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Devin Duvernay WR BAL (1 Viewer)

grateful zed

Footballguy
:drive:

My guy this year around the 20-25 spot of PPR rookie drafts. I'm 3/3 getting him in my leagues so far.

At that price point, I like the risk/reward equation. My hunch is that he becomes a solid piece of the puzzle for Baltimore.

Here's what I said about him in my write-up:

15. WR Devin Duvernay, Ravens - Of the day two WRs, this is the guy whose tape really won me over. People talk about him like he's an undersized slot WR, but that's misguided. He's only 5'10", but he's rocked up at 200+ pounds, looking less like a jitterbug slot WR and more like a scaled-down version of Andre Johnson. His BMI is in the 28+ range, which is VJax/Dez/Fitzgerald territory. In other words, he is BIG. He ran 4.39 at the combine and 10.3 in the 100m in HS, so the height/weight/speed combo is freaky. Duvernay is a straight-line powerhouse. He will threaten people off the line and can make big plays downfield. On the downside, his route running is just average. I watched some of his Senior Bowl 1v1 reps and he struggled to consistently beat the corners there. You see flashes of good routes in his games, but he's not consistently dominant in this department. Texas utilized him heavily on screens, but he's more fast than elusive. His open field moves are nothing special. Overall though, he just looks like an NFL player and Harbaugh was so excited to draft him that he was literally fist-pumping while making the selection. The presence of weapons like Andrews, Dobbins, Brown, and Lamar on this Ravens team means Duvernay will be low on the list of defensive priorities. Baltimore can play to his strengths and use him as a chess piece to create mismatches. I'm intrigued, but he was a four year player at a major AAA program, went to the Senior Bowl, and still fell all the way to WR17 in this draft and the 92nd pick. What's more likely: That he's a hidden gem or that he's just not that good? The answer is probably in the middle. I don't think he's a top tier prospect or a can't-miss talent, but I'm going to be a huge buyer at his ADP and would recommend looking at him in the 15-20 range of your PPR rookie drafts. There's real upside here to be a contributing starter on a high-powered offense and to flirt with top 20-30 FF WR seasons.
Duvernay is strong, reasonably agile, has reliable hands, and with the 4.3 speed has some real urgency coming off the line:

https://youtu.be/Hv2XkOKfdG4?t=297

Just has the look of a quality player to me, but we'll see.
 
Ravens selected Texas WR Devin Duvernay with the No. 92 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Duvernay (5’10/200) totaled 70/1,082/7 receiving through his first three years with the Longhorns before being moved exclusively into the slot (97.4% rate) and walking away with his most productive season (106/1,386/9) of his college career. A former state-champion sprinter, Duvernay wins with 4.39 speed and short-area burst (1.51-second three-cone) near the line of scrimmage. He also finished with the second-most first downs (68) and only three drops among FBS receivers in 2019, partially because the program simplified his touches with 42 screen plays. Duvernay will need to improve his releases against man coverage before stepping foot on the boundary in the NFL, but his 93rd-percentile Adjusted SPARQ athleticism should at the very least make him a candidate for manufactured touches from the slot at the next level.

Apr 24, 2020, 11:17 PM ET


247 Sports college football analyst Barton Simmons thinks Texas WR Devin Duvernay is undervalued based on his current draft projections.

Duvernay (5'10/200) is currently being projected as an end of Day 2-early Day 3 selection. His straight line speed is elite, as is evidenced by his 4.39 40-yard dash time and track pedigree. However his lack of prototype size and raw route-running ability are depressing his value in draftnik circles. Simmons praises Duvernay, saying "he's got great touchness and run-after-catch ability and he doesn't drop passes." Duvernay was incredibly productive at UT last season, earning a PFF receiving grade of 89.6 and a superb 91.0 Hands grade over the last two seasons. To put into perspective how sure-handed Duvernay is, he amazingly only dropped three passes on 194 targets since 2018.

SOURCE: 247 Sports

Apr 21, 2020, 1:37 PM ET


Texas WR Devin Duvernay ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Duvernay (5'10/200) matched Memphis' Antonio Gibson for the fastest 40-yard dash time in the first group of receivers running on Thursday. No stunner on this fast time, as the sure-handed wide receiver was a track star in high school. He remains somewhat raw as a route-runner, but plays with strength and (obviously) real speed. Duvernay -- who is Kyler Murray's cousin -- could potentially push for a Day 2 selection in the draft, but probably more comfortably fits as an early Day 3 pick.

SOURCE: NFL.com

Feb 27, 2020, 7:29 PM ET

MORE


NFL Media's Lance Zierlein wrote that Texas WR Devin Duvernay has "very reliable, soft hands."

Duvernay (5'10/200) was highly productive last season, catching 106 passes for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns. Projected to go at some point during the middle rounds of April's draft, the former Longhorn wideout has some work to do as a route-runner but the consistency as a pass-catcher is evident. "He's a slot receiver with tight hips and below-average routes but has outstanding hands and uses power to add yards after catch," Zierlein wrote in his analysis of Duvernay.

SOURCE: NFL.com

Feb 27, 2020, 12:39 PM ET

 
There were a  couple rotoworld blurbs lately where Jackson was working on getting the ball out faster and he was not wanting to run as much. Maybe they employ him more like K. Murray going forward. A lot of quick passes and the occasional deep shot, instead of called runs. That would definitely keep him healthier.

 
Not a single player for Baltimore had 1000 yards and not a single WR had over 50 receptions. No one on the team even had 100 targets
Their best WR was a 170 pound rookie who dealt with a nagging injury for much of the year. You raise a valid concern about their passing attack, but it's not as though they were trotting out Julio and Moss. They had innate limitations based on the limited quality of their WR room. You generally aren't going to have prolific WR production when the WRs on your roster are not very good.

440 pass attempts last season was dead last in the league. Nowhere to go but up.

Downside for Duvernay is that this isn't a pass-happy team. Upside is that there's very little established competition for targets. Andrews is a high-end receiving TE and Brown showed that he's at least going to be a dangerous deep threat, but that's really where it begins and ends. Boykin is an X-factor and you have to think Dobbins will be involved as pass-catching weapon out of the backfield, but generally speaking their WR1 role is still in play and the WR2 role is wide open.

We also have to talk about cost. This site has Duvernay as the dynasty WR82. Their rookie rankings have him at 29th, which equates to a mid 3rd in a 12 team draft. A lot of the concerns you raised are baked into his low acquisition price. This is a cheap player to acquire. If he tops out as a 900-and-6 guy, you are still winning.

 
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440 pass attempts last season was dead last in the league. Nowhere to go but up.
I am amazed at how ho hum people are on this offense. 

But apparently having a 22 year old MVP at QB for one of the best organizations in the NFL isn't as attractive as I thought.  

 
I appreciate your response. I agree, there is an opportunity for someone to step up and be a wr1 in that offense. I guess I am not so sure I see Duvernay taking that role... BUT, as you mentioned, at his cost you could do MUCH worse. I would take him in the 3rs for sure. I guess I was, for some reason, thinking people were taking him in the 2nd 
He went 4.06 in ours. He and Van Jefferson fell a bit.

 
I just can't see the upside here, the offense isn't big enough.  They are gonna run run run and then run some more and they have Andrews as a primary target.  The only way he hits upside is if Brown is a bust.  I like the talent enough but this is the kind of thing you hear every year about Antonio Callaway and Zay Jones and Carlos Henderson and next thing you know 3 years later you're like Carlos who?

 
A former state-champion sprinter, Duvernay wins with 4.39 speed and short-area burst (1.51-second three-cone) near the line of scrimmage
That's gotta be 10 year split, no?  It's not a 3 cone time.  Unless of course it's Speedy Gonzales, in which case I'm taking him with this OTC 2.10 pick I am sitting on.

 
This guy is rising up my draft boards. Got him 3.7 PPR 12 teamer the other day. Just went 2.9 yesterday in another one. 

 
Hankmoody said:
That's gotta be 10 year split, no?  It's not a 3 cone time.  Unless of course it's Speedy Gonzales, in which case I'm taking him with this OTC 2.10 pick I am sitting on.
It takes him 1.51 seconds to jump 10 years into the future? 1.01 pick for me now lol. I was getting ready to say the same thing. Still that's a great 10 yard split. 

 
If Duvernay had landed better I would be more excited about his prospects. He's a good/great prospect that landed on a team that doesn't really throw the ball that much. Once Lamar stops running this offense comes crashing down. He doesn't have the arm talent of Kyler Murray. 

Still he's worth a 2nd round pick just on talent. 

 
If Duvernay had landed better I would be more excited about his prospects. He's a good/great prospect that landed on a team that doesn't really throw the ball that much. Once Lamar stops running this offense comes crashing down. He doesn't have the arm talent of Kyler Murray. 

Still he's worth a 2nd round pick just on talent. 
Lamar Jackson THREW for 36 TDs last year. 1st in the league.

 
How valuable was Cam Newton after he stopped running? 

Remember Cam threw 35 TD passes in a year too. 

 
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Lamar Jackson THREW for 36 TDs last year. 1st in the league.
Lamar was amazingly efficient and I think it's pretty reasonable to get excited about Duvernay being capable of a lot of explosive plays. Similar to Marquise Brown.

But Baltimore threw it to their WR's 29 times less then any other team in the league last year. That should go up a little but I don't expect it to be a significant spike and mitigated by having more quality WR's to compete with.

I'm pretty down on the all Baltimore WR's, even though again I think they will make a ton of big plays.  The volume is just way to low for me to pay what I need to pay for them or to be comfortable putting them in my lineup. 

So for me Duvernay is someone who always goes multiple rounds before I'd consider him though in real world I like him and think he's going to be a huge help to the Ravens offense.

 
Apples to oranges, Cam stopped running because he got hurt.  How many qbs play well when they're injured?
Got hurt and lost his appetite for contact. Yes. Cam was useless after that. RG3 comes to mind too........I'd be very cognizant of that if I owned Lamar Jackson

I'd be selling right now too......

 
Lamar was amazingly efficient and I think it's pretty reasonable to get excited about Duvernay being capable of a lot of explosive plays. Similar to Marquise Brown.

But Baltimore threw it to their WR's 29 times less then any other team in the league last year. That should go up a little but I don't expect it to be a significant spike and mitigated by having more quality WR's to compete with.

I'm pretty down on the all Baltimore WR's, even though again I think they will make a ton of big plays.  The volume is just way to low for me to pay what I need to pay for them or to be comfortable putting them in my lineup. 

So for me Duvernay is someone who always goes multiple rounds before I'd consider him though in real world I like him and think he's going to be a huge help to the Ravens offense.
They threw less than everyone else because their receivers were not good last year. They drafted Duvernay and Proche because anyone is better than Snead and Boykin.

Things change fast in the NFL and the tea leaves read that this is an offense rapidly tending up as they move away from the lethargic to the electric. They ran a lot because they had to last year, I don't expect that to continue. It's also why people should not be terribly worried about Ingram over Dobbins for very long.

The argument will change from "running offense" to "too many mouths" pretty quickly.

 
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They threw less than everyone else because their receivers were not good last year. They drafted Duvernay and Proche because anyone is better than Snead and Boykin.
Don't agree with that and by your own usage of his 36 TD' stats you can see Lamar was highly efficient passing last year so it's not like they were failing when he went to pass.

I've heard Daniel Jeremiah discuss this a few times and he worked for Ravens for awhile and has a lot of contacts with them so taking it for what it's worth  he's said numerous times the reason the Ravens have to attack the draft for WR's is they are cognizant of fact they can't attract big time FA WR's to them because of the low volume passing attack. It's a no go destination for FA WR's with a choice. That's very telling.

I don't like when people give absolutes, so I won't say it can't happen and will instead phrase it as I'd be stunned  if this passing offense in games Lamar plays is not always in bottom 5 of the league in attempts to WR's and probably overall though I could see a lot of short passes to RB's in their future.

I dislike this passing game so much for volume that I'm one of the Antonio Brown holdout guys, still holding and still hoping, and I think if I woke up tomorrow and saw he'd been signed by the Ravens I'd actually be down about it. In fact I know I would be down about it. I don't own Raven WR's on teams and would like to keep it that way.

 
You could agree that BAL will be a limited passing attack and still see value at his ADP.

If his dynasty WR rank is around 75-85 and he becomes a solid top 30-40 dynasty WR then you've effectively profited.

The debate doesn't have to be "either Lamar becomes a 4,500 yard passer or Duvernay is useless".

 
You could agree that BAL will be a limited passing attack and still see value at his ADP.

If his dynasty WR rank is around 75-85 and he becomes a solid top 30-40 dynasty WR then you've effectively profited.

The debate doesn't have to be "either Lamar becomes a 4,500 yard passer or Duvernay is useless".
It just caps his upside. Couple that with the oversaturation of the WR position and I'd rather take a gamble on QB, RB, or TE with an elite ceiling even if they are unlikely to hit it. 

 
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It just caps his upside. Couple that with the oversaturation of the WR position and I'd rather take a gamble on QB, RB, or TE with an elite ceiling even if they are unlikely to hit it. 
This is where the argument falls apart.  Any player with a pretty clean path to slot work for one of the best teams in the NFL should have fantasy draft value. Duvernay is falling in fantasy drafts. He's not a 2nd rounder.  The next WR on the ADP list went to Liberty University.  You don't have to make a tough call on Duvernary. He's as bargain at his ADP, this isn't Antonio Gibson.   3rd rounder, to get Lamar's slot guy (maybe)?  Too rich? 

Gonna go for the big dollars with Eno Benjamin or DeeJay Dallas, huh?  Get that TE from Dayton you been drooling over?  :headbang:

 
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This is where the argument falls apart.  Any player with a pretty clean path to slot work for one of the best teams in the NFL should have fantasy draft value. Duvernay is falling in fantasy drafts. He's not a 2nd rounder.  The next WR on the ADP list went to Liberty University.  You don't have to make a tough call on Duvernary. He's as bargain at his ADP, this isn't Antonio Gibson.   3rd rounder, to get Lamar's slot guy (maybe)?  Too rich? 

Gonna go for the big dollars with Eno Benjamin or DeeJay Dallas, huh?  Get that TE from Dayton you been drooling over?  :headbang:
I was thinking more Raymond Calais or Colby Parkinson. It has more to with the current WR landscape then Duvernay's talent though. WR3-4 are a dime a dozen in FF right now with imo back to back insane draft classes at the position. 

***Edit***

I'd add I like (might even love) Duvernay's talent too but he's doomed where he landed and there's more reasons than just Baltimore doesn't throw much to WR or Lamar's (imo) suspect arm talent. 

 
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I was thinking more Raymond Calais or Colby Parkinson. It has more to with the current WR landscape then Duvernay's talent though. WR3-4 are a dime a dozen in FF right now with imo back to back draft classes at the position. 
Fair.

Next year will drop some more on us as well. 

 
EBF said:
You could agree that BAL will be a limited passing attack and still see value at his ADP.

If his dynasty WR rank is around 75-85 and he becomes a solid top 30-40 dynasty WR then you've effectively profited.

The debate doesn't have to be "either Lamar becomes a 4,500 yard passer or Duvernay is useless".
That theoretical profit is *only* actualized if you flip him or get points in your lineup above replacement. At WR30-40 that is questionable at best. Many owners would agree and make it hard to find a market. 

It's more likely he becomes a roster clogger.  That said, at his current price, I have zero issue with taking him.

 
That theoretical profit is *only* actualized if you flip him or get points in your lineup above replacement. At WR30-40 that is questionable at best. Many owners would agree and make it hard to find a market. 

It's more likely he becomes a roster clogger.  That said, at his current price, I have zero issue with taking him.
Some of my leagues have added a couple flex spots over the last few years, which has really stressed the value of depth. In a shallow format, a WR3-WR4 type is not very exciting. I get that. That's not Duvernay's actual upside though. We don't really know his upside and one thing I've learned over the years is that the FF community is not always great at ascertaining a player's ceiling. For example, I don't think anyone thought Tyreek Hill's ceiling was this high. TY Hilton was pegged as a slot WR/role player coming into the league. Maurice Jones-Drew was thought to be a committee back because of his small stature. Lamar and Mahomes were not expected to be as good as they became. This sort of thing happens all the time.

I'm not saying Duvernay is a lock to reach that level of stardom, but we don't really know his actual upside. There's a universe where he's Hilton or Godwin. What's nice is that you can fall well short of that level and still win based on his price of acquisition, and that's a point that we seem to agree on. If you grab him at WR80 and he becomes WR10, you have a massive steal. If you grab him at WR80 and he only becomes WR40, you still have a decent little win. The low price of acquisition gives you a much bigger margin for error compared to Lamb, Jeudy, Jefferson, etc.

 
That theoretical profit is *only* actualized if you flip him or get points in your lineup above replacement. At WR30-40 that is questionable at best. Many owners would agree and make it hard to find a market. 

It's more likely he becomes a roster clogger.  That said, at his current price, I have zero issue with taking him.
WR30 would be pretty easy to do that - WR2.5 in a 12 man league has a whole ton of value come bye week season when nagging injuries are sapping depth.  Some weeks that guy might be your (or hopefully others') lead WR.  Last year after week 7 (PPR) WR31-40 were Wil Fuller, Tyler Boyd, Christian Kirk, DJ Moore, OBJ, Robert Woods, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Ridley, Curtis Samuel, and Jarvis Landry.  Emmanuel Sanders, JJSS, Cooks, Parker - keep going.

Give me that kind of value/return out of a 3rd rounder and I"m all in.

 
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Some of my leagues have added a couple flex spots over the last few years, which has really stressed the value of depth. In a shallow format, a WR3-WR4 type is not very exciting. I get that. That's not Duvernay's actual upside though. We don't really know his upside and one thing I've learned over the years is that the FF community is not always great at ascertaining a player's ceiling. For example, I don't think anyone thought Tyreek Hill's ceiling was this high. TY Hilton was pegged as a slot WR/role player coming into the league. Maurice Jones-Drew was thought to be a committee back because of his small stature. Lamar and Mahomes were not expected to be as good as they became. This sort of thing happens all the time.

I'm not saying Duvernay is a lock to reach that level of stardom, but we don't really know his actual upside. There's a universe where he's Hilton or Godwin. What's nice is that you can fall well short of that level and still win based on his price of acquisition, and that's a point that we seem to agree on. If you grab him at WR80 and he becomes WR10, you have a massive steal. If you grab him at WR80 and he only becomes WR40, you still have a decent little win. The low price of acquisition gives you a much bigger margin for error compared to Lamb, Jeudy, Jefferson, etc.
I'm splitting hairs because really I'm glad to draft him at his price, and actually just did in one league, but seriously it can only be a profit if you actually use him or flip him. Otherwise that decent little win is a mirage. The pride of owning a guy that is worth more than I paid doesn't actually get me points in my boxscore. Again, I'm being pedantic here. There is zero reason not to take him this late. I likely won't be able to roster him come week 1, but no reason not to see how the rest of the offseason plays out. And if he shows anything then maybe I am able to make that flip.

I should have an asterisk on every post that says I mainly only play FFPC dynasty leagues. Gotta cut to 20 by week 1.

 
WR30 would be pretty easy to do that - WR2.5 in a 12 man league has a whole ton of value come bye week season when nagging injuries are sapping depth.  Some weeks that guy might be your (or hopefully others') lead WR.  Last year after week 7 (PPR) WR31-40 were Wil Fuller, Tyler Boyd, Christian Kirk, DJ Moore, OBJ, Robert Woods, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Ridley, Curtis Samuel, and Jarvis Landry.  Emmanuel Sanders, JJSS, Cooks, Parker - keep going.

Give me that kind of value/return out of a 3rd rounder and I"m all in.
Yeah so I count 7 names I have picked up off waivers or seen on waivers. And the rest are/were much more expensive. Not saying these guys don't have value. Just not sure I am looking for that. And these seem like mostly roster clogger to me. I'd rather have a TE or RB in a flex spot in my FFPC leagues. Or a better WR. 

 
Yeah so I count 7 names I have picked up off waivers or seen on waivers. And the rest are/were much more expensive. Not saying these guys don't have value. Just not sure I am looking for that. And these seem like mostly roster clogger to me. I'd rather have a TE or RB in a flex spot in my FFPC leagues. Or a better WR. 
None of those guys have ever been on waivers in my 12 man dynasty league.  Zero.

Edit: I take it back - Boyd was because I ran out of taxi eligibility for him and I wasn't using cap space on him and I'm an idiot.  Fitzgerald might have been when he was at his lowest QB issues and starting to show age.  Maybe.

 
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None of those guys have ever been on waivers in my 12 man dynasty league.  Zero.

Edit: I take it back - Boyd was because I ran out of taxi eligibility for him and I wasn't using cap space on him and I'm an idiot.  Fitzgerald might have been when he was at his lowest QB issues and starting to show age.  Maybe.
Yeah every league is different for sure. Also Ward, Perriman and Slayton were guys off the wire that had similar PPG production last year. 

 
I like Duvernay quite a bit but I agree with some of what @barackdhouse is saying.  I actually think he'll be quite a bit cheaper later this year or next offseason.  These guys that aren't big hype names are guys that fantasy owners really get bored of quickly if they don't break out right away a la Terry McClaurin.

Granted he's not that expensive right now, but I bet he'll be available almost for free at some point.  Like Barack I should probably stipulate that many of my leagues are FFPC so smaller rosters, but I would compare him a lot to Miles Boykin.  He wasn't particularly expensive last year as a mid 3rd round pick, but this year he's just sitting out there as a FA and went through the entire 7th round rookie/FA draft despite everyone knowing he probably wasn't going to be a huge contributor as a rookie.

Maybe I'm getting a little off topic here but if I have space for them I really like grabbing project WRs or young TEs at a discount headed into year 2 or 3 of their career who haven't flashed yet.  As much as people draft them knowing they are a project and say they are willing to wait, the reality is most fantasy owners give up pretty quickly unless they see major flashes of stardom.

You look at a guy like Mike Gesicki who was considered a project at a position that takes a while to develop anyway and who has followed basically the exact path people were hoping for when they drafted him, yet his value right now is still less than it was when he was in the rookie draft despite the fact that we are now fast forwarded to the part where we get to see if he actually is about to break out instead of having to wait 2 years like you did back then.

 
I like Duvernay quite a bit but I agree with some of what @barackdhouse is saying.  I actually think he'll be quite a bit cheaper later this year or next offseason.  These guys that aren't big hype names are guys that fantasy owners really get bored of quickly if they don't break out right away a la Terry McClaurin.

Granted he's not that expensive right now, but I bet he'll be available almost for free at some point.  Like Barack I should probably stipulate that many of my leagues are FFPC so smaller rosters, but I would compare him a lot to Miles Boykin.  He wasn't particularly expensive last year as a mid 3rd round pick, but this year he's just sitting out there as a FA and went through the entire 7th round rookie/FA draft despite everyone knowing he probably wasn't going to be a huge contributor as a rookie.

Maybe I'm getting a little off topic here but if I have space for them I really like grabbing project WRs or young TEs at a discount headed into year 2 or 3 of their career who haven't flashed yet.  As much as people draft them knowing they are a project and say they are willing to wait, the reality is most fantasy owners give up pretty quickly unless they see major flashes of stardom.

You look at a guy like Mike Gesicki who was considered a project at a position that takes a while to develop anyway and who has followed basically the exact path people were hoping for when they drafted him, yet his value right now is still less than it was when he was in the rookie draft despite the fact that we are now fast forwarded to the part where we get to see if he actually is about to break out instead of having to wait 2 years like you did back then.
That's how I got George Kittle and D.J. Chark a couple years ago in my dynasty league.......plucked them off the WW right before the year ended. Grabbed Blake Jarwin and Hakeem Butler last year late. 

 

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