It’s safe to say that this was arguably the most memorable draft we have ever seen. Yes, a strong incoming class of young NFL talent helps, but the humanity, intimacy, and humility the virtual draft format offered viewers throughout the telecast served as a very welcome distraction. This very talented class figures to shape the fantasy football landscape for years to come, but which players benefit the most from how the draft transpired? Our featured experts tackle that question below.

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1. Give us the rookie whose stock is on the rise the most by virtue of the situation he walks into (team/depth/etc). How early should he go in a rookie draft?

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC)
“It won’t be long before Edwards-Helaire, a back that reminds Andy Reid of (a better) Brian Westbrook, moves ahead of Damien Williams on the depth chart, even if that’s not the case in Week 1. We’ve seen how productive less-talented running backs (including Williams) can be in Kansas City’s offense. Even though he lacks elite breakaway speed, CEH is a complete back with the ability to run in between the tackles and make would-be tacklers miss with his elusiveness. Plus, he’s the best receiving back in this draft class. I’d take him as the RB1 in rookie drafts.”
– Kevin Hanson (EDSFootball)

“Prior to the NFL Draft, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was going anywhere between the 1.07 and 1.09 picks in rookie drafts. That was too low to begin with, but now that he’s on the Chiefs, he deserves to be the 1.01 pick in rookie drafts. Andy Reid has come out and said that Edwards-Helaire is better than Brian Westbrook on film and that’s a running back who dominated in Reid’s offense.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Michael Pittman (WR – IND) 
“Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the obvious winner from the draft weekend, but Pittman also finds himself in prime position to make an immediate impact. My fourth-ranked rookie receiver gained 36 percent of his receiving yards last season on go routes (per PFF), is the only big-bodied wideout (6-4, 223 pounds) in an offense led by deep-ball aficionado Philip Rivers, and comes with the kind of pro-ready game one would expect from a son of a former NFL player. My pro comp for Pittman is Kenny Golladay and I believe the former presents the most immediate upside of the receivers from this draft taken outside of the first round. I’ll be considering Pittman as early as 1.08 in rookie drafts.”
– Doug Orth (FFToday)

Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN) 
“Jefferson shot up from my No. 4 wide receiver in the draft class to my No. 1 dynasty wide receiver solely because of his landing spot compared to that of other top wide receivers. CeeDee Lamb will compete for targets with Michael Gallup behind Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy will compete for targets with K.J. Hamler behind Courtland Sutton, Denzel Mims tumbled into the middle of the second round, and the Raiders took three early-round wideouts. Jefferson, meanwhile, is the only competent receiver on the Vikings besides the injury-prone Adam Thielen. He could see 120 targets as a rookie from a quality quarterback, so I’ll be taking him No. 4 in dynasty formats behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jonathan Taylor, and D’Andre Swift in that order.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Ke’Shawn Vaughn (RB – TB) 
“Vaughn’s stock is currently on the rise due to his landing spot in Tampa Bay. He was hand-selected by this coaching staff, which Ronald Jones was not, and Vaughn excels in both pass protection and pass-catching. Jones struggles in those two categories, so it’s a strong possibility that we see Vaughn take the lead in this backfield. If he does, he’s going to be a steal in rookie drafts and he should go at the back of the first round.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

2. Last season, Terry McLaurin offered great value despite flying under the radar and being virtually undrafted in all leagues. Who is one rookie that has the best shot to be a surprise stud this season?

Bryan Edwards (WR – LV) 
“McLaurin succeeded so quickly because he landed in a spot that allowed an opportunity for targets right away. The same could be true for Edwards, a wide receiver out of South Carolina. Yes, the Raiders drafted Ruggs in the first, but Edwards is much more of a possession receiver and is as polished as just about any wideout in the class. The Raiders don’t have much in the way of competition for targets, so Edwards could step in and lead this team from Week 1.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

“Assuming that he’s healthy, Bryan Edwards is going to be a stud in Las Vegas. The Raiders will look to him to be their starting X-receiver, while Henry Ruggs assumes the Tyrell Williams role. Edwards would have been a first-round NFL Draft pick if he didn’t have the injury issues. If he can get onto the field right away, Edwards has a shot of being an absolute steal across all formats.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

Denzel Mims (WR – NYJ)
“Although there is risk in putting faith into an Adam Gase offense these days, Mims is just the kind of player fantasy owners should be willing to spend a late-round pick on this summer. He checks all the boxes physically and athletically (6-3, 207 pounds with 34-inch arms, 4.38 speed, 6.66 three-cone, and 10’11” broad jump) and lands in a situation where Breshad Perriman is his only real competition to be the team’s primary deep and red-zone threat. He wasn’t asked to run too many different kinds of routes in college and drops were a problem (not as much in 2019, however), but if his practices at the Senior Bowl were any indication of his ability to run a more diverse route tree, his immediate future should be bright. There are shades of Kenny Britt in his prime or even Vincent Jackson in his game and it’s not unreasonable to think he could become a serviceable fantasy WR3 by the end of the year.”
– Doug Orth (FFToday)

Chase Claypool (WR – PIT) 
The Steelers’ offense will be much more productive in 2020 if Ben Roethlisberger can stay healthy and Claypool has a chance to be the second-most productive receiver in Pittsburgh after JuJu Smith-Schuster, who will command most of the attention from opposing secondaries. A physical receiver, Claypool will create plenty of mismatches due to his rare height-weight-speed profile (6’4″ and 238 pounds with a 4.42 40-time) and should make plenty of big plays in the Steelers’ offense as a rookie.”
– Kevin Hanson (EDSFootball)

Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR – CLE) 
“I’m willing to ride this train because of what I saw on film. Peoples-Jones is a baller and just happened to land on a team that’s relatively weak at wide receiver behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. We can’t forget that Landry is coming off hip surgery, while Beckham has never been the picture of perfect health. Peoples-Jones could surprise everyone.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

3. What veteran player walks away as the biggest winner based on the new addition(s) to his team and how does it affect how you value him this season?

Drew Lock (QB – DEN)
“Lock was already a fairly popular sleeper pick to be a decent fantasy contributor in 2020 after putting together a nice five-game run at the end of last season. The Broncos added Melvin Gordon in free agency and then really went to work this weekend, giving him arguably the draft’s best receiver (Jerry Jeudy) and center (Lloyd Cushenberry), along with a dynamic slot option in K.J. Hamler. Although his supporting cast is still very young (third-year WR Courtland Sutton and second-year TE Noah Fant will be the other starters at the skill positions), the stage is very much set for Lock to take a huge leap forward in 2020.”
– Doug Orth (FFToday)

“If Drew Lock can’t get things done with his new supporting cast, there’s no situation where he could. The Broncos’ starting lineup includes Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, K.J. Hamler, Noah Fant, and Melvin Gordon. Keep in mind that they also have backups Phillip Lindsay, Albert Okwuegbunam, and DaeSean Hamilton. The Broncos also drafted two interior offensive linemen, so if Lock can explode, it’ll be with his new weapons.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Derek Carr (QB – LV) 
“While the Raiders signed Marcus Mariota to a two-year free-agent deal, some mocks linked the Raiders to a first-round quarterback. Instead of drafting a quarterback, Mike Mayock & co. loaded up on receivers — Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards, and Lynn Bowden Jr. — in the first few rounds to join last year’s breakout tight end Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, and Tyrell Williams. With a much more talented group of weapons, Carr (last year’s QB17) has a chance to flirt with back-end top-12 production and will be one of my favorite streamers this year.”
– Kevin Hanson (EDSFootball)

Mike Williams (WR – LAC) 
“It might not happen right away, but from a dynasty perspective, I’m thrilled about Mike Williams’ prospects moving forward. Philip Rivers used to be a gunner, but he seemed to be dealing with an arm injury last year and lost the zip on his ball to consistently throw downfield. Then they were going to transition to run-first, game-manager, Tyrod Taylor, but Justin Herbert will get his crack before long. When he does, Williams, who is one of the game’s most exciting breakout candidates, should explode and push you to the playoffs. I’d be trying to acquire him in all my drafts.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Jordan Howard (RB – MIA) 
“Howard has to be the answer here. He signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins and everyone projected the Dolphins to add a running back early. Instead, they simply traded for Matt Breida, who isn’t exactly the perfect model of health. The Dolphins are going to want to be a team that’s built around the running game and Howard should easily see 250 carries this season behind a revamped offensive line.”
– Kyle Yates (FantasyPros)

Thank you to the experts for sharing their NFL Draft winners. For more great fantasy advice, please be sure to follow them on Twitter.

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