Last night featured four quarterbacks drafted top-3 overall, three of whom were cast aside as has-beens, while the fourth might find himself in the same boat in a couple years
Baker Mayfield revived his career in 2022 at age 27, when the QB-desperate Rams gave him a shot after the Panthers (yes, the Panthers) released him after six starts. He then showed enough to earn a cheap one-year contract with Tampa Bay, outplayed Kyle Trask in the preseason to secure the starting job, and the rest is history.
Sam Darnold -- drafted two spots after Mayfield in 2018 -- played for Carolina in 2021 and then in 2022, when the franchise decided to move on after six starts. He ended up in Minnesota as a "bridge" QB for high-priced rookie JJ McCarthy, who suffered a season-ending injury in August 2024, paving the way for Darnold to showcase his talents beginning at age 27.
Jared Goff was widely viewed as a system QB when he and Matthew Stafford switched places in 2021. Stafford of course helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory, while Goff's Lions went 3-10-1. His grip on the starting job was tenuous heading into 2022. But 11 TD passes in the first four games signaled what would become an impressive turnaround . . . at age 27.
CJ Stroud might end up being as great as his rookie campaign suggested he would be. Maybe all those receiver injuries are a temporary setback. Regardless, we might not understand his true potential for a few years . . . at age 27.
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A lot happened last night, and a lot didn't. Notably, with Mike Evans expected to miss about two months (based on reports late Monday), one would think Emeka Egbuka and an eventually returning Chris Godwin would get bumps. I'm not so sure Evans' absence will matter, except for deep-league managers who need to find someone else who can get 8-10 points. As discussed on a podcast episode this summer, Evans' path to weekly startability was narrow at best.
More recently (about 10 days ago), I released an episode on Tampa Bay's secondary/tertiary receivers. On that day, Sterling Shepard was the most-added fantasy player on ESPN.com. I didn't think it made sense, instead recommending Tez Johnson for ceiling or (for flex spots) Cade Otton for floor. If Johnson slides into Evans' role, he could realistically be an upgrade.
Jameson Williams has now scored fewer than seven fantasy points in five of seven games. Yesterday was the icing on the cake -- or whatever is the opposite (hot fudge on broccoli). Today's podcast discusses the "DeSean Jackson Phenomenon" and the risks of boom-bust WRs.
While Jahmyr Gibbs, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Dalton Schultz, and others deserve attention, competitive backfields are far more interesting. Just when it looked like Kenneth Walker had locked down (again) the 1A role, Zach Charbonnet outplays him on the ground and also gets two scores. And Woody Marks seemed to be challenging Nick Chubb a few weeks ago. It could happen at any time, and it'll probably happen when he gets more work through the air. That's where he was a difference-maker in college.
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