With the conclusion of Marvel’s WandaVision on Disney+ this week, it (naturally) got me thinking about the current landscape of fantasy football. As is true in real life, perception is reality as it relates to fantasy football, and there are a number of different realities that I, for one, would love to experience in 2021. This is not me looking into some sort of a crystal ball of things I expect to happen in 2021 (if that were true, then my fantasy crush Mike Gesicki would be the overall TE1), but rather realities that I would love to see come to fruition. While some are simply pipe dreams, some of these alternate realities aren’t as far off as you might think…
DJ Moore: At Long Last
After trading for Deshaun Watson, the Panthers suddenly have the most dangerous offense in the NFC South. With a healthy Christian McCaffrey back on the field again, along with a legit superstar under center in Watson, D.J. Moore is finally able to put it all together and turn in a top-five fantasy season. In his fourth NFL season, Moore (who will still only be 24 years old) finally takes the leap fantasy owner have been waiting for and asserts himself among fantasy’s most productive WR1 options.
As he did with Will Fuller in Houston, Watson peppers Moore with a steady rate of high-quality targets, which Moore uses his elite open-field playmaking ability to turn into double-digit touchdowns. Robby Anderson finally turns back into a pumpkin (albeit a fine WR3 option in his own right), and Moore is finally able to demand the true alpha WR1-type usage we all have foreseen for so long.
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Lock Takes a Leap
In a comeback story that even Ryan Tannehill would be impressed by, Drew Lock comes out in his third year fully healthy and slinging the ball around the yard. With one of the league’s best arsenals of offensive weapons around him, Lock shows he can support a high-scoring fantasy offense that boasts multiple must-start fantasy options. Noah Fant, Jerry Jeudy, and a returning Courtland Sutton all finish inside the top twenty at their positions, and Drew Lock is suddenly on the fringe of a top-ten dynasty QB.
The success in the passing game opens up lanes for the run game, leading to the Phillip Lindsay-Melvin Gordon duo each returning startable RB2 standalone value. With a loaded skill position group finally gaining an identity thanks to the gunslinging Lock, the Denver offense becomes one of the worst-kept fantasy “secrets” in the NFL. Both Sutton and Jeudy owners alike can rejoice together and enjoy one of the more talented receiver duos in the league coexisting in fantasy relevance.
Austin Ekeler: Goal Line Extraordinaire
I have already gotten pretty in-depth on my belief in Austin Ekeler as a high-end fantasy RB1, but allow me to paint the picture. With an experienced Justin Herbert under center, a healthy Ekeler (and his nearly 20% target share) reminds everyone why he is one of fantasy’s most productive backs, especially in PPR formats.
With Herbert leading the up-tempo Chargers offense, Ekeler is finally handed the reigns as the team’s clear lead workhorse back and returns monster value to fantasy shareholders. What truly sets Ekeler apart, aside from his incredibly stable receiving floor, is the Chargers’ finally deciding to give Ekeler goal line duties and capitalize on his ability to make people miss at first contact. Ekeler is one of a handful of backs in fantasy with a legit shot at going 1,000/1,000, and any sort of a rushing floor (no matter how touchdown-dependent it may be) would vault him immediately into the elite tier of fantasy backs.
RoJo: Unleashed
After a dream season capped with a Super Bowl victory, the Bucs enter 2021 with the intent to prioritize Ronald Jones II in their offense. Finally able to separate himself from the plodding veteran Leonard Fournette, Jones finally crosses that 200 carries threshold and demands the lion’s share of the carries in the Tampa Bay offense. Jones improves on his already impressive 5.1 yards per carry rate from 2020 (which ranked 9th among all RBs), and continues to become more involved in the Bucs passing game as well.
Fournette becomes a distant afterthought, and Jones sneaks inside the top-ten weekly fantasy options at running back. Assuming Tom Brady repeats any semblance of the offense’s success from 2020 (and at this point it seems borderline insane to ever bet against Tom Brady), Tampa Bay will again be one of the highest-scoring offenses in fantasy and Jones will have a ton of high-value goal line touches in a dynamic offense.
Joe Burrow & Tee Higgins: A Match Made in Fantasy Football Heaven
I don’t want to ruffle any feathers with this scorching take, but Tee Higgins is really good at football. After taking Burrow with the 1.01 in last year’s draft, Burrow specifically asked the Bengals to draft Higgins at the top of the second round in order to pair the young signal-caller with a young playmaker he can develop with. Back and fully healthy after a scary knee injury, Burrow comes out in year two looking every bit the part of an elite dynasty quarterback, and Higgins is far-and-away his favorite target. Without the decrepit A.J. Green taking up space on the outside, Higgins explodes as an elite matchup-proof WR1 in all formats, while teammate Tyler Boyd turns in a fine WR2 season himself.
With a bolstered offensive line finally giving Burrow time to process and read defenses, he and Higgins combine to form one of the league’s best fantasy stacks in Cincinatti’s pass-happy offense. The 6’4” Higgins evolves into one of the biggest red-zone mismatches in the NFL, and racks up some mouthwatering usage near paydirt. The Burrow-Higgins connection goes down as the off-brand version of Brady-Moss in ‘07, and the 2022 offseason is filled with fantasy owners wondering if Higgins isn’t the best receiver from the 2020 draft class.
Tell Us What YOU Think!
Do you have a Vision (pun very much intended) of a fantasy reality you would love to see in 2021? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Twitter at @MilesKilgore9 or @YardsPer! Also check out our app for everything you’ll need to dominate your league this season!
