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Joe Gallina identifies five must-have players for 2020 fantasy football drafts. These players are top mid-round draft picks to target based on ADP value and breakout potential.
In many cases championships are not won because of the picks made in the early rounds of fantasy football drafts. Instead, you can often find the fantasy players who’ll fuel your fantasy team’s engine in the middle rounds of your draft. You can typically find the burgeoning WR2s who are just about ready to blossom into WR1s in the middle rounds or that breakout QB that nobody saw coming.
The middle rounds of a draft are also where you’ll also find plenty of RBs who are one injury or slump away from being a lead back. You’ll also find some RBs in those rounds who have skill sets that are best suited for fantasy football leagues that utilize PPR scoring.
In the next few paragraphs we’ll analyze five players typically drafted in the middle rounds mentioned above, and who are likely to provide your team with top fantasy production this season. You should seriously consider selecting these players in your drafts because we think they’re must-haves. Don’t worry, you can thank us later. For the purpose of this article, we will be referencing the FantasyPros expert consensus ADP for PPR leagues.
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Tom Brady (QB, TB)
ADP: QB8, 79th Overall
Tom Brady will be 43 years old when Week 1 rolls around, but don’t think of him as the elder statesman of the NFL. Instead, think of him as that excited kid running down the steps on Christmas morning because he can’t wait to rip the wrapping paper off his presents and play with his new toys. Brady has inherited a high-powered offense with lots of shiny toys for him to play with and he still wants to win as bad as ever.
Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are one of the top two WR duos in the NFL. Brady will also be reunited with one of his all-time favorite receiving weapons, Rob Gronkowski. Gronk is not only one of the better receiving TEs, but his blocking skills are often overlooked. He’ll be sure to protect his QB at all costs. Head coach Bruce Arians’ offenses often produce top fantasy quarterback production. Remember Carson Palmer? He scored the fifth-most fantasy points among QBs while running Arians’ 2015 Cardinals offense. Jameis Winston ran the Bucs offense last season and even though he led the league with 30 interceptions, he still scored the second-most overall fantasy points among fantasy QBs.
Brady only scored the 14th most overall fantasy points among QBs last season, but other than Julian Edelman and James White he didn’t have many other reliable receivers to work with. As for those concerned about his arm strength, Brady played much of last season with an underlying elbow injury. He won’t have to throw too many deep balls with Godwin around. He was second among WRs with 577 yards after the catch last season.
Brady is fully healthy heading into the 2020 season and with his diet and workout regimen he’s probably in better shape than a lot of football players half his age. He’s motivated to show the world that he’s not done and that he doesn’t need Bill Belichick in order to be successful. When Brady is motivated the rest of the NFL better watch out!
Michael Gallup (WR, DAL)
ADP: WR32, 74th Overall
Michael Gallup progressed nicely in his second season in the NFL. He saw increases in his average receptions per game, yards per game, and catch rate. Gallup’s yards per reception also increased to 16.8 (up from 15.4 in 2018). He finished eighth in the NFL among WRs in that category last season. He’s a deep threat and a trusted target that QB Dak Prescott actively seeks out when he’s under pressure.
As per Pro Football Focus, Gallup led the NFL with five touchdown receptions when their quarterback was under pressure. Gallup averaged 15.2 fantasy points per game in PPR scoring last season making him WR18 in that category. He finished 15th in DYAR among all NFL WRs (DYAR measures the value of a receiver's performance on plays compared to replacement level, and is adjusted for situation and opponent), as per Football Outsiders. According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, he was seventh among WRs in Average Yards After Catch Above Expectation. There will be some extra targets to be claimed in the Cowboys’ passing game with Randall Cobb and Jason Witten no longer on the team. Anticipated rookie sensation Cee Dee Lamb will grab a chunk, but there will be plenty left for Gallup to take advantage of as well. Gallup should also benefit as a result of the Cowboys’ schedule, which FantasyPros considers the fifth easiest for fantasy wide receivers.
The Cowboys have a few talented receivers who’ll vie for Prescott’s attention this season, but Gallup should still be able to post a stat line with close to 80 receptions, 1200 receiving yards, and at least eight TD receptions. Those are borderline WR1 numbers.
James White (RB, NE)
ADP: RB31, 80th Overall
If you play in a fantasy football league that utilizes PPR scoring, James White is a must-draft. He’s the only Patriots RB who has a clearly defined role entering the season. A huge part of that role will continue to be catching passes out of the backfield. He’s averaged 4.8 receptions per game over the past three seasons. We all know that Cam Newton, the presumptive starting Patriots QB, is no stranger to throwing the ball to RBs. Just ask Christian McCaffrey.
With White having spent his entire career with the Patriots you know he has to be one of head coach Bill Belichick’s favorite and most trusted players. White led all RBs in red-zone targets (20) and receptions (17). Four of those 17 receptions went for a TD. White offers fantasy football managers consistent fantasy production as a player they can confidently slip into their flex spot or use when one of their starting RBs are on a bye. Look for White to catch another 75 to 85 passes and catch at least another five TDs this season.
Zack Moss (RB, BUF)
ADP: RB39, 115th overall
He might not get the typical volume of carries expected from a traditional bell-cow back, but rookie RB Zack Moss will have a regular role in the Bills’ offense this season. In fact, he has a good chance to produce like an RB1A. Josh Allen has a big arm, but as has been well documented, accuracy has been a concern. The Bills executed the seventh-highest percentage of run plays last season, and they should continue to run the ball quite a bit in 2020.
Second-year player Devin Singletary is a slippery back and he had a fine rookie season, but Moss has the skillset of an every-down workhorse back. While Singletary forces missed tackles, Moss absorbs contact and breaks tackles. Moss eats up short yardage, has spin moves which help him change direction easily and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. When the Bills drafted Moss, many presumed that he and Singletary would either be splitting carries or that Singletary would have the slight edge in snaps played.
Singletary will continue to be a major contributor to the Bills’ running game but as the season progresses, Moss might end up being the Bills back who leads lead the team in carries on a weekly basis. At the very least, look for Moss to semi-regularly vulture TDs away from Singletary.
Noah Fant (TE, DEN)
ADP TE13, 109th overall
Noah Fant is a former first-round pick who could potentially break out this season. Fant is a good route runner who has above average acceleration for a TE. He has big-play ability, and his speed allows him to break away from defenders and add yards after the catch. His underlying speed and ability to track deep passes sometimes draw comparisons to a big WR instead of a typical TE.
Some analysts are concerned that with the Broncos drafting WRs Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler earlier this year, Fant’s targets may be limited this season. However, new Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur loves featuring his TEs in the passing game and will be sure to keep Fant busy this season.
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