Fantasy football winners & losers after day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft is behind us, and teams have their rosters mostly settled for the time being. The made dash for undrafted free agents is happening, but that’s generally for no more than maybe 15 roster spots for most teams.

The draft wrapped up with a busy day three of trades and picks, and with 255 draft picks out of the way, it’s time to figure out who won and who lost from a fantasy football perspective. If you are an offensive player taken in the first round of the NFL draft, you expect to contribute in your first NFL season. But plenty of players in the second through seventh rounds will make any impact. And this year, we saw some notable veterans traded on day three that will impact depth charts.

Any new offensive player who has secured snaps due to their draft status will force a reshuffling around the new player. Projecting that reshuffle is an important step in evaluating the fantasy football landscape for the 2020 season.

Winners

Matt Breida, RB, Dolphins

The Dolphins played things pretty well this draft, but not grabbing a running back late to compete with Jordan Howard did seem a little off. Right when it looked like they’d go without a running back, they traded for Breida, adding a dynamic — though oft-injured — back to pair with Howard. If he can stay healthy, his upside in fantasy is better than Howard’s.

Jacob Eason, QB, Colts

Eason lands in a great place to develop behind Philip Rivers and a strong offensive line which should continue to stay strong under GM Chris Ballard’s watchful eye. Eason needs work, but has all the tools to develop into a strong pocket passer in Frank Reich’s offense.

Drew Lock, QB, Broncos

Lock has been a fantasy winner for each day of this draft, seeing receivers Jerry Jeudy added in round one, then KJ Hamler in round two, and then in round four, he gets his old tight end, Albert Okwuegbunam, to whom he threw 17 touchdowns in two seasons at Missouri. Of course, Noah Fant is ahead of Okwuegbunam, but that kind of depth along with a familiar face, is great for Lock’s fantasy outlook.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins

With concern surrounding Tagovailoa’s hip, the Dolphins have drafted three offensive line prospects, with additions in the first, second, and now fourth rounds. The actual picks haven’t been graded out as A+ picks, but they have enough bodies that we should see them gel into a good unit with some time.

Tom Brady, QB, Buccaneers

Brady already has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski, but adding Tristan Wirfs in the first and Tyler Johnson in the fifth are two great additions for Brady’s chance of fantasy success in Florida.

Carson Wentz, QB, Eagles

The Jalen Hurts selection was a stunner, and long-term it will be something to track. However, for 2020 fantasy football, Wentz comes out a winner. He’s not losing his job to Hurts this fall, and instead gets some serious upgrades at wide receiver. The Eagles selected Jalen Reagor in the first, John Hightower in the fifth, and Quez Watkins in the sixth. They also swapped picks to acquire Marquise Goodwin in a trade with the 49ers. The name of the game for Philly is speed in a re-tooled receiver corps. Hurts could steal some of Wentz’s touches as a gadget option, but the upside with the receiver additions is a boon to Wentz’s value if he can stay healthy.

Losers

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers

This “loser” pick should have been in my Day 1 and 2 wrap ups, but I thought maybe the Packers would find a way to give Rodgers some offensive help on Day 3, but it’s not looking good with only sixth and seventh round picks remaining. The Packers have Davante Adams, a great receiver, and then bupkis. Instead of grabbing a receiver from one of the best receiver classes ever, they grab quarterback Jordan Love in the first and then running back A.J. Dillon in the second. They must have forgotten they already had Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones on the roster. They added no receiver help to a unit that badly needed it.

Jordan Howard, RB, Dolphins

Howard isn’t going to go away with Breida in the fold, but he had managed to have the job all to himself until the trade. And instead of getting a fourth or fifth round running back to compete with him, they get Breida, who ran a 4.38 40 and has proved he can play, with 381 rushing attempts for 1,902 yards (4.99 ypc) and 67 receptions for 561 yards and 10 touchdowns overall in three seasons with the 49ers.

Justin Jackson, RB, Chargers

After letting Melvin Gordon walk this offseason, the Chargers went out and grabbed UCLA’s Joshua Kelley. At 112th overall, he’s not a lock to take over Jackson’s spot, but he has a real chance to. With Austin Ekeler likely not putting in a big workload between the tackles and the team probably running more with Philip Rivers gone and a strong defense, there is room for Ekeler’s backup to see 10+ touches and have some fantasy value.

Jaylen Samuels, RB, Steelers

Samuels came up small last season with James Conner out and the Steelers look to replace him with their 124th pick, Anthony McFarland Jr. our of Maryland. McFarland has good speed with a 4.44 40 and more draft capital than Samuels. He’ll need to work on fumbling issues before he can truly pass Samuels, but he’ll be in the mix for RB2 duties from Day 1.

Mitchell Trubisky/Nick Foles, QB, Bears

The Bears didn’t do any favors for whomever ends up claiming the starting job. Sure, they added Cole Kmet to the tight end room but will he even literally fit into the room given all the players on the depth chart? Darnell Mooney offers some competition in the slot position, but otherwise they didn’t do much to upgrade this offense.