Which NFL Teams Draft Fantasy Contributors Best? AFC East Edition

A look through the last five drafts of the four teams in the AFC East identifying useful skill players they have chosen (and the busts that hampered the teams).

With the NFL Draft approaching, it’s a good time to look back at recent history and how teams have performed when finding and developing players. Specific to fantasy football, some teams seem to find useful skill players in the draft regularly while others fail to find impactful draft picks.

Let’s go through the past half-decade of drafts to identify teams who have found good fantasy players; this could help identify guys to grab in your fantasy draft during their rookie season, especially in dynasty leagues. We’ll start in the AFC East, where three teams hope to contend, and the franchise with the most success this century is finally starting over.

Method

I looked at the past five drafts at quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends drafted by each team and classified each as an “Impact Player,” “Bust,” or “Other.”

Impact players are generally starters or at least fantasy relevant. I only considered busts from the first, second, and third rounds, as picks after that point generally hit at a lower rate and are lottery tickets more than anything else.

Most players were included, but some guys who barely played or didn’t make the team were excluded. Draft histories from Pro Football Reference were used.

Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen joined the team in the draft before this time frame, and they have built around him since. Buffalo has consistently tried to find playmakers through the draft, with Stefon Diggs the only notable skill player not drafted by the team until they recently signed Curtis Samuel in free agency.

Impact Players

• TE Dawson Knox, 3rd Round 2019
• WR Gabe Davis, 4th Round 2020
• RB James Cook, 2nd Round 2022
• TE Dalton Kincaid, 1st Round 2023

Knox was the lead tight end for several years but has now been bumped down to TE2 for Kincaid. That’s a good thing for the team, bringing plenty of depth to the position. Davis was inconsistent during his Buffalo career but acted as a big-play receiver at times. Cook is the top running back in Buffalo and took a big leap to 1,500 total yards in 2023.

Busts

None: The Bills have done well in finding productive skill players, only missing on late-round fliers.

Others Drafted

• RB Devin Singletary, 3rd Round 2019
• RB Zack Moss, 3rd Round 2020
• QB Jake Fromm, 5th Round 2020
• WR Khalil Shakir, 5th Round 2022

Shakir might be on his way to “Impact Player” status after a jump in production in his second season: He had 39 catches for over 600 yards and scored a touchdown in both Buffalo playoff games. With Davis now in Jacksonville, Shakir has a chance for an expanded role.

Singletary and Moss both had productive stretches this season, but both were for different teams. Singletary led the Houston rush attack while Moss filled in with a month-plus of good games before Jonathan Taylor returned from injury.

Miami Dolphins

There isn’t a lot here for the Dolphins. They’ve only made four draft selections in each of the last two years but did take 11 players in 2020 when they collected extra picks from San Francisco’s trade up for Trey Lance. Miami has acquired impact players through trade, like Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill.

Impact Players

• QB Tua Tagovailoa, 1st Round 2020
• WR Jaylen Waddle, 1st Round 2021
• RB De'Von Achane, 3rd Round 2023

This is a big part of the reason why the Dolphins were a playoff team each of the last two years. Hill is the most important player on the offense, but these guys could arguably be the next three on that list. Miami needs to fortify some areas of its roster, but skill players are not a big need.

Busts

None: Miami hasn’t taken many skill players in the early rounds, and the ones they did panned out.

Others Drafted

• RB Myles Gaskin, 7th Round 2019
• TE Hunter Long, 3rd Round 2021
• QB Skylar Thompson, 7th Round 2022

Long was traded to the Rams in the Ramsey deal and had minimal impact. He could be considered a bust but helped return big talent. Thompson started a few games in his rookie season due to injuries, including a playoff game. He was largely ineffective, as would be expected from a seventh-round rookie. Gaskin had nearly 600 rushing yards in both 2020 and 2021 but has otherwise been a non-factor.

New England Patriots

Word of warning, Pats fans: This is ugly. Lack of draft success is a big reason why the team holds the third overall pick. In 2018 (the draft before this stretch), they selected Sony Michel in the first round, so this is an ongoing problem.

Impact Players

• RB Rhamondre Stevenson, 4th Round 2021

Stevenson is a productive player, but he hasn’t been franchise-altering by any means. He is a good find as a starting running back in the 4th round.

Busts

• WR N'Keal Harry, 1st Round 2019
• TE Devin Asiasi, 3rd Round 2020
• TE Dalton Keene, 3rd Round 2020
• QB Mac Jones, 1st Round 2021

Finding the right quarterback fixes a lot of problems; New England hasn’t made that discovery since Tom Brady left several years back. Jones was recently sent to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick, and New England is resetting with a new coach and front office at the same time.

Harry was supposed to fill the WR1 role, but he topped out at 33 receptions with the Patriots and has totaled 714 yards over parts of four seasons in the NFL. New England signed Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith the offseason after drafting Asiasi and Keene, making them redundant.

Others Drafted

• RB Damien Harris, 3rd Round 2019
• QB Jarrett Stidham, 4th Round 2019
• WR Tyquan Thornton, 2nd Round 2022
• RB Pierre Strong, 4th Round 2022
• QB Bailey Zappe, 4th Round 2022
• WR Kayshon Boutte, 6th Round 2023
• WR Demario Douglas, 6th Round 2023

Harris had over 1,000 total yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021. He was otherwise a rotational player and signed with Buffalo last offseason, appearing in just six games. The guys from the last few years still have a chance to make an impact, but no one here looks like a potential breakout star.

New York Jets

Sam Darnold was drafted in the class right before this five-year stretch, so add one more notch to the casket. Until a pair of recent young stars, the Jets weren’t bringing in anything close to valuable fantasy contributors.

Impact Players

• WR Garrett Wilson, 1st Round 2022
• RB Breece Hall, 2nd Round 2022

Wilson looks like a star. His two years have been hampered by Jets-level quarterback play, but he had over 80 receptions and 1,000 yards in each season.

Hall is the starting running back and kept free agent signing Dalvin Cook on the bench until Cook’s release. Both players will hope for breakouts with a healthy Aaron Rodgers in 2024.

Busts

• WR Denzel Mims, 2nd Round 2020
• QB Zach Wilson, 1st Round 2021

We’ve seen Wilson’s struggles over the last few seasons; I’m not sure what more there is to say. The franchise switched paths to Rodgers, and we’ll see how that plays out, but Wilson is nothing more than a backup at this point.

Mims has averaged 14 receptions and 225 yards over his three seasons. He’s been a non-factor in the NFL and wasn’t active for any game last season.

Others Drafted

• RB La'Mical Perine, 4th Round 2020
• WR Elijah Moore, 2nd Round 2021
• RB Michael Carter, 4th Round 2021
• TE Jeremy Ruckert, 3rd Round 2022
• RB Israel Abanikanda, 5th Round 2023

Moore was traded to the Browns last offseason. He set career highs in receptions and yards, and Moore looks like he might become the slot receiver scouts saw when he entered the league. Nothing else here really stands out; Abanikanda ran 22 times for 70 yards in his rookie year.

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