Cleveland Browns wide receiver David Bell hopes to carve out a meaningful role in his rookie season. What is Bell’s current ADP in fantasy drafts, and should fantasy football managers draft him at that price?
David Bell ADP | Is he worth his current price in fantasy drafts?
Bell’s ADP is well outside the top 200. He’s being drafted outside the top 80 wide receivers. It’s impossible to compare him to the guys going around him because none of them are being drafted outside of extremely deep leagues.
There’s certainly upside with Bell. Given his college production and Day 2 draft capital, he could emerge as a productive wide receiver. It’s just unlikely to happen as a rookie, even if he gets Deshaun Watson for half the season.
The only thing Bell will cost you is a roster spot. Feel free to group Bell in amongst the medley of late-round dart throws at the end of your fantasy football drafts. Just remember, roster spots are valuable. Bell is unlikely to pop in Week 1, and if he doesn’t, you’re almost certainly dropping him to put in waiver claims for whoever the hot pickups are heading into Week 2.
David Bell’s projected fantasy value in 2022
It’s important for Bell’s long-term success that he got Day 2 draft capital. However, there’s a substantial difference between Round 2 and Round 3. Third-round rookies seldom produce in their first professional season. At the same time, there’s a case to be made that Bell can buck the trend in 2022.
Bell being an early declare prospect is a positive checkmark toward his chances of NFL success. He was immensely productive in college. In his final season at Purdue, Bell caught 93 passes for 1,286 yards and six touchdowns.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. If it was, Bell wouldn’t have fallen to the third round. In fact, if not for his athletic profile, he probably would’ve been a second-round pick.
There’s an argument to be made that Bell is the single worst athlete amongst wide receivers in the entire 2022 rookie class. He ran a 4.65 40-yard dash. Bell’s burst and agility scores combined would fail to reach the 30th percentile.
We’ve seen sub-athletes excel in the NFL before. Guys like Antonio Brown and Keenan Allen tested quite poorly, and obviously, they’ve had tremendous careers. If Bell can overcome his athleticism with route running and success at the catch point, he has the potential to be an impact player at the NFL level.
Impact of the Browns’ depth chart on David Bell’s fantasy value
The Browns’ depth chart underwent quite an overhaul between 2021 and 2022. Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry are gone. So is their previous franchise quarterback, Baker Mayfield.
Bell will start the season catching passes from Jacoby Brissett while new franchise quarterback Watson serves his suspension. At the time of this writing, Watson is set to miss the first six games of the 2022 season. However, that could change pending the dissolution of the NFL’s appeal and any potential federal court filings.
As a positive for Bell, the Browns lack a clear WR2. We know Amari Cooper is the team’s WR1, but Bell’s primary competition for the WR2 role are Donovan Peoples-Jones and 2021 third-rounder Anthony Schwartz.
Bell is a better dart throw than any other Browns wide receiver
One of the bolder predictions I’ve seen on fantasy Twitter is that DPJ will outscore Cooper this season. Peoples-Jones is currently ranked as our WR88. That’s what we think of DPJ this season. He’s a situational deep threat who lacks the ability to be anything more.
We have Bell ranked at WR78. That’s still outside the top 72 typically drafted in 12-team leagues, but it’s a clear vote of confidence in Bell over Peoples-Jones.
The Browns’ WR2 will not be fantasy-relevant with Brissett under center. Watson, on the other hand, can certainly support two wide receivers. He did it in Houston with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. If Bell can work his way into a starting role as a rookie, he has the tools to be a quality PPR “big slot” type of player.
Bell probably lacks much of a ceiling as a rookie, but he could have weeks where he catches 4-6 balls and gives fantasy managers a productive PPR outing.
Bell is more of a wait-and-see wide receiver
Unless something happens where Watson is out there in Week 1, Bell is better served as a name to keep in your head for later in the season. This offense will completely change once Watson takes over for Brissett. The latter has never supported two fantasy-relevant receivers.
Five years ago, Colts stud wide receiver T.Y. Hilton was fresh off an overall WR7 finish, averaging 17 ppg. Andrew Luck got hurt and was forced to miss the season. Brissett replaced him and torpedoed Hilton’s fantasy value to just 11 ppg.
The next year, Luck returned, and Hilton was once again a 17 ppg guy. Perhaps it was just a fluke? Well, the following season, Luck shocked the world when he retired in August. Brissett was thrust into a starting role once again, and Hilton averaged just 12.5 ppg.
During those seasons, Zach Pascal and Donte Moncrief averaged 8.5 ppg and 6.4 ppg, respectively, as the Colts’ WR2s. That’s probably what you’re looking at as a best-case scenario during the games Brissett starts.