The Urban Meyer catastrophe surely had something to do with it, and losing his boi Etienne in the preseason and DJ Chark in Week 4 didn’t help. There’s plenty of reason for optimism for the best QB prospect in years, but the Doughboys have to be a little nervous about the player they blew up their franchise for.

Pick 1.02 – Doughboys

Justin Fields – QB Bears

Previous Grade: B+

Re-grade: B

Speaking of struggling rookie QBs, the Bears prized rookie didn’t exactly grab the starting job by the horns. 7 TDs to 10 picks, and single digit fantasy points in four of nine starts, Fields was just good enough to not tank his value. He had  flashes of the big throws and electric runs that made him a star at Ohio State, but still has a long way to go to become the franchise QB that the Bears and Doughboys are hoping for.

Pick 1.03 – Chafed Chodes

Zach Wilson – QB Jets

Previous Grade: B-

Re-grade: C+

The Jets were awful this season. That doesn’t fall squarely on Zach Wilson, but he still deserves as much blame as anyone on the roster. Another top 3 pick in this draft with a negative TD-INT ratio, Wilson had fans openly wondering if Mike freaking White should be given the keys for the remainder of the season.

There is reason for optimism. Wilson showed signs of improvement after coming back from injury, with 5 TDs to 2 picks and a very encouraging 4 rushing Tds. The Jets also boast maybe the worst receiving corps in the leauge, something that will likely be addressed with at least one of their four picks in the top 38. Regardless, there’s no denying that Wilson lacks the upside and favorable situation of…

Pick 1.04 – Wimps

Trey Lance – QB 49ers

Previous Grade: A

Re-grade: Incomplete

Lance was the only 1st round rookie who could not take the starting job from his team’s veteran incumbent. Widely regarded as the least polished of the first five taken, while also considering his team’s Super Bowl hopes, this is not surprising. But after a lackluster showing in the playoffs, the writing is on the wall for Jimmy GQ: it’s Lance time in SF.

There’s plenty of reason to think Lance could be the best fantasy QB in this draft. Namely, the ever coveted Rushing Upside. In two full starts, Lance averaged 12 rushing attempts and sixty yards per game. Could he be a bigger Lamar Jackson with a stronger arm? 

This remains unclear. Don’t tell the folks at KeepTradeCut that; Lance is now the highest valued rookie QB (seventh among all QBs),  and climbing the rankings every day. It’s wheels up for Trey Lance, baby!

Pick 1.05 – Wimps

Ja’marr Chase – WR Bengals

Previous Grade: A+

Re-grade: A+

What more can be said about the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and KTC WR1? A top 5 season for a rookie would be unheard of if Justin Jefferson hadn’t done it the year before, but unlike JJ, Chase is tied to one of the leauge’s best young QBs in Burrow. A sure-fire pick 1.01 in a redraft, the Wimps found the best value in the draft at the fifth pick, and won the title on the back of Chase’s 50 point week 17.

Pick 1.06 – Burrow of Brooklyn

Najee Harris – RB Steelers

Previous Grade: A

Re-grade: A

Getting the top RB in the draft with the sixth pick was a giant boon for the (Burrows? Brooklyn’s?). Change your damn name Squirtle.

Harris put up the 3rd most fantasy points for a RB on the year, including 304 rushing attempts and a healthy 94 receiving targets. It was a workhorse workload, and Harris stayed healthy for all 17 games. That’s the good news. And it’s really good news.

But there is bad news as well. Harris already turns 24 in March. Those 94 targets can be attributed to noodlearmed Big Ben, who would rather dump it off to Harris than embarrass himself throwing the ball more than ten yards down field. With a new QB in 2022, Harris is likely to see his targets decrease, and the offense could be even worse as a whole. 

Harris also had the second most rushing attempts among RBs, yet was eighth in rushing yards per game behind guys like Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and Elijah Mitchell. There’s no way around it: Harris’s big season was carried by his giant usage rate. Time will tell if that workload (and his good health luck) is sustainable.

Pick 1.07 – Doughboys

Kyle Pitts – TE Falcons

Previous Grade: A

Re-grade: A

Pitts finished off his rookie year as the TE6, which is outstanding for a position that rarely puts up numbers their first year. For comparison, last year’s TE1 Cole Kmet was the 42nd best TE his rookie year. These guys tend to take time. Not Kyle Pitts.

The surprising thing is that Pitts had a bit of a disappointing year, given his usage. He was fifth in targets, third in yards, and first in yds/rec among TEs with at least ten catches. But he only had one TD! All of the other top ten TEs had at least four TDs. Pitts is already an elite option, though he plays fantasy’s least valuable position. 

Pick 1.08 – Chafed Chodes

Travis Etienne – RB Jaguars

Previous Grade: B+

Re-grade: Incomplete

Hard to grade a draft pick that has yet to take a snap. A Lisfranc foot injury is considered bad, I guess? Etienne also has to contend with James Robinson, a dude who does nothing but produce. Maybe Robinson’s Achilles injury will open the door for Travis to run away with this job into the future, but there are far more questions than answers regarding the 1st round RB.

Pick 1.09 – Doughboys

Javonte Williams – RB Broncos

Previous Grade: B-

Re-grade: A-

The Doughboys must have been edging all year watching Javonte play, just waiting for that sweet release when he would be given his coveted workhorse role. Well, Zer ends the season with blue balls. Williams split his role with Melvin Gordon all year, with both getting half the touches and very similar stats.

There’s plenty of reason for optimism heading into 2022. Gordon is a free agent, though he has expressed a desire to re-sign. And Williams was electric when he was on the field, averaging 4.4 ypc and a healthy dose of targets on a below average offense. Oh, and he only turns 22 this spring. 

If Gordon leaves in free agency, and if Aaron Rodgers is under center next season… 

If. 

If. 

Keep on stroking Zer. The best nut comes to those who wait.

Pick 1.10 – Apollo’s

Devonta Smith – WR Eagles

Previous Grade: A

Re-grade: B

This grade is more about who is still on the board than Smith’s play. Finishing the years as WR29, Smith had a pretty damn good rookie year. With a 22% Target share and 1487 air yards, Smith mostly lived up to the hype filling his Heisman season at Alabama. Despite surprisingly staying healthy for all 17 games, his lack of size and uncertainty at QB keeps his upside limited.

Pick 1.11 – Doughboys

Rashod Bateman – WR Ravens

Previous Grade: F

Re-grade: C+

Bateman was able to salvage his year after a preseason groin injury by finishing with 515 yards on a 15% Target share. He has the profile and draft capital you look for in a reciever. However, the emergence of Brown and Andrews as the clear top two options in a run heavy offense means that Bateman has a long way to go to return value on this pick.

Pick 1.12 – Cheekburgers

Mac Jones – QB Patriots

Previous Grade B+

Re-grade: A-

The Cheekburgers had a lot of questions at QB for a team with title hopes, so the trade to take Mac Jones made a lot of sense. It was a bold move from a bold GM, and it’s hard to envision it working out better.

Jones was so good in the preseason, the Patriots cut former MVP Cam Newton to make sure the entire League understood that Mac was their guy. And in a turn of events few saw coming, Mac was the most consistent rookie QB on the year in the most loaded QB draft class since 2018. Mac finished the year as QB18, throwing for 3800 yards and a 22-13 TD-INT ratio. He also scored single digit fantasy points in only three of seventeen weeks, including week 13 in Buffalo where he only attempted three passes.

Now, Mac is still a low-upside pocket QB with below average physical attributes. He is not going to win the league for you. But if he can put up average numbers every year for the next 10+ years, in this Superflex league’s most coveted position, Mac Jones was a steal at pick 12. 

1.13 – Burrow of Brooklyn

Jaylen Waddle – WR Dolphins

Previous Grade: B+

Re-grade: A

Waddle had plenty of questions coming into his rookie year, including subpar size and a gruesome leg injury in his final college game. But it didn’t take long for the Dolphins to realize that he was their best weapon on offense. He saw double digit targets in 7 of 16 games this year, good for a 25% Target share, best among all rookies.

The Dolphins franchise is in a bit of a state of chaos right now, with the Brian Flores situation and questions about Tua’s future at QB. But new coach and offensive genius Mike McDaniel is at the helm now. When asked about Waddle’s role in his new offense, McDaniel said, “The easiest way to get yards is to give it to a really talented player. I would start (Waddle) in fantasy.”

Is Jaylen Waddle due for a Deebo Samuel-esque role this next year? It’s wheels up for Waddle, the clear WR2 in this class.

Pick 1.14 – Chafed Chodes

Michael Carter – RB Jets

Previous Grade: B+

Re-grade: B

At this point in the draft, one just hopes for someone you can start in a Flex spot and feel okay about it. Michael Carter lives up to that billing. Javonte William’s running mate at UNC was taken in the fourth round and was given a healthy role in the putrid Jets offense almost immediately. Getting no more than 16 carries in a game, Carter’s real value was going to be in the receiving game. In that respect, Carter was… fine. His best outing includes a 14 target game in week 8, but that was with Jets legend Mike White under center.

Carter seems far from the bellcow role that fantasy players cover, and his draft capital makes it acceptable for NY to draft a more talented player in the near future. Again, the Jets have 4 of the top 38 picks this off-season. But Carter has youth and a fantasy friendly skill set. A decent pick at the end of the First.

Pick 2.01 – Burrow of Brooklyn

Kenneth Gainwell – RB Eagles

Previous Grade: C

Re-grade: C-

Gainwell was taken in the fifth round by the Eagles as someone to backup Miles Sanders and perhaps supplant him as the starter if they chose not to re-sign him after the 2022 season. So it’s hard to grade this pick when we won’t know the true value of Gainwell until after he has had two years in the league.

He showed enough flashes his rookie year to keep hope alive for that best case scenario. However, it’s hard to justify taking a backup running back when so many talented WRs are still on the board.

Pick 2.02 – Burrow of Brooklyn

Trey Sermon – RB 49ers

Previous Grade: B-

Re-grade: D-

Same as the Gainwell pick, but without the hope for the future. Sermon spent a large part of the year as a healthy inactive, watching fellow rookie Elijah Mitchell run away with the starting job. If that wasn’t bad enough, the 49ers started putting Deebo at RB in the second half of the year to keep Sermon off the field. A big swing and miss here.

Pick 2.03 – Chafed Chodes

Rondale Moore – WR Cardinals

Previous Grade: B

Re-grade: B-

Moore is a tough player to evaluate; he has plenty of good and bad.

The good: a great prospect profile with an early breakout age, above average athleticism, and a couple of breakout games in his rookie year, most notably Week 2 when he posted 7 / 8 for 114 yards and a TD.

The bad: inconsistent fantasy production, a slot role in the offense with low value targets, and tons of target competition in Hopkins, Green,  Kirk, and Maxx Williams(!?). 

Good luck decifering Moore’s future. At least he hasn’t lost value for the Chodes. Yet.

Pick 2.04 – Chafed Chodes

Kylin Hill – RB Packers

Previous Grade: D

Re-grade: F

LOL. Don’t drink and draft, folks.

Pick 2.05 – Cucks

Terrace Marshall – WR Panthers

Previous Grade: B

Re-grade: D

Going into the draft, Marshall’s only real ding was his injury history, and many mocks had him going in the late 1st. Well, another ding should have been that he sucks.

If there is a silver lining to his rookie season, it’s that he DID see the field on occasion. But 30 targets does not give much room for optimism going forward, especially considering that the bulk of those were in the first half of the season.

2.06 – Doughboys

Amon-Ra St. Brown – WR Lions

Previous Grade: C+

Re-grade: A-

This pick was looking decent for most of the year. But from Week 13 on, the Sun God had must start status. Averaging 11 targets and 95 yards/game over that span, this dude broke out in a big way for the Doughboys.

To throw a little water on this supernova, there is reason for caution. The Lions losing Hockenson during that hot streak certainly helped Amon-Ra. Looking forward, the Lions kinda suck so TDs are going to be limited in this offense. Do the Lions view him as a #1 receiver for the future? He could be back to being the third or fourth option in this offense very quickly if the Lions add a veteran in free agency.

Pick 2.07 – Doughboys

Elijah Moore – WR Jets

Previous Grade: B-

Re-grade: A

Yet another solid WR in the second round for the Doughboys. You can nitpick about his slow start, or his lack of production with Zach Wilson, or his injury to end the year, or the terrible Jets reciever room. But when this dude was playing, he was producing. He lacks ideal size for an Alpha WR, but it looks like Moore is going to get his regardless. Great pick here.

Pick 2.08 – Wimps

Dyami Brown – WR Commanders

Previous Grade: B-

Re-grade: D

Dyami was a third round pick for the Commanders, with a history of production as a deep threat in college. Well, deep throws are not something that Heinike does well. Not that he does anything well.

There are all kind of excuses you can make for Brown. But the simple truth: he probably just sucks. Put him in the Terrace Marshall bucket.

Pick 2.09 – Fuckboys

Chubba Hubbard – RB Panthers

Previous Grade: C-

Re-grade: C+

Another backup RB with no real path to playing time except through injury. Except Hubbard was lucky enough to have McCaffrey get injured. And when he did get the snaps, Hubbard was … decent? Maybe even good?

He didn’t really flash enough to earn any snaps while McCaffrey is healthy, other than a few tolken snaps to spell the highest usage back in the league. But maybe the Panthers will sit McCaffrey more often after the injuries he has piled up over the past year or two. A solid backup RB is not a bad result for this draft spot, but there were a few better players still on the board.

Pick 2.10 – Cheekburgers

Tutu Atwell – WR Rams

Previous Grade: C-

Re-grade: Incomplete

Tutu gets a pass because he was injured for most of the year, but really this pick should be like a D-. Dude could not see the field the brief instances he was healthy, which isn’t surprising given his 156 lb frame. But he had a lot of expensive veterans ahead of him, and with the Rams cap situation, he may be able to see some playing time next year. 

Or maybe not. Maybe he spent half of his life in a back brace, and the second any part of his body touches that field, it’s going to shatter like glass. 

2.11 – Doughboys

Pat Friermuth – TE Steelers

Previous Grade: C+

Re-grade: A-

Another 2nd round hit for the Doughboys. Friermuth had a really good rookie season for a TE that was shadowed over by Pitts elite season. He finished as the TE12 with seven TD catches, though he never had more than 60 yards in a game. He should be a stable option for the Steelers moving forward. One questions if he has the upside to stand out like the elite TE options, however 

2.12 – Golden Gods

Brevin Jordan – TE Texans

Previous Grade: C

Re-grade: D+

Jordan came on a bit towards the end of the year, and was able to catch three TDs, as well as a seven target game. But he was a desperation start at best for the year in fantasy, and was unable to stand out amongst the outstanding pass catching corp behind Cooks, including Nico Collins, Chris Conley, and 36 year old Danny Amendola. 

TEs develop slow, so patience is going to be needed to see if Jordan can become someone you would start in fantasy football.

2.13 – Doughboys

Davis Mills – QB Texans

Previous Grade: B-

Re-grade: C+

It wasn’t always pretty for Mills’ rookie season, but here is another player who came on strong at the end of the year. It remains unclear what is going to happen with Deshawn Watson, but as long as she isn’t on the team next year, Mills should likely be the starter for next year. 

There is very little security beyond this next year, and there isn’t much security for 2022 anyway, but a young starting QB is a valuable thing in this league. 

2.14 – Cucks

Kadarius Toney – WR Giants

Previous Grade: B

Re-grade: B

If you feel confident Toney is going to be a stud moving forward, I salute you. He has the 1st round draft capital and the explosive games you want out of a WR.

But holy hell is this guy risky. Only one year of college production, could be a basketcase ala Antonio Brown, and he is in maybe the worst situation for an offensive player in the league in the NY Giants. Also he had FIVE separate injuries over the course of the season.

Having Kadarius Toney on your fantasy team is like working on a wild west movie with Alec Baldwin. Sure, the production pays well and the script looks pretty good. But you might get murdered.

Late Round Gems

3.04 – Doughboys

Rhamondre Stevenson – RB Patriots

3.12 – Doughboys

Elijah Mitchell – RB 49ers

Draft Winner: Doughboys

Lawrence and Fields have not lived up to their draft slots, but nearly everyone else Zer drafted did. Pitts, Javonte, Sun God, Moore, Mitchell; the Doughboys went all in on this draft and so far that is looking like a solid bet.

Draft Loser: Chafed Chodes

Having the second most draft capital coming into this loaded draft means that your team should be set up well for years to come. I’m not sure you can say that about the Chodes. Wilson and Etienne have lost value, and while Carter and Rondale look like nice players, they are probably not going to be winning the league any time soon. Add in four more picks that are probably not worth rostering after one year, and we have a clear loser for this draft. Better luck next year, bud.