The Scorecrow Dynasty Fantasy Team | May 6th, 2020
The 2020 NFL draft is in the rearview mirror and dynasty fantasy owners are having their rookie drafts. During these drafts, dynasty owners have either helped or hurt the future of their teams. To help dynasty owners with their rookie drafts, six of The Scorecrow’s fantasy football writers have put together a list of their top rookies.
In addition to the list, each writer will give a quick explanation of a player at each position they are targeting and a player they are avoiding. In the first part of our four-part series, our writers list off their top seven quarterbacks. Without further ado, let’s get started!
For all of our rookie rankings click here.
Player I’m Targeting
Mike – Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
It’s all about the long game in dynasty, especially if you have taxi squad spots and a nice commissioner who lets you place rookies and second-year players on the squad. Love won’t be starting anytime soon with Aaron Rodgers around. However, Rodgers is 36 years old and the Packers can get out of his deal after the 2021 season and save over $22.5 million dollars. Many scouts believe Love has the highest upside of any quarterback in this draft class and given a few years to learn behind a future Hall of Famer like Rodgers did, Love could turn into the steal of the draft.
Josh – Cole McDonald, Tennessee Titans
Though it may seem like a stretch, McDonald was a very solid pick for the backup spot behind Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. He was exceptionally good at Hawaii his junior year with over 4,000 yards passing and 33 touchdowns thrown. Though his interceptions thrown are a slight concern, with his strength in his arm and athleticism if Tannehill were to go down, McDonald would slide in and perform rather well.
Connor – Jacob Eason, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts recently signed Philip Rivers to a one year deal. After that one year is up, I fully expect Eason to take over the starting quarterback position. The Colts have shown they do not trust Jacoby Brissett with a starting job after his poor performance last season. Eason also fits the mold of the Colts offense perfectly and shouldn’t struggle to utilize their weapons and be protected by their offensive line once his time comes.
Brady – Cole McDonald, Tennessee Titans
In deeper dynasty leagues, McDonald should be considered with a fifth-round pick in rookie drafts. The Titans gave Tannehill a short-term contract. The short-term contract is likely because of his injury history, which has prevented him from being consistent. This is why McDonald is a sleeper, Tannehill has had an injury two of the past three years. McDonald has the talent to be a capable backup. He’s a decisive thrower with quick mental processing and is a great fit for this offense.
Frank – Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts has such an intriguing skillset with his rushing ability, that even though he’ll backup Carson Wentz, he’s still worth targeting due to his upside. Wentz has struggled with injuries in the past, so there’s always the chance that Hurts is forced into action. Hurts would immediately jump into the QB1 conversation if Wentz were forced to miss any time. In that scenario, the Eagles would try to model their own version of the Ravens’ run-heavy offense, with Hurts as Lamar Jackson, Jalen Reagor as Marquise Brown, Zach Ertz as Mark Andrews, and Miles Sanders as Mark Ingram. I’d have no problem drafting Hurts ahead of the more touted Herbert.
J.R. – Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Don’t let the shock of the Packers selection make you dismiss Love. He’s a highly rated prospect with a perfect situation in front of him. The Packers will likely hold on to Rodgers through 2021, then part ways when the Packers’ dead money drops to $17 million. Those two years give Love enough time to develop and, hopefully, follow Rodgers the way Rodgers followed Brett Favre. Much of his success depends on what the Packers offense looks like in the 2022 season. If they still have Davante Adams and Aaron Jones, Love could thrive. Love will likely be available in the second round of your draft.
Player I’m Avoiding
Mike – Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Not that I don’t like Burrow, but I believe the hype has gotten out of control. The Bengals are a dysfunctional franchise and have failed to produce an elite quarterback in forever. Burrow has all the tools to be successful and while he should be the 1.01 rookie picks in super flex leagues, if you can trade that pick for Kyler Murray or a different young star quarterback, I would do it.
Josh – Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
I might be one of the few, but I’m staying away from Tagovailoa as his injury proneness is a concern going forward. Miami still needs to improve their offensive line. Given where it is at now I don’t think it will be good enough to protect Tua and until the offensive line is fixed, he is not worth risk.
Connor – Jake Fromm, Buffalo Bills
Fromm fell in the draft and for good reason. That reason being, he just really isn’t that good. Not only is Fromm not capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL, but he also went to a team that has one of the most promising quarterbacks in Josh Allen.
Brady – Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love has a lot of talent and will might be good in three years. However, there are two significant points, preventing me from drafting Love and rostering him. One, how much longer does Rodgers play? Two, can Love improve his mental processing (his most significant weakness)? Right now, both answers are not in Love’s favor and he isn’t worth holding on your bench for three years before production.
Frank – Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert has terrific size and athleticism, but he’s still a bit raw as a passer, demonstrating accuracy issues at Oregon. He’ll likely sit behind Tyrod Taylor for at least the early stages of the season since head coach Anthony Lynn seems to be high on Taylor. Even if Herbert is thrust into action as a rookie, his upside is limited since he’s still raw as a prospect. I don’t think it will be worth it to invest in Herbert because he’ll be overpriced due to the high draft capital invested in him by the Chargers. Pass on Herbert and roll the dice on Hurts.
J.R. – Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua is likely to go in the first round of many rookie drafts this year. His pre-draft medical tests indicate his hip is fully healed. However, a fully healed hip today does not guarantee a problem free hip in the next five years. While Tua is a supreme talent, his injury is hard to look past if you’re hoping your first-rounder will carry your team, especially if you don’t carry many quarterbacks. Hurts could be just as productive a quarterback, fantasy-wise, over the next 10 years considering Wentz’s injury concerns and Philadelphia’s offensive weapons which, at this point, are superior to Miami’s.
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