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Much like the running backs, any receiver with a shot at No. 1 duties gets a massive boost in their rankings in the #SFBX format. With Deebo Samuel set to miss Week 1 and a push to start the year on the PUP, Brandon Aiyuk has a legitimate shot at being the top wide receiver on an efficient offense. The Arizona State product posted an 82nd-percentile College Dominator Rating on top of an 87th-percentile College Target Share. At 6-0 and 205-pounds, Aiyuk has the profile and size to earn an alpha role in his rookie season.

Coming out of Alabama, Irv Smith was a dynamic prospect. He possessed above-average speed even when factoring in his 6-2, 242-pound bowling ball frame. He also posted 16.1 (87th-percentile) college yards per reception by dominating defenders with his quickness. His upside is taking over for Kyle Rudolph as the TE1 on a Minnesota team that desperately needs a target opposite Adam Thielen. The Scott Fish Bowl rankings recognize that volume-based upside and give him a boost.

In standard scoring leagues, Drew Brees is barely a QB1 due to his inability to add any rushing upside. However, in the Scott Fish Bowl, his best qualities are amplified. In the switch from FFPC to #SFBX scoring settings in terms of 2019 statistics, he saw a +3.7 Fantasy Points per Game bump. It feels gross to press the draft button on a 41.5 year old quarterback, but Brees has value on par with the best Konami code quarterbacks in #SFBX settings.

Derek Carr’s new low-risk style is a turnoff in leagues with standard scoring settings, with him providing little upside for explosive plays. However, #SFBX is no standard league, so Carr’s fear of going deep and avoidance of turnovers makes him a possible boom rather than a bust. With Marcus Mariota’s looming presence in Las Vegas worrying timid drafters, Carr’s perceived value is a questionable QB2, but his advanced stats and metrics reveal he will be a QB1 in the 2020 Scott Fish Bowl.

The 2017 RB class has an average College Dominator rating of 32-percent, three percent higher than the 2020 class average. In the first three rounds of the draft, 2017 RBs average out at 34.5-percent. This eclipses the 31-percent mark of the 2020 class. Of the RBs drafted in 2017, 38.5-percent (10 out of 26) had a Dominator greater than 35-percent. The 2020 RB class has five players (29.4-percent) above this mark: Jonathan Taylor, Cam Akers, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Zack Moss, and Eno Benjamin.

The 2020 class as a group has an average Speed Score of 103.9 overall and 108.3 for players drafted in the first three rounds. Seven out of the 10 rookies drafted by Day 3 of 2020 have Speed Scores over 100, with Ke’Shawn Vaughn’s 103.5 (74th-percentile among qualified running backs) being the floor. Only three RBs had Speed Scores higher than Vaughn’s for the first three rounds of the 2017 draft: Leonard Fournette, Joe Mixon, and D’Onta Foreman.

Athleticism matters a great deal for predicting fantasy success at the tight end position. Height-Adjusted Speed Score is the most important athleticism metric, followed by the agility drills (3-cone and 20-yard shuttle) that comprise the Agility Score and explosion exercises (broad/vertical jump) that comprise the Burst Score. Metrics such as Catch Radius, Athleticism Score, and SPARQ-x also do a good job of summarizing a player’s overall athleticism and predicting a tight end’s chances of NFL success.

Albert Okwuegbunam is intriguing. We don’t have his Catch Radius, and his 11.8 Yards per Reception fell just below the threshold we look for, but his 129.6 (99th-percentile among qualified tight ends) Speed Score and 31.2-percent (90th-percentile) College Dominator Rating indicate that he is poised to be a fantasy stud.

Pick 1.02 offers the best opportunity at a well-executed Robust RB draft strategy in a Best Ball league. With the run-oriented Jason Garrett’s arrival, Daniel Jones’ continued development, and significant offensive line improvements, generational talent Saquon Barkley should challenge Christian McCaffrey in both the rushing and receiving departments.

Targets are “earned” unless your name is Leonard Fournette. After posting 316 (No. 2 among qualified running backs) Weighted Opportunities last season, Fournette enters a contract year at the peak of his powers and yet is somehow still available in the third round of fantasy drafts.

There’s no denying Marvin Jones ran hot in the touchdown department last season. He caught eight red zone touchdowns when his expected total would have been slightly over five given his opportunity metrics. Eight red zone touchdowns tied him with Michael Thomas for most among qualified wide receivers. In PPR leagues, taking away three touchdowns means at least 21 points come off the board, dropping Jones from WR28 to WR36.

It is unlikely DeVante Parker will be as efficient at translating red zone opportunities into touchdowns in 2020 as he was last year. With the return of Preston Williams and further development of Mike Gesicki, there’s reason to doubt Parker will garner even the same level of opportunity this year. Having said that, this is still a team projected to be among the top in the league in pass attempts with a consolidated target breakdown. Parker will still be a viable fantasy option, just don’t expect the same touchdown output.

The investments in Cleveland’s offensive line and a new coach in Kevin Stefanski who funnels the offense through the running backs are green lights for Kareem Hunt. Even with all the upside, there’s a small chance he is dangled as a trade chip mid-season, which would likely see him enter an even more valuable role as a team’s clear RB1. There are too many avenues for Hunt to outperform ADP. He makes a great first RB to target after smashing wide receivers in the early-to-mid rounds.

Kenyan Drake performed well as a Cardinal, but has a small sample size as a lead dog and was buoyed by touchdown variance down the stretch. In fact, Chase Edmonds outperformed Drake in True Yards per Carry, Yards per Touch, Breakaway Run Rate, basically everything. The two players should be closer in FFPC ADP (RB9 vs RB50) based on their similarity in skill. One player benefits from recency bias, and the other had an unfortunately timed injury. I’ll take Edmonds at the discount every time.

James White’s 72 targets and 95 receptions both ranked No. 6 among qualified running backs in 2019, a significant decrease from 2018. Despite regression, he still finished among the top 24 players at his position in Fantasy Points per Game. Furthermore, his role in the New England backfield is secure with the personnel remaining unchanged from last year. The receiving room can improve if N’Keal Harry ascends, but White’s role is safe.

White also has no significant injury history, having missed only two games in three years. At 28 years old, he will have no issues staying on the field. Whether going Robust RB or Zero RB, White should have a place on our fantasy teams. He’s a PPR monster and his role in this offense goes beyond Tom Brady’s tendency to check down. Whether its Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham under center, checkdowns to White will be plentiful in 2020.

After starting his rookie year on the injured reserve list, Jace Sternberger has a nonexistent regular season. Now with Jimmy Graham, out the door, Sternberger has the requisite size at 6-5, 251-pounds to take over the starting tight end role in Green Bay. He only has to compete against career blocker Marcedes Lewis and undrafted Robert Tonyan. Look for Sternberger to eclipse his final season stats at Texas A&M, as Aaron Rodgers’ outlet off play action a la George Kittle. 

A 6-5, 226-pound behemoth at wide receiver, Jalen Hurd was receiving praise from players and coaches before sustaining a season-ending back injury. His size and versatility as a former running back, combined with a 98.5 (64th-percentile among qualified wide receivers) Speed Score, make him a matchup nightmare. Now that fellow draftmate Deebo Samuel is having foot surgery, Hurd’s opportunities will increase. His versatility will ensure that he records usable fantasy weeks this season.

The hesitation with drafting quarterback early has always been justified by the value of the late rounder. Waiting to draft Philip Rivers in order to accrue talent at the other skill positions made for sound strategy. That is no longer the case. Not only are mobile quarterbacks taking center stage, but there is an argument to be made that the other skill positions are as deep as ever.

The days of drafting that league-winning quarterback in round 12 of a fantasy draft are over. The fantasy community is now woke to the idea that drafting the position early is not the pitfall it once was. In fact, there is a clear advantage in doing so. With depth and value at every other position, it makes drafting a top quarterback an easy decision in 2020.