NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/17)
Alex Christenson
Welcome to the Dynasty Stock Watch, a weekly article where I address the changes in the dynasty fantasy football landscape. This will help us as managers stay current on the most recent headlines, while also allowing us to look at player and team trends to stay ahead of the curve.
I am focusing on the incoming rookie class for the next two weeks with the 2023 NFL Draft approaching. This week I will highlight a few players you should watch in next week’s draft who are currently under the radar.
Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss
Evans is not totally under the radar, but he is currently undervalued. He was a former five-star recruit when he joined the TCU Horned Frogs and showed his talents as a freshman, totaling 491 yards on 62 touches. He added another 778 scrimmage yards in his second year at TCU, averaging 7.7 yards per play over two seasons, before transferring to Ole Miss for the 2022 season. Evans continued to produce at a high level in Oxford, with 1,055 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns on 7.8 yards per touch. Evans forced 76 missed tackles in college on 0.26 missed tackles per carry.
Evans stands 5-foot-11 and 202 pounds and produced average pro day numbers with a 33.5-inch vertical, 4.55 40-yard dash and 7.08 three-cone. He’s a fluid runner who can put defenders in sticky positions with his manipulation of leverage points. He also shows great burst and acceleration once he hits the hole or cut back lane and finishes runs with a good pad level and physical finish. He does need to improve in the passing game — right now, he offers little as a pass catcher or blocker. He also needs to work on becoming more consistent with his vision and patience.
There is a chance Evans could be drafted on Day 2, but it seems more likely he is an early Day 3 guy, so the landing spot will be key. A few spots I would like to see him land are with the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins or Jacksonville Jaguars.
DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB
McBride has been one of the most productive backs in this class and is not being treated as such. His 3,552 college rushing yards is second most behind only Deuce Vaughn among players who have only played three years thus far. He has had back-to-back seasons of at least 1,300 rushing yards and found the end zone an impressive 36 times in his college career, leading all juniors in this class. Per PFF, he had 175 missed tackles in his career – ranking 10th over the last four classes. More impressively, his 0.36 missed tackles per carry is fourth behind only Antonio Gibson (0.48), Bijan Robinson (0.39) and Javonte Williams (0.39). This has helped McBride to a class-leading 4.93 yards after contact per attempt, second to only Antonio Gibson over the last four classes.
McBride is a 5-foot-10. 209-pound battering ram who runs with great footwork and physicality. He also has very good contact balance and burst that helps him produce chunk plays regularly, but he lacks the home run speed we covet. Although he has good vision, he does need to work on being a bit more patient at times as he over runs holes at times. Additionally, he has not seen any work in the passing game as he has a mere five receptions in his career, so he could improve here as well.
McBride is likely a Day 3 pick who will excel in a gap scheme system at the NFL level. This will allow him to use his vision and downhill style most effectively. With this in mind, a few spots that would be great fits for him would be Tampa Bay, Las Vegas and Dallas. Tampa Bay and Dallas will likely lead to the most immediate fantasy output, as he can be the thunder potion of their backfields.
