2020 Rookies: The Now and Laters of Fantasy Football

Aug 02, 2020

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I remember as a kid not understanding the idea of the Now and Later candy. It was a stale taffy piece that came in terrible flavors like Rum Caramel and Banana. If you chew it too soon, your teeth are screwed. If you try sucking on it, hoping it softens up to chew on it eventually, it doesn’t work and you end up with regrets.

However, the 2020 rookie class is nothing like the candy itself but does share some similarities with the origin of the Now and Later name. The idea was that you ate some now and want more later on. With this class, you will want some now and certainly be excited to get more later. The question is which rookies do you want to invest in now and which do you want to wait a little longer on for that eventual return. That’s what we’re here to analyze.

Give me that rookie now!

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

If you were worried about Edwards-Helaire getting the job, Damien Williams’ absence after opting out of the 2020 season basically removed any doubts. His only competition, as it stands now, is Darwin Thompson and Darrel Williams. That pair averaged 3.4 yards per carry last year, nearly a full yard lower than the rest of the team (4.3). CEH has the skill set to be a three-down back and now basically has the role to himself barring any last-minute signing with a lot of leeway if his pass blocking or other developing skills prove problematic. It’s hard to envision the Chiefs landscape today leading to a finish outside the top 15 with a strong possibility that he manages a top 10 fantasy running back finish in all scoring formats.

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

When a team clears out the competition, if we want to call Andy Dalton that, and picks you first overall, they plan to start you. Let’s also mention the franchise tag placed on veteran A.J. Green even though they won’t be competing for the playoffs, and a second-round pick used on Tee Higgins to further bolster Burrow’s weapons. Along with holdovers Tyler Boyd and John Ross, the Bengals are surprisingly loaded at the wide receiver position. That’ll help if the Bengals ask Burrow to match the 616 pass attempts the team had in 2019, sixth-most in the NFL. He will likely struggle with interceptions as he will be asked to press the action but the upside is there for 4,500 passing yards and 25-plus total touchdowns in year one.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

In many dynasty circles, Taylor was the top pick for rookie drafts prior to the NFL Draft. Since then, some are worried about Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines developing specialized roles that will pick off opportunities from Taylor. The argument against that is Mack and Hines do not have the big-play ability or well-roundedness to be anything more than a complementary option. Taylor, on the other hand, has legitimate 4.4 speed and joins a team that ranked fifth with 471 rushing attempts in 2019. He handled 53% of the rushing attempts at Wisconsin last year, which would lead to about 250 carries for the Colts, a fair estimate for the rookie runner. Add in another 30-40 receptions and he could easily surpass 1,200 total yards and threaten a top 20 running back finish.