NFL Draft

2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Malik Willis

After two seasons as the understudy at Auburn University, Willis made the best decision of his career and transferred to Liberty. He then took off and combined for 5,107 passing yards, 47 passing touchdowns, 1,822 rushing yards, and 27 rushing touchdowns in 23 games played. Willis has all the tools and upside in the world to become a solid starting quarterback in the NFL eventually. He isnโ€™t a guaranteed product, but his ceiling is higher than any other signal-callers in this yearโ€™s draft. Willis showcases a rare combination of a strong arm and elite rushing abilities. In todayโ€™s NFL, thatโ€™s exactly what teams are looking for.ย 

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2022 Draft Coverage: Desmond Ridder

Ridder has seen a sharp rise in dynasty SuperFlex ADP ever since his strong combine showing. I have done three FFPC SF startup drafts in the last two months and took him in the 20th round in one and the 9th in the most recent. I was expecting him to go in the first round and the dramatic fall of QBs in this draft does not make me feel great about the draft capital here. That said, if Ridder can learn behind Mariota, the sky could be the limit with Kyle Pitts and Drake London as cornerstone offensive weapons to play with in year two and beyond. I think this largely torpedoed Ridder’s redraft and best-ball value, but as only the second QB off the board, Ridder has a chance to become an incredible value play for both the Falcons and dynasty players. I expect him to go somewhere in the mid to late first round of SuperFlex drafts and for him to present an intriguing value in single-QB leagues somewhere in the late second to mid-third of rookie drafts.

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Jelani Woods

Woods came into college as a quarterback but quickly shifted to tight end early on at Oklahoma State. Although his production wasnโ€™t anything to be amazed by, Woods was voted honorable mention all-conference, as he hauled in seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in six games played. He earned the same accolades in 2019 and 2020 as a tight end with little productions. After his Junior season, the big-bodied tight end transferred to Virginia for his senior season. That turned into a wise move, as he set career highs with 44 receptions for 598 yards in 11 games played. He earned first-team All-ACC honors and finished tied for ninth in the schoolโ€™s history with eight touchdown receptions in a single season.ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Velus Jones Jr.

During his four years at USC, Jones Jr. showed flashes as a return specialist and saw limited time as a receiver on offense. He found a larger offensive role after transferring to Tennessee University. In his final season this past year, Jones Jr. hauled in 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns. Although he produced as a receiver, he was noticed by earning second-team all-conference notice as a kick returner. He finished his collegiate career with 2,973 kick return yards and two kick return touchdowns while averaging 24.4 yards per kick return.ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Skyy Moore

Being paired with Patrick Mahomes is as good as you can ask for with a rookie wide receiver prospect. Tyreek Hill is gone along with his 1239 receiving yards. Moore figures to step in and contribute immediately. I have Moore ranked as the number eight wide receiver in this class for projected future dynasty value. He has the potential to make an impact at the next level but he does not profile as a number one receiver.ย Moore should go off the board in rookie drafts in the early second-round.

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Trey McBride

McBride put together a marvelous high school career, excelling in three different sports. He earned All-Colorado honors for football. He set his high school record for most RBIs and home runs hit in baseball. And he set the school record for most career points scored in basketball. At Colorado State University, McBride was a viable receiving option during his first three seasons. Then, he popped off during his Senior year, accumulating 1,121 receiving yards and one touchdown on 90 receptions. During the 12 games played in 2021, McBride hauled in at least six receptions in 11 of them. He also produced at least 59 receiving yards in 11 of the 12 as well. His average of 7.5 receptions and 93.4 yards per game in 2021 shows that heโ€™s used to producing large workloads.

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Tyquan Thornton

Thornton committed to Baylor after dominating in both track and football at Booker T. Washington High School. After a limited role during his freshman season, Thornton put together a solid 2019 campaign. He hauled in 45 receptions for 782 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. He missed some time and showed a ton of inconsistency during the 2020 season before putting together his best collegiate season in 2021. Thornton was a second-team all-conference receiver, as he led the Bears with 62 receptions for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns.ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Christian Watson

Watson was the leading receiver on the 2019 North Dakota State team which featured Trey Lance at quarterback, with 732 yards receiving. He had 43 receptions for 801 yards his senior year. North Dakota was consistently blowing out their opponents, so you will not see eye-popping volume statistics for Watson. He is explosive, garnering 57 plays of 20+ yards over his college career. When you look at his rate stats they are far more impressive. Watsonโ€™s dominator rating was 44.0%. This is 90th percentile among prospects and ranked fifth overall.ย  The receiving yards per team pass attempt was also solid at 3.12.

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Kenny Pickett

The former top-10, pro-style high school recruit went in and improved in each of his first three seasons at Pittsburgh. He followed a decent 2019 campaign with a shaky 2020 season. He threw for 2,408 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in nine games played. He did post eight rushing touchdowns, but his decision to come back for one final season in 2021 paid off in a big way. In 13 games played, he produced 4,319 yards, 42 passing touchdowns, five rushing touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. He won ACC Player of the Year, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and served as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Pickett also set Pittsburghโ€™s school record with 12,303 career passing yards, and 81 career touchdown passes.ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Jahan Dotson

Dotson improved each year at Penn State, showcasing that heโ€™s dangerous both as a receiver and a return specialist. His 91 receptions during his senior season ranked 12th in the nation, and he also produced the 18th most receiving yards in the nation (1,182). Oh, and his 12 touchdown receptions placed him tied for seventh in all of FBS. Although he didnโ€™t return many punts, he owns a career 13.5 return-yard average with one punt return touchdown in 2020. The former top 150 recruits can bring a ton to the pro level.ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Treylon Burks

After a quiet freshman year, Burks elevated his production significantly in his sophomore year. He had 820 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in only nine games. He followed that up with an even better junior year with 1,104 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. Burks rated highly in two of the more predictive metrics for future success. His receiving yards per team pass attempt (RYPTPA) of 3.52 was the third-best in the class. His dominator rating (share of teams receiving yards and touchdowns) was second-best overall to Jalen Tolbert.

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Chris Olave

Olave has been one of the most productive collegiate wideouts the past few years. He didnโ€™t see the field much during his freshman season, but he was impactful in his limited time. In seven games, Olave hauled in 12 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns. During his sophomore season, he started to turn heads as he hauled in 48 receptions for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns. His Junior and Senior seasons were just as impressive, and he finished his career with 176 career receptions (third in school history), 2,711 receiving yards (fifth in school history), and 35 touchdown receptions (first in school history).ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Jameson Williams

Jameson didnโ€™t break out until his junior year. In fact, Williams couldnโ€™t even break the 200 receiving yard threshold his freshman and sophomore years. Playing behind two projected first-rounders in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave is a valid reason. However, you would have liked to see him produce at a higher rate despite that fact.ย ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Kayvon Thibodeaux

Kayvon Thibodeaux was a five-star recruit and the consensus No. 1 recruit of the 2019 class coming out of Los Angeles’ Oaks Christian High School. The USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year had 54 sacks in four years (two at Dorsey High School) and enrolled early at Oregon to contribute immediately the following fall. Thibodeaux has been a favorite of your authorโ€™s for the past three seasons and should have been definitely considered as the number one overall pick.ย 

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Drake London

A California All-State selection in both football and basketball in high school, Drake London was recruited to USC to play BOTH sports. While he played as a freshman on the basketball team, he really stood out on the football field. In his true freshman season, he posted 39 receptions, 567 yards, and five TDs in 13 games with nine as a starter. He put up similar statistics in the covid-shortened 2020 PAC-12 season before completely dominating this past season. In 2021 he registered 88 catches for 1,084 yards and seven TDs in just eight games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.

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2022 DFF Draft Coverage: Travon Walker

Travon Walker was a five-star recruit coming out in 2019. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team in his first year at Georgia with 15 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks as a true freshman. He played as a reserve in 2020 with decent numbers before becoming a lynchpin on the edge for the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs in 2021. He recorded 37 stops, 7.5 TFLs with six sacks, and two pass breakups.

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Top 10 Fantasy Football Myths Busted: #1-5

There is no shortage of annual narratives that develop within the hive mind of the fantasy football (FF) community. Some narratives last for several seasons, and some attach themselves to specific players. That is not to say that the hive mind canโ€™t be useful, or that narratives that form are necessarily wrong. Quite the opposite happens a lot of the time. The wisdom of the crowd is something that can be leveraged to improve oneโ€™s fantasy performance. But following the groupthink mindset can be treacherous, and has led to what I think are some systemic misunderstandings within the hobby.

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2022 DFF Superflex Rookie Mock 4.0: Round 1

Sports Illustrated reported that over 10 NFL Teams graded Desmond Ridder as a First-Round Talent. Should Ridder meet that expected capital, his dynasty value will skyrocket above 1.12. Landing Ridder anywhere in the second half of your rookie drafts is exceptional value. I would not be surprised to see Ridder valued higher than every quarterback from the 2022 class come this time next season.

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