We’ve gotten through the NFC West and NFC North NFL Draft Fantasy Football Wishlists. Now, it’s time to take a look at the division we get way too much of on television. The Eagles took down the worst division in football last year, the NFC East. They all have some serious needs, but we only care about what they need for fantasy football purposes for 2020. Where should the NFC East squads look in the 2020 NFL Draft to maximize their fantasy football value?
2020 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Wishlist: Dallas Cowboys
Deep Threat Wide Receiver
Picks: #17 (round 1), #51 (round 2), #82 (round 3), #123 (round 4), #164 (round 5), #179 (round 5, compensatory pick), #231 (round 7)
The Dallas Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the NFL last year, and while Travis Frederick’s sudden retirement leaves a hole along the line, PFF’s #4 ranked line last year doesn’t take priority for fantasy football purposes. They’ll still be plenty good, so for fantasy football purposes, we can kick that can down the road just a little bit.
As for now, the Cowboys have two amazingly talented wide receivers in Amari Cooper (who just received a five-year, $100 million dollar contract) and Michael Gallup, who enters the third year of his rookie deal. While Cooper can go downfield as a #1 receiver, Gallup trawls the middle more than anywhere else. The Cowboys need a field stretcher, and they need one in a bad way. This will clear up everyone else to do their work. I doubt Henry Ruggs remains on the board in the first round, but that would be a spicy trigger to pull for them. But, if they drop a second-round or third-round pick on K.J. Hamler, or a deep selection on Brandon Aiyuk, you could see the whole offense open up.
2020 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Wishlist: New York Giants
Offensive Linemen
Picks: #4 (round 1), #36 (round 2), #99 (round 3, compensatory), #110 (round 4), #183 (round 6), #218 (round 7), #238 (round 7, from New Orleans), #247 (round 7, compensatory), #255 (round 7, compensatory)
The Giants have a stacked wide receiver room, a sophomore QB who flashed promise last year, and one of the best TEs (when health) and RBs in the game. What they don’t have, however, is an offensive line to make this engine work. Pro Football Focus gave the Giants O-Line the seventeenth-best grade last season, so upgrading that, and protecting Daniel Jones should be a priority.
The smart money here is on a trade-back from #4 to get some additional draft capital and to take OT Mekhi Becton from Louisville. He’s widely considered to be the best OL prospect in this draft class, and while Kevin Zeitler holds down the middle, the tackles aren’t holding up. According to PFF, the Giants’ tackle duo allowed 97 pressures last year, the most in the NFL (and they lost Mike Remmers to the Chiefs). The Giants need an upgrade to protect Daniel Jones, and they didn’t do it in free agency. They have to do it through the draft or risk breaking their young QB.
2020 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Wishlist: Philadelphia Eagles
Wide Receiver, Wide Receiver, Wide Receiver, oh, and Wide Receiver
Picks: #21 (round 1), #53 (round 2), #103 (round 3, compensatory), #127 (round 4), #145 (round 4, comp pick), #146 (round 4, comp pick), #168 (round 5, from new England), #190 (round 6, from Atlanta)
PFF ranked the Eagles as having the best offensive line in the league. Miles Sanders is a breakout stud waiting to happen in the running back room, and Zach Ertz & Dallas Goedert are the best one-two TE tandem in the league. Carson Wentz has battled injuries but has shown that he’s a franchise QB when healthy. Oh, also the Eagles started an undrafted converted QB at WR in the playoffs last year and let Nelson Agholor walk. They need wide receivers in the worst way, and literally did not yet get one in free agency.
Luckily for the Eagles, this is a deep wide receiver class. They need so much from the WR corps that I could see them spending half of their six top-150 picks on the position. It’s unlikely that any of the three or four top receivers are still available at #21, so a trade-up to get one of the studs (CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy) is in the cards. The only problem is that the 49ers and Raiders both need studs, so the Eagles need to give one of them a Godfather offer, or jump to #11 and select in the Jets’ slot. Look for them to pick a couple of guys in the upper-middle class of this draft.
2020 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Wishlist: Washington
Wide Receiver, Quarterback?
Picks: #2 (round 1), #66 (round 3), #108 (round 4), #142 (round 4, comp pick), #162 (round 5, from Pittsburgh via Seattle), #216 (round 7), #229 (round 7, from Denver)
The Washington draft board is a series of question marks. They pick second, which means if they were smart they’d take DL Chase Young, who is the best prospect in this draft class. However, Washington isn’t exactly smart, and the allure of a new quarterback might be too much for them to resist. Rumors are swirling that they’re a dark horse candidate to land Tua Tagovailoa with the #2 pick, but that’s probably arbitrage to get someone to blow them away with an offer for that pick. Dwayne Haskins had a rather ignominious rookie campaign, but they might be hesitant to jettison him in a Josh Rosenesque manner.
Washington also needs to address their receiving corps. Terry McLaurin broke out last year, and Kelvin Harmon still has potential, but they don’t have much there, overall. Adding a WR with #66 will go a long way towards cleaning up the problems Haskins had in year one, and might make him closer to the QB they drafted. They also have a messy TE room, with Jeremy Sprinkle as their TE1. But I never recommend tight ends for fantasy football purposes in their rookie year, as a rule. Washington has a ton of running backs, and can’t really afford to add more to an already crowded room that includes Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, Bryce Love, Peyton Barber, and J.D. McKissic. That leaves wide receiver and maybe quarterback as their best options to help 2020 fantasy football leagues.
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