Fansided

Fantasy Football: Searching for 2020’s top rookie wide receiver

By Ben Grivas

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Henry Ruggs III #11 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches a six yard touchdown pass during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Henry Ruggs III #11 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches a six yard touchdown pass during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 8
Next

Jerry Jeudy

Talent

Jerry Jeudy dissapointed at the combine, earning a D rating with a lackluster performance at the shuttle, broad jump, and vertical, but that didn’t matter, as he was still a top-two wide receiver headed into the draft. The combine doesn’t matter to someone with his impressive stat sheet, especially his 2018 season, when he won the Biletnikoff Award for college football’s best WR. Jerry Jeudy’s knack for route running and creating separation earned him a pro comp to Odell Beckham Jr. by Pro Football Focus. It’s hard to measure a talent for route running. Jeudy was taken by the Broncos as the second receiver off the board.

Opportunity

The Denver Broncos are not a good team for wide receivers, at least in fantasy terms. While the Broncos did run the ball 44.8% of the time, the worst part of their situation was their pace of play. They ran just 913 plays last year, the 5th lowest in the league. Now, why were they this bad? The answer is simple: conservative play-calling and decision making. The Broncos had the 3rd-worst 3rd down conversion percentage in the league last year, as they would often run the ball on second and third down despite not having the offensive line to back those calls up. Joe Flacco voiced his concerns about this conservative behavior last year.

With the signing of Melvin Gordon and the same coaching staff, it seems like more of the same this year. Signing a marginally better running back and drafting a talented rookie wide receiver won’t fix their problems, changing their entire offensive philosophy will.

Courtland Sutton saw 124 targets on the 504 passes the Broncos threw last year, good for a 24.6% target share. It’s hard to see Jeudy passing him on the depth chart this year, and I can’t project him to see much volume (or touchdowns) in this dried up, conservative offense. Jerry Jeudy has the talent, but I don’t think he has the opportunity to be among 2020’s best breakout wide receivers. Mid-WR3 upside.

Home/Fantasy Football