Fantasy Football Player Notes
2021 Half PPR Draft Rankings
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5.
Ezekiel Elliott
RB - (at PHI)
Follow the production in the first round. There's just one player who's finished as a top-12 running back five times since 2015. That player is Elliott, and as crazy as it sounds, he wasn't even in the league in 2015. "But Mike, Elliott tanked last year to RB11." The entire team sank without Dak Prescott, but in the five games with him, Elliott was the No. 3 running back in fantasy. If he keeps falling until the end of the first round, there will be a lot of championship rosters from that area of drafts.
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34.
CeeDee Lamb
WR - (at PHI)
He finished as the WR24 last year, his rookie season, while dealing with some poor quarterback play. While five games is a small sample size, Lamb was the WR12 with Dak Prescott under center. Now in his second year with a full offseason, Lamb might just finish as a top-10 option, especially if the Cowboys keep deploying him from the slot.
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37.
Amari Cooper
WR - (at PHI)
Remember when Cooper was labeled as a "boom or bust" receiver during his Oakland days? While with the Cowboys, that hasn't been the case at all. He's now been a WR2 or better in 20-of-41 games with the Cowboys, which amounts to 48.8 percent. That number is the exact same as Stefon Diggs' career number. It's higher than Terry McLaurin's 48.3 percent. The emergence of CeeDee Lamb may take some of the upside potential away from Cooper, but he's still a great high-end WR2 to have on your fantasy team.
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58.
Dak Prescott
QB - (at PHI)
Here's a fun fact: Prescott's 27.0 fantasy points per game in 2020 was the second-most all-time. What makes that stat even crazier is that his 4.05 percent touchdown rate was below the league average of 4.80 percent, so there was room for more. Of the top eight single-game performances by quarterbacks in 2020, there was only one quarterback on that list twice: Prescott, and he only played four full games. With the receiving weapons he has available, the sky is the limit, though his ankle injury could hamper his rushing upside in 2021. He's certainly someone who's going to throw for a lot of yards and touchdowns, but you need the rushing upside to get into the top-three conversation, so his risk bumps him out of that conversation.
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112.
Tony Pollard
RB - (at PHI)
The highly sought after handcuff flashed his potential in 2020, racking up 18 touches in Ezekiel Elliott's absence, finishing with 132 total yards and two touchdowns against a tough 49ers defense. Granted, the defense may not have given him the same respect they gave Elliott, but the offensive line was also not in great shape at that point, and Dak Prescott was not under center. If Elliott were to miss time, Pollard would be an insta-start RB1. Heck, he even flashed some flex viability last year when Elliott was on the field, which could help you get through bye weeks.
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116.
Michael Gallup
WR - (at PHI)
Despite losing Dak Prescott early in the year, Gallup managed to finish with 843 yards and five touchdowns despite being behind both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb on the depth chart. That was good enough for a WR38 finish, though he's lasting much later than that in drafts. Now in a contract year, Gallup is likely showcasing himself for his future team.
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138.
Blake Jarwin
TE - (at PHI)
Some will suggest that Jarwin can't break out as a top-10 tight end in 2021 due to the presence of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup, but that's not really the case. If you need any proof of that, just look at Dalton Schultz last year. He was Jarwin's backup, took over in Week 2, and played with a backup quarterback for almost a full season. Still, he finished as the TE14 in fantasy football while having the 13th-most expected fantasy points. With Prescott back under center and Jarwin back to full health, there is breakout potential here. At the very worst, Jarwin will be a streaming-worthy tight end on multiple occasions.
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194.
Greg Zuerlein
K - (at PHI)
Memories of Zuerlein's outstanding 2017 season with the Rams keep him on the forefront of fantasy managers' minds, but the fact is that he hasn't been nearly the same kicker since. He missed seven field-goal attempts and three extra-point attempts last year, but was a solid fantasy starter simply because of his volume. He led the league in field-goal attempts with 41, and was accurate within 50 yards, missing just a single kick. But he simply couldn't hit from long range, going just 3-for-9 from 50-plus yards. With Dak Prescott back, the Dallas offense should put up plenty of points, which should again provide Zuerlein with a ton of opportunities. If he can rediscover his accuracy from long distance, he'll likely be a stud option, but even if not, he's a fantasy starter.
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298.
Dallas Cowboys
DST - (at PHI)
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321.
Dalton Schultz
TE - (at PHI)
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460.
Cedrick Wilson
WR - (at PHI)
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490.
Simi Fehoko
WR - (at PHI)
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574.
Jeremy Sprinkle
TE - (at PHI)
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586.
JaQuan Hardy
RB - (at PHI)
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594.
Brenden Knox
RB - (at PHI)
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650.
Garrett Gilbert
QB - (at PHI)
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652.
Johnnie Dixon
WR - (at PHI)
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653.
T.J. Vasher
WR - (at PHI)
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654.
Brandon Smith
WR - (at PHI)
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656.
Aaron Parker
WR - (at PHI)
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659.
Osirus Mitchell
WR - (at PHI)
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660.
Brennan Eagles
WR - (at PHI)
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694.
Rico Dowdle
RB - (at PHI)
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749.
Sewo Olonilua
RB - (at PHI)
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813.
Malik Turner
WR - (at PHI)
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834.
Noah Brown
WR - (at PHI)
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872.
Artayvious Lynn
TE - (at PHI)
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876.
Nick Eubanks
TE - (at PHI)
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877.
Sean McKeon
TE - (at PHI)
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933.
Ben DiNucci
QB - (at PHI)
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958.
Cooper Rush
QB - (at PHI)
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