Every year in the NFL, there are a lot of players that go undrafted but still make a team’s final roster. Most of the time, these players get a chance to prove themselves during OTAs and minicamps and get to suit up in the preseason to see what they’re made of. This year, thanks to all of the circumstances happening outside of football, there won’t be any preseason games to watch, which means there will be a lot of players we won’t get to hear as much about leading up to the season. With that in mind, here are a few UDFA RB and QB dynasty targets for 2020 that you might want to keep your eye on as the NFL season finally gets underway.
UDFA RB/QB Dynasty Targets for 2020
Michael Warren II, RB – PHI
Cincinnati running back Michael Warren II was a terrific starter for the Bearcats for two full seasons, earning Second Team All-AAC honors in both years. Warren passed up his senior season to declare for the draft early, making him the first Cincinnati player to do so. His talents may have gone unrecognized during the draft, but he was one of the first UDFA players to sign when the draft was over thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Even without a preseason to get up to speed, there’s still a chance that he earns the third RB spot on the team if he can get enough work in. In Tony Pauline’s scouting report, he called Warren a “powerful ball carrier and great red-zone threat” in college and felt like he should be a number three back in the NFL. Warren is a bruiser and a perfect complement to Miles Sanders in the Philadelphia backfield. He should be rostered in almost all dynasty formats as a top UDFA RB dynasty target in 2020.
Salvon Ahmed, RB – SF and JaMycal Hasty, RB – SF
These next two are grouped together because they both ended up signing with the San Francisco 49ers, a team that already has a four-headed monster at the RB position with Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon, and Jeff Wilson all causing headaches for fantasy players last year.
While the landing spot is great in terms of usage, it’s far too crowded to accurately predict which, if either, of these two UDFA players end up on the final 49ers roster, but both are talented enough to earn a shot, and that’s all that matters at this stage of the season.
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Washington’s Salvon Ahmed is a “versatile running back who is effective both as a runner and a receiver,” according to Pauline, which sounds like a perfect fit for the Shanahan offense. JaMycal Hasty is smaller but was terrific once he got the ball in space at Baylor and could be a great fit as a third-down back in the NFL, even if he doesn’t elbow his way on to the 49ers final roster. Both are definitely worthy of a roster spot in dynasty leagues if you have the depth or if you’re looking for some valuable taxi squad options.
J.J. Taylor, RB – NE
The lesser-known “J Taylor” in this year’s class was J.J. Taylor out of Arizona. This Taylor went undrafted but was quickly signed by the New England Patriots after the draft ended. In his scouting report, Pauline said Taylor “runs with an aggressive style,” so perhaps that style can help him work his way up the Patriots RB depth chart. Sony Michel is quickly losing favor with dynasty managers, and 2019 rookie Damien Harris barely saw the field, so why not take a flyer on Taylor if your dynasty team has space for him. He’s the perfect lottery ticket for RB needy teams that could pay off huge if things fall his way this year.
James Robinson, RB – JAC
Another depth piece that could see playing time this year is Illinois State’s, James Robinson. In Pauline’s scouting report, he says that “Robinson came into the season graded as a mid-round pick by scouts, but he fell somewhat short of expectations and now projects to the late rounds.”
After going undrafted entirely, the Jacksonville Jaguars were probably very happy to sign him to their team. Thanks to all of the question marks ahead of him on the depth chart in Leonard Fournette, Chris Thompson, Ryquell Armstead, and others, Robinson could become a solid depth player any given week due to injury.
Mason Fine, QB – Unsigned
A deep stash for Superflex leagues is unsigned quarterback Mason Fine. Pauline has a few other unsigned players ranked ahead of him, including Mizzou QB Kelly Bryant and Towson QB Tom Flacco, but Fine seems to be the one with the most upside in terms of dynasty.
He’s somewhat small, under 6′ tall, but even Pauline recognized that he was a solid game manager while in college. In terms of NFL teams, Fine’s mental abilities could help him make a practice squad while he improves the physical aspects of his craft to succeed at the next level. Fine is worth a shot in deeper leagues as a solid UDFA QB dynasty target for 2020.
Stay tuned for my UDFA WR/TE dynasty targets coming out soon, and let me know what you think of these players in the meantime. Which undrafted players are you paying attention to that no one else in your league knows about?
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Andrew Hall is a writer for PFN covering the NFL and Fantasy Football. You can follow him on Twitter: @AndrewHallFF.