2020 Draft Class Fantasy Spec

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A little over 10 years ago I was introduced to Dynasty Fantasy Football. In the Dynasty format, instead of building a team for the upcoming season like you do in redraft, you are playing for the current year and also looking to years into the future.

My favorite aspect of this fantasy football format was building both a short term and long term strategy (and doing your best to stick with it). Do you invest in an older veteran because you think you have a shot at the title, or are you playing for the future and want to bring in young talent? Your valuation of players differed from your fellow league mates based on where their team your team was at. Also, considering that I spent COUNTLESS hours playing Madden’s Franchise Mode on XBox growing up and my dream job is to be an NFL GM, this format was perfect for me…

One of the best times in the Dynasty season is actually in the offseason when a whole crop of rookies are drafted to their new teams. Right around March/April everybody gets what we call rookie fever. Does that remind you of a certain hobby that pertains to cardboard? That’s right. Us card collectors are the same! We go nuts over rookie cards because those are the big boys that help increase the value of your collection.

2020’s NFL rookie class is pretty damn talented so there are plenty of players that will have huge fantasy football and card collecting appeal. Let’s break them down based on card value with some fantasy football hot takes sprinkled in, shall we?[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”117275″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

1. Joe Burrow – QB – Cincinnati Bengals

Dynasty ADP: Pick 11

Burrow enjoyed arguably the greatest college season ever and was the runaway vote for Heisman. His prize? The #1 overall pick to the lowly Bengals. Now, the Bengals really helped themselves in the draft by picking Burrow and some weapons to throw to, but the offensive line is still a huge piece of work. I like Burrow long term since he has that prototypical QB frame and is a great pocket passer with some mobility. I have some concerns that he couldn’t beat out Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State and only had one year of stud play at LSU, but the tape was pretty remarkable. It is hard not to think Cincy got their franchise guy in Burrow.

From a collecting standpoint, he is already the hottest rookie out there. If you were hoping to get Burrow at a discount this year, think again. Fortunately, as we have seen in the past, there is plenty of room for you to pick up a Prizm base rookie or parallel at a fair price and turn a profit. Lamar Jackson base Prizm rookies were selling raw for about $35 in the middle of his 2019 MVP campaign and are currently going for $200+ (which is ludicrous, but whatever), so even if you wait a few months to pick up a Burrow Prizm rookie card, you’ll eventually do alright as long as he performs. One thing to keep in mind if how bad Cincy was last year. If Burrow struggles early on or gets hurt, that could be a good time to swoop in and pick up some of his cards at an affordable price

2. Tua Tagovaioa – QB – Miami Dolphins 
Dynasty

ADP: Pick 15

The #2 QB off the fantasy board is Tua. Had he not gotten hurt last year, he may have been the #1 pick or at least collectors first target. He won’t be as hot as Burrow because there is a good chance that the Ageless Wonder Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the guy under center Week 1, but don’t fret. The Dolphins didn’t draft Tua 3rd to have him hold a clipboard.

I have some concerns both as a collector and fantasy football player with Tua due to his broken hip, but reports are that he is healthy. He will draw comparisons to Russell Wilson due to his strong leadership skills and physical traits, which ain’t too bad. The injury history scares me a bit, so I will probably shy away from Tua in fantasy and only pick up a few of his rookies, but I hope I’m wrong.

3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire – RB – Kansas City Chiefs

Dynasty ADP: Pick 1

Ask 100 fantasy football players who they are taking #1 in rookie drafts and 96 will say CEH. While he isn’t the most talented Running Back in this year’s draft class, he is definitely the one in the best situation. Kansas City RBs get WIDE OPEN rushing lanes thanks to Patrick Mahomes being under center. Also, Andy Reid’s system is one that involves the running back early and often. There was concern that incumbent RB Damien Williams would see a bunch of time early, but since he has opted out of the 2020 season, the carries and targets are gonna head CEH’s way. He has a great chance to be a productive running back from Day 1 and both collectors and fantasy football players are taking note.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”117278″ img_size=”full”][vc_single_image image=”117279″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

4. JK Dobbins – RB – Baltimore Ravens

Dynasty ADP: 3
Some may get mad at me for not putting Jonathan Taylor here, but hailing from Ohio State and heading to a team that is the perfect complement to Dobbins’ skillset is a match made in fantasy football and collecting heaven. The rabid OSU fan base will help push Dobbins’ value, and while Mark Ingram is still in Baltimore, Dobbins will be the lead back within a year or two. He is my best bet for a non QB to see their card value jump in year two

5. Jonathan Taylor – RB – Indianapolis Colts

Dynasty ADP: 2
Built like a monster, Taylor may be the best RB talent in the draft. Why do I have him #5? Well QBs are still king (don’t ask me why…it is what it is), Taylor heads to a team with an established vet in Marlon Mack and the track record for Wisconsin RBs is a bit sketchy at best.

First the competition: While I don’t Marlon Mack is going to hold off Taylor all season, there will be some games early on in the season that Mack is on the field more because of his ability to pass protect. With an older non mobile QB like Philip Rivers, this is a very important role for a RB and Taylor just isn’t there yet.

Second the college: Wisconsin is notorious for running their ball carriers into the ground, which leads to shorter than expected or less than spectacular pro careers. Taylor touched the ball 661 times over the last two college seasons. Will he have success in 2020? Most likely, but what does the rest of his career look like? Will his body break down? I’m optimistic it won’t but I’d prefer to buy a guy like CEH or Dobbins ahead of Taylor because I think they each have a longer career.

6. CeeDee Lamb – WR – Dallas Cowboys

Dynasty ADP: 4
While I like fellow WR Jerry Jeudy to be the better player, you cannot deny the star on the CeeDee’s helmet. Being a Cowboy means you have more eyes on you, therefore your cards are more valuable. Part of the game in collecting is being on a big market team and the Cowboys are certainly that. Just when you think they cannot bring in anymore star power, Dallas uses a 1st round pick on one of the best talents in the 2020 rookie class. CeeDee should be a star for a long time (and he is tied to a good QB in Dak Prescott) but his card prices are already soaring and WRs have limited upside in value, so if you are a collector you can probably wait. If you are a flipper, you may want to look to invest elsewhere.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

7. Jerry Jeudy – WR – Denver Broncos

Dynasty ADP: 6
I was shocked the Broncos used a 1st round pick on a WR, I was even more shocked that Jerry Jeudy dropped that far. Jeudy is my favorite player out of this draft and I think he will be a star for perennial Pro Bowl player. With that being said, being in Denver and a WR will limit his card value, but the Alabama following may help boost it a bit. I will be picking up a couple Jeudy autos for the PC and hope to stash one or two in case he explodes in value.

8. D’Andre Swift – RB- Detroit Lions

Dynasty ADP: 5
My only issue with Swift is the stink of Lions RBs since Barry Sanders hung em up. It seems like guys like Jahvid Best, Kerryon Johnson and Mikel Leshoure come in and get collectors excited, but ultimately disappoint. I hope Swift is able to buck that trend

9. Henry Ruggs II – WR – Las Vegas Raiders

Dynasty ADP: 10
Ruggs has a great chance to be this year’s version of Odell Beckham Jr. A guy who was drafted high, the dynasty community was down on, but he ended up being a star from day 1. He is super athletic and goes to a Raiders team desperate for a WR1

10. Cam Akers – RB – Los Angeles Rams

Dynasty ADP: 7

The only thing keeping Akers from being a poor man’s version Todd Gurley circa 201-2018 is a poor O-Line and Darrell Henderson hanging around. If Akers can grab the RB1 spot and make defenders miss, he could shoot up in value[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”117280″ img_size=”full”][vc_single_image image=”117281″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Best of the rest

Justin Herbert – QB – Los Angeles Chargers

Dynasty ADP: 27

Jordan Love – QB – Green Bay Packers

Dynasty ADP: 36

Note: I would not suggest investing in either of these QBs today both in collecting and fantasy football. They will both be holding clipboards from Day 1 and will see their value steadily decline. Wait a bit then pounce. If they both had the chance to start right away, they would be well into the Top 10

Justin Jefferson – WR – Minnesota Vikings

Dynasty ADP: 9

Jaelen Reagor- WR – Philadelphia Eagles

Dynasty ADP: 8

Tee Higgins – WR – Cincinnati Bengals

Dynasty ADP: 11

Brandon Aiyuk – WR – San Francisco 49ers

Dynasty ADP: 16

Michael Pittman Jr. – WR – Indianapolis Colts

Dynasty ADP: 12[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Rookie Sleepers

AJ Dillon – RB – Green Bay Packers

Dynasty ADP: 21

Devin Asiasi – TE – New England Patriots

Dynasty ADP: 41

Antonio Gandy- Golden – WR – Washington Redskins

Dynasty ADP: 29

Antonio Gibson – RB – Washington Redskins

Dynasty ADP: 21[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”blog-callout”]We here at Card Czar hope this helped you get a better feel for the 2020 NFL Rookie Class both from a collecting and fantasy football standpoint. Of course, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter if you have any collecting or fantasy football questions![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]