Fantasy Football: 2021 Bounce-Back Candidates

It’s inevitable in fantasy football that a handful of top talents disappoint any given year. Whether it be from injuries, off-field issues, or on-field performance, some guys are just going to let you down. After these disappointing seasons, said players usually suffer from lowered interest the following year – sitting there in the 4th round waiting for a fantasy manager to take a chance on them.

I’m not here to talk about guys like Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey, or Saquon Barkley, who are basically guaranteed slam dunks if they stay healthy. I’d much rather talk about the guys who you might otherwise stay away from or forget entirely in 2020. I’d bet a good portion of your league doesn’t even remember who Courtland Sutton is, and that’s the situation you need to take advantage of. Here are three QBs, RBs, and WRs that could get back on the map of fantasy football relevance in 2021.

Quarterbacks

1.) Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford ended 2020 as the fantasy QB15; an impressive finish when you take into account the team surrounding him. His best receiver, Kenny Golladay, only started five games last season. This left Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola to carry the wideout work.

Stafford still managed to place 9th in yards per attempt, and has finally been given the chance to play for a winning team. The Rams are an all-around solid group, and I expect Stafford to have one the best seasons of his career in the Sean McVay system.

Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Tyler Higbee will provide plenty of receiving support, and the Rams’ previous success running the football should make Stafford very efficient in play-action. I see him breaking into the top-10 QBs this season thanks to a couple NFC West shootouts.

2.) Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins

If you’re planning on playing in a fantasy football league with me this year, stop reading now. Tua Tagovailoa is one of my secret favorite prospects going into 2021; I think he could have a huge second year. He was the QB31 last season and might slip under some managers’ radars in your upcoming drafts; but he only started 9 games and flashed real potential in an emerging offense.

The Dolphins losing Ryan Fitzpatrick means Tua shouldn’t have any more competition for the starting QB spot. The additions of Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle to an already solid receiving corps should give him plenty of options. I expect Tua to sneak his way into the top-15 QBs this year with this young Dolphins team.

3.) Daniel Jones | New York Giants

I’m sure you’ve heard this a dozen times by now, but 2021 is a prove-it year for Daniel Jones and the Giants. As long as the team stays healthy, they have no excuses. Jones played only 14 games last year and ended up the QB24, but once again didn’t have much help around him.

Star RB Saquon Barkley started only two games thanks to injury, and the Giants offensive line allowed Jones to be sacked 45 times, 4th worst in the league. The injury bug decimated the Giants last year and Jones didn’t get to play a single snap with Barkley, Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and Evan Engram all healthy. If everyone stays on the field, the addition of a top receiver in Kenny Golladay and the steps they’ve taken to improve their offensive line should give Jones a solid chance at a top-15 spot this season.

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Running Backs

1.) Austin Ekeler | Los Angeles Chargers

Thanks to injuries, Austin Ekeler’s 2020 season was largely disappointing. He was only able to play eight full games and ended as the RB29, which means a lot of fantasy managers could be discounting him for the upcoming season. But Ekeler should be able to rebound in a huge way this year as the Chargers become legitimate contenders in the AFC West.

The Chargers had one of the worst offensive lines in the league last season, but made a serious effort to correct that by signing two guards and a center, and drafting two tackles this offseason. Ekeler should have plenty of rushing opportunities when the Chargers defense returns to form; and even in games where they’re trailing, he won’t get scripted out of the game plan thanks to a huge receiving workload.

His emerging QB Justin Herbert fed him 65 targets in just eight games, good for 8th best among RBs. When he played, he rewarded his fantasy managers with a solid 15 points per game in half ppr. It’s a no-brainer that Ekeler will break into the top-10 RBs this year if he stays healthy.

2.) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Kansas City Chiefs

Clyde Edwards-Helaire skyrocketed up draft boards last season, and largely disappointed the fantasy managers that spent a first-round pick on him. I’m not saying he’ll be worth a premium pick this year, but I do think you can take advantage of the managers that he burned.

CEH was the RB22 in 2020, producing a measly five total touchdowns. But, he’s on an incredible offense with very little rushing competition. Because of that, I have no doubt he’s going to improve. He missed three games last year and still managed 181 rushing attempts and a solid 54 targets from the best QB in the league. His lack of touchdowns was largely due to luck, and I would be shocked if he doesn’t double that number this season. Look for CEH to grab a top-15 RB spot in 2021, with the possibility to reach even higher if he becomes a focal point of the team.

3.) Raheem Mostert | San Francisco 49ers

Yet another 2020 season derailed by injuries, Raheem Mostert is a risky pick. He’s incredibly efficient when healthy, notching five yards per attempt last year and is one of the fastest backs in the NFL. He’s also notorious for health issues and 28 years old is past the peak of most RBs.

A lot of fantasy football managers may be turned off by his RB48 finish last year; but he only played in half of the 49ers’ games, and the offense lacked any identity for most of the year. Now that they have a rookie QB in Trey Lance the 49ers could heavily rely on their backfield for stability, a strategy with which Kyle Shanahan has found immense success.

The 49ers defense is elite when healthy and they have one of the best offensive lines in the league, both great signs for an RB. Mostert doesn’t get quite enough receiving work to label him a premium back, but as long as he stays healthy I think he has a shot at a top-15 RB spot in 2021.

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Wide Receivers

1.) Courtland Sutton | Denver Broncos

I was very optimistic on Courtland Sutton going into the 2020 season, but injuries had to ruin the fun as they so often do. After a promising WR19 campaign in 2019, Sutton ended 2020 with one game played and three total receptions. Not exactly the results fantasy football managers were expecting. He was put on IR so early last year that he could be completely off some managers’ radars going into this season.

Sutton’s success does depend on the play of his QB however, and the duo of Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t inspire much confidence. Sutton is still extremely talented and could break off a long run after any catch, but the team around him limits his upside in 2021. I expect Sutton to return to his role as the #1 WR in this offense this season, and I think that gives him a good chance to get back into the top-20 WRs.

2.) Kenny Golladay | New York Giants

This may change depending on your opinion of Daniel Jones, but I have high hopes for Kenny Golladay and the entire Giants team in 2021. Maybe this is just the Stockholm Syndrome talking (I traded for Golladay in week 6 last year and waited the rest of the season for him to come back from his injury), but I really do expect him to succeed.

After ending 2019 as the WR6, Golladay dropped to the WR102 spot in 2020 as he played just five games. He’s still one of the most skilled WRs in the league, and if Daniel Jones improves this year Golladay could recapture his old magic. He most likely won’t get the attention he deserves from opposing defenses thanks to a balanced Giants offense with plenty of threats. With Saquon Barkley in the backfield it could lead to a formidable play-action scheme. I wouldn’t be surprised if Golladay breaks the top-15 WRs in 2021.

3.) Michael Thomas | New Orleans Saints

Michael Thomas’s incredible OPOY season seems like so long ago. His plunge from WR1 in 2019 to WR97 in 2020 is largely due to the fact that he only played seven games; but even in those games he was disappointing compared to his previous standards.

Injuries, a suspension from punching a teammate, and poor on-field chemistry with an aging Drew Brees all amounted to a waste of a first round pick for many fantasy football managers. Because of this, he’s fallen all the way down to the late 3rd round of many drafts his year – and I think he’s an absolute steal at that price.

It’s likely he’ll have Jameis Winston throwing to him this season, and while that may not be good for the Saints as a team, Winston has proven his ability to support top-tier receivers in fantasy football. Thomas is still one of the most physically talented WRs in the league. While he will likely never reach his 2019 peak again, it’s basically impossible for him not to improve on his 2020 campaign. If he stays healthy and stops punching teammates, I could see Thomas ending the year as a top-15 WR.