Incredibly, the NFL made it all the way to the finish line of this unpredictable COVID-19 season. Before we begin planning for the 2021 fantasy football year, though, it’s important to see who finished where for every position group, and what that might mean moving forward.
Below are the 12 best fantasy players at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end based on a half-PPR format and tallied during a traditional Week 1-16 fantasy schedule.
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QUARTERBACKS
1. Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
2. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
3. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
4. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)
5. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks)
6. Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans)
7. Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans)
8. Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
9. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
10. Justin Herbert (San Diego Chargers)
11. Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings)
12. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers)
NOTES:
What jumped out to me in this unique pandemic NFL campaign was the turnover in the fantasy quarterback rankings. Only one signal-caller from the top five last year (Russell Wilson) returned in that range in 2020. In fact, not since Drew Brees in 2011 and 2012 has a QB finished No. 1 in fantasy in consecutive seasons.
It’s a perfect example why you should always wait on the position in fantasy drafts. How many people reached for Lamar Jackson when you could’ve waited multiple rounds later to get a quality starter and strengthen other areas of your roster? My early prediction is for Buffalo’s Josh Allen to grab the title in 2021.
RUNNING BACKS
1. Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints)
2. Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings)
3. Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans)
4. James Robinson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
5. Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers)
6. David Montgomery (Chicago Bears)
7. Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts)
8. Kareem Hunt (Cleveland Browns)
9. Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders)
10. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys)
11. Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns)
12. Mike Davis (Carolina Panthers)
NOTES:
The story at running back begins with catastrophic injuries early on to consensus first- and second-overall fantasy draft picks Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley. Then mix in a decline for Ezekiel Elliott and a plethora of backfield committees to further cause managers’ blood pressure to rise.
However, there were bright spots for the future. James Robinson came out of nowhere to incredibly finish fourth, rookie Jonathan Taylor grew into the play-making force we hoped for and Chicago finally unleashed David Montgomery.
One of the big questions centres around the future at quarterback for the Saints. This directly ties into Alvin Kamara’s draft value as we saw the drop-off in fantasy points when Taysom Hill was filling in for Drew Brees. The lack of true three-down backs around the league keeps the drafting of high-end RBs as early as possible a top priority.
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Davante Adams (Green Bay Packers)
2. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs)
3. Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills)
4. Calvin Ridley (Atlanta Falcons)
5. D.K. Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks)
6. DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona Cardinals)
7. Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings)
8. Adam Thielen (Minnesota Vikings)
9. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
10. Allen Robinson II (Chicago Bears)
11. Keenan Allen (San Diego Chargers)
12. Robert Woods (Los Angeles Rams)
NOTES:
The depth at wide receiver continues to impress. Any worry that Stefon Diggs wouldn’t click with Josh Allen in Buffalo vanished quickly as he led the NFL in receiving yards. Then there’s the perennial excellence of Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill with no sign of either slowing down. D.K. Metcalf continued to grow as a dominant force as a sophomore and it looks like the sky’s the limit for rookie Justin Jefferson.
I’ll continue to preach that WR is a position to wait on in your fantasy drafts. Outside of the superstars, productive talent can always be found in the middle rounds. Following this plan of patience leaves an owner free to scoop up players in the much thinner RB and TE groups earlier.
TIGHT ENDS
1. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)
2. Darren Waller (Las Vegas Raiders)
3. Robert Tonyan (Green Bay Packers)
4. T.J. Hockenson (Detroit Lions)
5. Mark Andrews (Baltimore Ravens)
6. Logan Thomas (Washington Football Team)
7. Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins)
8. Rob Gronkowski (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
9. Jonnu Smith (Tennessee Titans)
10. Jimmy Graham (Chicago Bears)
11. Hunter Henry (San Diego Chargers)
12. Eric Ebron (Pittsburgh Steelers)
NOTES:
The only true takeaway from this 2020 fantasy tight end group is that Travis Kelce is the undisputed champ, and it’s not even close. Kelce finished 35.2 points ahead of second-place Darren Waller, who delivered a phenomenal near 1,200-yard, nine-touchdown effort. If Kelce was a wideout, he would’ve been a WR4 overall.
Presuming he’s healthy, George Kittle should return to the upper echelon of TEs to join the two studs mentioned above. After that, the pickings get slim real quick. Robert Tonyan rose from obscurity in his third NFL campaign, but can we count on him posting 11 TDs again on just 586 yards? What does Jared Goff’s arrival in Detroit mean for T.J. Hockenson, and conversely, does Matthew Stafford in L.A. mean brighter days for Tyler Higbee?
The message here is simple: draft one of the top-three tight ends as soon as possible. If not then buckle up for a rollercoaster year of inconsistency and waiver-wire hunting.
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