Tag: WR

N’Keal Harry: Possible WR1 of the NFL Draft?

Welcome to the 48 Report, a full working database including 48 of our favorite 2019 Draft Prospects. The key, however, is that we focus specifically on their ability to translate as fantasy football players. All players in the database have been/will be scored by 3 writers, and this is their article; explaining their aggregate score, as well as the score of their writer.

All categories are scored on a 1-5 scale; with 5 being the highest score a prospect can receive. The highest aggregate average scores a player can receive is 25. Articles will be posted January-April, all the way up to the draft. Ratings will be adjusted after the combine, based on measurables and after the draft, because as we all know: landing spot matters.

N’Keal Harry (6’2”, 228lbs) Wide Receiver, Arizona State

18 Aggregate Score (4-Star Prospect)

We have been pumping out article after article about the wide receivers in this draft class. It is a deep class that has a lot of people divided on who the best of the bunch is. N’Keal Harry is absolutely under consideration. A 4-star recruit out of Chandler High School in Arizona, Harry chose to remain home despite recruiting efforts from numerous big name schools. He committed to Arizona State in November of 2015.

In 3 years at Arizona State, Harry accumulated 2,889 yards on 213 catches. He scored 22 touchdowns and had an average YPC of 13.6. Along with the production, Harry made numerous highlight reel catches that put him on the radar of many NFL scouts. It’s not hard to see why the NFL is enamored with the Sun Devil WR.

Speed/Acceleration: Aggregate Score: 3.3 (Personal Score: 3)

Before I begin to break down my thoughts on Harry, I feel the need to explain my scores. This is the first year of The 48 Report and since it’s in its infancy, the scoring isn’t necessarily refined just yet. While it is a great system for starters, I felt as if my scores may have not reflected how I truly feel about Harry because I LOVE N’Keal Harry’s game. I’ll say that Harry isn’t a burner but has solid speed. A 4.57 40 yard dash at the combine proves as much. His game speed is good and he will not be docked for this at all.

Route Running: Aggregate Score: 3.3 (Personal Score: 3)

Harry is a precise route runner. He sets up defenders to make them look foolish. He also ran quite a few screens at Arizona State, which showed their propensity to get the ball into his hands. While he could always use some polish coming out of college, Harry seems to be pretty refined in this area of his game.

Blocking: Aggregate Score: 3 (Personal Score: 1)

I understand that I am a bit tougher in terms of scoring when it comes to blocking but Harry disappointed in this area. For a bigger guy who has a lot of strength (27 reps on the bench press at the combine), he isn’t as physical/aggressive as I would like him to be. He also was late at times getting to his blocks. He just did not impress me when it came to blocking for his teammates.

Handwork/Positioning: Aggregate Score: 3 (Personal Score: 3)

Harry has very solid hands and can swat defenders away with ease. He should have no problem beating press coverage in the NFL. The only thing I wish Arizona State did more of was throwing some jump balls his way. He is incredible when making contested catches and if he lands with a QB who trusts his receivers with 50/50 balls then Harry will be a problem in the NFL.

Athleticism: Aggregate Score: 4.3 (Personal Score: 4)

Harry is an athletic freak and his combine/pro day proved that. Hell his career at Arizona State proved as much. His vertical is impressive, his hands are top notch and he can get up to speed pretty well for his size. He is a physical specimen who deserves all the love he is getting heading into the draft.

Conclusion: Top 5 Fantasy Football pick

If you have the 1.01, you’re going to be considering N’Keal Harry. There is a lot of buzz around him right now and if I had to guess, he’s likely to go somewhere in the late first round. Our guys have been projecting him to the Colts with the 26th overall pick. If he lands in an ideal spot then Harry will be under serious consideration for the 1.01 in rookie drafts.

Welcome to Hollywood, NFL: Brown a 4 Star Prospect

Welcome to the 48 Report, a full working database including 48 of our favorite 2019 Draft Prospects. The key, however, is that we focus specifically on their ability to translate as fantasy football players. All players in the database have been/will be scored by 3 writers, and this is their article; explaining their aggregate score, as well as the score of their writer.

All categories are scored on a 1-5 scale; with 5 being the highest score a prospect can receive. The highest aggregate average scores a player can receive is 25. Articles will be posted January-April, all the way up to the draft. Ratings will be adjusted after the combine, based on measurables and after the draft, because as we all know: landing spot matters. 

free_3_250x250-1

DRAFT is a fun, non-intimidating way to play DFS year round! They have 2019 Best Balls running already as well as daily NBA contests. Get a free entry by using promo code ‘Top2″ with your first deposit.

Marquise Brown (5’10”, 168) Wide Receiver, Oklahoma

18.3 Aggregate Score (4 Star Prospect)

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown isn’t like most of the other top end receivers in this draft.  He isn’t that big body wide receiver that projects to be a prototypical WR1.  Brown is a small, shifty player that will most likely be a burner in the NFL. Brown’s speed and acceleration allowed him to be very productive in college and should allow him to continue producing in the NFL

Unfortunately for Brown, it came out a couple of weeks ago that he had surgery for a Lisfranc injury last month.  Lisfranc is an injury that has to deal with one of the bones in the mid-foot breaking.  Considering guys like Le’Veon Bell and Dwight Freeney have had similar surgeries and continued to improve, this isn’t the end of the world for Brown.  It’s been reported that he should be ready for summer training camp, but this will definitely have an effect on his draft stock.  Let’s just hope there aren’t any complications or lingering issues.

College Production

Before attending Oklahoma, Brown spent a season at College of Canyons, a junior college in California. At College of Canyons, Brown led the team with 50 receptions for 754 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Brown also returned kickoffs and punts, totaling almost 600 yards and another two scores.  Rated as the number 10 junior college player in the country by Rivals, Brown decided to transfer to Oklahoma after one season.

Brown didn’t miss a beat when he got to Oklahoma.  His sophomore season (2017), Brown had 57 receptions for 1,095 yards and 7 touchdowns.  Brown really performed when it mattered by putting up a combined 201 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Big 12 championship and CFP semifinal.  He then followed that up with an even more impressive junior year.  Brown had 75 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Brown was named as a First-Team All-American and a First-Team All-Big 12 honoree.

The numbers don’t lie.  Brown produced at a ridiculous level in college, averaging nearly 18.3 yards per reception.  I understand that this was against Big 12 defenses, but this is still impressive.  Brown showed that he has the ability to make big plays from pretty much every part of the field

Speed & Acceleration: Aggregate Score: 5 (Personal Score: 5)

Holy Smokes! Brown is extremely fast.  Brown has a great release at the line of scrimmage and accelerates into his routes very quickly.  If he was running at the combine, he probably would end up running in the low 4.3 range.  The most impressive part of his speed is that he displays it more than just on fly routes.  He’s able to maintain his speed in breaking routes, such as posts and slants, and is a huge threat after the catch on short routes.

Route Running: Aggregate Score: 3 (Personal Score: 3)

Route Running is extremely difficult to evaluate with speed guys, mainly because the main source of their separation is their speed.  This holds true with Brown.  He is able to create separation at all levels of the field.  He displayed a pretty diverse route tree including 9 routes, posts, comebacks, slants, drags, digs and screens.  He showed subtle footwork and change of direction that proved effective, but again, most of the separation he creates is from his speed.

Blocking: Aggregate Score: 2.6 (Personal Score: 3)

For being a small receiver, Brown shows a lot of willingness and aggression when it comes to blocking.  Now, he’s obviously not going to truck a DB and put him on his back, but Brown will definitely engage and try to prevent his guys from becoming part of the play.  Brown does a decent job of positioning himself to help create holes.

Handwork & Positioning: Aggregate Score: 3.3 (Personal Score: 3)

Due to his speed, Brown didn’t have to display a ton of handwork and footwork during his routes.  In the games I watched, I only saw him in one contested catch scenario, where he got the ball, but eventually got it punched out.  Brown does a really good job of reading the defense and running his routes to open space.  This allows him to catch the ball in space and have the opportunity to gain yards after the catch.

Athleticism: Aggregate Score: 4.3 (Personal Score: 4)

Brown is a great athlete.  On top of his speed, Brown shows good agility, explosiveness and body control.  However, because of relying on his speed, Brown rarely uses his agility to break tackles after the catch. I really think if he becomes more comfortable in this area of his game, he will become an even bigger threat at the NFL level.

Conclusion:  2nd Round Target

Draft capital is going to tell me a lot about Brown and this Lisfranc injury.  Once thought to be a possible 1st round pick, Brown has the talent to be a serious contributor at the NFL level.  I will feel a lot more confident in Brown and his health if someone spends a Day 2 pick on him.  If that’s the case, I’d be targeting Brown near the middle of the 2nd round in traditional rookie drafts.  That’s a relatively cheap price for a player that has a ton of upside.  However, if Brown falls to Day 3 of the draft, that tells me that teams are worried about his health, which will probably push Brown down my rankings.

DK Metcalf: 4 Star Prospect & the 1.01?

Welcome to the 48 Report, a full database of 48 of our favorite 2019 Draft Prospects. The key, however, is that we focus specifically on their ability to translate as fantasy football players. All players in the database have been scored by 3 writers, and this is their article; explaining their aggregate score, as well as the score of their writer. All categories are scored on a 1-5 scale; with 5 being the highest score a prospect can receive. The highest aggregate average scores a player can receive is 25. Articles will be posted January-April, all the way up to the draft. Ratings will be adjusted after the combine, based on measurables and after the draft, because as we all know: landing spot matters.

DRAFT is a fun, non-intimidating way to play DFS year round! They have 2019 Best Balls running already as well as daily NBA contests. Get a free entry by using promo code ‘Top2″ with your first deposit.

DeKaylin Metcalf (6’4″, 225), Wide Receiver, Ole Miss           

18.6 Aggregate Score (4 Star Prospect)

Until writing this article, I had no idea what “D.K.” stood for until now. DeKaylin Metcalf is a prospect with NFL blood lines; his dad, uncle and grandfather all played in the NFL. Amazing athlete with an amazing name, “D.K.” has stolen the hearts of many since he entered the college football realm. I remember seeing pictures of this man-child who would play for Ole Miss and thought, “Oh man, this kid is going to be a problem!”

College Production: 

Unfortunately, he hasn’t had the biggest opportunity to set the college world on fire because of 2 season-ending injuries (one in his freshman year and one as a red-shirt sophomore). It gives me somewhat of a “cause to pause”, but given they aren’t persistent nagging injuries (like Emanuel Hall’s groin/hamstring issues), I cannot dock him too much for it. However, this type of injury history is something to keep an eye on.

Another reason he was stymied, was due to the fact that he played with an offense full of NFL talent in Scottie Phillips, AJ Brown, Demarkus Lodge and Dawson Knox. A lot of mouths to feed in Ole Miss, but he made the most of it.

Speed/Acceleration: Aggregate Score: 3.3 (Personal Score: 3)

This aspect of his game just reminds me of many guys his size: fast for his size but not necessarily blistering fast overall. The combine may change my thought process on that, but I just didn’t see the same speed that even his fellow “NWo” (Nasty-Wideouts) teammates have. I see him running 4.5-7 but being more of a game speed guy.

Route Running: Aggregate Score: 3.3 (Personal Score: 2)

This is one part of his game that I’m willing to be flexible with. There’s a lot of reports that their offensive scheme as a whole was a big time joke and lacked complexity. Because of this, we never saw him run anything outside of a bunch of go routes with a few curls or corner routes with go options. I still can’t give him much of a score here either because he didn’t excel off the line like he could have even with a simple route being ran all the time.

Blocking: Aggregate Score: 3 (Personal Score: 3)

Average at best. He didn’t do it a whole lot and wasn’t asked to. AJ Brown was their blocker supreme who used his size to lay dudes out. The odd part is he weighed the same amount as Metcalf, but Metcalf wasn’t really about blocking too much. To be fair, that’s OK, it won’t be a make or break like it would be with a running back.

Handwork/Positioning: Aggregate Score: 4.3 (Personal Score: 3)

Again, something that isn’t heavily in his game although he has the skill to get way better here. I’ve watched way to many receivers to give him a pass here. This isn’t scheme dependent, it’s player. When it came to utilizing receiver skill, he just seems unrefined.

Athleticism: Aggregate Score: 4.6 (Personal Score: 4)                                                                                                    

My favorite part of his game is his athleticism and he made sure to put it on display every chance he got. Where I think he lacks in pure electric speed, he makes up for it in spades here. Check out this JustBombsProductions tweet that really embodies what Metcalf is as a receiver.

Conclusion: First Round, Picks 1-3

I have him as my WR3 because of his raw ability/lack of refinement and injury history or otherwise he might be my 1.01. No matter how high I’m not on him, there’s no doubt that this kid is special and will fly off draft boards depending on who you play with. The only consensus that I’ve seen and also agree with, is that he’s top 3. If he falls below that I think he’ll be immediately deemed a steal.

Week 9 Start ‘Em/Sit ‘Em: QB/WR

Welcome to Week 9 of the NFL season. If you listened to me on the Top 2 Pod then I’m a genius for saying start Nick Mullens! Just kidding not even a psychic could have seen that coming but before we jump in, let’s recap from last week.

In the QB department I went 3 for 4 (thanks Jameis). Remind me to never trust a man who steals crab legs and eats W’s. In the WR department, my sit ‘em section went well but my starts were God-awful. Josh Gordon had 4 catches for 42 yards and Jordy Nelson…. well good ole Jordy Nelson disappeared against Indy and still hasn’t been found. Put him on a milk carton and let’s take a stab at Week 9.

Start ‘Em QB

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott VS Tennessee

Trying to prove a point here, but Dak and Dallas are in a good spot here. Monday night at home against a struggling Titans team. While Tennessee has played teams tough, I expect Dak and the Cowboys offense to make some plays. The Cowboys have been better at home than on the road by a wide margin and with Amari Cooper added to the mix; I expect the offense to become a lot more diverse. Start Dak with confidence this week.

Browns QB Baker Mayfield VS Kansas City

This has the potential to be a shoot out. While potential is great and all, the Browns seem to be having a fistfight with that word as of late. After firing Head Coach Hue Jackson and Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley, the Browns are in a state of flux. Some things just never change. However, the Browns have pieces on offense that make up a nice group. I believe in Baker Mayfield and the Browns will have to throw A LOT in this game. Baker should put up a nice stat line against a bad KC defense.

Sit ‘Em QB

Bears QB Mitch Trubisky @ Buffalo

I don’t like this matchup at all for Trubisky. The Bills, though hapless on offense, have actually been good on defense and especially so at home. Mitch could also be without top target Allen Robinson. Tre White, Kyle Williams, Jerry Hughes and more make up a great Buffalo defense and rookie Tremaine Edmonds is going to be one of the best linebackers in the league sooner rather than later. Stay away from the 10 God.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco VS Pittsburgh

The Steelers have been playing better defense as of late and I expect this game to be one of those ugly affairs. AFC North football can be pretty brutal and that is what you should expect in this game which will likely determine who has the inside track to the AFC North title. Flacco did well in the first matchup but my guess is the second one doesn’t go as smoothly.

Start ‘Em WR

Lions WR Kenny Golladay @ Minnesota

This will be the final time you see Kenny Golladay in this article. Simply put, guy is an absolute stud and Golden Tate has been given the boot. Golladay will now officially become the WR1 of the Lions and, honestly, he’s already been that this season. Expect Golladay to get even more targets and turn that into sure fire production against a Vikings defense that has struggled more than expected this season.

Broncos WR Courtland Sutton VS Houston

The start section for the wide receivers this week is has a new era feel. Out goes Demaryius Thomas, in steps Courtland Sutton. The Broncos love this kid and rightfully so. He has all the tools to be a bona fide star. He has had some good games this season but expect him to really make his presence felt this weekend in his first game as the starter opposite Emmanuel Sanders.

Sit ‘Em WR

Any Jets WR VS Miami

The Jets are insanely banged up at the moment and they released Terrelle Pryor. Sam Darnold might have to throw it to himself.

Week 8 Start ‘Em/Sit ‘Em: QB/WR

The saying goes that ‘you win some, you lose some’. That was the case with last week’s start/sit article. I won some (QB’s) and I lost some (WR’s). While all 4 suggestions at QB worked out well, only half of the WR calls worked out in some capacity. Take the wins with the losses and the ups with the downs and move along.

Start ‘Em QB

Bengals QB Andy Dalton VS TB

I called for sitting Dalton last week and if you listened, you were rewarded. This week, I expect a bounce back at home VS a bad Bucs defense. This game should have a good amount of scoring and I think Dalton will move the ball at will on the Bucs. Look for a big bounce back week for Dalton and the Bengals offense as a whole.

Bucs QB Jameis Winston @ CIN

This suggestion comes with a good amount of caution. I am worried about Winston going into Cincinnati because the Bengal usually play good defense at home. Couple that with the fact that Jameis is still pretty turnover prone and there is some cause for concern. My argument is that the weapons Winston has to work with will prevail and vault Winston into yet another week of QB1 territory. It’s risky, but it will be worth it.

Sit ‘Em QB

Broncos QB Case Keenum @ KC

Last week was a nice little bounce back for a Broncos team that thinks they can make the playoffs. Well Denver, get ready to get smacked in the face by reality. I want no part of any mediocre QB going into Arrowhead stadium and playing a Chiefs team that can maul people on their home turf. Stay far away from Keenum this weekend.

Giants QB Eli Manning VS WAS

Hey Eli looked pretty great last week, almost throwing for 400 yards! That won’t happen again…maybe ever for poor Eli. Washington has done a very good job shutting down QBs not named Drew Brees this season. While Eli usually performs well against his division rivals, I think this game is going to be a low scoring affair. Look elsewhere if you have Eli rostered.

Start ‘Em WR

Raiders WR Jordy Nelson VS IND

That is new Raiders Wide Receiver number 1 Jordy Nelson thank you very much. Nelson will now take over as the top receiver on the Raiders’ depth chart and he has a pretty good matchup against a porous Colts secondary. I think Nelson already has pretty good chemistry with Carr and he will now get even more targets with Cooper gone.

Patriots WR Josh Gordon @ Buffalo

With his role growing more and more each week, Josh Gordon is starting to turn into the receiver I expected him to be. He’s also starting to turn into the receiver opponents of New England have feared. Gordon has earned Brady’s trust. He will draw Tre White at times during the Monday night game but I simply don’t care. I know the Gordon breakout game is coming and it practically happened last week (4 catches for 100 yards). I think Gordon breaks out on Monday Night with a huge game. Start him from here on out.

Sit ‘Em WR

Panthers WR Devin Funchess VS BAL

I want no part of any WR playing against what could be the best secondary in the league. The Ravens lost a heartbreaker last week and will be determined to impose their will on Carolina. This should be a defensive ball game so both offenses should be avoided.

Ravens WR John Brown @ CAR

Like I said before, this game will be all defense. The offenses are actually pretty good but defense springs eternal in this case. I’d avoid John Brown this week even in the midst of a great first season with Baltimore.

Week 7 Start ‘Em/Sit ‘Em: QB/WR

Last week, this column was an apology piece. This week it happens to be a victory lap because I did pretty good predicting who would boom and who would bust. I was 3 for 4 in the QB department, with Russell Wislon performing well along with Joe Flacco and Marcus Mariota posting mediocre stat lines. I was off on Baker Mayfield but you’ll see in a minute that I’m not shying away from Mayfield and the fabulous Baker Browns. I was also 3 for 4 in the WR department with Tyler Boyd exploding against the Steelers for 2 TDs while Kenny Stills and Robbie Anderson both provided duds. I said to start Keke Coutee and he didn’t perform as well as expected. With all of that out of the way, let’s move on to Week 7.

Start ‘Em QB

Browns QB Baker Mayfield @ TB

Last week, the Chargers’ resurgent defense abused Mayfield and it was NOT pretty. This week provides a much more comfortable matchup against an awful Bucs defense that may be missing All-Pro DT Gerald McCoy. Mayfield was in the process of getting into a groove before last week and I think this week he could have a coming out party.

Bears QB Mitch Trubisky VS NE

As a Patriots fan, I hope I’m wrong about this. I will gladly apologize if I am but the Bears under Matt Nagy are Chiefs-lite. They have a lot of similarities and I think Trubisky has the weapons to exploit a Patriots defense that isn’t playing their best ball just yet. I expect points to be plentiful in this game so Trubisky should have plenty of opportunity to sling it.

Sit ‘Em QB

Texans QB Deshaun Watson @ JAX

Banged up and awful O-line play is a bad recipe for disaster against one of the NFL’s best defenses. I am legitimately worried for Watson’s health this weekend when he travels to Duval to play a very pissed off Jags defense. No run game, good weapons but the aforementioned putrid offensive line means a ton of sacks. Watson is a negative play this week.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton @ KC

I know some of you are probably looking at me sideways with this pick but hear me out here. The Bengals are traveling to Arrowhead, the loudest stadium in the league. It will be a Sunday night game, the first for Pat Mahomes in his home stadium. It will be VERY loud and even though Dalton has plenty of weapons, this has the makings of a massacre. I could be totally wrong and the Bengals could show up and play a bad Chiefs defense tough, but I think that place will be roaring and Dalton might be overwhelmed.

Start ‘Em WR

Browns WR Antonio Callaway @ TB

I’m going with the Browns stack this week simply because Tampa Bay is that bad in the secondary. Callaway had 10+ targets last week and they amounted to nothing (less than 10 yards) I expect the targets to continue but this week I think he’ll do more with them. I like Callaway and Mayfield against the Bucs.

Bears WR Taylor Gabriel VS NE

I will also be going with the Bears stack against my Patriots. One week after being burned by Tyreek Hill and his speed, the Patriots will face another speedster in Taylor Gabriel. I know Hill is on another level and Gabriel can’t compare but he is really fast and the Patriots tend to struggle with that type of speed. Couple that with the fact that I expect a lot of attention to go to Allen Robinson and Tarik Cohen and I think Gabriel will have a nice game worthy of a start.

Sit ‘Em WR

Titans WR Corey Davis @ LAC in Wembley Stadium

Traveling across the pond to Wembley, Davis will face a Chargers defense that seems to be getting its act together. Davis has had some solid games this season but this is a weird spot for him and the Titans. Nobody really knows much about Tennessee but one thing that is known is that Mariota just isn’t a quality NFL starter. He’s the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of quarterbacks. I think we get Mr. Hyde this week because it is spooky season after all.

Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins @ JAX

I know this is a very bold prediction because Hopkins is a top 3 WR in this league, but I really am worried about this matchup. I think Watson (as stated above) will have next to no time to throw the ball in this game. That means Keke Coutee might be the better bet for targets. I wouldn’t put it past Hopkins to make me eat my words here but I would at least think about looking elsewhere if you have the options.