The 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone. Now that a lot of good college players have found a home in the NFL, what is the fantasy impact of some of these players in the upcoming season? There are too many to discuss them all, so I’m focusing on the first two rounds of the draft, though players such as Terry McLaurin who were drafted later, may make an impact at some point in their first season. Also, my task was to focus on quarterbacks and receivers this week, and while not a great draft for quarterbacks, the receiver class was deeper than normal and I believe will be remembered as one of the better classes in recent history.

Quarterback

Kyler Murray (Pick: 1.01 – Arizona Cardinals) – Kyler Murray, the likely first or second pick in most Dynasty football leagues’ rookie drafts, will be the starter when Arizona takes the field this year. A great fit for new coach Kliff Kingsbury’s air raid offense which lead to great Quarterback stats at the college level, no matter who the Quarterback was. Murray will be asked to get rid of the ball quickly, and when you add his athleticism and escapability he should be able to extend plays if receivers aren’t initially open. Arizona had few good weapons in place at receiver however, with an aging Larry Fitzgerald still the top receiver on the team. After making Murray the first pick of the draft, Arizona spent some picks trying to bring in weapons for him. How quickly will the new additions be able to contribute is the question mark. I think Murray will exceed first year expectations and after some initial growing pains be a solid Fantasy contributor this season.

Daniel Jones (Pick: 1.06 – New York Giants) – Daniel Jones’ selection as the sixth pick in the draft came as a surprise to most, nevertheless he’s a New York Giant. I saw him play quite often during his time at Duke and I was impressed with his ability to sustain drives under constant pressure at times. I think he has a bright future in the NFL, but I don’t think he will contribute a lot this season, nor next season if Eli Manning is extended as expected.

Dwayne Haskins (Pick: 1.15 – Washington Redskins) – If Dwayne Haskins is hoping to play early then he may find himself happy he ended up in Washington this season. He will be competing against Case Keenum and Colt McCoy for the starting Quarterback job, and if he puts in the work with the playbook and study prior to training camp he should win the job. In one season at Ohio State he put up unbelievable stats. Washington has brought in one of his receivers from Ohio State, Terry McLaurin, as well as adding Kelvin Harmon from NC State to add some talent to a below average group of receivers. I don’t expect Haskins to finish among the top twenty fantasy Qb’s this season, but he will before long.

Drew Lock (Pick: 2.10 – Denver Broncos) – The Broncos got the Quarterback they were rumored to be taking, in the first round, in the second round. However, I think the Broncos are committed to veteran Joe Flacco for the foreseeable future. This will give Drew Lock time to develop without the pressure of being a starting Quarterback, and will hopefully end up with GM John Elway getting rid of the tag of not being able to draft a good Quarterback. Again, there will be no Fantasy Football impact from Drew Lock for a couple of seasons.

Wide Receiver

Marquise Brown (Pick: 1.25 – Baltimore Ravens) – Widely predicted to be the first receiver taken in the draft, Marquise Brown was selected first to a team that will likely be very run heavy with the newly acquired Mark Ingram to pair with Gus Edwards. Despite the Ravens being a run heavy team, Marquise Brown does have a clear path to the number one receiver role. I’d imagine less than ideal targets coming his way, but with his speed and run after the catch ability he will be in line for some big games. The question will be consistency.

N’Keal Harry (Pick: 1.32 – New England Patriots) – N’Keal Harry I think has the best chance of any receiver to be a consistent Fantasy contributor this season. He should start early and once he builds a rapport with quarterback Tom Brady, see regular targets. He is a big receiver and in college showed skill in winning one on one balls which will help him become a trusted red zone target for the Patriots this year.

Deebo Samuel (Pick: – San Francisco 49ers) – Likely San Francisco’s slot receiver at some point this season, Samuel is now part of a young receiver core in San Francisco that included Dante Pettis. Samuel is also a capable returner, but adds size and toughness to the slot receiver position. He will likely compete with Richie James for this role, but have moderate playing time this season which will prevent him from making a big impact in year one.

A.J. Brown (Pick: 2.19 – Tennessee Titans) – Not the best landing spot. Marcus Mariotta hasn’t helped any receiver to elite status, and I still expect Corey Davis to lead the team in receptions. However, if Mariotta struggles for another year it’s doubtful the Titans will continue to stick with him, and the grass might be greener for Brown with a different QB.

Mecole Hardman (Pick: 2.24 – Kansas City Chiefs) – Hardman is rising up the Dynasty draft boards as people think “Tyreek Hill replacement”, but I doubt Hardman will meet expectations early. He was not even the best receiver on his college team at Georgia. He does have speed, and the Chiefs will put him in situations to take advantage of that speed, but how often is my question. Hill is still defending himself against what are child abuse allegations at this point. The NFL has shown, players do not need to be charged by law enforcement to be handed suspensions, but the Chiefs are obviously waiting to find out more in this case, otherwise Hill would have already been released. I also do not know what the outcome will be, but if Hill plays, Hardman is likely a wasted pick this season. If Hill is released, Hardman will get more playing time, but do not expect Tyreek Hill like production so early in his career.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (Pick: 2.25 – Philadelphia Eagles) – My first thought when hearing the pick was “why do they need another Alshon Jeffery”. Whiteside is a big-strong receiver with a basketball background, but lacks explosiveness. He will be a good red zone target, but on a team with many other good red zone targets. I’m unsure how Philadelphia plans to use him on the field with Alshon Jeffery, perhaps he will be in the slot. I think he will have a minimal fantasy impact in year one with Zach Ertz and Alshon Jeffery getting the majority of the targets.

Parris Campbell (Pick: 2.27 – Indianapolis Colts) – Great landing spot with Andrew Luck at Quarterback and with an improved offensive line. Campbell should replace Chester Rogers at the slot receiver to start the season and build from there.

Andy Isabella (Pick: 2.30 – Arizona Cardinals) – Great landing spot of Andy Isabella. He will be given plenty of opportunities this season. He is not a tall receiver, but has plenty of speed and quickness. Larry Fitzgerald man’s the slot for Arizona, so Isabella will play outside, but this air raid offense will move him all over the field to take advantage of his speed. He will have to adjust to playing against better competition coming from a small school program, but should have many highlight reel moments this season. I think he will be an inconsistent fantasy performer in year one, but has the ability in this situation to develop into a reliable performer.

D.K. Metcalf (Pick: 2.32 – Seattle Seahawks) – We learned at the NFL Combine he has great speed and strength, but not much wiggle. In other words he’s not very good at changing directions quickly. However he can still stretch the field and run routes across the middle. He should earn a starting roll to begin the season, especially if Doug Baldwin’s injuries force him into retirement, and put up modest numbers.

Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show: Join host Brian Roach, Jr, and Cole Freel live on Sunday April 28th, 2019 from 8pm-9:30pm EST for episode #155 of Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio. We are a live broadcast that will take callers at 323-870-4395. Press 1 to speak with the host. You can listen live on blogtalk, majorleaguefantasysports.com, or download the podcast on I-Tunes or any Android podcast app. We will discuss spot starters for the coming week, plus a weekend update, and look ahead to next week.

Our guest this week is John Gozzi. John is a writer and editor with majorleaguefantasysports.com.

Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show: Join host Cole Freel, and Kyle Amore live on Thursday May 2nd, 2019 from 7:30-9pm EST for episode #156 of Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio. We are a live broadcast that will take callers at 323-870-4395. Press 1 to speak with the host. You can listen live on blogtalk, majorleaguefantasysports.com, or download the podcast on I-Tunes or any Android podcast app. Cole and Kyle will discuss the latest happenings in the world of MLB and fantasy. They will take a look back on the previous few days and a preview of the coming weekend. Including spot starts, bullpens, offense, and minor league players.

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