Over the next 40 days (May 1st to June 10th), I will break down 40 of the NFL’s “Sophomores”. By sophomores, Imean players in their 2nd year of the NFL. The 2019 Draft class was quite special and has shown some early promise. I want to reflect on each player’s rookie year, take a look forward, and finally evaluate their dynasty and redraft value going into the 2020 NFL Season. I hope you enjoy this 40-day adventure as I dive into the emerging stars the NFL has to offer. Next on the list is Marquise Brown. Below you will find every player I have covered to this date.

Sophomore SZN : Kyler Murray / Daniel Jones / T.J. Hockenson / Dwayne Haskins / Noah Fant / Josh Jacobs / Marquise Brown / N’Keal Harry

Rookie Season

Marquise Brown ended his final year at Oklahoma with a Lisfranc injury. The foot issue was still a major problem for him in 2019. He was never fully healthy but still performed like a stud. Brown started his rookie campaign with 4 catches for 147 yards and 2 TD. Plus, he did all that by only playing 14 snaps. Over the first 4 games of 2019, Brown was targeted a team-high 8.5 times a game. Brown dealt with hip and ankle injuries throughout the season.

Brown’s ankle injury is what hampered him in 2019. He dealt with the injury for most of the season but was sidelined for Weeks 5-8. Harbaugh has come out and said that Brown was not healthy for any part of his rookie season. However, Brown will still be a big piece of the Ravens offense going forward. I just don’t think they handled the appropriate recovery time for Brown’s initial Lisfranc injury. These kinds of injuries can take up to a full year to heal, but Brown was very impressive in 2019.

Looking Forward

I very much believe Harbaugh when he says he is committed to Brown being the Ravens #1 going forward. Being Antonio Brown‘s cousin, I see very similar attributes between the two. Hollywood was used primarily in the deep game early in the season. However, he is much more than a deep threat. Brown showed his true colors in the 2019 playoffs. He brought in 7 catches for 126 yards. We will see much more of that in 2020. He will grab 7-8 catches a week and he should have no problem eclipsing the century mark each week with those targets. Lamar Jackson will continue to take the league by storm in 2020.

With Brown fully healthy, I would have to believe that Jackson will throw the ball more in 2020. It’s not that Lamar didn’t throw it enough in 2019, but their rushing attack was too productive and should regress a bit. The Ravens didn’t bring in anyone that should steal targets from Hollywood. They did draft Devin Duvernay and James Proche but they are both depth-adds for me. Brown is the clear cut #1 WR in this offense, and the Ravens will finish as Top 5 offense again in 2020. With that being said, I am expecting a big year out of Marquise Brown.

Belly Up Fantasy Live: Top 10 QBs and RBs https://t.co/49ngsgzNOq

— Belly Up Fantasy 🏆 (@BellyUpFantasy) May 6, 2020

Redraft Value

Marquise Brown is currently going around the 8th to 9th round. I think he is one of this year’s biggest values. Brown has a real possibility to finish as a top 20 fantasy WR. When the ball is in his hands it is special. The best thing about Brown is that he can score the long TD from time to time. Despite being banged up for most of 2019, Brown still managed to score 7 TD. I despise the narrative that Marquise is just a deep threat. Yes as cheesy as it sounds, he is such a similar player to AB. He will demand a high target share and will average over 12.5 yards a catch. I am going to be grabbing Brown every time if his ADP continues to sit around the 8th-9th round.

Dynasty Value

Brown is just around the30 mark for my dynasty WR. He will just be entering his second year in the league. With Lamar coming off his MVP season, Brown should the stud receiver that Jackson wants and needs. Yes, Jackson is elite with his legs, but also led the league in passing TD. However, I don’t think he leads the league again. I do think Brown has the potential to grab 10 scores in 2020. Between Hollywood and Mark Andrews, Lamar will have good targets to pass the ball to. I’m excited to see what Brown is going to do in Year 2. My current projection for him is 86 catches for 1,125 yards and 9 TD.

Follow my work on Twitter @BellyUpHouston and check out other Belly Up Fantasy Sports articles.