2020 NFL Draft: Rookie rankings, sleepers, and positional battles dominate rookie expert exit survey

The bulk of the NFL offseason is done, with the 2020 NFL Draft in the books. This year's class could be one of the most talented we've seen for Fantasy in quite some time, and you can get to know every single QB, RB, WR, and TE prospect right here — all 77 of them! Plus, we went through the biggest winners coming out of the draft — Dak Prescott and Austin Ekeler lead the way — and losers — sorry Packers fans, but both Aaron Jones and Aaron Rodgers show up there.

We'll have updated rankings for every position this week including the rookies for the first time, plus Dynasty rookie rankings, position rankings, and an updated top 150 from Heath Cummings, too. We'll have you covered from every angle coming out of the draft.

But we're going to start this week by taking stock of the rookie class in the immediate aftermath, and I've tasked the Fantasy Football Today team with that task. I sent over an exit survey to the team, covering their rookie top 12 for 2020, their favorite sleepers, biggest bust risk, and more.

Rookie drafts are already going down — I just traded the third pick for 1.9, 1.11, and Amari Cooper in one! — so it's time to figure out where everyone stands. Here's who took part in the survey:

Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Writer, CBS Fantasy
Dave Richard, Senior Writer, CBS Fantasy
Heath Cummings, Senior Writer, CBS Fantasy
Ben Gretch, Editor, CBS Fantasy
Adam Aizer, Fantasy Football Today host
Ben Schragger, Fantasy Football Today producer

1. Who are your top-12 rookies for 2020?

Jamey Eisenberg:

Dave Richard:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire
D'Andre Swift
Cam Akers
Jonathan Taylor
Jalen Reagor
Jerry Jeudy
CeeDee Lamb
Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Henry Ruggs
Zack Moss
Justin Jefferson
A.J. Dillon

Heath Cummings:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire
D'Andre Swift
Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Jonathan Taylor
Cam Akers
Jerry Jeudy
CeeDee Lamb
J.K. Dobbins
Denzel Mims
Laviska Shenault
Justin Jefferson
Michael Pitttman

Ben Gretch:

Jonathan Taylor
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Cam Akers
D'Andre Swift
J.K. Dobbins
Ke'Shawn Vaughn
CeeDee Lamb
Jalen Reagor
Laviska Shenault
Jerry Jeudy
Justin Jefferson
Henry Ruggs

Adam Aizer:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire
D'Andre Swift
Cam Akers
Justin Jefferson
Jerry Jeudy
Henry Ruggs
Laviska Shenault
D'Andre Swift
Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Henry Ruggs
Joe Burrow
CeeDee Lamb

Ben Schragger:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire
D'Andre Swift
Jonathan Taylor
Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Cam Akers
Jerry Jeudy
Jalen Reagor
CeeDee Lamb
Zack Moss
Henry Ruggs
Denzel Mims
Michael Pittman

2. How many rookies do you expect to be Fantasy starters in 2020?

Jamey: By the end of the season there should be seven weekly starters in every league: Burrow, Edwards-Helaire, Taylor, Akers, Swift, Vaughn, and Jeudy.
Dave: I think by Week 8 we will see at least five of the names I listed above become Fantasy starters in leagues that start two wideouts, two running backs and one flex. Edwards-Helaire is the only one who figures to be a starter by Week 1. The learning curve might be steeper for rookies in 2020, particularly the receivers, given there's no offseason minicamps for them to acclimate to their new offenses and new quarterbacks.
Heath: Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the only one I feel confident in. I'd imagine one or two receivers and a couple of running backs will eventually get there, but I don't have great confidence in who they'll be.
Ben G.: This question depends on when you ask. In Week 1, it's possible zero of them will be reliable Fantasy starters outside of deeper leagues. By Week 8, I'd expect at least half a dozen to be. You pick rookies not for immediate production, but for the upside if and when they establish themselves. As a group, rookies tend to score substantially more Fantasy points in the second half of their rookie seasons than in the first.
Adam: I think four rookies will be Fantasy starters. Edwards-Helaire, Swift, Akers and Jefferson are the four I'm looking at, but only Edwards-Helaire feels like a safe bet. The others two running backs have position battles to win — I think they will win them, eventually — and Jefferson feels like he has the best opportunity for targets among rookie wide receivers selected in the first round. I suspect a few other rookie wide receivers will become starters but it feels like a guessing game at this point.
Ben S.: At worst, four of the top five rookie RBs will be in committees with enough work to provide flex value. I don't see any of the rookie WRs being startable weekly, unless Courtland Sutton, Amari Cooper or Michael Gallup are sidelined.

3. Who are three sleeper rookies you'll want to target in the later rounds on Draft Day?

Jamey: Darryton Evans, Joshua Kelley and Shenault. I'm nervous about Derrick Henry staying healthy all season, which is why I like Evans; Kelley should be the new running mate for Austin Ekeler; Shenault should see plenty of targets as the No. 2 receiver opposite D.J. Chark.
Dave: Dillon is one of them. It was such a strange pick for the Packers — they didn't really NEED a third running back, but they took him in Round 2! I think they might have a vision for him that's beyond what most of us might have expected before the draft. McFarland is another running back lottery ticket I'm targeting late. We know James Conner is good when he's healthy but he's had a hard time staying on the field. We also know Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels are decent contributors. McFarland's skills jump off the screen with speedy feet, good enough hands, and an uncanny, Kamara-like ability to let defenders slide off him. The third? Burrow. I found him to be the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck. So long as A.J. Green is part of the Bengals offense, Burrow has the depth of receivers and the incredible arm and pocket poise to be a stat monster.
Heath: Mims, Shenault and Justin Jefferson. Mims in particular has a very good opportunity with the Jets. He could be their No. 1 receiver by mid-year.
Ben G.: I shot out an opinion on Twitter that Shenault has to be in your top 12 in rookie drafts, and while I think many agree, many others seem to not be there. He's a perfect complement to D.J. Chark in Jacksonville and I expect 60 catches in Year 1 — more in the second half than the first — and he seems likely to be a later-round pick in redraft. Outside Shenault, I'll say Dillon as a high-level handcuff who can handle 20 carries, and La'Mical Perine, who seems like the potential top handcuff to Le'Veon Bell.
Adam: Mims, McFarland Jr., and Kelley. I'm not sure if Mims qualifies, but he steps into Robby Anderson's role and he reminds me of D.K. Metcalf — great athlete, ready to surprise people as a rookie. Meanwhile, McFarland may have fell in the draft due to playing with a high ankle sprain for much of last season, and Kelley seems like a good bet to get some work as a compliment to Ekeler. If the Chargers don't want to overwork Ekeler, Kelley could have a bigger role than we expect.
Ben S.: Pittman could easily start across from Hilton in Indy, and we know the targets will be there for the Colts No. 2 as Philip Rivers loves to sling the ball. Gibson is a Swiss Army knife who could be a weekly upside play if the touches are there, which is the big question mark playing for Washington. Kelley is a much better prospect than Justin Jackson, so I think there's a shot at unseating Jackson as Ekeler's compliment in LA.

4. Which rookie are you worried will be a Fantasy disappointment for 2020?

Jamey: Dobbins. He's so good, but he needs Mark Ingram to get hurt for him to see increased playing time this year. In 2021, however, look out — if Ingram is gone from the Ravens.
Dave: The one that concerns me the most is Vaughn. He was never one of our top-rated prospects at running back, we barely talked about him in the months leading up to the draft and he's still a developing receiver. Bruce Arians even said "he's not David Johnson" when asked if he found his next David Johnson in the draft. This won't scare me off from drafting Vaughn but I'm not putting him in my Round 7 range, which means I probably won't get him.
Heath: Ruggs, Reagor, and Burrow. I don't have anything against Burrow, and he has a ton of upside, but I'm worried about all the rookies with this abbreviated offseason and that goes double for quarterbacks.
Ben G.: Swift is the one I'm probably most concerned about because I still believe Kerryon Johnson has plenty of ability, and Matt Patricia showed his love of using multiple backs when Kerryon struggled to get full-time work in prior seasons. I think Swift could be productive, but his upside feels like an efficient 200 touches.
Adam: Edwards-Helaire will disappoint if he is taken in the top 30 of Fantasy drafts. Damien Williams is very good in the Chiefs offense and should have been the Super Bowl MVP. He's not going away, and Edwards-Helaire just won't get the work he needs to be a Fantasy stud as a rookie.
Ben S.: Taylor. I think the Colts will still lean on Mack in his contract year, and Nyheim Hines will continue to dominate snaps in passing situations. While Taylor would be a top 12 RB without Mack behind that dominant offensive line, I think the road to 10+ touches weekly in 2020 is a difficult one for Taylor.

5. Which rookie position battle will you be watching closest?

Jamey: Edwards-Helaire vs. Williams. I have the most invested in Edwards-Helaire since I would draft him in Round 2. That's obviously contingent on him sending Williams to the bench.
Dave: Akers vs. Darrell Henderson in Los Angeles. Frankly, Akers has the most to gain and could conceivably be the top-ranked rookie running back by the time we get to August. That will come down to two things: How quickly Akers can adapt to the Rams offense; and whether or not Henderson has improved his rushing. There's huge upside in any running back who controls most of the snaps in Sean McVay's offense.
Heath: The wide receiver competition in Philadelphia will be fascinating. I didn't love Reagor pre-draft, and the Eagles still have both Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson. Plus, they drafted two more receivers after Reagor and I doubt they've given up on J.J Arcega-Whiteside yet either. If Reagor earns the No. 1 job, I'll be too low on him, but he's got a lot of competition.
Ben G.: Probably Akers with the Rams vs. Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson. I'm not ready to write off Henderson yet, and it's possible the Rams see him as ahead of Akers at first and don't plan to anoint Akers, much like they didn't with Henderson. There's a lot of talent in this backfield, and the biggest thing I want to know is Brown won't be leading it in touches. An Akers-Henderson duo seems mighty dangerous.
Adam: I'll be watching the Lions backfield. I don't have faith in Johnson to stay healthy and I think Swift comes in as a better prospect and hopefully the answer to a Lions running game that hasn't had a 1,000 yard rusher since Reggie Bush in 2013. I suspect it will take a few weeks, but look for Swift to take over and be a Fantasy starter.
Ben S.: Akers was one of my favorite RB prospects in the draft, and I'm not sure the Rams are sold on Henderson or Brown. If Akers can win the job in camp, he could sneak up to be the second best rookie RB this season. Conversely, if he loses the job to Henderson, Henderson would be an intriguing mid-round pick.