This article is about a 7-minute read.
We got together with our Footballguys staff members and asked a simple question: Which player -- generally taken in the second round -- do you most-like having on your team?
Here are their answers.
Chad Parsons
I am a huge fan of Mike Evans as the price of the Round 2/3 turn, especially after taking an elite running back to open a team's draft. Josh Jacobs is the running back I like most of the Round 2 collection. For Jacobs, he had a successful rookie season without emphasizing his most glaring trait entering the NFL - his receiving prowess, which is bound to improve this year. For Evans, he is an established, historically so, receiver already with a high floor and ceiling combination and now getting Tom Brady. The continued drives due to fewer turnovers alone give Evans a boost.
Jason Wood
My favorite player on this list is probably the most contrarian, it's Aaron Jones. I have Jones ranked solidly in my Top 12, and would take him at the end of the first round if available. I'm vexed as to why Jones is being disregarded. He was amazing last year and was the true beneficiary of Matt LaFleur's arrival. For all the talk of how LaFleur would put Aaron Rodgers back in the MVP conversation, 2019 Rodgers looked exactly like 2017 and 2018 Rodgers. But Jones was dynamic. He ran for nearly 1,100 yards, was second on the team with 49 receptions, and scored 19 touchdowns. A.J. Dillon may push Jamaal Williams for the backup role, but he's not dethroning Jones this year.
Jeff Pasquino
As for who I want? I want elite talent with a high floor. That is Travis Kelce, far and away. Wide receivers are deep, and after taking an elite RB or WR in Round 1, there is no better way to stay strong and relatively safe than to take Kelce in Round 2. He provides a piece of the high octane Kansas City offense and is far and away the best player at his position. The fallback here of course is George Kittle, but San Francisco's passing game and offense are not in the same realm as the Chiefs, and Kelce is a favored target for Mahomes. Having Kelce in a fantasy lineup every week is reassuring and provides a decided advantage over any other teams' roster at the position.
Bob Henry
My favorite player to land in the second round is probably Kenyan Drake - all risks and concerns of never being a feature back for any of his previous coaches included. It's not by much, though. I am quite happy to get Josh Jacobs in that area and have actually taken those two as my first two picks in at least one draft so far this summer.
Jeff Haseley
Provided I was able to draft a running back in round one, my target for round two is either Travis Kelce (beginning of round two) or George Kittle (end of round two). The tight end position drops off after these two which means you have the advantage if can start one of them this season.
Andy Hicks
Given the choice of this group and I clearly want Josh Jacobs. He projects with upside on all his 2019 stats purely on missing three games, let alone natural improvement, further development, and coaches understanding how to use him better. The Raiders need and want to run the ball as a matter of course and will want him to exceed the six games from last year with more than 20 carries. Where he projects most with upside is with touchdowns and receptions. At the top of the second round, he has room to exceed that when all is said and done and that’s all you want from a second-round pick.
Ryan Hester
I'm with Bob in liking Drake's prospects this year. His offense will be fast-paced and explosive, he has a rush-capable quarterback (which tends to open up lanes for backs and sustain drives with first-down scampers), and he has little competition for touches. Drake's health concerns are valid, but if he provides mid-to-high RB1 value when he's on the field, it's worth a missed week or two with a replacement-level player. Drake, when healthy, should provide more consistency and high-end production than the other backs in Round 2.
Dan Hindery
Kenyan Drake and Miles Sanders often go in the first round but if either falls into round two, I love the idea of drafting one of those two as my RB2 (or RB1 paired with an elite wide receiver). Both are in offenses that feature the running back position in the passing game and have the potential to put a lot of points on the board. Both Drake and Sanders were high-end fantasy RB1s down the stretch of the 2019 season and look to be in the exact same roles in 2020.
Phil Alexander
I'd be happiest coming out of Round 2 with Drake, Sanders, or Kelce, in that order. The other guys left me without much ground to cover on each of them.
Chris Allen
My favorite on that list is Travis Kelce. His target share (historical or projected) and being attached to Patrick Mahomes II makes him a huge value in the second round. He had the most targets at his position and would have been 10th in targets across the entire league. If I can grab Kelce after drafting a top running back or wide receiver in the first round, I'll do it every time.
Andrew Davenport
My favorite player in the second round is definitely Travis Kelce. I'm surprised that there isn't more love for Julio Jones in this conversation, but I'm realizing that I'm one of the last Julio hold outs. At any rate, Kelce edges out Julio Jones for me, but just barely, and only because of the positional edge Kelce brings. As I talked about in an earlier chat, Kelce had an unusually low number of touchdowns this past year and still finished as the TE1 again. I do also feel tempted by Kenyan Drake here, as his upside is so tantalizing, but unless I am missing my mark, I'd likely have a running back in the first round and I'm happy with Kelce's rock-solid floor and lack of risk.
Jordan McNamara
There are a lot of good options in the second round. If you are executing a zero-RB, Julio Jones or Mike Evans are my favorite options for the strategy. Bob has brought me around on Kenyan Drake in the second round as a running back target. I also like Josh Jacobs who proved the ability to be a workhorse back as a rookie. He was a proven pass catcher in college, so I'm confident he can develop that aspect of his game.
Matt Waldman
While I won't always pick my favorite player in this round because I think Josh Jacobs has upside despite the concern that others have about his lack of passing game targets that will be proven unwarranted, Chris Godwin is my favorite option. Mike Evans is an excellent receiver and while we've already covered the Evans-Godwin debate in a previous discussion, I'll reiterate that Godwin is more versatile and might be the most versatile receiver Tom Brady has ever had.
Expect Godwin's catch volume to approach the territory of Wes Welker and Julian Edelman but the depth of targets to be greater. Godwin is also a slightly better red-zone option than Evans. This may seem hard to believe but the past two years of splits tell the story.
- 2019
- Evans: 18 targets, 8 catches, 70 yards, 5 scores
- Godwin: 12 targets, 9 catches, 67 yards, 5 scores
- 2018
- Evans: 13 targets, 6 catches, 59 yards, 4 scores
- Godwin: 16 targets, 6 catches, 62 yards, 6 scores
- 18-19 Totals
- Evans: 31 targets, 14 catches, 129 yards, 9 scores
- Godwin: 28 targets, 15 catches, 129 yards, 10 scores
While it's close, Godwin is more efficient and he's more versatile with how the Buccaneers can use him. I know that the data highlighted about Godwin in the fantasy media is spun to argue an impeding regression because he earned so many coverage mismatches from the slot.
However, how much of a regression? Godwin's ADP (20ish) isn't the same as his 2019 end-of-year ranking (2) Tom Brady and the offense he's bringing to Tampa Bay is an indicator that Godwin's production should be comparable to a strong WR2 with WR1 upside. It may not mean he'll repeat as a top-three fantasy receiver but his floor is as high as any and the ceiling isn't much lower than last year.
Devin Knotts
In a PPR setup, Austin Ekeler is my favorite player out of this group. Ekeler has the receiving upside as he caught 92 balls even with splitting the backfield with Melvin Gordon last year. What is being underreported is that he can be more than just a receiving back this season. In the four games that Ekeler played without Melvin Gordon to start the season, Ekeler averaged 14 carries per game and touched the ball 20 times per game. With the Chargers not electing to add a running back who will compete for the number one spot, it appears that the Chargers are prepared to have this offense run through Ekeler. He has the ability to challenge Christian McCaffrey for most receptions this season and still 200 carry upside.