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Using late round draft capital on running back handcuffs is a losing proposition. The goal with late round picks is to draft Week 1 breakouts before they become top waiver adds. Avoid straight handcuffs such as Tony Pollard and Ryquell Armstead. Wide receivers are much better upside plays in the late rounds (i.e. Terry McLaurin and Marquise Brown last year). However, committee backs with Week 1 roles that will expand in the case of injury are also great targets.

DeAndre Hopkins goes from being a target hog for Deshaun Watson to being one of many talented receivers for Kyler Murray. While Murray is a talented young quarterback, Arizona’s target distribution and overall offensive output is still uncertain. Top-flight wide receivers have a long history of losing value in the season after changing quarterbacks due to lost rapport. Hopkins still has a WR1 outcome in his range of possibilities, but the risk at his top 5 positional ADP makes him an easy fade.

It’s important not to take the term “Zero RB” too literally. It is a draft strategy predicated on avoiding non-elite running backs, those who see plenty of empty calorie touches but are not true difference makers at the position. When drafting from the back half of the first round, instead of taking lower-end RB1s to try to chase the Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley teams, Zero RB allows our team to be strong everywhere else.

The absolute worst thing we can do is to start a draft WR-WR and then start chasing running backs in what Sean Koerner of the Action Network has dubbed the Frozen Pond tier. This year, that includes running backs such as Leonard Fournette, Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell, and David Johnson – non-elite running backs being pushed up due to nothing more than projected touches.

Is DeAndre Washington a real threat to Edwards-Helaire’s touches? A walk down Alvin Kamara Memory Lane.

Equanimeous St. Brown has a real opportunity to break out this season.

Fewer teams are implementing one workhorse back, while more coaches are rolling with committee backfields. This is a trend that has been happening for years now. Coaches call for three-receiver sets at a rate exceeding 60-percent, which has created an inundation of available pass catchers. Still, there are people who wait to hit on a workhorse back via injury while stockpiling receiver early. A completely backwards approach when considering the positional supplies available.

The alpha wide receiver nears extinction. Gone are the days of a Julio Jones dominating their team’s Target Shares. All of a sudden, dynamic receiver duos such as Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf have taken the league by storm. The ability to lock up a workhorse, “do-it-all” back is fleeting after the first round ends. Drafting a back that never comes off the field and smashes, such as Christian McCaffrey, bestows exponentially higher league-winning odds than the top targeted receiver in a given year.

2020 will bring an NFL season unlike any other; in turn, bringing a fantasy season the likes of which we may never see again. The teams who are most prepared will prosper. Depth will be more important, requiring a level of research some may find to be “too much.” Despite the unknowns that are present this year, there exists a means to capitalize on the chaos. The additional research and preparation will pay dividends in the year of COVID-19.

Though Jerick McKinnon has been an afterthought recently due to injuries, he remains a 49er and is third on the depth chart after Matt Breida was traded to Miami. Raheem Mostert and the San Francisco front office may have worked out a new contract, but coach Shanahan tends to ride the hot hand. There’s no reason it can’t be McKinnon at some point this year. With upper-percentile marks across all workout metrics, the league-winning potential is still there.

Kirk Cousins and the Vikings have already traded Stefon Diggs away, leaving a 30-year-old Adam Thielen as their only proven commodity at wide receiver. In addition to Diggs’ departure, which will undoubtedly affect the efficiency of that passing game, the team has only two remaining starters from last year on the defensive side of the ball. With a weaker offense and defense, expect Minnesota’s offense to have to pass more this season, especially in the early portion.

While projections still do not have the Ravens surpassing 500 passing attempts, 63-percent of the 43 teams who attempted less than 500 passes since 2011 did increase their attempts by at least 30 the following season. Lamar Jackson only threw the ball 400 times while leaving early in five games due to blowout victories. With more competitive games coming in 2020, and with a now healthy Marquise Brown, Jackson can repeat his fantasy history breaking 2019.

Reaching for D’Andre Swift and Dak Prescott in fantasy drafts. Jonnu Smith and Noah Fant are top tight end breakout candidates.

Darren Waller checks a lot of boxes and will surprise people. Leonard Fournette is extremely polarizing.

The Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs team features Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, and now Mecole Hardman. The combination of explosive weapons and the unbelievable talent/play of Mahomes has led to a mere 3.3-percent checkdown rate. Clyde Edwards-Helaire projects, at best, to be the No. 3 option on this team, but how will he take away from Watkins and Hardman?

We have learned over the years that the number one factor for a fantasy running back is volume, and Helaire does not possess the same volume upside as the backs now being drafted around him. It seems the argument for him is mainly situation-based. DeAndre Washington is there with a similar profile and has already had productive games in the NFL. Darrel Williams could also take away goal line work. CEH should still be drafted as an RB1 for the 2020 season, but Buyer Beware.

Rob Gronkowski presents double-digit touchdown upside and will return value at his cost. The injury risk is already baked into his ADP. Not to mention he had an entire year away from football to rehabilitate his body and prepare for a return to the NFL. The “crowded” Tampa Bay receiver corps and tight end room is actually a boost for Gronk’s value. It seems counter-intuitive, but less time on the field means less wear and tear, and the targets he draws will all be high-quality and high-efficiency opportunities.

Jonathan Taylor is the second-best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley. Many cannot appreciate his profile because the odds of having two Barkleys only two years apart are low. He’s a can’t-miss prospect running behind an elite offensive line in a run-first system. Players cannot miss on the 1.01 in rookie drafts and we draft players for life in dynasty. Taylor at 1.01 is the safest bet anyone can make in fantasy football in 2020.

My wife made me promise I wouldn’t pick David Johnson under any circumstances. Not for her sake, for my own. Can’t blame her; she just doesn’t want to see me get hurt again. I can also never get myself to push the button on Chris Carson. I passed on both in favor of Cam Akers in the fourth round. The potential for Akers to become the lead dog in the Rams backfield, combined with his own ability, give him the upside edge.

I knew I wanted pieces of a Jacksonville offense that’s projected to see a good amount of negative Game Script. With an #SFBX ADP of WR19, I knew I had to take D.J. Chark as the 19th receiver off the board and above receivers we had ranked higher. Still, if I’m going to have an alpha to build an RB-heavy squad around, I’m glad it’s a player who many sharp minds in the industry are touting.