You won’t win your league playing scared. Sometimes, you have to be bold with your expectations for the players you like and ensure that you can get your hands on them in the draft or in a trade. Your predictions can’t be completely unrealistic though. They need to be surprising and improbable, but still within the realm of possibility in order for them to actually become true.
With the regular season almost here, we’ve got our featured analysts here to share their favorite bold predictions! Read on to see which players might shock the fantasy world this year.
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Q. What is one bold fantasy prediction (player related) for the upcoming season and why could it happen?
“There have only been five wide receiver trios of teammates that have caught 1,000 yards each in one season. The latest WR trio was the 2008 Arizona Cardinals; however, we will see not one, but two WR trios of teammates produce 1,000 yards this upcoming season. First, the Dallas Cowboys’ triumvirate of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup will reach 1,000 yards under their healthy quarterback Dak Prescott and a woeful defense that will force the Cowboys to air it out plenty this season. Prescott was well ahead of pace to break the NFL single-season passing yardage record last season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Unfortunately, the defense is not drastically improved, so that we will see Prescott sling the ball all over the field to his talented trio. The second trio resides in Cincinnati with the Bengals’ threesome of Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Ja’Marr Chase and their quarterback, Joe Burrow. Again, an awful Bengals defense and a young talented passing core should lead to exciting shootouts in Cincinnati, with the wideouts being the benefactors alongside their fantasy managers.”
– Dennis Sosic (Fantasy Six Pack)
“T.J. Hockenson finishes as a top-two tight end. I can’t, even in a bold predictions piece, pretend that Hockenson can finish above Travis Kelce absent an injury, but there’s a plausible path to an outstanding season. The Lions’ offense is bereft of reliable pass-catchers, and the team will surely be playing from behind in most games, forcing Jared Goff to pass plenty. That’s especially good for Hockenson, as Goff had the third-lowest aDOT in the league last year, and Hockenson’s route depth was only middle of the road for tight ends. The potential for huge volume is there, and if he can simply have a little touchdown luck, a monstrous season could be in the works if everything goes right.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
“Jalen Hurts finishes as a top-five quarterback. He showed us his ceiling when he got the chance to start down the stretch in 2020. The passing numbers weren’t perfect, but he was playing for an Eagles offense that was an absolute mess and behind an offensive line that featured 14 different starting combinations due to injuries. Even so, he managed to throw for 338 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinals and then 342 yards against the Cowboys in consecutive weeks, while chipping in a combined 133 yards rushing. The rushing numbers are key here, but Hurts also has a chance to develop into a consistently competent passer if new head coach Nick Sirianni can insert some stability into the Philadelphia offense.”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)
“Bolstered by a lack of target competition combined with an abundance of weekly garbage-time opportunity, Nico Collins will be fantasy’s top-scoring rookie receiver during the second half of the season. He will likely begin the season behind Chris Conley as the No. 2 wide receiver on Houston’s depth chart, but it should not take long for the rookie to pass over the six-year veteran, who has never posted more than 47 receptions in a season. The Texans have an unimposing schedule of defenses after their Week 10 bye, and I could see Collins posting solid WR2 numbers each game and being a valuable part of many championship teams.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)
“Najee Harris will finish as a top-five RB this season. The 23-year-old has a cakewalk first three weeks of the season, facing the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, and Cincinnati Bengals, all of whom ranked 20th, 23rd, and 29th in rushing yards allowed in 2020, respectively. He also has the seventh-easiest RB schedule based on fantasy points allowed by position last year. A potential negative game script won’t be an issue for the Alabama product since he is the preferred pass-catching back in Pittsburgh. Harris will not only deliver on his 2.03 ADP, but he’ll reward his fantasy managers with a top-five fantasy finish.”
– Jacob W. Dunne (New Life Fantasy)
“Raheem Mostert and Trey Sermon become just the eighth combo of teammates, and the first pair of RBs since 2009 (Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams), to each run for 1,000 yards or more in a season. Mostert is one of the more talented RBs in the game and is a lock for 1,000 yards if he can finally stay healthy, while Sermon has had an impressive preseason. It was so impressive that the 49ers cut veteran offseason signee Wayne Gallman. In a run-heavy Shanahan offense that likes to share the backfield workload, the stars may be aligning for Mostert and Sermon to each have big seasons.”
– Michael Petropoulos (BRoto Fantasy)
“Julio Jones will finish inside the top-10 wide receivers for fantasy football in 2021. Declining skill and talent is not what people fear about Jones; it’s his health. Here’s why you shouldn’t fear — it was a hamstring injury. Jones averaged seven receptions, 112 yards, and 16.2 fantasy points per game in the nine games (some of which he didn’t fully play) he played in 2020.”
– Lawrence Jackson (Fantasy Football Lord)
“Ronald Jones finishes as a top-10 back in all formats. No, he probably won’t start catching passes — although Giovani Bernard’s ankle injury could open that door just a crack — but as the best ball carrier among the Bucs’ trio of backs, Jones could easily come to dominate the early downs and goal-line work. It’s not hard to envision Tampa Bay’s uber-talented roster outclassing most of its opponents, allowing Jones to rack up second-half carries and giving him a clear path to double-digit touchdowns.”
– Des Bieler (The Washington Post)
“Myles Gaskin will finish the season as an RB1 with his rushing and pass-catching ability. He possesses a similar profile to Clyde Edwards-Helaire in terms of their size and skills. However, CEH goes much earlier than Gaskin. Expect Gaskin to dominate the opportunities and earn a healthy target share once again in 2021. Even the RotoViz Range of Outcomes Tool gives Gaskin better low, median, and high projections than CEH, Antonio Gibson, and D’Andre Swift.”
– Corbin Young (FantasyData)
Thank you to all the experts for giving their bold predictions. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter for more great advice. Also, please check out our latest podcast episode below.
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