his lowest number of targets was 150 last season. Brown has never had anything lower than 154 targets in a season since 2013. 

I believe out of these four teams, this is the best fantasy landing spot for Brown considering he would have a real shot, in my opinion, to finish as a WR1 this season with the Texans if he did play a full 16 games. Watson would be a huge winner in this scenario because he would be getting a guy who may not exactly be able to replicate what Hopkins has done for him but he in my opinion would be a more than a capable number one option for Watson. In terms of everyone else on the team, this would hurt them considering that Brown would be receiving a lot of targets from Watson, however, if Brown is going to be someone that defenses are going to want to focus on containing, then this could mean that guys like Cooks or Fuller could benefit seeing less attention from defenses. I think that would benefit them for real-life football instead of fantasy but having steady volume is so crucial and the Brown signing would hurt more so for fantasy purposes. 

This situation for Brown is just too good in my opinion and this will give him the best chance to insert himself back into fantasy relevance especially if the Texans are dealing with injuries at the position by the time Brown comes back from suspension.

The AB Grade: A

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks have been rumored to be a possible Brown destination for a while now. Russell Wilson has publicly acknowledged how much he would love to throw the ball to Brown and the Seahawks have been rumored to have had previous internal discussions on signing him. We recently saw a video of Brown working out with Wilson at Wilson’s field at his home….

The Seahawks I believe are the most likely team to sign Brown at this point. They haven’t denied their interest in him and the Seahawks last season did sign Josh Gordon who had some baggage attached to his name which shows they wouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger on Brown when the time is right. 

Now for fantasy purposes, this would not be good for guys like Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Brown figures to work on the outside which I believe could more so affect Metcalf than Lockett considering Lockett spent most of his time in the slot last season. Lockett 60.1% of the time when lined up, was in the slot rather than the outside. Brown figures to be on the outside if he were to sign with the Seahawks so Lockett’s role as the slot receiver figures to remain the same but with fewer targets. 

As for Metcalf, he just was able to hit the 100 target threshold his rookie season, if Brown comes aboard, that target number I see taking a huge hit on a week to week basis. Metcalf’s catch rate was below 60% which means he’s not making the most out of his opportunities when the ball is being thrown his way. If there is not high volume for a guy like that, then this would make him a boom or bust type of player every week. Metcalf would end up being third in the pecking order and his fantasy value would take a huge hit. Metcalf would still be a good option in best-ball leagues but regular leagues, I would be trying to trade him before Brown comes into the fold.

I don’t think that this is the worst situation for Brown considering that his quarterback is one of the best in football but considering there are two guys on the team who both had at least 100 targets last season in a Pete Carroll offense that has historically more so leaned towards the running game, Brown may not be a guy who’s going to be a league winner in that scenario. But this is still a solid spot for his fantasy outlook in my opinion.

The AB Grade: B

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens were a team that was rumored to have had an interest in signing Brown like the Seahawks and that they had internal discussions about the possibility. However, ESPN’s Josnia Anderson had reported that the Ravens were not being considered as a “future potential destination” for Brown. However, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had stated that he would be happy if the Ravens signed Brown previously. It makes sense why there’s rumors considering we have seen that Brown had been working out with Jackson and Ravens WR Hollywood Brown who happens to be cousins with Brown….

I’m sure that Brown would love to sign with Baltimore to play alongside his cousin and the MVP of the NFL in Jackson. The Ravens also happen to be in the same division as the Pittsburgh Steelers where Brown spent the first 9 years of his NFL career at.

For fantasy football, I wouldn’t like this move so much really for anyone except Jackson. The Ravens threw the ball the least amount of times in the NFL with Jackson only throwing it 401 times all season long. Now, this number figures to see an increase considering you don’t see a team running the ball almost 600 times in a season and rushing for an NFL record 3,296 yards as a team very often, but the Ravens are still going to be throwing the ball at one of the lowest rates in the NFL as long as Jackson is the quarterback of the team. 

Mark Andrews led the Ravens in targets with 98 on the season and he did this while only playing on 43.2% of the Ravens offensive snaps. Brown coming along I don’t think would really hurt Andrews considering that the Ravens love using their tight ends. 3 of the 5 most targeted Ravens last season were tight ends and the tight end landscape right now for fantasy is so poor that Andrews would still be a TE1 with no problem. The targets on a week to week basis could see a slight downgrade but that is about it. 

Hollywood Brown out of everyone in my opinion would take a huge hit in his volume. Hollywood would be in a similar situation as D.K. Metcalf where he would receive lower volume and be the third option on the team with Brown on the field. Hollywood just like Metcalf, would be a guy that is a boom or bust play for the season. I do however think Brown could benefit in terms of real-life football with his development by seeing less attention from the defense.

This landing spot for Brown isn’t the most ideal situation for me for fantasy purposes. I think that he wouldn’t be seeing a high amount of targets that he should be receiving. But he would end up being the number one WR option for Jackson when he returns from suspension. For real-life football, I would love this spot for Brown, but for fantasy I don’t love it so much.

The AB Grade: C

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last but not least we have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This organization has been linked to Brown ever since they signed Tom Brady this offseason. Every time that the Bucs have been brought up as a landing spot for Brown, there has been a source that has denied that the Bucs have any interest in Brown’s services. Most recently by Rick Stroud who is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times. We also know about the relationship between Brown and Brady with it being reported that Brady has been keeping in touch with Brown since the Patriots released him last season and Brown has publicly stated before that he only wants to play with Brady if he returns to the NFL.

In real-life football, I would love to see Brady throwing the ball to Brown, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski, but for fantasy, this would be very hard to project who would be getting the ball in this offense.

When you have all of these weapons to throw the ball to, it would be very hard to keep everyone involved. Brady obviously is the biggest beneficiary but every other player in this offense is taking a hit. 

Chris Godwin had 121 targets and Mike Evans had 118 targets last season even with both missing the last few games of the season. It is extremely rare for 3 WRs to have over 100 targets on the same team. Most recently, you would have to look at the 2013 Denver Broncos who had Demaryius Thomas with 142 targets, Eric Decker with 136 targets, and Wes Welker with 111 targets accomplish this feat. Thomas finished as the WR1, Decker finished as the WR9, and Welker finished as the WR20 in HPPR formats that season.

Considering how rare this is and we don’t know if we can expect Brady to throw 40-50 touchdowns this season, I don’t believe that this Bucs team would be able to do what that Broncos team did. The Bucs last season threw the ball the 4th most times in the NFL with 630 attempts, the Broncos that season threw the ball the 2nd most times in the NFL with 675 attempts. It would be an extremely tall task for the Bucs to accomplish.

Everyone on the Bucs would be seeing one on one coverage every single play which would be impossible for NFL offenses to stop. However it would be too hard to project on where everyone would finish and considering how rare it is for something like what the Broncos did to happen. Considering Brown most likely is getting suspended would mean Godwin and Evans would be fine to start the season but when Brown comes back and if he’s on the Bucs, it’s going to throw a wrench for the rest of the season. I think depending on the week Evans could be the most targeted or Godwin or Brown there won’t be any consistency there and you will have a lot of boom or bust weeks from all of these guys. So overall, I don’t love this for Brown’s fantasy outlook with the amount of mouths to feed on the offense.

The AB Grade: D+

I do hope that Brown eventually gets his opportunity to play in the NFL again. I may not agree with the actions he has taken over the past year, but a guy who is this talented should not be a free agent. Brown was a guy who won me my first fantasy football league back in 2015, so I have a soft spot for him. I would hate to see his career go to waste for some questionable decisions he has made but nonetheless, we will have to wait and see if Brown gets his chance to play again in the NFL.

Follow Me On Twitter: @b_carr13

My Top 5 College Quarterbacks Of The Decade (2010-2019)

By: Brandon Carr

I have been seeing a lot of discussion amongst the people of the football community. The discussion has been about, who the best college quarterback of the last decade is. This has led to a lot of great discussions and I wanted to get in on this. Instead of choosing one I wanted to go an extra step forward and give my top 5 list. There will not be any current collegiate quarterbacks on this list (aka Trevor Lawrence).

We won’t be looking at these quarterbacks in terms of how highly touted of a prospect they were, but what will determine their ranking on my list is how successful they were at the college level, how long they sustained their success, and what did they accomplish during their tenure. Spoiler alert there will be no Joe Burrow or Cam Newton on this list because yes they were dominant but they were dominant for one season. If we were talking about single greatest seasons, both of these guys would be number 1 and number 2 on that list.  

With that being said, without further ado, here are my top 5 college quarterbacks in the last 10 years….

Photo Taken From (Getty Images)

5.) Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)

Redshirt Freshman Year: 13 games 295/434=68% 3,706 passing yards 26 passing touchdowns 9 interceptions 201 rushing attempts 1,410 rushing yards 21 rushing touchdowns (11-2 record)
Redshirt Sophomore Year: 13 games 300/429=69.9% 4,114 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 144 rushing attempts, 759 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns (8-4 record)
CAREER: 26 games 595/863=68.9% 7,820 passing yards, 63 passing touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 2,169 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns (19-6 record)
Awards: 2x First Team All-SEC (2012 and 2013), Consensus All-American (2012), Heisman Trophy Winner (2012), Heisman Trophy Finalist (2013), Davey O’Brien Award (Best QB in college football 2012), Manning Award (Best QB in the United States 2012), AP Player Of The Year (2012), SEC Offensive Player Of The Year (2012) Cotton Bowl Winner (2012) and Chick-fil-A Bowl Winner (2013)

Johnny Football might have not exactly panned out at the NFL level when he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns but there is no doubt about it that Manziel put together a great two year stretch with the Aggies in 2012 and 2013.

You can argue that Manziel may have had one of the greatest freshman seasons by any college quarterback of all time. He is the only freshman to ever win the Heisman trophy and has the most rushing yards by a freshman quarterback along with the most offensive yards by a freshman quarterback in NCAA history. Manziel followed up that freshman season with his best passing season where he threw for 37 touchdowns which were the most in a season all-time by an Aggies quarterback. Manziel was a true dual-threat that was never considered the biggest player on the field, but he proved to be so dominant against SEC level competition which shows how good he was. Manziel made so many plays at the college level where you sat and wondered how he was able to escape and make that throw. Just look up his college highlights and you will see what I mean, he was the definition of a playmaker.  

If he had won a national championship Manziel would have a strong chance to be the top quarterback on this list, but he was so good in his only two seasons of starting which warrants him inclusion on this list. He has always been the underdog and it was unfortunate to see his career go in the wrong direction, but he will go down as one of the best college quarterbacks we have seen this decade.

Photo Taken By (Alton Strupp/The CJ)

4.) Lamar Jackson (Louisville)

Freshman Year: 11 games 135/247=54.7% 1,840 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 163 rushing attempts, 960 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns (6-2 record)
Sophomore Year: 13 games 230/408=56.2% 3,543 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 260 rushing attempts, 1,571 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns (9-4 record)
Junior Year: 13 games 254/430=59.1% 3,660 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 232 rushing attempts, 1,601 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns (8-5 record)
CAREER: 38 games 619/1086=57% 9,043 passing yards, 69 passing touchdowns, 27 interceptions, 655 rushing attempts, 4,132 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns (23-11 Record)
Awards: 2x ACC Player Of The Year (2016 and 2017), 2x ACC Offensive Player Of The Year (2016 and 2017) Unanimous All American (2016), Heisman Trophy Winner (2016), Heisman Trophy Finalist (2017), AP Player Of The Year (2016), Maxwell Award (2016), Walter Camp Award (2016) 

Before Lamar Jackson was tearing it up in the NFL by winning the MVP award and breaking multiple records, he was doing similar things at the college level. Jackson out of everyone on this list in my opinion is the most electrifying. Jackson’s mobility and athleticism sets himself apart from many college quarterbacks who have come before and after him. If you want to know how good Jackson is, he set 42 school records at Louisville….42!!! He only did that in 3 seasons, imagine if Jackson played his senior year, we could be talking about even more records that he could’ve broken. 

Jackson may have never taken Louisville to the college football playoffs, but he was able to carry them to three straight bowl games which is impressive in its own right considering he wasn’t working with a lot at his time spent there. For the people who said that he couldn’t play quarterback in the pre-draft process are ludicrous considering what he accomplished with so little to work with. Jackson is another guy who made so many highlight worthy plays because he was just more athletic and faster than anyone on the field. Jackson is well-deserving in being this discussion and he will slot in as my 4th best quarterback of the decade.

Photo Taken By (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

3.)  Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma)

*With these stats, we’re going to exclude his 2013 season with Texas Tech*
Redshirt Sophomore Year: 269/395=68.1% 3,700 passing yards 36 passing touchdowns 7 interceptions 141 rushing attempts 405 rushing yards 7 rushing touchdowns (11-2 record)
Redshirt Junior Year: 254/358=70.9% 3,965 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 78 rushing attempts, 177 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns (11-2 record)
Redshirt Senior Year: 285/404=70.5% 4,627 passing yards, 43 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 97 rushing attempts, 311 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns (12-2 record)
CAREER (Oklahoma): 808/1,157=69.8% 12,292 passing yards, 119 passing touchdowns, 21 interceptions, 316 rushing attempts, 893 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns (39-6 record) 
Awards: Big-12 Offensive Freshman Of The Year (2013 at Texas Tech), 3x First Team All Big-12 (2015-2017), 2x First Team All American (2015 and 2017), 2x Big 12 Offensive Player Of The Year (2015 and 2017), AP Press Player Of The Year (2017), Heisman Trophy Winner (2017) Davey O’Brien Award (2017), Maxwell Award (2017 Best College Player), Walter Camp Award (2017 Best American College Player)

Baker Mayfield had the longest college career out of any player on this list but he made the most of it. Mayfield after being a walk-on at Texas Tech transferred to Oklahoma. After the NCAA ruled him ineligible in 2014, he opened up the 2015 season as the Sooners starting quarterback and the rest was history.

Mayfield’s first season as the starter under then-head coach Bob Stoops and offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, saw him put his name on the map. He went on to have a successful first season and followed it up with two more successful seasons as the Sooners starting quarterback. Mayfield has the most touchdowns all-time at Oklahoma and considering there have been quarterbacks like Sam Bradford and Landry Jones at Oklahoma it shows how dominant Mayfield was in those three years.

Mayfield could be higher on this list but he couldn’t take Oklahoma to that next level to be in the national championship picture. Mayfield in his time at Oklahoma has played in 3 bowl games but only won 1 out of the 3 games. Mayfield in his three bowl games has totaled 894 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, along with a 65.7% completion percentage. It didn’t help that the Sooners defense didn’t perform well enough in those games but at the same time, Mayfield could’ve played better in those losses to win those games.

Mayfield’s long sustained success that he had in his college career earns him a spot on this list as Oklahoma’s second-leading passing leader in school history.

Photo Taken By (Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images)

2.)  Marcus Mariota (Oregon)

Freshman Year: 13 games 230/336=68.5% 2,677 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 106 rushing attempts, 752 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns (12-1 Record)
Sophomore Year: 13 games 245/386= 63.5% 3,665 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 96 rushing attempts, 715 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns (11-2 Record) 
Junior Year: 15 games 304/445=68.3% 4,454 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 135 rushing attempts, 770 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns (13-2 Record) 
CAREER: 779/1167=66.8% 10,796 passing yards, 105 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 337 rushing attempts, 2,237 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns (36-5 record)
Awards: 3x First Team All PAC-12 (2012-2014), PAC-12 Offensive Freshman Of The Year (2012), Unanimous All-American (2014), PAC-12 Offensive Player Of The Year (2014), Heisman Trophy Winner (2014), Davey O’Brien Award (2014), Manning Award (2014), Maxwell Award (2014), Walter Camp Award (2014), AP Player Of The Year (2014), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2014)

What Marcus Mariota accomplished in his time at Oregon was nothing short of spectacular. Mariota holds virtually every passing record at Oregon and what he was able to do with really no NFL talent at his disposal was incredible. Mariota is a true dual-threat quarterback who excelled as a passer. Every single season of his college career Mariota improved, he didn’t get worse and dominated in his 3 seasons as the Oregon Ducks starter. 

What unfortunately eluded Mariota from going down as the best college quarterback of this decade was a national championship victory. His team fell short against Ohio State in the 2015 National Championship game. That still doesn’t take anything away from what Mariota did in his career. You could say he was a product of the spread system but at the end of the day what he did isn’t something that you are going to find every day. He took that system to another level with his elite play at the position and made Oregon one of the best teams in college football during his tenure. I have no problem slotting Mariota in as my second quarterback on this list after his long and successful college career.

Photo Taken By (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

1.) Deshaun Watson (Clemson)

Freshman Year: 8 games 93/137=67.9% 1,466 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 63 rushing attempts, 200 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns (3-1 record as a starter)
Sophomore Year: 15 games 333/491=67.8% 4,109 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 207 rushing attempts, 1,105 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns (14-1)
Junior Year: 15 games 388/579=67% 4,593 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 165 rushing attempts, 629 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns (14-1)
CAREER: 38 games 814/1207=67.4% 10,168 passing yards, 90 passing touchdowns, 32 interceptions, 435 rushing attempts, 1,934 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns (31-3 record as a starter)
Awards: Consensus All American (2015) ACC Player Of The Year (2015 and 2016), 2nd Team All ACC (2016), 2x Heisman Trophy Award Finalist (2015 and 2016), 2x Davey O’Brien Award Winner (2015 and 2016), 2x Manning Award Winner (2015 and 2016)

Deshaun Watson in my opinion is the best college quarterback in the past decade. Out of anyone that I have in this list, he may not have a Heisman trophy to his name but Watson can say that he was a national champion. Even if Watson didn’t win the Heisman, he still was in the race for the trophy twice and in 2015 he was a runner up for the award. Watson in that 2015 season was the only quarterback in NCAA history to throw for 4,000 passing yards and rush for 1,000 yards.

Watson has been to the National Championship game twice. Both time he went against Nick Saban and Alabama. Watson may have lost their first meeting, but the second time Watson prevailed and won that game on a last-second touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow. Both of those games Watson lit up the vaunted Alabama defense that has NFL talent everywhere you look. Watson in both national championship games he played combined for 825 passing yards, 7 touchdown passes and 1 interception along with 116 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown.

Watson’s career at Clemson was one for the ages. He helped put Clemson over the top to help create the next dynasty in college football. Now Dabo Swinney has a guy in Trevor Lawrence who hopes to go down as the greatest quarterback in Clemson history, but surpassing what Deshaun Watson did for this program is going to be hard to do.

Cam Newton To The Patriots, What Does This Mean For Fantasy Football?

By: Brandon Carr

Photo Created By (@thacermac)

After months of speculation, Cam Newton finally has a new home after spending his first 9 years of his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers. He lands with the New England Patriots. In my opinion, this was the best possible situation for Newton for the simple fact that he has a clear pathway to being the starting QB for the Patriots. He will only have to beat out Jarrett Stidham who is an unproven second-year quarterback that still needs time to develop and journeyman veteran Brian Hoyer.

I could talk about what this signing means from an X’s and O’s standpoint, how he will fit in Josh McDaniels offense, or where the Patriots finish in the 2020 standings but instead, I want to take this to the Fantasy Football world. In this article, I will be taking a look at what this means for Newton’s fantasy outlook and the outlook for some of the Patriots offensive weapons that Newton will have at his disposal.

Cam Newton over his 9-year career has been one of the best QB options for fantasy football every year he has played. Here are Newton’s finishes since he has entered the NFL….

  • 2011 (Rookie Season) QB3
  • 2012 QB4
  • 2013 QB3
  • 2014 QB17 (Missed 2 Games)
  • 2015 QB1
  • 2016 QB17
  • 2017 QB2
  • 2018 QB12 (Missed 2 Games and dealt with a shoulder injury)
  • 2019 (Only Played 2 Games)

So for the most part, Newton has been very good for fantasy in his time in the NFL. The worst finish he had was the QB17 4 years ago, but has had multiple top 5 finishes at the position throughout his career. Now, do I expect Newton to be a top 5 QB this season? No, for the simple fact that there are a lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL who have better situations than what Newton has in New England.

Looking at Newton’s rushing floor, I don’t think we see Newton carry the ball 120 times for 600-700 yards like we have seen him do in years past. Newton isn’t going to want to risk re-injuring himself by taking a lot of hits. However, I also don’t think this means that Newton completely shies away from running the ball. Newton’s legs are what separates him from a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL. Defenses are still going to have to game plan for Newton’s rushing ability because he will wear you down considering how physically gifted he is. At the end of the day, I don’t expect Newton to set career highs in his rushing numbers or carry the ball as much as he usually would with the Patriots, but he will still be effective when he does decide to take off. He will provide a solid rushing floor which is so valuable to quarterbacks in fantasy football.

What people may forget is that in the 2018 season where Newton played the bulk of the Panthers’ games, it was considered by many to be one of Newton’s best passing seasons to date. Newton under offensive coordinator Norv Turner saw a massive spike in his completion percentage. Newton went from the previous 4 seasons of completing under 60% of his passes, all the way to completing 67.9% of his passes. This was more than Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, and Dak Prescott that season. Newton according to PlayerProfiler had the 8th most passes dropped by his wide receivers which means if his receivers made more plays for him, he would’ve been even more efficient of a passer.

Speaking of wide receivers, Newton inherits a Patriots receiving corps that isn’t something to get excited about. If we are talking about dropped passes, the Patriots last season dropped 31 passes which was 7th most in the NFL. Now I believe with Newton starting at QB rather than Stidham or Hoyer, the entire Patriots wide receiver corps are going to get a boost, simply because of better quarterback play with longer drives which means more opportunities.

Julian Edelman no question about it would be the first Patriots offensive skill player I would be drafting in fantasy drafts. Edelman last year was 3rd in the NFL in targets with 154 and was 4th in the NFL in receptions with 100. Now losing Tom Brady does hurt Edelman considering how productive he has been with Brady at the helm because of their great chemistry with each other. However considering Edelman has totaled over 100 targets in the last 3 seasons even with one of those seasons missing 4 games due to suspension, there’s no reason to believe that he wouldn’t be the focal point of the Patriots passing attack. He will receive the most volume out of anyone which would make him the Patriots receiver to own in fantasy.

N’Keal Harry last season dealt with an ankle sprain that caused him to miss the first 9 games of the season and he really couldn’t get going in what was a disappointing rookie campaign. I believe that Harry is a guy that will be looking to prove a lot of people wrong. Harry last season had high expectations considering he was a first-round draft choice and landed with the Patriots. Harry in a lot of rookie drafts in dynasty was the first player off the board which shows how highly he was valued by the fantasy community. Harry was thrown into the fire his rookie season with having the pressure to perform right away as a rookie when he came back from injury. Patriots fans had been clamoring for other players to step up for Tom Brady in the passing game and when Harry came back, a lot of fans expected Harry to do just that. He however didn’t live up to those expectations. Harry will have his opportunity with now Cam Newton quarterbacking the team, to prove the doubters wrong. If you want to talk about how Newton has liked “bigger bodied” receivers, like Devin Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin who were very fantasy relevant during their time spent with Newton then yes you can bring that up if you are a N’Keal Harry 2nd year breakout truther. Newton has shown the ability to have two players on his teams to receive over 100 targets a piece. Duos like Steve Smith and Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey and Devin Funchess were able to accomplish this with Newton. Could Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry both receive 100 targets in this Patriots offense? We will have to see but Harry will be someone to closely monitor this season to see how he progressed this offseason.

I could talk about the Patriots’ tight ends considering that Newton has had a favorite tight end target over his career in Greg Olsen but none of these guys are names where I will expect to be fantasy relevant this year. I do however want to talk about the impact of the Patriots’ running backs. The two names I want to focus on are Sony Michel and James White.

Michel is a guy who I believe either improves or gets worse with Newton coming aboard. If you believe that Michel will have more opportunities for better rushing lanes due to defenses spreading out more to account for a mobile quarterback scrambling to pick up yards, then that is a valid reason to think he will be more efficient this season. If you think that Michel would be worst then then this would be a valid reason why. Since Newton has entered the NFL, he has had 56 red zone rushing touchdowns which are the most out of any QB during that span (2011-2019). Michel has had 12 in his two-year career which is still a good number, but anytime where you have a guy who can be a touchdown vulture for you it isn’t good for your fantasy outlook. Think about Josh Allen, he has been nothing but a touchdown vulture for Bills’ running backs in his career. Allen last season had 9 red zone rushing touchdowns. Bills running back Devin Singletary is a guy who had 66 rushing touchdowns in 3 years at Florida Atlantic and last year only had 2 rushing touchdowns in the red zone. Both of these sides of the argument are in the range of outcomes for Michel, so whatever side you believe, decide if you take him or take another guy being drafted near him.

Now we get to James White. White is a guy who throughout his career had been such a beneficiary for fantasy with Tom Brady under center for the Patriots due to Brady throwing to his running backs at a high rate. We know how good White is as a pass-catcher but the question for his fantasy outlook is, will Cam Newton be looking White’s way like Brady did? Now the assumed answer will be a no, which is correct. However, I don’t think that it is super far off from what we have seen from Brady. Newton according to PFF has had the following percentages throwing to the RB position since 2014….

2018 = 25%

2017 = 26%

2016 = 13%

2015 = 12%

2014 = 12%

You may be wondering why it all of a sudden shot up from 13% to 26% in 2016 to 2017. Well drafting a guy like Christian McCaffrey who is an all-purpose running back who happens to be a great pass-catching running back will warrant him targets. James White’s specialty is catching the football out of the backfield and being a mismatch for linebackers who have to cover him which means he will warrant targets. You have to remember that Newton had guys like Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams who weren’t commanding targets in the passing game because that wasn’t something they were known for being good at. Considering that James White was the second most targeted Patriots player last season with 95 targets, I would expect him to receive a lot of targets again. Even if he receives 70-90 targets next season, that will still make him fantasy relevant, especially in PPR leagues.

Newton is a guy who I think has a lot to prove this year. He is playing on a 1 year $7.5 million contract which isn’t a lot for a former MVP. We have seen Newton working his tail off through his various social media posts. We even recently have seen him work with Patriots wide receiver Mohammed Sanu. Newton wants to prove people wrong and show that he still should be talked about as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. This chip on his shoulder is going to make Newton play at a high level for a team to give him a more lucrative contract after this season. I am very excited to see this Patriots offense this season.

Newton will end up being a guy who goes late in drafts this season which he in my opinion is going to be a nice late-round target at QB. I project Newton to finish somewhere between QB15-QB20 for the 2020 season which would make him a high-end to mid-range QB2 with upside to finish as a QB1. 

Should The Vikings Pay Dalvin Cook?

By: Brandon Carr

Photo taken by (Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports)

Yesterday was the beginning of NFL players holding out until they receive a new contract. The first player to holdout was Pro Bowl running back for the Minnesota Vikings, Dalvin Cook. A source told ESPN that Cook “will no longer participate in any team-related activities until and unless he receives what he determines to be a reasonable deal.” This source also told ESPN that Cook is….“out. Without a reasonable extension, he will not be showing up for camp or beyond.”

Cook is coming off of a career year with the Vikings where Cook in 14 games, ran for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns. Cook also caught 53 passes for 519 yards. Cook’s efforts resulted in him being named to his first Pro Bowl of his career.

In this article specifically, I am going to be talking about the situation the Vikings are in and why they are better off not paying Cook the money he wants. Let’s break it down….

To start things off I wanted to make things very clear from the getgo. I don’t believe Cook is in any way shape or form, not a good football player. Cook I believe is one of the best running backs in the NFL and whenever you watch him play on Sundays, you can clearly see the talent that Cook possesses. He’s a phenomenal runner who is great when he can get in the open field as he is great at making people miss, he is a very explosive runner who can break off a huge run at any point and time, and he’s a great weapon in the screen game. All of this sounds great but there are some factors with Cook that many people like myself are going to point to that could cause the Vikings to not pay him.

Injury History

Cook is one of the most injury-prone running backs in the NFL. Cook has never played a full season in his career and over the past 3 seasons, he has only played in 58% of the Vikings games. Cook has suffered the following injuries in his 3 years in the NFL, a torn ACL in his rookie season which caused him to only play in 4 games, a hamstring strain where he missed 5 games in his sophomore season, and last year he suffered a left shoulder sprain that caused him to miss the last two games of the regular season. Even in his collegiate career, Cook suffered two shoulder labrum tears on the same shoulder during two separate spring practices. Since Cook didn’t miss anytime during the college football season with these tears, people may forget that these injuries did happen to Cook in college.

According to Sports Injury Predictor, Cook has a 56.8% chance to suffer an injury in the 2020 season which are very high odds. This has always been a concern with Cook which has caused people to fade Cook in fantasy football drafts and has been considered to be a high-risk player to draft.

Quality Backups

The Vikings are in a situation where I believe that if they do happen to not give Cook an extension, they have two very quality backups that are capable of taking lead back duties. Enter Alexander Mattison and Mike Boone. Let’s first talk about Mattison…

Alexander Mattison, I believe out of the two would likely be the guy moving forward if Cook misses time. Mattison was drafted in the 3rd round by the Vikings last season. Mattison’s rookie season saw him run the ball 100 times for 462 rushing yards with only 1 touchdown.

Mattison when he was in college, was a workhorse running back for Boise State. Mattison’s last college season saw him carry the ball 302 times for 1,415 yards with 17 total touchdowns. This to me is a huge indicator that Mattison can handle a bell-cow workload in the NFL. Mattison isn’t going to kill you with speed as he only ran a 4.67 40 at the combine but he’s a strong runner that is going to wear defenses down with his 5’11 221 pound frame. 

Mattison has shown the ability to make big plays already in the NFL. The reason why he is able to make big plays is that Mattison does a great job of making people miss by breaking tackles. Mattison even breaks tackles at a higher rate than Cook does as according to Pro Football Reference, Mattison broke one tackle for every 9.1 rushing attempts and Cook broke a tackle for every 12.5 rushing attempts. Mattison also broke 11 tackles compared to Cook’s 20 but that is with Cook carrying the ball 150 more times than Mattison. Mattison, also according to PlayerProfiler, had a higher breakaway run rate than Cook. 8.0% of Mattison’s carries went for 15 or more yards while 4.4% of Cook’s carries went for 15 or more yards.   

We haven’t seen Mattison with the opportunity to start an entire game in the NFL but from what we have seen in college and what he has done with his small sample size in the NFL, he is more than capable of doing so. 

Mattison did suffer an ankle sprain that caused him to miss the final two games of the regular season and this is when we saw what Mike Boone is capable of. 

Boone is a guy that I believe is worth the hype that he has gotten from people. Boone was an undrafted free agent signing for the Vikings in 2018 and he has been known for being a monster preseason performer. Boone last preseason was second in the league in rushing yards with 196 yards and first in the league in yards per attempt with 4.8 YPC. I don’t put a lot of stock in what you do in the preseason, but you could tell from watching him that Boone possesses elite burst. Boone’s burst score according to PlayerProfiler was 140.9 which is in the 100th percentile. Boone when he got his opportunity to play more than 30% of the snaps, made the most of his opportunities. Boone in 3 games, carried the ball 41 times for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns. This was highlighted by his week 17 performance against the Chicago Bears where Boone carried the ball 17 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. He isn’t as talented as Mattison but he has shown flashes when he has had his opportunity which makes him a very relevant player in the Vikings backfield. 

Both Mattison and Boone are two very capable backups and if Cook isn’t given an extension, they have two options that would be just fine for them along with the Vikings offensive scheme benefiting the running back position.

Potential Salary Cap Drop

The Vikings do have the cap space to make this extension happen. They have about 12 million dollars in cap space and with Cook looking for, at the bare minimum, 13 million dollars a season according to reports, the Vikings can make the necessary roster moves to give Cook this extension. However there is one thing to keep an eye out for and that is whether the salary cap could take a hit due to COVID-19.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, if the NFL were to play the season without fans, each team could lose around 100 million dollars which would in total be a 3.2 billion dollar loss for the NFL. Schefter mentioned that executives and owners have told him that the salary cap could go down from anywhere to 30 million to 80 million dollars next season. This would be a huge hit to every teams’ salary cap situation which causes some pause for concern when giving a player a massive contract. Especially a running back where their market value right now is at an all-time low, it seems like a very risky situation for Minnesota to pull the trigger.

Overall

I believe that Cook right now is making a huge mistake. Cook doesn’t have a lot of leverage in this particular situation. Just look at guys like Le’Veon Bell and Melvin Gordon when they held out, it did not work out for them. Everything that I mentioned in this article are huge red flags in giving a guy like Cook big-time money at the running back position. The Vikings should not have to be pressured into giving Cook this money right now when he has to prove he can play a full season and to have sustained success from what we saw last season. I also believe another piece of leverage the Vikings have is the new rule in the CBA. The new CBA requires players to report to training camp and to be available for at least 6 regular-season games for it to be considered a “played season” for that player. If he fails to do that, then Cook would lose a year towards being a UFA and would end up being an RFA next spring. He also would be fined up to 1.5 million dollars if he were to hold out which isn’t wise for Cook considering he currently is making 1.3 million dollars for just this upcoming season.

When you give a running back a long term contract you are putting yourself at a high risk. Look what happened to David Johnson when he got paid, he began to suffer injuries. The Cardinals lucked out and were able to trade him and not have to pay for his contract, but sometimes paying a running back puts the team in not a great situation.

So, Cook I think does end up showing up at some point in the season, but this doesn’t mean the Vikings should give him a long term deal. I hope Cook does get paid what he wants as I do think his talent alone is worth top running back money, but there is just way too much risk in giving him a long term deal at this point and time.

If you are a Dalvin Cook owner in fantasy, make sure you have both Alexander Mattison and Mike Boone on your roster and look out for any news that comes available on this situation.

Who Steps Up For Clemson With Justyn Ross Out For The Season?

By: Brandon Carr

Photo Taken By (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Yesterday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced that star wide receiver Justyn Ross would miss the entire 2020 season due to congenital fusion in his neck and his spine. Ross is scheduled to have surgery this upcoming Friday. Ross was born with this issue and it caught up to him after suffering the injury during a scrimmage at practice. Many thought that Ross had suffered a stinger but then it was later found out that it was much worse. Doctors are very concerned that this injury may even be career-threatening for Ross which is awful news to hear considering that he was a projected 2021 first-round pick in the NFL Draft and was ready to be the alpha wide receiver this season for Clemson with Tee Higgins being gone. Now the Tigers are in a situation where they hope that someone can step up for them to fill the void.

There are the veterans on the team that have an opportunity to step in and contribute such as Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell, but both of those guys’ ceilings are not as high as some of the other receivers that are currently on the team. There are three guys that I want to highlight specifically in this article. All three of these players are very similar to what Justyn Ross brings to the table from a skillset and physical standpoint. Let’s take a look.

Photo Taken By (Richard Shiro/AP Photo)

Joe Ngata

Joe Ngata is the first player that I wanted to highlight in this article because I feel like he has the biggest opportunity out of any of these guys to be THE guy in this offense. Ngata is entering his sophomore season with Clemson and despite him being buried on the depth chart last season behind guys like Ross, Tee Higgins, and others, Ngata finished with 17 receptions for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. Dabo Swinney talked about how impressed he was with Ngata last season and his progression. “He made big plays all year and physically he’s pretty special. Now mentally, he’s really caught up and technically, fundamentally, he’s made a huge step. So pleased with him.” 

Ngata was a 4-star recruit according to 24/7 sports coming out of high school where in his 3 years at Folsom High School, he caught a total of 188 passes for 3,679 yards and 55 touchdowns. He is a big-play threat any time he touches the ball and with his size, he is another receiver who fits that mold of Justyn Ross or Tee Higgins that have been so beneficiary for Clemson over the years. In my opinion, he has the best chance out of anyone to step into that spot to make an impact. I had him as a breakout candidate this season even before the injury to Ross like many others. Now with Ross slated to miss the entire season, Ngata is going to have every opportunity to live up to that hype and become Trevor Lawrence’s number one option.

Photo Taken By (Cory Fravel/247 Sports)

Frank Ladson Jr.

Frank Ladson Jr. is heading into his sophomore season with Clemson and last year, he caught 9 passes for 128 yards and 3 touchdowns. He, like Ngata, was buried on the depth charts behind the proven studs on the team. However, Ladson did have a rocky start to his career with Clemson as he missed fall camp with an injury that set back his progression. Dabo Swinney talked about Ladson bouncing back from that injury and how Ladson looks much better now. Ladson, “took… a little while to kind of get better. He had some moments and learned. Had some great days in practice and things like that. He looks like a different guy. I love what I’ve seen out of him.”

Ladson like Ngata was a four-star recruit coming out of high school according to 24/7 sports and the last two seasons of his high school career, he dominated the Florida high school football scene where he caught 79 passes for 1,808 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns for South Dade Senior High School. Ladson is another big-play threat and with his 6 foot 3, 195-pound frame he is another big target receiver that can make huge strides this season for the Tigers. With him having an opportunity to be fully healthy for the season, he can prove his worth in his second year.

Photo Taken By (Cory Fravel/247 Sports)

E.J. Williams

E.J. Williams is the youngest guy out of the three of these receivers. Williams is only heading into his freshman season with the Tigers. What is nice about Williams is that Dabo Swinney has already made comparisons between Williams and Justyn Ross. Swinney said that Williams is “a faster Ross. He can fly. He reminds me of Justyn and how he’s got a really great ability to cut and change direction and just cut on a dime,” Swinney said. “But he’s got unbelievable top-end speed. I mean, he can fly. And Ross can run. But he’s another level. Just really excited.” 

Williams was a four-star recruit coming out of Alabama according to 24/7 sports and for the final two years of his high school career, Williams caught 84 passes for 1,407 yards and 19 touchdowns. Williams attended Central High School which coincidentally was the same high school that Justyn Ross attended. The comparisons between the two are very similar and whether this means that Williams is the guy to come in and replace Ross’ production we will have to see. He will need to prove in his freshman season that he can do that which is a tall order for a freshman. However, with Swinney’s comparisons to him and Ross, that may become a reality.

All of these guys will have their opportunity to fill the huge void. It will be up to Dabo Swinney, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, and wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham to get the most out of these young guys so Trevor Lawrence can continue his progression to superstardom in the college football landscape. 

For Justyn Ross, I am hoping for a speedy recovery and hopefully, this does not mean that this is the end of his football career considering how awesome of a football player he is.  

Allow Him To Re-Introduce Himself, His Name Is Rondale Moore (@moore_rondale)

By: Brandon Carr

Photo Taken By: AJ Mast/Associated Press

The College Football season last year was one of the best ones that we have had in a while. We saw the rise of Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers all the way to an undefeated season and national championship victory over Clemson. We saw the breakout of players like freshman Sam Howell, sophomore Justin Fields, and many others. We saw Jalen Hurts transferring to the Oklahoma Sooners and he showcased how good he is in his senior season. We saw Jonathan Taylor rush once again for over 2,000 yards for Wisconsin in his final season. There were a lot of awesome storylines and a lot of amazing players that captivated the attention of the football world. There however was one player that only played in 4 games this season who people may have forgotten about. That guy’s name is Rondale Moore.

Rondale Moore is a wide receiver for the Purdue Boilermakers. His sophomore season was cut short due to suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in the fourth game of the season against Minnesota. Moore finished his sophomore season with 29 receptions for 387 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was very heartbreaking considering that college football just lost maybe its most electric player. Some people may have forgotten about how damn good Moore is. So in this article, I wanted to take some time to explain to you why he is. When I watched him as a freshman, I instantly fell in love with Moore as a football player. I couldn’t believe what I was watching from a true freshman at Purdue out of all Big Ten schools.

So let’s start off with Moore’s numbers and his accomplishments from his freshman season for the Boilermakers. Moore in his freshman season led the entire NCAA in receptions with 114 receptions, led all freshman wide receivers in receiving yards with 1,258 yards, and in receiving touchdowns with 12 touchdowns. Moore also was given 21 rushing attempts for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns and returned 33 kicks for 662 yards for an average of 20.1 yards per return. These numbers led to Moore being the first true freshman in Big Ten history to be a consensus All-American and he was also only the second true freshman to ever win the Paul Hornung award which is given to the most versatile player in college football. The other true freshman to do that was Christian McCaffrey. I want to remind you once again, Moore did this as a TRUE FRESHMAN, not on Ohio State, not on Penn State, not on Wisconsin, not on Michigan, but on Purdue!

Now let’s take a look at Rondale Moore’s physical traits. Moore at The Opening which tests the best incoming college recruits ran a 4.33 40 which was the best of anyone, had a vertical jump 42.7 inches which was second best out of anyone, and his Nike SPARQ score was 133.62 which was the best out of anyone. This is not only what he did on that day. Watch this clip of Moore competing in drills at The Opening.

Now, something that Rondale Moore doubters will point to is that Moore is only 5 foot 9 and 180 pounds. Which is small for a wide receiver but I want you to watch this video of Moore who I will remind you here again is 5 foot 9 180 pounds, squatting 600 POUNDS….

Here is another clip recently of the 5 foot 9 180 pound Moore bench pressing 405 pounds…

One word to describe all of these impressive feats of athleticism, strength, and quickness, is WORK. If you don’t think that Moore isn’t one of the hardest-working players in college football, let me give you a quote from his head coach and one story from his wide receiver coach at Purdue about Moore’s work ethic. Jeff Brohm who is Purdue’s head coach said last year during the National Football Foundation Honors Dinner that Moore, “wants to be the best, we work out our guys with some of the high-tech stuff you monitor and how fast they’re going. We have some devices that help us determine if these guys are performing at top-end speed the entire practice. I don’t know how the exact dynamics work but our strength coaches do. They would tell me, normally in practice, Rondale Moore would measure out to 900 or whatever that is. While I couldn’t figure that out, the next closest guy for a measured workout was 450. That told me, wow, that’s pretty impressive. He’s going twice as hard as everyone else. That’s what he did every day in practice.” 

The Boilermakers in Moore’s freshman season, had one of the biggest upsets of the season when they beat the #2 team in the nation at the time, Ohio State 49-20. Moore was far and away the best player in that game as he torched the Buckeyes for 12 receptions for 170 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns as may I remind you again, a TRUE FRESHMAN. Purdue’s wide receiver coach Jamarcus Shepherd received a text from Moore at 3 a.m. The text was about a block that Moore missed in the game. So what that means was Moore wasn’t out celebrating the huge win, he was grinding by watching film. That is not normal for any player to be doing that, let alone a true freshman.

Speaking of film we get to the fun part. Let’s take a look at Rondale Moore’s film. Moore is at his best when you can get him the ball in his hands because he knows how to make something happen every time he touches the ball. Here is a great representation of Moore’s run after the catch ability. 

Still not impressed? Watch this play against Ohio State where he makes the entire Buckeyes defense look silly for a game-sealing touchdown. 

Still want to see more from Moore? Watch this unbelievable ability to avoid this tackle that could’ve resulted in a safety.

Here is another clip of Moore with the ball in his hands. He makes a great catch knowing he is going to get hit by an incoming defender, but just watch the play and see what happens. 

There are plenty of clips highlighting Moore’s RAC ability, but here is one last clip highlighting that RAC ability from Moore’s debut game when he set Purdue’s all-time single-game record for all-purpose yards with 313 yards.

If you want to see some of Moore’s route running, watch these two routes Moore runs against Vanderbilt. On the first route, Moore freezes the defensive back on this sick slant route and picks up the first down and the second route you can see how quick he is from in and out of his breaks with another great slant route and catches the ball away from his body.

The last two clips I want to show are going to highlight Moore’s great ability to catch the ball. The first clip is a clip against Vanderbilt where he plays this time on the outside which is where you don’t see him play a whole lot but watch his ability to track the ball and maintain his balance.

That is not normal for a guy of Moore’s size to be doing things like that. The last clip I will show for Moore is a touchdown catch against Boston College. Watch the catch he makes here, that is a tough catch that he has to reach for away from his body and then he makes the defender miss.

Moore at the NFL level is going to be a weapon that NFL offensive coordinators cannot wait to get their hands on and a problem for defensive coordinators with his unbelievable athleticism and wide receiver instincts and abilities. A great comparison for Moore in my opinion is future hall of famer Steve Smith Sr. Not just because of the size and the ability to dominate from the slot but Smith and Moore are two very tough football players who have an incredible work ethic. Even the speed, Smith Sr. back in his prime you can see possessed 4.4 like game speed. Moore might even be faster which is a scary sight for opposing defenses.

With Moore now heading into his junior season, he will have a huge opportunity to have a huge bounce-back season. He and wide receiver David Bell are going to be a great dynamic duo for the Boilermakers and knowing the work that Moore puts in to become a better football player, is what makes me confident that he will be back with a vengeance this season.

Chris Vaughn, who has been working with Moore since he was in middle school, has been working with Moore this offseason even with the coronavirus pandemic. When talking about Moore’s progression this offseason, Vaughn said that “he has gotten even more explosive and gotten stronger. And he has become a better route-runner. You just don’t see kids like him. He’s an overachiever who’s already better than everybody athletically….that guy isn’t even human, you know what I mean? The things he is doing … it’s literally unreal. It’s super genetics, with a lot of hard work and a lot of determination and unwavering focus and determination to get to a goal….the only day he takes off is Sunday, he has been going at it. The kid is a workhorse. Running, catching balls, bouncing balls, agility work, running routes, stuff like that. He’s being a pro.”

I am excited to see Moore back for this season and I am ready to see one of my favorite players in college football re-introduce himself to the rest of the Big Ten and the rest of College Football. 

My Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings 2020 (1-5)

By: Brandon Carr

Photo Taken By (Nick Wass/AP Photo)

1.) Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is coming off of an MVP season in his second year in the NFL. Jackson last season threw for 3,127 passing yards for 36 passing touchdowns on 6 ints. Jackson also was super productive on the ground as he ran for 1,206 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. Jackson’s incredible 2019 campaign led to him finishing the season as the QB1 on the season with 421.68 fantasy points.

Positives

Jackson and the Ravens are poised to again be one of the best teams in the NFL. Between the weapons they have in Hollywood Brown, Mark Andrews, and Mark Ingram, the Ravens have a system that perfectly complements Jackson’s skill set and talent. The Ravens in the NFL draft also drafted 5 offensive players. The Ravens drafted 2 wide receivers, 2 offensive linemen, and 1 running back, which shows that they are committed to making the Ravens offense even better and surrounding their quarterback with more talent. Jackson’s offensive line this past season protected him very well. According to Pro Football Reference, Jackson was tied for 2nd in the NFL in time allowed in the pocket with an average of 2.6 seconds. Jackson also ranked last in the number of times he was hurried as he was only hurried 31 times all season long. The Ravens may have lost team captain Marshall Yanda to retirement, but they still come into the season with one of the best offensive lines in the NFL with two pro bowl offensive tackles in Orlando Brown and Ronnie Staley who also was first team all-pro last season. 

Negatives

Lamar Jackson as everyone knows is an unbelievable quarterback who is also super gifted with the ability to run with the football. Jackson’s 1,206 rushing yards are the most in a season all-time by a quarterback and this rushing ability is a huge asset for fantasy football. There was a quote that was interesting to take note of. Jackson recently on ProFootballTalk mentioned that he envisions himself rushing less than he did last season. Jackson said, “I doubt if I’m going to be carrying the ball a lot going on in the future.” Jackson last season carried the ball 176 times which was an NFL record for most rushing attempts by a quarterback in a season. Now, this is something that we have to see when the season starts but even if Jackson’s carries this season gets cut down, the Ravens won’t be cutting them down dramatically so Jackson’s very safe floor he brings with rushing will remain the same. The Ravens ran the ball the most in the NFL this past season with 596 attempts which was 98 more than the second-place team.

Overall

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are not going to be going away anytime soon and Jackson will once again be the first quarterback to be drafted in a lot of leagues and he, in my opinion, going to be looking at another season where he likely finishes as the QB1 on the year. Jackson’s current ADP is the 2.05 in half PPR leagues.

Photo Taken By (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

2.) Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes is coming off of a dominant 3 game playoff stretch capped off by a Super Bowl victory against the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. Mahomes’ regular-season was also dominant in the games he played in. Mahomes threw for 4,031 yards for 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 14 games played. Mahomes finished the season as the QB8 with 292.04 fantasy points.

Positives

Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL and he is on an offense that possesses a lot of speed and talent that works perfectly with his arm. The Chiefs clicked at the perfect time in the playoffs and you saw just how explosive they really are. Mahomes during the regular season suffered a patella dislocation in week 7 against the Broncos. This caused Mahomes to miss 2 games and up until that point Mahomes was the QB5 on the season. For Mahomes to finish the season as the QB8 which was ahead of Carson Wentz, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady, it shows how great of a player Mahomes is. He comes into this season with the same Super Bowl team they just had that added another weapon out of the backfield with Clyde Edwards-Helaire who caught 55 passes with LSU last year. Mahomes also showcased something that he doesn’t do a whole lot of in the playoffs and that was his rushing ability. Mahomes in the 3 playoff games, averaged 45 rushing yards a game and I remember the 27-yard run he had in the Titans game and I hadn’t seen him do something like that before, so I wonder if he decides to pull back and run more when he has to this season. If we see Mahomes hit career highs in rushing yards that makes him even better for fantasy than he already is.

Negatives

There aren’t any negatives when it comes to a quarterback of Mahomes’ caliber. This season especially when there haven’t been any major changes to the Chiefs offense and coaching staff that would expect anything less for Mahomes. With a now healthy Tyreek Hill who was injured to start the season last year, with Travis Kelce still being there and Sammy Watkins restructuring his contract to stay, there is no reason why Mahomes isn’t a top quarterback this season for fantasy.

Overall

Mahomes I believe will return back to MVP form this season for the Chiefs. He is on top of the football world right now and for fantasy, he will be a huge contributor once again. If you are playing in a 6pt passing touchdown league, then Mahomes would be ahead of Lamar Jackson for me in the rankings. Mahomes for standard passing leagues will slot in as my QB2. Mahomes’ current ADP is 2.12 in half PPR leagues.

Photo Taken By (Ron Jenkins/AP Photo)

3.) Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott enjoyed the best season of his NFL career this past season. Prescott last season posted career highs of 4,902 passing yards which ranked 2nd in the NFL and 30 touchdown passes which ranked 4th in the NFL. Prescott’s season had him finish as the QB2 on the season with 348.78 fantasy points.

Positives

Prescott is entering the 2020 season being the starting quarterback of one of the best offensive personnel groupings in the NFL. Prescott is going to in my opinion have a real shot at leading the NFL in passing yards this season under Mike McCarthy’s heavy passing offense. Prescott has weapons like Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, and Ezekiel Elliott in this offense that will elevate Prescott’s game to another level. The Cowboys happen to be in a weak division that will give him the opportunities to be successful once again. Prescott according to FantasyPros has the 6th easiest quarterback schedule in the NFL which gives him even more of a higher ceiling heading into this season. Prescott is a quarterback who also provides a solid rushing floor as last season, he ran for 277 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

Negatives

The only negative I can potentially see for Prescott is what if they don’t get a contract extension done with him this off-season and he is forced to play under the franchise tag? The most recent piece of news on this situation is that both sides have been in talks and they have been “positive” talks. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones also said recently on 105.3 The Fan that he is confident that they will get a deal done. “Dak is the quarterback of our franchise now, and for many years to come. We’ve gotta get his contract — we’ve gotta get over that hurdle. But we’ll do it, it’ll ultimately get done.” There haven’t been any confirmed reports that Prescott would hold out this season but this is a situation to closely monitor. I don’t believe that he will and he will be Dallas’ starting quarterback in Week 1 of the season.

Overall

Dak Prescott is in one of the best situations out of any quarterback in the NFL. He has a plethora of weapons at his disposal and he will have a chance to throw the football this year at a high rate being in this offense which is why he is so high for me. Prescott’s current ADP is the 5.01 in half PPR formats.

Photo Taken By (John Froschauer/AP Photo)

4.) Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson is coming off of playing his 8th season in the NFL and he again showed that he is still an elite quarterback in the NFL and for fantasy. Wilson this past season threw for 4,110 yards for 31 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Wilson finished the season as the QB4 with 333.60 fantasy points.

Positives

Wilson consistently has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Every season he has been in the league, Wilson has finished as a QB1 for fantasy and has had a top 10 finish over the past 3 seasons. He is as sure of a bet as it comes and is always a very safe fantasy option for owners. Wilson enters his 9th season with a Seahawks offense that comes in with the same offensive weapons from last season but added tight end Greg Olsen which will provide Wilson with a solid safety blanket. D.K. Metcalf is someone who I believe will take another step forward in his sophomore season and Tyler Lockett is always a great fantasy option who has a really good rapport with Wilson. Wilson is another quarterback who can provide fantasy owners a nice floor with his rushing ability. Wilson also according to FantasyPros has the 7th easiest quarterback schedule for fantasy for the upcoming season. It also helps that Wilson is one of the most durable quarterbacks in the NFL as he has never missed a game in his career.

Negatives

There are not many negatives to say about Russell Wilson and his fantasy outlook. Is he getting older? Yes, he is but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. There will be a day where Wilson is not one of the most elite quarterbacks in the NFL and I don’t believe it will be anytime soon. What is something to watch is if his offensive line can protect him better. According to Pro Football Reference, Wilson was tied for first in the NFL in times sacked (48), first in the NFL in times hurried (71), and was 4th in the number of times he was hit this season (57). This hasn’t stopped Wilson from producing at an elite level but if there were any concerns about his longevity it would be the punishment he has taken.

Overall

Wilson is once again going to insert him in the discussion for a top 5 finish at the quarterback position for fantasy and I believe he does this season once again. Wilson’s current ADP is the 5.03.

Photo Taken By (Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

5.) Kyler Murray

Kyler Murray is coming off his rookie year in the NFL where he won the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year award. Murray last season threw for 3,772 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions along with 544 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. Murray finished this past season as QB7 for fantasy with 297.28 fantasy points.

Positives

Kyler Murray had a very solid rookie season in the league. He now goes into this season with a year under his belt under Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and he now has one of the best receivers in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins to throw the ball to. The Cardinals are going to run a lot of 4 receiver sets this season with Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald, and whether it is Keyshawn Johnson, Andy Isabella, or Hakeem Butler manning the 4th spot. The Cardinals figure to be one of the most improved offenses in the NFL this season. Murray I am predicting takes that second-year leap. Murray will also be among the top of the NFL in rushing yards by a quarterback because of how athletically gifted he is which again provides a safe floor for him in fantasy.

Negatives

The Cardinals have done very little to help protect Murray which is something that can be concerning. They did re-sign D.J. Humphries and drafted tackle Josh Jones in the third round but you would’ve liked to see them boost his fantasy outlook by selecting a tackle in the first round of the NFL draft. According to Pro Football Reference, Murray was tied for 1st in the NFL in the number of times sacked (48) and was tied for last in the NFL in time allowed to throw in the pocket with only 2.3 seconds on average. This is something to keep an eye on for Murray in the 2020 season along with him having the 25th easiest schedule for quarterbacks according to FantasyPros.

Overall

I believe that Kyler Murray in his young NFL career is poised to take a second-year jump with a true alpha wide receiver he can rely on with the other weapons he has on his offense combined with the athletic gifts he possesses. Murray’s current ADP is 4.11 in half PPR leagues.

References

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

https://www.fantasypros.com/

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started