The draft continues and so do I. The second and third rounds are behind us, so let’s look at the dynasty fantasy football situations greatly affected in relevant draft order.
Ascension- Demarcus Lawrence gets drafted by the Cowboys. He is a good undersized pass rusher who fits their 4-3 scheme. It might take him a year or two to become a starter, but should see enough work in the rotation.
Havoc- Derrick Carr selected by the Raiders. The quarterback is a nice family man who has a deep faith. I’m not sure that the high pressure Raiders organization is a fit for him. In my opinion, Davante Adams made him look better than he is. He has a strong running game to work with, but will need to improve his game to make their passing attack fantasy relevant.
Ascension-The Bucs pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins. This athletic two-way tight end will help stretch the middle of the field and give Josh McNown another mouth to feed in the passing game. He will help revamp Tampa’s passing attack and make all three huge weapons (Jackson, Evans, and ASJ) almost nuclear powered.
Havoc- Marqise Lee gets drafted by the Jags. He is a decent route runner, who reminds me a bit of fellow USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson. Lee is a good WR2, but is not athletic enough to be a dominant WR1. Cecil Shorts is still the best receiver in town with a young QB. Of course a later selection makes this more cloudy of a situation.
Ascension- Jordan Matthews selected by the Eagles. He is a big, fast body who is great in space. In Chip Kelly’s system, I expect him to be a three down player as he can run block and stretch the field as well. He won’t be counted on as WR1, but may grow into that role. This just makes the entire Philly offensive attack stronger. The initial word is that Matthews will play in the slot.
Ascension and/or Havoc– The Seahawks pick Paul Richardson, who is a thin, quick twitched receiver who can fly down the field. He will make the Seahawks more vertical and should be a good complement to Percy Harvin. I am not sure how fantasy valuable he will be considering how little they throw in Seattle and the physical coverage he will receive in the NFC West.
Ascension- Jace Amaro gets drafted by the Jets. He is a joker tight end that will line up mostly in the slot. The athletic tight end can stretch the field and catches the ball as well as any Jets wide receiver, but he has no impact as a run blocker which may limit his usage initially.
Ascension-Jerimiah Attaochu selected by the Chargers. He is a very athletic outside linebacker who flows to the ball well and is equally effective against the run and pass. San Diego needs defensive play makers so the opportunity is there.
Ascension- The Cardinals pick Troy Niklas. Tread lightly, he is a project due to the rookie playing tight end for two years. The athletic Niklas played on defense initially, and might be the best blocker at his position in this class. Fitzgerald and Floyd will garner most of the passing targets, but I expect Niklas to excel in the middle of the field.
Ascension- Davante Adams gets drafted by the Packers. With Cobb and Nelson in their rookie contracts final year, Adams may move into the WR1 or WR2 role as soon as 2015. He tracks the ball well down the field, wins jump balls, and will help Aaron Rodgers get back to QB1 status. This pick might not pay dividends this year, so use patience.
Ascension- Bishop Sankey selected by the Titans. The only NFL team will a “running back needed” sign hanging up. Sankey will get the opportunity to start from day one and despite not being a spectacular athlete, he will be a strong runner in the Zach Stacy type of role and effort.
Havoc- The Bengals pick the troubled running back Jeremy Hill. He will do the heavy lifting versus the quick explosive bursts from Gio Bernard. This drains some value from Bernard and definitely makes Hill tumble-down your rookie boards.
Ascension- Carlos Hyde gets drafted by the 49ers. This might mean the Marcus Lattimore news is more dire than originally thought. Hyde should benefit from the wide open running lanes that get created by Colin Kaepernick’s athleticism much like he did playing at Ohio State with Braxton Miller. You might need to wait a year or so, but he could be very dangerous. This also deflated the value of fourth year Kendall Hunter too.
Ascension and/or Havoc–Allen Robinson selected by the Jags. He had most of his production against weaker teams or when Penn State trailed. This muddies the value of Lee and second year receiver Ace Sanders.
Ascension- The Dolphins pick the quick and agile receiver Jarvis Landry. He creates separation by running quick precise routes and is willing to catch passes in the middle of the field under duress. Every team needs a dependable third down receiver, but I think Landry will grow into an even bigger role by the end of 2014.
Havoc-CJ Fiedorwicz gets drafted by the Texans. This seems like a wasted fantasy pick as Garrett Graham and Ryan Griffin are more dynamic pass catchers. The former Iowa Hawkeye is a good blocker/receiver, but I have the feeling his upside gets capped for now.
Havoc- Charles Sims selected by the Bucs. He is a great receiver and very good in space. Playing alongside Doug Martin will limit his and Martin’s upside. He is looking more like a third down, change of pace back.
Ascension– The Bills pick Preston Brown, inside linebacker. He has good vision and is an instinctive player who hits hard. The linebacker has a chance to play every down in Buffalo beside Kiko Alonso.
Havoc- Tre Mason gets drafted by Rams. I don’t understand the pick with Zach Stacy on the roster. He is a better receiver, but cannot pass block as well as the second year back. It looks like both backs will suffer with the RBBC.
Ascension– Chris Borland selected by the 49ers. He likes to hit people, is a bit too short, and may not be the most athletic specimen. Despite all of that, Borland is a hard hitter football player that might see a lot of the field this year with injuries and age on their interior backers.
Ascension– The Eagles pick Josh Huff, an electric wide receiver. He already played in Chip Kelly’s high-powered offense as a collegian. It is a good fit and he is more dynamic than Riley Cooper as a WR3 in that offense.
Ascension– Donte Moncrief gets drafted by the Colts. Despite having a disappointing 2013 campaign, the young receiver showed plenty of promise during the 2012 season. Paired up with T.Y. Hilton down the road (Reggie Wayne is back for at least one more year and Hakeem Nicks is on a prove it one year deal) while getting Andrew Luck to throw him the ball, he is worth the risk later in your rookie drafts.
Ascension– Terrance West selected by the Browns. He played at the small school Towson, but impressed NFL teams and scouts alike with his hard running. The back does not have any elite skills, but can be an inside thumper for Cleveland. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan knows how to get the most out of a back, so he is creeping up my rookie running back rankings.
If you like what you read, please support the site by donating using the PayPal button.
