Zach Wilson Jets off to Denver 🐴

Good morning, everyone. A handcrafted meme, just in time to pick you up on a Tuesday.

What’s in store:

• Rashee Rice likely to face a multi-week suspension. For those of you counting at home, his career is, in fact, NOT over.

• Zach Wilson jets off to Denver. 🛩️ The Broncos move from one struggling Wilson to another in a matter of weeks.

• Faraz’s 9 most overlooked draft prospects! Have you been glossing over these names in your mock drafts, as well?

• Get the Upper Hand Fantasy Rookie Draft Kit before it’s too late! It’s draft week – get a head start on your competition!

• Chiefs WR Rashee Rice expected to receive ‘at least a multi-game suspension’ for his connection to street racing incident in March

  • Remember right at the beginning of this whole drama when we said not to panic sell Rashee Rice – and even to go and buy him? Can’t say we told you so, but we told you so. The way things are trending, it seems as though Rice will avoid any sort of career-altering/ending punishment from the league or law enforcement. That being said, he won’t go untouched for what will likely be chalked up to a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggests that a multi-game suspension is on the table for the Chiefs’ pass catcher, which obviously stings for his dynasty managers and prospective redraft managers – but with that suspension will come a drop in his draft price whenever the punishment is handed down. A four-game suspension would be quite easy to stomach for any managers savvy enough to pull off a trade for Rice, and at this point it’s abundantly clear that Rice’s playing career is not in jeopardy. But given the uncertainty around their star WR, the Chiefs are a likely candidate to draft a WR early – even with the addition of former Cardinals WR Marquise Brown on the books.

• Former Jets QB Zach Wilson traded to Broncos in late-round pick swap, gets new start in Denver

  • Wilson was in desperate need of a new start after a horrific season in 2023 with the Jets, and now he gets one as he heads to arguably the worst QB room in the league. Surely Wilson can net himself a few starts in 2024 competing with the likes of Jarrett Stidham and Ben Dinucci, right? Not necessarily, as the Broncos are believed to be remaining steadfast in their plans to target a signal caller in this year’s draft. However, there should be no shortage of opportunity or competition in Sean Payton’s new QB stable, especially in the early throes of the offseason. For anyone wondering, there’s no need to run to your dynasty league’s waiver wire at this point to claim Wilson. Until we know just how much competition he’ll have for the starting job – and how stiff – Wilson’s value will remain unaffected. As for the Jets, HC Robert Saleh and company are likely relieved to unload Wilson and his baggage following a turbulent regular season with the former second-overall pick at the helm. Speaking of the Jets…

• ESPN’s Rich Cimini suggests that the Jets’ pick at 10th overall will likely either be TE Brock Bowers or the best OL available

  • It’s almost the exact same situation as three years ago when the Bengals had to choose between another weapon for Burrow (Ja’Marr Chase) or fortifying the offensive line (Penei Sewell). Burrow was coming off a season-ending injury in his rookie season, as is Rodgers, but Rodgers is 40 years old and doesn’t have the time to be constantly running for his life at this point in his career. The Jets have already bolstered their offensive weaponry with the addition of FA WR Mike Williams and future HOF LT Tyron Smith, and now they’ll turn their attention to the draft to continue their all-in attempt to run back the season that never was in 2023. Should Bowers land in New York, he’s instantly rank as a top fantasy tight end in 2024 so long as Rodgers is healthy – and the interest in Bowers from the Jets appears to be real. However, given the fact that Tyron Smith is also well into the twilight of his career (but still playing at an elite level), offensive tackle may make more sense if the Jets have any intention of Rodgers rocking the gotham green beyond the 2024 season. As fantasy managers, Brock Bowers in New York sounds pretty sweet – but time will tell whether or not those dreams are ever realized.

• Audric Estime - RB, Notre Dame

  • Rough combine for Estime, but he works well through contact and has enough elusiveness at his size to be intrigued. He can be a very good early down and goal line back with good enough hands for a 40-catch season.

• Bucky Irving - RB, Oregon

  • One of biggest NFL Combine disappointments, Irving would have to be an outlier with his lack of athleticism and size, but he was as productive and efficient as they come for the entirety of his college career. I wouldn’t be surprised if he beats the odds.

• Jermaine Burton - WR, Alabama

  • Excelled as a deep threat at Alabama, but has enough in his skillset to win in more ways than how he was deployed. Didn’t display any after the catch ability. Off the field issues can be why we don’t hear Burton’s name as high as he would’ve been called.

• Malik Washington - WR, Virginia

  • Washington shined at the Shrine Bowl, and is a menace after the catch, basically turning into a RB out of the slot. He has very good hands, is a good route runner, and knows how to find the soft spots in zone coverage.

• Jaheim Bell - TE, Florida State

  • Bell is a bit undersized, but so was Sam LaPorta last year. Among this class, he was 1st in career YAC/reception, missed tackles forced/reception, and 2nd behind Brock Bowers in career yards/route run, which was 8th among qualifying Power 5 TEs since 2014.

• Tyrone Tracy - RB, Purdue

  • When a former WR turns into a RB, I’m intrigued. More PPR points please. But Tracy is more than that, as he ranks Top-15 in yards after contact/attempt and missed tackles forced/attempt among 600+ qualifying Power 5 RBs over the last 10 years.

• Isaac Guerendo - RB, Louisville

  • Guerendo has great size, elite speed, very good contact balance, and has a knack for the big play. Once he finally received opportunity, he excelled after contact and in the receiving game.

• Javon Baker - WR, UCF

  • Baker had an opportunity to prove himself against better competition in the Power 5 in 2023, and he did just that. Legit route runner with after the catch ability, downfield ability, and target earning ability - all as a X receiver. True sleeper.

• Isaiah Davis - RB, South Dakota State

  • When you play in the FCS, you better stand out… and that’s exactly what Davis did. First in yards after contact/att and missed tackles forced/att among qualifying RBs in the FCS last year, and had a 90+ PFF rush grade in each of his four seasons. Solid after the catch as well. All he needs is opportunity.

Productive should be Cowing’s middle name. No FBS WR has had more career receiving yards than Cowing over the last 10 years. It’s worth noting that Cowing was producing at a non-Power 5 school at UTEP for three seasons before spending his fourth and fifth year producing at Arizona; take his career numbers with that in mind.

Regardless, it was extremely impressive. He broke at 18 years old, had a 33% career dominator rating (5th in class), led this class with 2.4 receiving yards per team pass attempt (1st in class), 0.28 targets/route run (2nd in class), 11.4% first down rate (5th in class), 26.9% target share (3rd in class), and 2.55 yards/route run (4th in class). And did we mention how good this class is?

When Cowing moved to Arizona for his last two seasons, he was still able to command 120+ targets and 85+ receptions each year, but his efficiency dropped to 1.92 and 2.16 yards/route run from the 3.82 yards/route run he ran in 2021 as a junior.

Still, Cowing is one of this draft class’ best route runners, and can still be deployed out of the slot and be very effective. The other obvious note is Cowing’s size; he’ll need to be a Tank Dell-type outlier for him to be successful at the next level. It’s worth noting that Cowing didn’t make the same impact on me at the Senior Bowl that Tank did. If he ends up with a highly accurate QB, I’d be interested, but he’s landing spot dependent.