In the classic tale “The Island of Dr.Moreau” written by H.G. Wells, the reader is taken on a journey of how one mad scientist attempted to created “Hybrid” beings that would rival ordinary humans, and sit atop of the evolutionary food chain. A mix of beings who are faster, stronger, more agile than the normal dynamic, which in turn gives them a super-human like advantage amongst the average human. I want to present to you the “Fantasy Football” version of this scenario.

The writing seems to be on the wall in today’s game, the NFL is evolving, and the winds of change are imminent.

Deebo Samuels

The ingredients to creating a hybrid beast involve taking particular strong traits from multiple sources and combine them to create something new. Deebo is the perfect example of that. Imagine Anquan Boldin or Steve Smith Sr., but FASTER! “Deebo” Samuels, just like his nickname implies, given to him by his father after the tough-nosed bully in the movie franchise “Friday”.Similarly, Deebo is a bully on the field and is as tough as they come. The talented receiver out of South Carolina bullied opposing defensive backs for 2,076 yards off of 148 passes in four seasons He even had a 210 receiving yard game against Clemson which was the second-highest total in school. With his size and solid frame (5’11” 216lbs), Deebo is very good at beating press coverages and will be difficult for most defensive backs to body him up at the line and disrupt his intended route, which in turn gives him an incredible advantage against opponents on game day.

Samuels is a classic NFL “Z” receiver with maximum versatility, and lined up beside Kittle has caused major problems to opposing defenses. In his rookie debut this past season, Samuel had 802 yrs, at an avg of 14.1, with 3 TD’s off of 57 receptions. Once back to full health this season,deebo could look to vastly improve on those numbers.

Antonio Gibson

The Washington Football Team alreadyhas an assortment of talent in the passing game that would make any QB gush with envy,2020 has seemly given Dwayne Haskins another gift that looks like a match made in heaven. Gibson is a speedy uber-talented receiver/running back hybrid, that some,(including his new coach Ron Rivera) have compared his skill-set to one Christian McCaffrey, but bigger! He’s a freak of nature, and exploding with talent standing at 6’0 ft, 228 lbs, and ran a sub 4.39 40-yard dash. In 2019 at Memphis, Gibson had 735 yards on 38 receptions at 19.3 yards. The combination of speed, power, and hands of a receiver, gives Gibson advantages that most would dream of having on their team, with the ability to align in the slot or out wide.

Creating mismatches in open space are the new norm that we see that works and is very effective in today’s game, given that Antonio has a lot of experience with creating space and operating all over the field, gives Scott Turner a lot of options to play with. He caught over 93 passes coming out of the backfield at Memphis, also aligned as a receiver on multiple plays, giving him the experience and skillset suitable for Gibson to be deployed to attack defenses against lighter boxes, as they did in Carolina with CMC, and also use him in an empty backfield set to create coverage mismatches. Gibson has the potential especially now with the release of Guice, to receive plenty of work in year one, and finish inside the top tier of rbs in 2020.

Tha “Cheetah”

It’s always good to speculate and give a perspective through the lens of what something looks like on the surface, but when speaking of this particular hybrid talent, surface just won’t do it justice. For years now Travis Kelce has been the key component of the Chiefs powerful passing attack. I think the winds of change are beginning to blow in KC, and the gale-force winds go by the name of Tyreek Hill. To talk about his speed and give credence to that alone as hill’s main thing that makes him so special is absurd. Speed is a great attributing factor indeed, and Tyreek has a classification of “world-class” in this category, does help create mismatches, but combined with the power and mental toughness that hill possesses possibly stemming from his tenure as a running back early in his career at West Alabama, gives him an X-factor that is not matched by many at his position. In 2019, Hill had 860 yards, on 58 receptions, and 7 TD’s, finishing in the top tier of WR’s again, and his 2020 outlook is on pace to be even greater.

Hill has a great first step and is very effective in slant routes and jet sweeps and has the potential to break off big runs and racking up yards after the catch. Where his advantage comes into play most using those hybrid attributes is how well he can get into his route stem and breaks uncontested against most defensive backs with ease. Tyreek has an uncanny ability to show patience on the outside release, with a quick nasty 2-step on the top of his comeback route that is faster than most DB’s can react to. Hill’s powerbase and low center of gravity enable him to quickly sink his hips and snap back out of his breaks so fast that the defensive back has a hard time adjusting, creating space that allows hill to operate and gives Mahomes a deadly target downfield. This season look for Hill to be the focal point of a passing attack in KC that has the potential of smashing a lot of NFL records in 2020, and a possible return trip to the Super Bowl.