The 2020 League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Keeper Article
Raheem Mostert
What’s not to like about Raheem Mostert going into 2020? He had an average of 5.6 yards per carry last year, which was the best for any running back with 100 or more carries. He also managed to score 8 times on just 137 attempts, which is insane efficiency. Kyle Shanahan gave Coleman every opportunity to take the starting job and week after week Mostert showed that he deserved to be on the field. In week 11 he was given control of the Niners backfield and from that point on scored at least one touchdown in every game until the playoffs started. Mosterts wild run did not stop there, in the playoffs he scored 5 times in 3 games and nearly led the Niners to their first super victory in 25 years. Now, going into this season he has been paid and is expected to be the lead back in one of the most exciting offenses in football. If Mostert is able to capitalize on the success he had towards the end of last year, then Collins will be in for an exciting season with his 16th round keeper.
Derrick Henry
Chris Godwin
Chris Godwin has been the conductor of the hype train since he entered the league. He has consistently graded out as one of the best route running receivers in the league and according to Matt Harmon's reception perception he grades in the 88th percentile against man coverage, and in the 80th percentile against zone. He had an 80% success rate on press coverage while running the zig and slant routes, both of which Tom Brady had utilized during his tenure in New England. Chris Godwin represents all the success Julian Edelman in New England dialed up to 11. Over the course of Brady’s and Arians' career the slot receiver has been heavily favored and has always provided consistent fantasy production. With Godwin's X-factors in his route running and the new addition of Tom Brady I project an excellent year for him. Last year Godwin finished as the second best receiver in the league despite inconsistent QB play and missing two games due to injury. Godwin now comes into the season fully healthy with the GOAT QB Tom Brady. It is no surprise Christin wanted Chris, and for a 3rd round pick I don’t blame her.
DJ Chark
DJ Chark was a huge surprise last year. He was drafted in the second round by the Jaguars in 2018 and was considered an afterthought after a lack-luster rookie season. His 2019 season changed all of that. Chark was the go to target for Nick Foles early in the season, but more importantly, he became the go to for up and coming quarterback Gardner Minshew. Despite missing two games, Chark still ended the season as the 17th best fantasy receiver. One thing to keep in mind is that Chark did not get to spend his 2019 offseason working with his starting QB, Gardner Minshew. With an entire offseason to work together I project a lot of Minshew Magic, with Chark being the main recipient of that. Austin was wise and picked up Chark off the waivers after his week 1 breakout, which makes me nervous, but also excited to see what his team will do this year.
Saquon Barkley
Saquon makes it easy for me. He was the 2nd overall draft pick in 2018 and he has shown over the past two seasons that he should have been the 1st. Running back coaches will be showing Barkley tape for the next decade on how to be a next level running back. I mean it when I say he is truly a generational talent. Last year may have seemed like a sophomore slump, but he was dealing with a high ankle sprain for a majority of the year. Before and after returning from injury, Barkley proved that he is a force to be reckoned with, and according to the Fantasy Footballers he put up RB1 numbers every week that he was healthy. It is very hard to disparage Saquon and I’m not surprised Steven did everything in his power to move back in the draft in order to capitalize on his talent. Barkley is a top 3 pick and Steven has the luxury of drafting him with the 11th. We’ll see what he does with the rest of his picks, but having Saquon makes his draft a whole lot easier.
Austin Ekeler
Austin Ekeler smashed all expectations last year, he finished as the RB6 even though he spent a majority of the season splitting time with pro-bowl running back Melvin Gordon. Last year Gordon held out for the first four weeks of the season, and that led to Ekeler taking the starting role and nearly running away with it. Ekeler posted top 5 running back numbers in 3 out of those 4 weeks, and I believe that led to the overall departure of Gordon at the end of the season. Even after Gordon was reintegrated into the offense, Ekeler still hung around posting solid RB2 numbers for the remainder of the year. Last year, Eric paid a small price for Ekeler by taking the risk and drafting him in the 5th round. However, this year, Eric gets to reap the benefits of his pick. Ekeler is the presumed starter for the Chargers and he is primed and ready for another great year. He was recently paid by his team and the Chargers did not sign any free agents that could challenge him for the starting role. Although no running backs were signed, the Chargers did make some noise this offseason; they signed career back-up Tyrod Taylor and drafted Justin Herbert to hopefully lead this offense into the future. For now, I expect the Chargers to rely heavily on their running game which will be the winning formula for a outstanding Ekeler year. As they work to get Herbert up to speed, Ekeler should become the focal point for the Chargers offense this season.
Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp is a true touchdown machine. Kupp has managed to find the endzone 21 times in 39 career games, and that is including three games in which he left early due to injury. In 2019 Kupp came out on a hot-streak scoring as a WR1 in 5 of the first 8 weeks. However, towards the end of the season Kupp saw less of the field as second year tight end Tyler Higbee came into his own as well as having his fellow wideouts Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks eat into his playing time. Going into 2020 I expect Kupp to look how he did in the first half of last year. Cooks is no longer on the team and Kupp should see the field on 90% of the Rams offensive plays. The Rams pride themselves on running the ball to set up the pass and this year seems no different. That being Todd Gurley is now out of the picture and Mcvay may want to rely on his pro-bowl quarterback to sling the ball to his stud wide receiver. The Rams are just one year removed from being one of the most feared offenses in the league and if you expect them to return to form, then Kupp is going to be doing wonders for Ramons team all year long.
Courtland Sutton
Courtland Sutton had an excellent year two with rookie quarterback Drew Lock. He was by far Lock's favorite target in an offense that really needed some help. In the offseason the Broncos did everything in their power to help rebuild this once great offense. In free agency they sought out Melvin Gordon and in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft they took top tier wideout Jerry Jeudy. With so many threats, defenses will not be able to put all their focus on Sutton, which was the case in a majority of games last year. I believe that the Broncos offense will be taking a big step forward and Sutton will be at the forefront of that. He was targeted 7.8 times per game and I expect that number to remain the same, except with the added benefit of lighter coverage. If Sutton is able to capitalize in this new and improved offense he could be a true league winner for Cam, especially when he comes at an 11th round draft price.
Allen Robinson
5 years ago Allen Robinson put himself on the fantasy football map. He had a distinguished season with one of the worst teams in the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then he hasn’t been able to live up to up to that wonderful 2015 season. Unfortunately, for Robinson he has never been able to play with a good quarterback to maximize his potential. This year could change that; the Bears traded for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. While Foles isn’t even close to the level of Rodgers or Wilson, he is a big step above Mitch Trubisky. Last year he was the 5th most targeted receiver in the league and he was able to turn that into a WR11 finish. That being said, those were Trubisky targets, if Foles can do what Mitch could not, then we could see Allen Robinson having a year very similar to 2015. Matt has put his faith in Robinson once again this year, and if he is able to pay off he could potentially have a top 5 fantasy wide receiver on his hands.
Dalvin Cook
Dalvin Cook is a top 5 running back hands down, his only crutch is that he has struggled to stay on the field. Since entering the league in 2017, Cook has been unable to complete a full season. Regardless, when he is on the field he is a true difference maker for the Minnesota offense. Last year Cook played in 14 out of 16 games and finished as a top 5 running back in 7 of them. I will exclude one game because he left early due to injury. Dalvin enters this year appearing to be fully healthy and with a new offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak. Kubiak has an excellent track record of producing quality fantasy running backs. For crying out loud he made CJ Anderson look like the second coming of Jerome Bettis. With great play calling Cook is poised to have an excellent fantasy year for Frankie. With the hope of Cook being healthy and signing a new contract he could lead Frankie to a fantasy championship, which is something he hasn’t been able to do in quite a long time. Frankie holds the last pick in the draft and while some may see that as a death sentence, I see it as a chance to capitalize on Cook’s top tier fantasy ability.
Lamar Jackson
Aside from being one of the most electric players in the league, Lamar was far and away the best quarterback in fantasy football. He was a top 5 quarterback in 11 out of 15 weeks last year, and was responsible for many of my fantasy wins. What makes Jackson so exciting and so good is his rushing ability. If you take his rushing stats alone Lamar would have been the RB23 on the season, which would be a great finish for any running back taken in the 7th round. Last year I took Lamar earlier than I would have liked, but it paid off immensely. Lamar’s rushing ability is very well documented, what really set him apart last year was his improvement in the passing game. From his rookie season to last year Jackson's passer rating went up nearly 30 points from 84.5 to 113.3, not only that he had a league leading 9.1% touchdown rate. This year I debated whether I should keep Lamar or take the smart route and keep players like Aaron Jones or Mark Andrews. After some back and forth I decided that I could not pass up the opportunity to watch him break ankles on the field while simultaneously scoring points for my team. While I don’t expect the record breaking season from last year, I think Lamar has the ability to finish as a top 3 QB, and with the cost of a 7th round pick I couldn’t be happier.
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