RADIO
Malcolm Brown 2021 Outlook: Replacement Level Plodder Actually Has Upside
4 years agoIt's extremely rare for any UDFA to make an impact at the NFL level. It's even rarer that a UDFA sticks with the same team for five years before having his best season at age 27. That is exactly what Malcolm Brown did in 2020. Although he was never particularly useful in fantasy, Brown set career highs in touches (124) and total yards (581). He operated as the Rams' primary back in Week 1 and was the overall RB5 that week. He was completely useless the rest of the season, but that Week 1 is enough to establish proof of concept. If Brown isn't special, but he's competent. Give him the ball 15-20 times and he will produce at least enough to be a low-end RB2. Brown is now in Miami where Brian Flores has shown an affinity for heavily featuring his primary back. Last season, when Myles Gaskin was hurt, it was Salvon Ahmed. When both were hurt, it was DeAndre Washington. With the Dolphins going out of their way to sign Brown, he enters 2021 as the clear primary back up to Gaskin. He will siphon away a few carries here and there, but where Brown's value lies is in if Gaskin gets hurt. Brown isn't good enough and the production isn't guaranteed enough to draft him, even as a handcuff, but Brown is a name to watch and the appropriate add in the event of a Gaskin injury.
