RADIO
With the NFL Draft over, it's time to start thinking about how the results of the draft impact your dynasty rosters, starting with a look at who "won" the draft from a dynasty perspective.
Some of these are veteran players whose teams didn't draft obvious replacements for them. Some are young players who are in the same situation. And some are rookies who landed in the perfect spot—though I'm going to avoid talking about the obvious rookies, like the top-end wide receivers who were going to be "winners" no matter where they landed.
Stay tuned for the follow-up piece to this, my look at dynasty losers. And feel free to hit me up on Twitter if you want to talk more about these players.
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Davis Mills, QB, Houston Texans
The Texans made it pretty clear that they weren't taking a quarterback in the first round and that they'd roll into 2022 with second-year passer Davis Mills under center.
But part of me thought that they'd take someone in the mid-rounds as insurance. Why not add a second young QB since Mills isn't some elite passer?
Nope. Didn't happen. Even as the top QBs fell deep, deep into the draft, Houston stayed steadfast in their commitment to not take a quarterback. And while that hurt my "the Texans should draft Bailey Zappe" agenda, it undoubtedly helped out Mills' fantasy value.
As a rookie, Mills was serviceable, completing 66.8% of his passes for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. But with how low everyone is on all the QBs this year, "serviceable" is enough to give Mills a chance to be Houston's long-term starter.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
It wasn't so much the draft itself that makes Bateman a winner but a trade that happened during the draft, as the Ravens traded Marquise Brown to the Cardinals, paving the way for Bateman to be the No. 1 receiver in Baltimore.
Bateman appeared in 12 games as a rookie, catching 46 passes for 515 yards and a touchdown. He had some disappointing games, like when he played 65 snaps against the Packers and only had one reception, but that was also with Tyler Huntley throwing him the ball. Things should change with Lamar Jackson healthy, especially considering Bateman's one 10-target game came with Jackson at QB.
Another important note here: the Ravens didn't take any receivers, even after trading Brown. This is Bateman's chance. Hopefully, he's already on your dynasty roster because his value just skyrocketed.
David Bell, WR, Cleveland Browns
I don't think I heard anyone talk about David Bell before the draft. He seemed destined to be a mid-round pick who wouldn't really do much off the bat.
But Bell ended up in a really intriguing place: Cleveland, which just acquired a new starting quarterback in Deshaun Watson and whose depth chart at wide receiver looks like this: Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones...and I guess Jakeem Grant and Javon Wims? Eww.
Bell has a chance to be the No. 2 wide receiver in Cleveland if he can use his physicality to make plays. Bell can play inside and outside and rarely drops passes, which should allow him to be a reliable option for the Browns in 2022 and going forward.
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Sure, Ezekiel Elliott is still the running back in Dallas, but the Cowboys didn't take a running back in this draft and the Cowboys have their first potential out on the Zeke contract in 2023, when they could get out of his deal as a post-June 1st release with a manageable amount of dead cap space.
Could we finally see Pollard emerge as the top back in Dallas, something that's been discussed on DFW sports radio over and over and over for the past few years?
Maybe. He averaged 5.5 yards per attempt last year and has seen his number of carries increase each year. Dallas could add a young back next year, but by not doing it this year, it feels like re-signing Pollard after this season on a team-friendly deal and handing him the reins is more likely than it has been.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts was among a handful of quarterbacks who had to feel worried last weekend that their teams would draft their replacement.
But by the end of the draft, Philly's quarterback room looked exactly the same as it had at the beginning.
Sure, a poor season from the Eagles could put them in a position to take one of the top QBs in next year's draft, but the simple fact that Hurts doesn't have to look over his shoulder this year is a win.
Per PlayerProfiler, Hurts made some mistakes last year, ranking fifth in interceptable passes with 37, but he was 10th in deep-ball accuracy rating and 13th in red zone accuracy rating. He's not going to set the world on fire as a passer, but if he can be something like the 15th-most accurate passer in the league and combines that with his rushing ability, he could be someone that Philly looks to be the long-term starter.
(He was also first in fantasy points per dropback! That doesn't make the Eagles any more likely to stick with him, but it's a good stat for fantasy managers to know!)
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Conner might not be the starting running back in Arizona for, like, the next five years or anything, but he can give you a few years of solid production, making him someone you want to have if your dynasty team is in win-now mode.
Last year, Conner had 202 carries for 752 yards and 15 touchdowns while sharing the backfield with Chase Edmonds, who played 12 games and 40.6% of the team's offensive snaps.
But Edmonds left for the Dolphins and the Cardinals didn't do much to replace him in free agency. I guess they signed Jaylen Samuels, but he's not making the 53-man roster.
The team could have taken a running back in the draft to complement Conner, but all they did was take Keaontay Ingram in the sixth round. Ingram will be fighting Eno Benjamin for scraps while Conner spends 2022 as the clear lead back. He's also under contract through 2024, though there's an easy out for that final year.
Also of note, for those hoping for a good showing from Conner in the short term: DeAndre Hopkins got suspended for PEDs. The Cardinals are going to need to rely on the run more than they have over the Kliff era because Kyler Murray will be starting the season with a weakened receiving corps.
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