11 Depth Chart Battles to Watch for Fantasy Football
Some situations can provide fantasy value, if you can identify who will emerge from uncertain depth chart situations in 2020.
August 10, 2020 - by Jason Lisk
Keep an eye on depth charts like the Giants receivers, where news on Darius Slayton may impact how highly he goes (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)
Some depth chart situations are unsettled as teams begin to prepare for the season. But those depth chart battles can provide huge value if you stay on top of the situation and react to the news. While most preseason news may not matter much, these are areas where you will want to pay attention.
Indianapolis 2nd Wide Receiver
Philip Rivers is now in Indianapolis, which should boost the receiving numbers compared to 2019. T.Y. Hilton is the top guy in Indianapolis, but he’s coming off a season where he struggled with a calf injury. He turns 31 this season. So there’s an opportunity for others to step up behind him. The most likely candidates are:
- Michael Pittman, Jr., the team’s first pick in the 2020 draft, at No. 34 overall;
- Parris Campbell, a second-round pick a year ago, who struggled with injuries as a rookie and ended up with only 18 catches;
- Zach Pascal, who ended up leading the team in receiving yards in 2019 because of injuries at the position.
Pittman brings size and the ability to provide a bigger target for Rivers, and is the early favorite to have the biggest role in the passing game. If Pittman can grab the starting role, he’s a sleeper candidate. But rookies can be inconsistent, so you will want to monitor his progress and reports out of camp about how he is fitting into the role. Campbell is a speedster who will have a chance to rebound after a tough rookie year. Pascal will be a factor if either of the other two falter.
Los Angeles Rams Running Back
Todd Gurley is gone, which means that a Rams running back not named Gurley will rush for more than 300 yards in a season for the first time since Tre Mason in 2014. But who will be the lead guy? That is unclear as camps begin. Cam Akers out of Florida State was the first pick for the team in 2020, in the second round. Darrell Henderson was a third round pick a year ago. He was expected to have a bigger role because of Gurley’s knee issues, but he ended up only carrying the ball 39 times all season. And then there’s the veteran Malcolm Brown, who has been with the team since 2015.
Akers is the favorite to land the role, considering Henderson’s lack of production as a rookie and the Rams’ investment in him. But rookies can be fickle. Henderson will likely get another chance to take a bigger role. Brown has the lowest ceiling, but could take the 2nd back role in a platoon.
Tampa Bay Running Back
Ronald Jones had a disappointing rookie year at age 21 in 2018. He had a better year in 2019 and took over the lead role from Peyton Barber by the end of the season. Jones finished the year with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage, including consecutive games with over 100 yards to end the year. Statistically, his overall yards last year are similar to both Devin Singletary and David Montgomery, two rookies who were 22 years old.
But Jones is being drafted well below both of those other two in early fantasy drafts, and that’s presumably because of rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who the Bucs took in the third round this year. The early opinions are split on these two players, but there is plenty of Vaughn hype. Despite Jones being in the league two years already, they are roughly the same age. Dare Ogunbawale is also lurking if Vaughn does not emerge. Complicating the backfield, Vaughn was initially put on the COVID/reserve list as a rookie, and the team signed veteran LeSean McCoy to a one-year deal. If one player does emerge as the lead back (with Jones as the favorite), they could provide huge value.
The Buccaneers are expected to contend for a playoff spot. You should also expect more balance on offense with Tom Brady at quarterback, and the potential for a running back boom to emerge.
Baltimore Running Back
The Baltimore running back position is likely to be a productive one in 2020, despite individual question marks on the depth chart. Even if you remove Lamar Jackson’s stats last year, the Ravens had over 2,000 rushing yards. So monitoring how the backs look, and who might be in line for touches, could be profitable. Mark Ingram had over 1,000 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago. An injury at the end of the year limited him in the playoffs, and he’s 31 years old. The team drafted J.K. Dobbins out of Ohio State, and he is expected to play a role along with Ingram. But don’t forget about Gus Edwards, who has had over 700 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons in the league.
New York Giants Wide Receivers
Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Darius Slayton missed 13 games combined in 2019. The one to really watch here is Slayton, to see where he is falling in the depth chart battle with the veterans. As a rookie, Slayton led the team with 8.8 yards per target and scored 8 touchdowns. With Daniel Jones moving into his second year with the team, the Giants’ passing offense could improve, and at least one of these guys could provide excellent value, with all going outside the Top 40 at the wide receiver position in early drafts.
Detroit Running Back
Kerryon Johnson was expected to breakout last year. Instead, he managed to play in only 8 games. Johnson is still only 23 years old, but the Lions added D’Andre Swift in the second round this year. Swift is expected to be the main guy this year.
But recent history is littered with examples of the fantasy community expecting a rookie to take over, and another young player instead emerging. Tevin Coleman was being drafted in front of Devonta Freeman in 2015. Freeman emerged to finish the year as the highest-scoring running back. Montee Ball was being drafted early in fantasy drafts in 2013, but Knowshon Moreno (who had been unimpressive to that point) had his career year with Denver. Arian Foster (2010-Ben Tate), Beanie Wells (2013-Ryan Williams), and Chris Carson (2018-Rashaad Penny) are other recent examples of young backs having a good season after their teams drafted a different running back that year in the 1st or 2nd round.
The Swift versus Johnson battle could provide some big fantasy value in 2020, and keeping an eye on how the competition is faring will be important.
Los Angeles Rams Third Wide Receiver
The Rams’ trio of receivers has become two (Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods). With Brandin Cooks out a big chunk of last year, the team transitioned from what had been its typical three-wide lineup in the previous two seasons. Will that transition continue, or will the team return to more three-wide sets in 2020?
Josh Reynolds has been with the Rams over that time, and was the player that filled in when one of the other receivers was out. Meanwhile, Van Jefferson from Florida was the team’s first draft pick in 2020 (in the second round). He’s kind of an afterthought right now in fantasy circles, but his draft position suggests the Rams may be trying to fill that third receiver role with someone that fits with their other star receivers. If Jefferson can beat out Reynolds on the depth chart as a rookie, he could be a fantasy sleeper to watch.
Los Angeles Chargers 2nd Running Back
Austin Ekeler is the Chargers’ main running back now that Melvin Gordon has moved on. But Ekeler is more of an all-purpose threat, and topped out at 132 rush attempts last year while catching 92 passes. There is still an opportunity here for someone else to grab a role as the second back in this offense. With Rivers gone, and the team going to either Tyrod Taylor or rookie Justin Herbert, you should also expect a more run-heavy approach.
Justin Jackson, and rookie Joshua Kelley, should be vying for this spot on the depth chart, and the one that gets that role is a value at the end of fantasy drafts.
Indianapolis Colts Running Back
Jonathan Taylor is expected to become the starter for the Colts. Don’t forget about Marlon Mack, though, who has 1,999 rushing yards the last two seasons. Then there is Nyheim Hines, who had 63 catches as a receiving back in his rookie year in 2018, with Andrew Luck at quarterback. Rivers likes to involve the backs heavily in the passing game, and Austin Ekeler became a star a year ago. Mack has not been much of a receiver so far. Taylor could be, even though it was not featured heavily at Wisconsin. Hines could also have a bigger role as a pass catcher. This backfield could produce multiple fantasy options and how the depth chart shakes out will be worth watching.
New England Quarterback
Will Cam Newton claim the starting job in New England? It seems likely … if he can show he is healthy. Right now, he is being drafted outside the Top 24 at the position, but he becomes a quality option if he actually wins the job, as someone who can provide points both on the ground and in the air.
Washington Running Back
Yes, the Washington offense looks like a mess. But sometimes fantasy gold (relative to the investment cost) comes from seemingly bad situations at the running back position. Even before Derrius Guice’s release, the Washington backfield had plenty of uncertainty. Now that he is gone, things are truly wide open. Can Adrian Peterson make the roster again and carve out a role at age 35? Bryce Love, a former Heisman candidate who tore his ACL in his final game at Stanford in 2018, is supposed to be healthy. Peyton Barber is also in the mix, after leaving Tampa Bay.
And then there’s rookie Antonio Gibson, drafted 66th overall, who projects as a receiver/runner hybrid. Peterson is not a big receiving threat, and neither is Barber. Love had 49 total catches in four seasons at Stanford, compared to 569 rush attempts. So Gibson will likely carve out a role on a team that doesn’t have a lot of established receiving threats outside of Terry McLaurin, and paying attention to word of how he is doing could be valuable. Gibson played primarily receiver at Memphis, but also played some running back last year and can line up all over, and has the size to be a starting running back.
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