11 Early Bold Predictions From the Most Accurate Experts (Fantasy Football)

Whether it’s reaching for your guy later in a draft, outbidding everyone for that coveted athlete in an auction, or starting an unheralded player over an established one, being bold is how you win leagues. You would’ve laughed last summer if I told you that A.J. Brown and Breshad Perriman would be league winners, Aaron Rodgers wasn’t going to be a top-10 quarterback, and the Patriots’ defense would be fourth in total fantasy scoring among all positions through the first eight weeks.

We see plenty of unexpected outcomes happen every season. After all, the unpredictable nature of sports is what makes our beloved game of fake football so much fun! So what are some surprising results one might see this season? We’ve invited the most accurate experts to throw caution to the wind and share their top bold predictions!

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Q. Please give one bold fantasy prediction for the upcoming season and explain why it could happen.

“Joe Burrow will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback. There have been five quarterbacks picked No. 1 overall in the past decade who have gone on to start all 16 games in year one — Kyler Murray (2019), Jameis Winston (2015), Andrew Luck (2012), Cam Newton (2011), and Sam Bradford (2010) — and four of the five finished QB13 or better with a median of QB10. Burrow dominated versus strong competition at LSU in 2019, averaging 10.2 yards per attempt and compiling an 18/0 TD/INT ratio against FBS defenses ranked inside the top-32 in passer rating. With A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross, and Tee Higgins at wide receiver and Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard in the backfield, the Bengals offer Burrow a strong group of pass catchers, similar to the corps he had at LSU in 2019 when 56 of his record 60 touchdown passes went to those two positions. Burrow is also a better runner than you might think. His 27.4 yards and 0.43 touchdowns on the ground in two seasons at LSU compare favorably to Andrew Luck in his final two years at Stanford (23.2, 0.19), and Luck was able to add 55.5 fantasy points — 20% of his total —- via the ground in his rookie campaign. And according to my fantasy strength-of-schedule projections, the Bengals have the seventh-easiest quarterback schedule.”
– Chris Raybon (The Action Network)

“Ben Roethlisberger will finish as a fantasy QB1, despite being drafted as the QB18 in the 11th round of FFPC best ball drafts. He was the third-highest scoring quarterback when former quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner took over as offensive coordinator in 2018. The Steelers jumped to a league-high 65% situation-neutral pass rate and the 11th-quickest situation-neutral pace. Pittsburgh finished top 10 in points per game and yards per play for five straight years before Roethlisberger was injured and, despite no longer deploying Antonio Brown, they still have plenty of talent in their pass-catching corps. Roethlisberger is picked after Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers, but he’s the old quarterback we’ll want most on our fantasy teams.”
– Patrick Thorman (Establish the Run)

“My bold take for the 2020 NFL season is that Leonard Fournette will finish as a top-five fantasy running back this year. With him currently going as the RB17 on FantasyPros, he is seriously undervalued. The Jaguars have tried to trade him away and have declined his fifth-year option, so he is going to be run into the ground this year. He only scored three touchdowns in 2019, with six and 10 in the two previous seasons before that, respectively, so it’s expected his touchdown total should see an increase. He also had 76 receptions last year, which will give him a really solid floor in PPR scoring. With little running back depth behind him, he will get a ton of work and go on to be a top-five fantasy running back.”
– Tim Jablonski (The Hateful 8)

“Blake Jarwin breaks out to be a top-10 fantasy tight end. We caught a glimpse of just how involved he could be for the final quarter of 2018 when he averaged over six targets a game in that stretch. He capped that off with the monster 7/119/3 game. Unfortunately, Jerry Jones decided to pull his good friend Jason Witten out of retirement and delay Jarwin’s breakout. Witten and Randall Cobb accounted for 29% of the Cowboys’ targets and they have both moved on. Between the shiny new contract, large vacated target hole with a great quarterback, and flashes of big-game ability, Jarwin sets up as a perfect late-round tight end.”
– Mike Wright (The Fantasy Footballers)

“Calvin Ridley is this year’s Chris Godwin. It’s hard to remember, but it seemed impossible that Godwin could overtake Mike Evans as the No. 1 wide receiver on his team. Can Ridley overtake the great Julio Jones? Yes, he can and he will at some point in time. Julio Jones had the lowest yards per route run over his previous five seasons and is now 31 years old. Austin Hooper is gone and the Falcons have the most vacated targets. Ridley, a former first-round NFL draft pick, will break out in a serious way this season and will be considered a top-six wide receiver going into the 2021 season.”
– Jason Moore (The Fantasy Footballers)

“Le’Veon Bell will finish as a top-10 running back. How strange that this passes for a bold prediction despite Bell’s remarkable body of work and the fact that he was a top-three overall pick in fantasy drafts just a few years ago. Yes, he scored four touchdowns and averaged 3.2 yards per carry last year, and the Jets’ offense is still under construction. But the indefatigable Bell should continue to get an enormous volume of work, the Jets’ offensive line can’t possibly perform any worse than it did last season, and a mono-free season of improvement from young quarterback Sam Darnold should help Bell bounce back after an uncharacteristically inefficient season.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

“Todd Gurley will lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns. He’s been a double-digit touchdown scorer in each of the last three seasons, even playing well below 100% in 2019. Now with the Falcons on a one-year deal, Gurley will have something to prove on an offense that is expected to once again be one of the best in the league. The running game for the Falcons was one of the worst last year, but Gurley is an immediate upgrade. With the defense likely to struggle in slowing teams down yet again in 2020, the offense will have to keep pace, which will lead to plenty of scoring opportunities for him.”
– Brandon Murchison (RotoBaller)

“My bold prediction is that Cam Akers will finish the season as an RB1. Todd Gurley averaged nearly 17 touches per game last year and, despite not looking close to his past top form, managed to finish as the RB14 in just 15 games. Sean McVay has been effusive in his praise for Akers, who was used as a workhorse back in Florida State, and the draft capital used to acquire him suggests he’ll have a big role in the backfield. Darrell Henderson’s and Malcolm Brown’s presence are roadblocks, but Akers has enough talent to break away from the committee and become a fantasy stalwart.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)

“David Johnson bounces back to finish as an RB1. Yes, he looked washed over the second half of last season, but he was also dealing with back and ankle issues. The Texans basically flipped DeAndre Hopkins for Johnson, so you know they intend to feed him. Carlos Hyde ranked top 12 in both carries (245) and rushing yards (1,070) as Houston’s lead back last year. If D.J. can approximate those numbers — and add receiving production — we’re looking at top-12 fantasy back.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)

“Tom Brady will finish as a top-five fantasy quarterback. The position is as deep as ever this season, but Brady has the potential to throw for 4,500+ yards and 35+ scores with all the weapons Tampa Bay has on offense — including double-digit touchdown threats Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Rob Gronkowski. While there are multiple young options that fantasy owners can feel good about drafting, the 43-year-old Brady always has a chip on his shoulder and should put up big-time numbers in the most talented offense he’s played in since 2007.”
– Dylan Chappine (Wolf Sports)

“JuJu Smith-Schuster will not bounce back. Imbuing the Steelers’ offense of yesteryear would be a mistake by fantasy owners. Big Ben is older, Antonio Brown is gone, and the defense is the centerpiece of this team in Pittsburgh. He certainly has the physical ability to put up a big year, but my bet is that he can’t pull it off. The ball will be distributed throughout this offense and rumors of Smith-Schuster’s departure after his contract ends hold water to me. He looks like too big a gamble in 2020 based on where he’ll go in fantasy drafts.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers)

Thank you to the experts for giving us their bold predictions. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast below for advice all year round.