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

CeeDee Lamb

Talent

CeeDee Lamb absolutely destroyed the weak defenses of the Big 12 throughout his college career. Last year, he had 14 touchdowns and a whopping 21.4 yards per reception. His impressive hands coupled with his frame make him a deadly weapon for contested catches.

His talent is undeniable, as most analysts ranked him as the #1 prospect headed into the draft. Jerry Jones said he was too good to pass up at the 17th pick, which I have to agree with.

Opportunity

Lamb is in a tricky situation in 2020. Unlike Jeudy and Ruggs, Lamb actually landed on a team with a good established passing offense. The Cowboys ran the third most plays in the NFL last year, passing the ball 597 times. It seems to be the ideal situation for Lamb, especially considering Randall Cobb and Jason Witten aren’t on the team anymore, leaving 166 combined vacated targets behind.

His situation is tricky because he’s still the third receiver on the team headed into 2020. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup are coming on nearly identical seasons in terms of targets and yards. Don’t expect him to jump Michael Gallup on the depth chart easily, as that’s someone who actually outpaced Amari Cooper in targets last year, with 8.07 per game to Cooper’s 7.44.

While Lamb might because the Cowboys’ WR1 in the future, stepping past Cooper and Gallup on the depth chart is no easy task, especially with no preseason and limited training camps this year. If he takes Gallup’s role, Lamb has WR2 upside, but don’t expect that until late in the season if it even happens this year. The most likely scenario is that Lamb finishes as a WR3 option in 2020.