Welcome to The 2020 Rookie IDP Player Situational Reports for our fantasy football assessment purposes. It’s a proven fact that a rookie’s situation with his new team can dictate his value for fantasy football as much as his talent. And in this series, we will cover the players drafted team by team to gauge our expectations for our dynasty fantasy football rosters.
2020 Rookie IDP: AFC North
Looking for our 2020 rookie IDP composite rankings? Then Check out our current top 36 HERE.
The Squads Key For Fantasy Football
The First Squad: Possible clear path to immediate playing time now.
The Taxi Squad: Possible path to rotational playing time now.
The Practice Squad: Possible path to playing after a developmental period.
NOTE: We are not including undrafted free agents signed (deep long-shots) by any NFL teams at this time.
Baltimore’s Five Defensive Draft Picks
The First Squad
- Patrick Queen, pick 1.28, out of the LSU, is highly toted right now and for good a reason. His draft status, as well as his situation, is notable and appealing. And with just one other high-profiled rookie linebacker and no veteran competition to speak of, there is little doubt that he won’t enter the season as a starter. His best fit in the scheme is likely the weak inside linebacker for coverage purposes. And if the situation works out accordingly, Queen will be one of the top IDP productive players for the Ravens in 2020. Dynasty wise, we are looking at a solid linebacker one option for the long term. And is why he is currently our 1.5 overall (composite) ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
- Malik Harrison, pick 3.98, out of Ohio State, is just not starting to gain momentum now in the fantasy football community. He is a viable option with his situation on the Ravens roster being a favorable one. The hard-hitting rookie should have no problem earning the start next to higher profiled Patrick Queen. And if he is the mack inside linebacker, his role as the run-stopper will net a lot of combined tackles. While in the process, of course, pending if he is has a full-time role in 2020. And that is why he is currently our 10th overall (composite) ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
The Taxi Squad
- Justin Madubuike, pick 3.71, out of Texas A&M, isn’t currently getting any IDP love for a couple of good reasons. For one, heading into 2020, he’ll be in the rotation behind veterans Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe, and Brandon Williams. And he is slightly undersized comparably for the bulkier 3-4 schemed interior defensive lineman pro prototypes. And after some time of development, he’ll likely offer some IDP upside. But as a starter, it’s a tough fantasy football IDP situation nut to crack. Because for fantasy purposes, there is a very small margin of 3-4 interior defensive lineman who cracks our top IDP tiers. And when they do, they rarely ever amount to much more than an upper DL2. So for those reasons, he is currently not ranked in our top 36 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
The Practice Squad
- Broderick Washington, pick 170 in the 5th, out of Texas Tech, is currently not ranked in our top 36 rankings. This defensive tackle has a long way to go to make an IDP impact. And for now, his best situational case scenario is to make the roster as depth and special teams player.
- Geno Stone, pick 290 in the 7th, out of Iowa, is currently not ranked in our top 36 rankings. This safety has a long way to go to make an IDP impact. And for now, his best situational case scenario is to make the roster as depth and special teams player.
Cincinnati’s Four Defensive Draft Picks
The First Squad
- Logan Wilson, pick 3.65, out of Wyoming, is currently a player with great IDP potential. The status of the Bengal’s linebacker core will likely be an open competition this offseason. And Wilson will likely enter the season as one of Bengal’s main two linebackers with no problems considering the roster. What does remain to be seen is at what designated linebacker position. But at this point, any will offer potential higher-end production if it’s at a full-time capacity. And is why he is currently our 14.5 overall dynasty composite ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
The Taxi Squad
- Akeen Davis-Gaither, pick 107 in the 4th, out of Appalachian State, will likely get an opportunity to compete to start right away. And there is a lot potential he could start at one of the three linebacker spots. But with Wilson (above) and Germaine Pratt’s skillsets, it’s likely as the third guy. That would likely relegate him to a situational role in packages and less time on the field. We won’t stifle this rookie completely. His situation within the Bengal’s open competition could net him a larger role. And if he outperforms his draft status could mean he’ll become a viable target. This is why he is currently our 31st overall dynasty composite ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
- Markus Bailey, pick 215 in the 7th, out of Purdue, is a true flier here for the Taxi Squad category. But his situation for now among the Bengal’s competition we’ve mentioned has to be recognized. And we slot him here knowing that stranger things have happened on any given Sunday. And is also why he is currently our 32.5 overall dynasty composite ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
The Practice Squad
- Khalid Kareem, pick 147 in the 5th, out of Notre Dame, is currently not ranked in our top 36 rankings. This defensive end has a long way to go to make an IDP impact, but it wouldn’t take much to make the Taxi Squad. And for now, his best situational case scenario is to make the roster as depth and special teams player.
Cleveland’s Three Defensive Draft Picks
The First Squad
- Grant Delpit, pick 2.44, out of LSU, has a pretty clear shot to be the starting free safety in 2020. With little to no competition, he’ll likely man a position known in the past for high IDP production. It is one of those situations the position is his to lose heading based on impressing the coaching staff. And if for some reason he isn’t the starter, he’ll still hold great dynasty value according to the Browns current roster. Delpit is currently our 11th overall (composite) ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
The Taxi Squad
- Jordan Elliot, pick 3.88, out of Texas, is likely slated for a rotational role for 2020. His draft status and defensive profile as defensive tackle warrants he’ll be inserted fairly quickly, if possible. And playing with fellow veterans like Sheldon Richardson, Larry Ogunjobi, and Andrew Billings all in the mix, we’re like looking at less than half of the snaps available by years end. Elliot’s path to a deeper role may not come until after the 2020 season. That is when the Browns have an “out” in Richardson’s contract and would open the door more for a starting gig. And he is our 32nd overall (composite) ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
- Jacob Phillips, pick 3.97, out of LSU, is in a great position among the Browns linebacker core. They have made little to no attempt to bolster the unit with any high motored free agents or higher draft status players. But his metrics may take some time to develop to full capacity at the NFL level. And not barring the potential to outperform his completion to start, but he was considered a reach by the Browns in the draft. The one positive that could have had him inserted with the first squad, the overall state of the other linebackers he’ll be competing with. And is why Phillips is our 24th overall (composite) ranked 2020 IDP rookie at Gridiron Ratings.
Pittsburgh’s Three Defensive Draft Picks
The Taxi Squad
- Alex Highsmith, pick 102 in the 3rd, out of Charlotte, would have been more appealing if he would have landed with a different team. Landing with the Steelers isn’t a bad thing, but in terms of immediate opportunity, but this edge rusher will be buried on the depth chart. A defensive end, in college, will translate well to an outside linebacker for the Steelers as an edge-rusher. Which currently has two great high profiled players established as starters with T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree. And both of them are full-time players that will keep Highsmith’s potential rotational role to a minimum in 2020 barring any injuries. His best window for a path to starting may come in 2021 after Dupree’s current contract expires. And we should keep in mind that he’ll be playing second fiddle to Watt for a very long time. Hence, as great as a prospect as he is with his metrics, he didn’t make the cut for our top 36 rookie rankings.
The Practice Squad
- Antonie Brooks, pick 198th in the 6th, out of Maryland, is currently not ranked in our top 36 rankings. This safety has a long way to go to make an IDP impact. And for now, his best situational case scenario is to make the roster as depth and special teams player.
- Carlos Davis, pick 232 in the 7th, out of Nebraska, is currently not ranked in our top 36 rankings. This defensive tackle has a long way to go to make an IDP impact. And for now, his best situational case scenario is to make the roster as depth and special teams player.
2020 Rookie IDP
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Gary VanDyke
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