Fantasy Football Player Notes
2020 Draft Rankings
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3.
Michael Thomas
WR - (at CAR)
You know what the craziest thing about Thomas' 2019 season was? Among the top 40 single-game performances throughout the season, he had just one of them, yet he still finished as the No. 1 fantasy receiver by a massive 67.0 half-PPR points. You can argue that another receiver may finish No. 1, but you can't find a safer receiver atop of drafts.
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6.
Alvin Kamara
RB - (at CAR)
There's just one running back who's had a higher "boom" percentage (25-plus PPR points) than Kamara over the course of their careers, and that's Christian McCaffrey. Kamara has now topped 25 PPR points in 14 of his 45 career games, which is quite ridiculous. His 2019 season was easily his worst to date, though he still finished as the RB12 despite missing two games. The Saints offense continues to groove, and though Drew Brees is still playing great football, his arm strength is declining, which could lead to more targets than every for Kamara, who's averaged 6.7 targets per game over the first three years in a Saints uniform. Provided he doesn't get hurt, Kamara is a near-lock to finish as a top-six running back.
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85.
Jared Cook
TE - (at CAR)
Cook may have finished as a TE1 last season but his 9 TDs in just 43 receptions is nowhere close to sustainable. More likely, that number will be cut in half and the targets could go down too as the Saints now added a reliable WR2 in Emmanuel Sanders for the first time in a decade. Cook a streaming tight end this season but being drafted as a surefire fantasy starter.
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86.
Drew Brees
QB - (at CAR)
I'm not sure if anyone has realized it, but Brees has broken the age 40 barrier and is now 41 years old. Unlike Tom Brady, Brees is going to retire after this year. His average depth of target continues to decrease, which will require more pass attempts in order to reach QB1 territory. How to prove that? He completed 74 percent of his passes and threw a touchdown on 7.1 percent of his attempts, yet he was just the No. 7 quarterback in fantasy points per game. His ceiling at this point in middling QB1 territory.
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103.
Emmanuel Sanders
WR - (at CAR)
It was remarkable to see Sanders come back from an Achilles injury at the age of 32, though there were a lot of inconsistencies in his performances. He had three games with 100-plus yards, but also had 10 games with 41 yards or less. Going to the Saints, he's not going to need a whole lot of targets to produce, but betting on him being anything other than a bye week filler would be a mistake. The Saints offense runs through Michael Thomas, and you're not going to take targets from him to feed a 33-year-old.
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113.
Latavius Murray
RB - (at CAR)
Did everyone forget what happened when Alvin Kamara had to miss time last year? It was only two weeks, but in those two games, Murray destroyed the Bears and Cardinals to the tune of 307 total yards and four total touchdowns. He's legitimately a league-winner if Kamara misses time. This is what handcuff dreams are made of. He's also going to have bye week appeal, even when Kamara is on the field.
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181.
Wil Lutz
K - (at CAR)
Lutz has everything you want in a kicker. He plays on a strong offense, with his home games inside a dome, and is extremely accurate. He's finished the last two seasons as the second-ranked kicker in fantasy and there's no reason to expect him to finish outside the top three. Kickers are almost always volatile but Lutz is the exception.
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182.
New Orleans Saints
DST - (at CAR)
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239.
Tre'Quan Smith
WR - (at CAR)
Smith has always felt like an explosion waiting to happen, as evidenced by his 10 touchdowns on just 46 receptions the last two seasons. He may have been a trendy breakout pick with Ted Ginn Jr. gone, but the Saints added Emmanuel Sanders, all but ending Smith's realistic chance for fantasy relevancy. In deeper leagues, he's worth a flier in case Michael Thomas or Sanders sustain injuries. But in standard-sized leagues, there's no reason to bother drafting him.
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338.
Jameis Winston
QB - (at CAR)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for Winston in 2019. Although he led the NFL in passing yards with 5,109, he also threw 30 interceptions and completed barely 60% of his passes. Now a backup to Drew Brees, Winston could become extremely interesting with an injury, though the presence of Taysom Hill might negate that potential. There's zero reason to draft Winston in redraft leagues, but his value in dynasty formats would obviously get an enormous boost if he takes over after Brees inevitably retires next season.
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369.
Taysom Hill
QB,TE - (at CAR)
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387.
Adam Trautman
TE - (at CAR)
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389.
Ty Montgomery
RB - (at CAR)
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456.
Dwayne Washington
RB - (at CAR)
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463.
Josh Hill
TE - (at CAR)
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531.
Taquan Mizzell
RB - (at CAR)
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539.
Marquez Callaway
WR - (at CAR)
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552.
Deonte Harris
WR - (at CAR)
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