Fantasy Football: Winners and losers from the 2020 NFL Draft

Winners: Jarrett Stidham, QB/N’Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots

It’s becoming harder to deny that Bill Belichick Patriots are actually comfortable with the sophomore duo of Jarrett Stidham and N’Keal Harry to lead them into the post-Tom Brady era.

The Patriots will be a team that, once again, relies upon its stingy defense and effective ball-controlling offense. Belichick’s goal in 2020 is clear: prove that they can win his way, the “Patriot Way”, without Brady. I expect Stidham to put up stats comparable to Brady’s 2019 season. Nothing exciting there.

However, the times that Stidham does pass, he’ll be looking to the power forward/wide receiver, Harry. Harry has terrific size and positions his body well to create separation. He should be a valuable red zone weapon and will likely lead his team in targets. Expect Harry to be the de facto No. 1 receiver since Edelman is an aging slot guy and the Pats didn’t make any noteworthy additions to their receiving corps.

Loser: Jordan Howard, RB, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins started rebuilding their offense early and often during the draft. They added arguably the best quarterback prospect when they selected Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama with the No. 5 pick. Then they quickly bolstered the line by drafting USC’s Austin Jackson at No. 18 and added guard/tackle Robert Hunt in Round 3. Things were looking good for Jordan Howard.

On Day 3 of the draft, however, the 49ers started dealing curveballs, one of which ended up with Matt Breida joining the Dolphins in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Breida has been sneaky good in San Francisco with limited opportunities, averaging over 5.0 yards per carry for his career. He’s also an excellent pass-catcher out of the backfield, which may lead to him beating out Howard for the starting job.