Fantasy Football: Will Tyler Boyd be a top wide receiver in 2020?
There's plenty of excitement surrounding the Bengals' offense this season. Will that help or hurt Tyler Boyd's fantasy value?
The 25-year-old was WR18 in PPR leagues last season. He finished with the eighth most receptions (90) and was 22nd in receiving yards (1,046).
Boyd posted those numbers with Ryan Finley making three starts. The Bengals drafted Joe Burrow with the top pick. He should be better than the combination of Finley and Andy Dalton.
Burrow relied on slot wide receiver Justin Jefferson at LSU last season. He finished with 111 receptions, 1,540 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.
Boyd has a similar skillset. He's primarily a slot wide receiver that has a knack for getting open on third-down.
Boyd has played in 30 of a possible 32 games over the past two seasons. He's topped the 1,000 yard receiving mark both years.
He's currently being drafted early in the 7th round (74th overall) in 12-team fantasy drafts. He offers great value in that spot.
Some are concerned with the number of weapons the Bengals have on offense. A.J. Green is healthy. Joe Mixon is expected to be involved in the passing game more than he was last season. Cincinnati also has former first-round pick John Ross and they took Tee Higgins in the second-round of the draft.
Despite all of the weapons, Boyd's consistency separates him from the rest of the pack.
Green is a boom-or-bust pick. He's missed 29 of a possible 64 games over the past four years. Ross has missed significant time due to injury in each of his first three NFL seasons and Higgins is a rookie. Does anyone expect these young wide receivers to be great right away after an unprecedented offseason?
Boyd has great hands and is similar to Jefferson, who Burrow peppered with targets at LSU. Green may get more snaps in the slot than he has in the past, but it shouldn't hurt Boyd.
Cincinnati plans on running a lot of the same 5-man protection sets that Burrow had success with at LSU. That means Boyd should be facing plenty of single coverage, which bodes well for his fantasy value.
Burrow's accuracy in the middle of the field should also help Boyd's production. The Bengals will feed their beast in the slot.
Boyd became the fifth player in franchise history to have 90 receptions last season. He many not have as many catches in 2020, but he should finish with more than five touchdowns.
Boyd enters this season as a high-end WR3 in standard formats and a rock solid WR2 in PPR leagues.
