Round 1 Instant Reaction

Fri Apr 25 9:45am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Raiders land best back in draft

With Round 1of the NFL Draft in the books, I thought it would be a good idea to give an instant fantasy take on some of the picks made. The first round wasn’t too crazy compared to past years but still had some interesting picks.

Here are my fantasy takes. . . . .

The Titans have their new starting quarterback, taking Cam Ward in the first round. This was expected, so it was not a surprise. Ward should start from day one and could have his ups and downs along the way but has some big-game potential. He is a confident player that likes to sling it up and down the field. This is probably a good move for the Titans, moving on from Will Levis.

Jacksonville made a bold move, trading up to get Travis Hunter. Hunter gives the team a solid starter at receiver opposite Brian Thomas. He also will play cornerback defensively, but the Titans made it sound last night that he will play a lot more receiver in year one. This should be a positive for his fantasy value. I’m still not sure his ceiling as a fantasy receiver, trying to play two positions. There isn’t much history to go in when it comes to his, but normally a player that splits time on both sides of the ball is going to have some erratic production. I would expect that from Hunter in year one. He is probably more reserve material for fantasy teams as a rookie.

The Raiders won the Ashton Jeanty sweepstakes. I don’t consider this the top landing spot for Jeanty but it is not a bad one by any means. Jeanty will carry the load at running back and has next to no competition for carries. And Chip Kelly will be the play caller for the Raiders this year, which should be a good thing for Jeanty. Kelly has a ton of experience and success. He should make Jeanty the focal point of the offense. Jeanty is a first-round fantasy pick as a rookie. He is going to get a ton of work.

Carolina added another weapon for Bryce Young, taking receiver Tetairoa McMillan with their eighth pick. This is great news for Young, who seemed to turn the corner late last season. McMillan should be the top receiver in this offense from day one. He can rack up the targets from Young. Just look at how Young has looked at Adam Thielen the last two seasons. McMillan can have a solid rookie year as the No. 1 receiver for the Panthers. We aren’t sure he has the type of seasons that Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas did as rookies last year, but McMillan can help fantasy teams as a rookie. Just consider him more of a No. 3 in this offense.

The Bears surprised some by taking tight end Colston Loveland with their first-round pick. Chicago already had Cole Kmet but it seems the Bears couldn’t pass on adding another talented pass catcher at tight end. New head coach Ben Johnson is trying to get as many weapons as possible for Caleb Williams. Loveland is likely to emerge as the top tight end before long but Kmet is going to get his playing time as well. So this isn’t an ideal spot for Loveland’s fantasy value. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Chicago right now, so some erratic production could be on the horizon. Just keep this in mind when taking playmakers for the Bears this season, especially when it comes to Loveland and Kmet.

Many thought the second tight end picked was the best one in the draft, so the Colts might have gotten some good value with getting Tyler Warren at pick 14. This is a great pick for the Colts, who have needed a legit starting tight end for years. Warren should step in to start right away and get plenty of work in this offense The only concern for Warren is the Colts quarterback play. Anthony Richardson is going to need to show more consistency if Warren hopes to reach his potential. So I would not expect either of the top tight ends picked to lead fantasy tight ends in scoring, breaking a streak of two straight seasons where that happened. These are good players that should make an impact, though.

The Bucs made a little surprising pick, taking receiver Emeka Egbuka with their first pick. They are planning for the future, though, with Mike Evans not getting any younger. Egbuka would be an ideal replacement. But for his rookie season, he should be third on the depth chart. He will get his targets and chances, but his ceiling is a little limited right now. He might not make a huge fantasy impact in year one. And the addition of Egbuka all but kills the value of Jalen McMillan, who played well with his chances last year. He should move to fourth on the depth chart this season.

The Chargers got their workhorse back, taking Omarion Hampton. This is a great landing spot for Hampton, heading a top offense that likes to run the ball. He should start immediately and play a big role. Hampton is a great fit for the offense, running with power and doing a good job of closing out games. He could be a really solid No. 2 fantasy back his rookie season. The addition of Hampton really hurts Najee Harris, though, who should still get work but not nearly as much as before the draft. Harris might be worth a reserve look for fantasy teams but don’t expect much more with Hampton around.

Green Bay has a crowded receiver room that got a little more crowded with the addition of Matthew Golden. The good news for Golden is that he has a chance to give the team a legit No. 1 receiver. All the other options in Green Bay are more No. 2 options. Golden should be able to start and be a top option for Jordan Love. The addition of Golden probably hurts the value more of the players around him, including Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. So this is a pretty crowded receiver room with a lot of mouths to feed. All these guys could be up and down throughout the season. You have to like the value of Love even more after the addition of Golden, though. Love could have his best season to date.

The Giants have quite the quarterback room after taking Jaxson Dart late in the first round. New York traded back into the first round to get Dart, hoping to have found their franchise quarterback. The team already stated after the draft that Russell Wilson will start this year, having Dart learn behind him. And don’t forget the Giants also have Jameis Winston on the roster. So it would not surprise if Dart was even third on the depth chart his rookie season. He is not going to help fantasy teams unless the Giants have an awful season and he starts getting some chances late in the year.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

Round 1 Instant Reaction

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