I asked the GoingFor2 team, “Who are a few of the players you will die on the hill defending in 2021?” The following are a few of their answers. What do you think?? Agree, disagree? I attached their Twitter handles to each so you can let them know. Enjoy.
Embed from Getty ImagesTE T.J. Hockenson (DET)
Erik Johnson @FantasyBBQ
He saw the fifth-most targets among TEs (101) in 2020 on a team with one of the worst pass-catching units in the league. That unit has gotten significantly worse with the departure of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola. The projected starters at WR in 11 personnel are Breshaud Perriman, Tyrell Williams, and Kalif Raymond. Hockenson is easily going to lead this team in targets. He is entering his third year as the most talented pass-catching option on a team that is going to be in perpetual garbage time. The best part is his average draft position is the sixth TE off the board in the mid-to-late fifth round. I’m not leaving my drafts without him.
RB Javonte Williams (DEN)
Gary Zamarripa @garyzam01
Javonte Williams has the tools and skills to be a day-one starter for the Broncos as a rookie. He has demonstrated the balance, speed, power, vision and size (5-10, 212lb) of a star-caliber NFL back, He is currently behind only Melvin Gordon on the depth chart. The thinking now is Gordon will be the lead back to start the season with Williams sprinkled in here and there. Gordon misses a handful of games each season that will give Williams further opportunity. Williams will start the season as an RB3/flex option and has league-winning upside if Gordon suffers an injury and misses time.
WR Courtland Sutton (DEN)
Jared Good @TheYetiExpress
Courtland Sutton currently has an ADP of 7.10. Depending on how you draft that’s a WR3 range. Sutton is still the top WR in Denver despite how much the public may like Juedy. Sutton averages around 9 targets per game when he is healthy.
WR Ceedee Lamb (DAL)
Courtney Burrows @luvtractor3
I have talked about him before and will say it again, Lamb will be a beast this season with a healthy Prescott under center. I have grabbed him in multiple leagues maybe even reaching a bit for him, but I know it will pay off. Last season with rotating QBs, he still produced 935 yards on 74 receptions. When Dak played, he was WR11, then he fell to WR 24 without him because the targets weren’t there with lackluster QB performances.
He will finish in the Top-10 WR, mark my word. Lamb will be consistent week in and week out for fantasy owners. He is easily being drafted as a WR2, but I bet he will be on most peoples’ championship teams come the end of the season. Until then, let others’ think that Cooper will be the Cowboys’ #1, and sneak into the Lamb Zone and draft him proudly. I know I have and will!
RB D’Andre Swift (DET)
Josh Altorfer @jaltorfer1
D’Andre Swift had a rookie season that is reminiscent of Christian McCaffrey. He excelled on the few touches he got in the running game and displayed his next-level talent as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Much like McCaffrey did in his rookie year, Swift spent the majority of the season in a third-down role behind Adrian Peterson. He enters his second season with a great opportunity to see a larger workload, which will catapult him into RB1 territory.
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The Lions lack an alpha wide receiver and Jared Goff is more than okay with checking the ball down. 80 or more targets is a realistic number for Swift to aim for before the season comes to an end. Yes, I know Detroit added Jamaal Williams in the offseason. Just remember that the Panthers added a well-respected CJ Anderson in McCaffrey’s sophomore season. The vet couldn’t hold off the more talented CMC. I think that will ring true for Swift in 2021 as well.
WR Robby Anderson (CAR)
Floyd Goodnight @QuinnFloydG
Anderson’s current ADP is in the low 60s and going near the WR30 range. He is inside my top 20 and I have him projected for over 1000 yards, over 5 TDs, and over 100 catches. Like him or not Darnold is defiantly an upgrade from Bridgewater. Both Anderson and Darnold are better players now than they were in their Jets days. I have Anderson tiered in the Evans, Beckham, Dionte range. He should easily outproduce guys like Jeudy, Boyd, Julio, Kupp, Lockett, Woods, Higgins, and in a lot of cases, these guys are being drafted before Anderson. Anderson is a smash pick in the sixth round and should be highly considered in the fifth.
RB Myles Gaskin (MIA)
Brian Craighead @vandygrad92
Per FantasyPros.Com, Gaskin’s current ADP for PPR leagues is the RB21/ overall 51. In ten games(seven starts) in 2020, Gaskin had 142 rushes for 584 yards(4.11 yards per carry) and three TD’s, while hauling in 41 catches(on 47 targets) for 388 yards and two additional touchdowns. Gaskin averaged 16.4 fantasy points per game, which was the 13th highest average across the league. He also provided fantasy owners with a solid floor, scoring 9.2 fantasy points or more in every game he played. Despite the addition of Malcolm Brown(free agency Rams), Gaskin is projected as a high volume back.
During the off-season, the Dolphins added two deep threat wide receivers-Will Fuller(Texans-free agency) and Jaylen Waddle(Alabama-draft). Fuller and Waddle are both extremely explosive and can score from anywhere on the field. This will provide a dimension the Dolphins simply didn’t have last year, opening up additional running lanes for Gaskin. Prospective fantasy owners can also hope for improvement from both Tua Tagovailoa and a very young offensive line. Tagovailoa struggled in his nine starts in 2020, completing 186 of 290 passes for 1814 yards and 11 TDs.
He ranked 30th in yards per pass attempt at 6.3. After Ryan Fitzpatrick signed with the Washington Football Team in free agency, Tua will be entering his first year as the full-time starter. In terms of the offensive line, the Dolphins finished the 2019 season as the absolute worst in the league per PFF.Com. To address this issue, the team used high draft capital in the 2020 draft. Miami drafted starting LT Austin Jackson in the first round, RG Robert Hunt in the second, and LG Solomon Kindley in the fourth. Despite these additions, the offensive line showed major growing pains as a group of rookies often do, and PFF ranked the line 28th to end the 2020 season. With any improvement from Tua and/or the offensive line, Gaskin is in line to vastly outperform his current ranking.
Embed from Getty ImagesRB J.K. Dobbins (BAL)
Hamid Sandhu @FFJunkie85
Dobbins is so underrated it is not even funny anymore going into the 2021 season. Amongst all Running Backs, he was ranked 32nd in total offensive snap share (48.5%), 44th in opportunity share (38.9%), 33rd in carries (134), 28th in red-zone touches (28) and finished the season as RB24 in PPR. Given the limited number of touches and opportunity, would you believe me that he was 3rd in yards per touch and yards created, and 1st in the league in true yards per carry (this is a stat that takes out all gains over 10 yards and takes only the accumulative of all the plays from a player under 10 yards) and yet he still found a way to 9 total touchdowns.
For a player coming into his second year in the most run-heavy offense, I am very happy with walking away from drafts as Dobbins as my RB1. If you needed further convincing, from week 8 through 17, Dobbins was RB11 last year.
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