When it comes to building a dominant dynasty team, identifying young talent with immense potential is paramount. Buying in on WR’s in their 2nd or 3rd year in the NFL is a great way to have a long-term dynasty asset and help your team win a championship. In previous articles, we discussed other WR’s taken in the late rounds of the 2022 NFL draft, and we’re continuing a series where we’re going to evaluate each WR taken to see if they are worth a stash on your Dynasty Fantasy Football roster. We’re working our way up from the bottom rounds of the 2022 NFL draft to the top. As we prepare for the upcoming season, today we’re going to take a look at some WR’s that were drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL draft and see if any of them are worth a potential spot on your dynasty roster.

Velus Jones Jr., Jalen Tolbert, David Bell, & Danny Gray are vying to make their mark, and let's break down each player's draft capital and look at some news for each.

Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee - Chicago Bears

Velus Jones Jr. is in the NFL after showcasing exceptional speed and playmaking ability during his college career. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round, he brings a diverse skill set to the offense. In his final season at Tennessee, Jones Jr. put up impressive numbers, recording 34 receptions for 572 yards and three touchdowns. He also contributed as a return specialist, highlighting his versatility on the field. His blazing speed and ability to stretch the field vertically make him a potential big-play threat. With Justin Fields as his QB, Jones Jr.'s skill set is tailor-made for a West Coast-style offense. 

In his rookie year last year, according to Player Profiler: (https://www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/velus-jones/), Jones had these stats:

• Games Played: 12
• Targets: 14
• Receiving Yards: 107
• Routes Run: 58
• Route Participation: 20.8%
• Target Share: 5.2%

Fantasy Outlook

Some things immediately stand out:

First, even though he played in 12 games, he ran only 58 routes, and as his 14 targets indicate, wasn’t targeted much when he ran those routes. It’s almost as if the Bears were using him as a development project and nothing else. 

Second, There are some other red flags beginning to show that most likely dim his fantasy prospects moving forward. The Bears traded for WR D.J. Moore in the offseason who immediately becomes the new Alpha in the offense. Moore will most likely command the vast majority of targets in an offense that traditionally favors the run over the pass. 

Third, the team drafted WR Tyler Scott in the 4th round of this year’s draft who offers a similar profile to Jones. While this may not matter much for this year, it could significantly impact Jones’ fantasy relevancy down the line. 

Fourth, even though he was drafted in the 3rd round, Jones’ college breakout score was only 23% and he didn’t break out until late in his college career. While this doesn’t necessarily indicate doom and gloom, there’s no doubting Jones has a massive hill to climb in order to get to being worth even a bench stash on a fantasy roster. 

The silver lining here is that currently Jones is projected to be 3rd on the Bears depth chart behind both Moore and Darnell Mooney. Depending on his performance this year, he could catapult into the starting lineup next year should the Bears decide to move on from Mooney. 

Consensus: Not worth a spot on any fantasy roster at this time. However, you may want to watch to see how this year plays out, and consider putting in a waiver claim during the season if he starts commanding targets. Otherwise he should remain off the fantasy radar completely.

Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama - Dallas Cowboys

Jalen Tolbert impressed scouts with his size, athleticism, and reliable hands throughout his college career. Now with the Dallas Cowboys, Tolbert finds himself in an offense that has historically been prolific through the air. During his final season at South Alabama, Tolbert dominated opposing defenses, racking up an impressive 74 receptions for 1,374 yards and 10 touchdowns. His ability to win contested catches and excel in the red zone shows his incredible athleticism. With that said, let’s dive deeper into last year’s stats (https://www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/jalen-tolbert/):

• Games: 8
• Targets: 3
• Target Share: 1.2%
• Target Rate: 7.3%
• Routes Run: 41
• Receiving Yards: 12
• Route Participation: 16%

Fantasy Outlook

Even though Tolbert had a very good college career, so far that production hasn’t translated to the NFL level. He played in a total of 8 games last year, but had only 3 (yes, you read that right) targets! It’s almost as if the Cowboys just needed a body to say they had someone on the field. He was hardly used as a WR, and fell out of the wide-out rotation completely after Week 12. 

Further muddying the waters, the “boys” went out and traded for Brandin Cooks, who should take over as the #2 behind CeeDee Lamb and in front of Michael Gallup. Barring injury, this leaves little room for Tolbert to make any type of lasting impact. Between this situation and the putrid stats last year, the prospects of him making a significant fantasy impact both this year and in the future are fading fast. At least Velus Jones is scheduled to be the WR3 in the Bears offense, where no such scenario currently exists for Tolbert. The only possible scenario for him to move up the Cowboys depth chart would be due to an injury to one of the 3 starters. 

Consensus: Only worth a possible waiver pick up if injury occurs to one of the Cowboys top three starters, otherwise, not worth a roster spot.

David Bell, Purdue - Cleveland Browns

Fantasy Outlook: See my previous for an in-depth analysis of David Bell, but suffice it to say not much has changed for Bell’s prospects since that article was written. He currently is projected to be 4th on the Browns depth chart behind Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones, and should do the majority of his work out of the slot should he make the team. If he does, he could be a sleeper for next year. 

Consensus: Watch what happens during training camp, and consider a bench stash and/or pick up if an injury occurs to one of the starting 3 for the Browns, otherwise he is better served staying on the waiver wire. 

Danny Gray, SMU - San Francisco 49ers

Danny Gray's electrifying speed and dynamic playmaking abilities made him an exciting prospect heading into the NFL Draft. Selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round, Gray joined a team known for its creative and innovative offensive schemes.

In his final year at SMU, Gray exhibited his big-play potential, recording 78 receptions for 1,014 yards and eight touchdowns. He has an ability to turn short plays into explosive gains. Let’s dive into his stats from last year: 

• Games: 11
• Targets: 7
• Target Share: 2.2%
• Target Rate: 30.4%
• Routes Run: 23
• Receiving Yards: 10
• Route Participation: 6.8%

Fantasy Outlook: Unfortunately for Gray, the 49ers already have a strong roster with a mix of veteran and young talent at the receiver position, and currently Gray is buried near the bottom of the depth chart. His stats last year were not good, and this also doesn’t bode well for his prospects of consistent fantasy success moving forward. He would not only need to have an incredible preseason, but also have one of the top WRs get hurt in order to make any type of impact this year. 

Consensus: Not currently worth a roster spot. Fantasy managers may want to monitor him to see if he is able to obtain additional play time due to injury to one of the starters, otherwise he’s best left on the league waiver wire.

Summary

Overall, this group of WR’s has not yet been able to be fantasy relevant and up to this point has been disappointing. While they do still have some time, we will need to see a significant uptick in production from some of these players this year, otherwise their long-term fantasy prospects are not good. David Bell probably has the best future outlook of all of them, but Velus Jones is a close second and currently is the only starting member of the four. As of now, all of these WR’s are best left on your league’s waiver wire and should only be considered if a significant injury occurs.

As always in fantasy football, careful monitoring of preseason performances and depth chart changes is essential to making informed decisions when adding any receivers to your dynasty team.