Entering any new NFL season, so much is unknown. As the infamous quote from former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora Sr. goes: “You think you know, but you don't know, and you never will.” The best fantasy managers need to know what they don’t know and be able to research and ask questions before investing draft capital in a player. Sometimes it’s simply finding out about a player’s health. Other times it’s more complicated and one is forced to project how a player may be used differently in a new offense because of a trade, free agent signing, or a new head coach.
This division-by-division series will look at each of the NFL’s 32 teams and ask one fantasy-relevant question that needs to be answered this season. Some will be answered by or before Week 1, others may take 17 weeks to flesh out. We’ll start with the AFC East.
New England Patriots
Uh… Everything? What Will We Get From Cam Newton?
There are so many questions surrounding this year’s version of the Patriots. What will Julian Edelman’s production look like without Tom Brady? Is N’Keal Harry poised for a sophomore breakout after a disappointing rookie year? Will fantasy managers ever feel comfortable rostering a New England running back? But, ultimately, the answer to most of those questions comes down to this one: What will we get from Cam Newton in 2020?
The debate on what Newton will be when he takes the field has taken two distinct sides more often than not: MVP Cam and late-2018/early-2019 Cam. Those in the former camp are cursing the rest of the NFL for allowing Bill Belichick to snag Newton at such a team-friendly price so late in the offseason. The latter camp is a bit more skeptical, acknowledging he’s likely an upgrade over Jarrett Stidham but will struggle to regain his pre-2018 form. Newton’s ability to win the starting job and carry the Patriots offense will dictate the type of season Edelman, Harry, and Mohamad Sanu have. It’ll also determine if New England can continue their reign atop the AFC East.
Buffalo Bills
Will New Additions (Zack Moss, Stefon Diggs) Sap The Fantasy Value Of Holdovers?
Those who were waiting for Frank Gore to leave so Devin Singletary could get all the work in Buffalo’s backfield were devastated when the Bills spent a third-round pick on Moss back in April. Gore got a lot of goal-to-go work and the thought process is that Moss will step into that vacated role in 2020, capping Singletary’s fantasy upside. It remains to be seen if that’s the case, but no fantasy manager can be supremely confident in Singletary returning RB2 value right now.
As for Diggs, it’s exciting to see such a great route-runner and deep threat make his way to Buffalo to catch passes from the strong-armed Josh Allen. However, where are Diggs’ targets coming from? John Brown and Cole Beasley both had more than 100 targets last season. Are either or both going to become fantasy irrelevant because of Diggs’ presence? Which player is primed to lose more of their target share to the former Minnesota Viking?
New York Jets
Will Le’Veon Bell Bounce Back?
2019 was a far cry from his heyday with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Bell wasn’t as bad as it seemed last season, fantasy-wise. He finished as the RB15 in total points and RB17 on a per-game basis. Considering that his offensive line was terrible, it’s a miracle he maintained mid-level RB2 value. New York’s offensive line still isn’t good, but a handful of free agent signings and the addition of Louisville's Mekhi Becton via a first-round pick should help.
Bell’s 3.2 yards per attempt last season was dreadful, and he must improve on that. But the biggest factor to his fantasy success this season is positive touchdown regression:
https://twitter.com/JWebFF/status/1277056291949731840
Miami Dolphins
Can DeVante Parker Do It Again?
Although some still viewed him as a potential late-round breakout candidate last offseason, most had given up hope on Parker being anything more than waiver wire fodder. Then, Parker went out and had a career year in 2019, catching 72 passes for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns—all career highs, including his 16 games played. He finished as the WR13 in total points and WR18 in average fantasy points per game (WR11 and WR15 respectively if you count Week 17). Can he do it again?
Fantasy managers are hedging their bets a little with Parker’s current ADP hanging around WR25. The return of Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback is a positive, but we don’t know how long he’ll be the starter with rookie Tua Tagovailoa waiting in the wings. Will Parker be Tagovailoa’s go-to target or will he favor Preston Williams, Albert Wilson, or tight end Mike Gesicki? Only time will tell.
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