Category Archives: Fantasy Football

Soared and Floored: NFL Week 8 Fantasy Recap

Welcome to PFP’s weekly studs and duds fantasy recap for the 2021 football season! Here we take a look at some of the standout performances, both and good and bad, from Thursday’s and Sunday’s contests. These are more instant reactions rather than in-depth analyses, with things to keep in mind as the season progresses. Let’s see who took to the skies and who bottomed out in Week 8! No article for Week 7, but you can check out Week 6 here.

Players Who Soared

Credit: Big Blue View

Quarterbacks

Mike White: 37/45, 405 passing yards, 3 pass TDs, 2 INTs, 5 rushes, -1 rushing yards

We lead off this week’s article with the most unlikely top QB of the year: Mike White. The third-year veteran out of Western Kentucky got the start for the injured Zach Wilson. The first couple of drives went about how you’d expect for a backup to a bad team: A decent first drive ending in a score, followed by two awful interceptions. From there, though, White caught fire, able to command the rag-tag group of offensive players. He kept the Jets in contention as the Bengals struggled to separate against an inferior team. White looked good enough to start raising questions about if Wilson will even get his job back once healthy. A short week into a Thursday night contest against the Colts will shed some light on this enigma of a standout performance.

Justin Fields: 19/27, 175 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT, 10 rushes, 103 rushing yards, 1 rush TD

We finally got to see Fields’s potential shine through, and all it took was Matt Nagy to cede head coaching duties thanks to COVID. Just as expected, it was the rushing stats that are cheat codes for quarterback fantasy production doing the heavy lifting here. Fields still looked shaky as a passer but showed some flashes on limited attempts. It’s the top-5 rushing stat-line that showed what he can do as an athlete. Hopefully, when Nagy returns they’ll be able to start working this aspect of Fields’s game in more often. Heading on the road to Pittsburgh next week will be a true test for the young star.

Others of Note
  • Josh Allen: 29/42, 249 passing yards, 2 pass TDs, 8 rushes, 55 rushing yards, 1 rush TD
  • Jimmy Garoppolo: 17/28, 322 passing yards, 5 rushes, 4 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs
  • Tom Brady: 28/40, 375 passing yards, 4 pass TDs, 2 INTs, 1 rush , 2 rushing yards

Running backs

Credit: USA Today
Michael Carter: 15 rushes, 77 rushing yards, 1 rush TD. 9 receptions, 95 receiving yards

Along with his new starting QB, Carter exploded onto the scene against the Bengals Sunday afternoon. He not only led the team in rushing attempts and yards but also lead the team in targets (14 total). Unlike White, Carter’s rise was a bit more telegraphed. His snap counts have been steadily increasing, lead by his utilization in the passing game. He now has 23 total targets in the last two games, which is a recipe for sustained fantasy success on a team that will consistently find itself in negative game scripts. Carter will find himself as a weekly flex play if he can maintain this level of usage, especially in PPR formats.

Joe Mixon: 14 rushes, 33 rushing yards, 1 rush TD. 4 receptions, 58 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

On the opposite side of the contest, it was a weird day for Mixon. The Jets defense which typically gives up all kinds of yardage to running backs gave Mixon a significantly tougher time than expected, only averaging just north of 2 yards per rush. The receiving work and multi-touchdown performance helped save his day in a big way. The good news is that nothing about this stat line is indicative of troubles to come. Mixon is still the clear leader in the backfield with Samaje Perine (2 for 16 receiving) barely getting any work behind him. He is one f the true workhorse backs in the league and will continue to have opportunities for big games fall in his lap.

Others of Note
  • Darrell Henderson: 14 rushes, 90 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 1 reception, 3 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
  • Aaron Jones: 15 rushes, 59 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 7 receptions, 51 receiving yards
  • Elijah Mitchell: 18 rushes, 137 rushing yards, 1 rush TD

Wide Receivers

Credit: USA Today
A.J. Brown: 10 receptions, 155 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Brown is finally starting to hit his stride after a slow start to the season marred by a nagging injury. Julio Jones being inactive due to his ailments certainly helped his case as well. Brown has commanded 29 targets over the last three games, averaging 126 yards and compiling two scores over that timeframe. While this meteoric stretch is more of a regression to the mean rather than the new norm, it’s a great indicator that Brown is finally healthy and ready to contribute. You should not be scared to start him anymore, even in tough matchups against the Rams and Saints over the next two weeks.

Chris Godwin: 8 receptions, 140 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Godwin won the Brady roulette this week, as Mike Evans (2 for 48 with 1 TD receiving) was busy dealing with his long-time nemesis Marshon Lattimore all day. Godwin became the focal point of the passing game, continuing the positive momentum he had from last week as well. As Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski continue to battle injuries, Godwin should continue to see this increased target share in one of the best offenses in the league. However, those guys have a great chance to get healthy going into their bye week, so it remains to be seen how much Godwin will continue to be involved moving forward. The pedigree of the offense and his relatively safe 5 target floor will keep Godwin in the WR2/flex conversation every week.

Others of Note
  • Michael Pittman: 10 receptions, 86 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs
  • Cooper Kupp: 7 receptions, 115 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
  • Amari Cooper: 8 receptions, 122 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Tight Ends

Credit: The Fantasy Footballers
T.J. Hockenson: 10 receptions, 89 receiving yards

The season has not been as kind to Hockenson as his fantasy owners were hoping. While the third-year big man has been seeing a crazy amount of looks (at least 8 targets in six of eight weeks), the touchdowns and quality yardage just haven’t been there. What you can rely on is the targets: Jared Goff (25/34 for 222 passing) has been hyper-focused on Hockenson and the running backs in the passing game all season. That kind of consistency is extremely hard to come by at the tight end position this year. Look for Hockenson to retain his safe floor through the Week 9 bye.

Pat Freiermuth: 4 receptions, 44 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

With Eric Ebron missing the game due to a hamstring injury, Freiermuth took full advantage of his increased role in the offense. He saw the second-most targets on the team (7) and continues to earn red-zone looks from Ben Roethlisberger. Right now he sits solidly in the TD or bust category of tight ends, but these flashes are very encouraging for his owners. Rookie tight ends especially take some time to reach their full potential, and the future is looking bright for Freiermuth so far.

Others of Note

Players That Got Floored

Quarterbacks

Credit: Yardbarker
Matt Ryan: 20/27, 146 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 2 INTs, 2 rushes, 3 rushing yards

Heading into Week 8, Ryan enjoyed some consistent production against bad teams over the last few weeks. With the Panthers coming to town, and Calvin Ridley missing this game and potentially the rest of the season due to personal reasons, he crashed back to Earth hard. Carolina shut Kyle Pitts (2 for 13 receiving) out of the game as much as possible and Ryan was unable to compensate. It’s time to abandon ship on Ryan for now with the team headed to New Orleans next week as the offense goes back to sputtering.

Kyler Murray: 22/33, 274 passing yards, 2 INTs, 6 rushes, 21 rushing yards

The scoring streak, unfortunately, ends for one of the most consistent quarterbacks in terms of fantasy on the year. This was a rough game all around for Murray. The abuse he was taking over the last couple of games has finally caught up to him, culminating in a bum ankle at the end of this contest. His favorite target DeAndre Hopkins (2 for 66 receiving) is also dealing with a reoccurring hamstring injury. One final egregious plunder by A.J. Green (5 for 50 receiving) that led to Murray’s second interception capped an incredibly disappointing game for the young star QB. Murray has 10 days to get healthy and bounce back against San Francisco next week.

Others of Note

Running backs

Credit: numberFire
David Johnson: 2 rushes, 4 rushing yards, 1 reception, -1 receiving yards

The departure of Mark Ingram from the Texans running back room has appeared to have caused an even worse situation for the team. No one out of Johnson, Phillip Lindsay (3 for 8 rushing), Scottie Phillips (5 for 11 rushing, 2 for 9 receiving), or Rex Burkhead (4 for 21 with 1 TD rushing, 3 for 27 receiving) managed to stand out during the game against the Rams. Burkhead may have come away with the score, but the Texans will continue to use this four-headed amalgamation of a running game. If Ingram leaving gave you even a glimmer of hope that you could utilize anyone in this running game, this should convince you to leave it alone for the rest of the year.

Alex Collins: 10 rushes, 44 rushing yards

This was another instance of too many mouths being fed, as Seattle appeared to be distributing the snaps across their whole running back room to keep Collins healthy. He had some injury question marks coming into this game, opening the door for Rashaad Penny (7 for 7 rushing), DeeJay Dallas (1 for 6 rushing), and Travis Homer (4 for 9 rushing, 1 for 3 receiving) to give it a shot. The good news is Collins is still the clear best runner of the group. Also, Seattle heads into their bye next week, allowing Collins to get fully healthy and take back command as Chris Carson continues to heal.

Others of Note
  • Nyheim Hines: 1 rush, 2 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 22 receiving yards
  • D’Andre Swift: 12 rushes, 27 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 24 receiving yards, 1 fumble lost
  • Javonte Williams: 9 rushes, 35 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 13 receiving yards

Wide Receivers

Credit: Doc’s Sports
Mike Williams: 2 receptions, 19 receiving yards

This was a disappointing day for the Chargers offense as a whole. Williams fell victim to Bill Belichick‘s old ways, getting schemed out of the game almost entirely. He’s now had two weeks in a row where he’s most likely killed your chances of winning. I would not expect this to continue, with matchups against Philadelphia and Minnesota in the coming weeks. Fantasy owners just need to take their lumps for now and hope Williams can get back to his scoring ways soon.

Courtland Sutton: 2 receptions, 40 receiving yards

Sutton’s dud of a game this week was a combination of Teddy Bridgewater’s (19/26 for 213 and 1 TD passing) low-volume passing attack and Jerry Jeudy (4 for 39 receiving) returning to the lineup. The dominance Sutton enjoyed over the last few weeks is now over, and he’ll once again be left to fight over scraps in a less-than-stellar offense. There is still an opportunity to shine here: Dallas and Philadelphia on the schedule next bring the possibility of having to play catch-up for most of the game. As long as Jeudy can stay healthy, Sutton is nothing more than a boom-or-bust WR2 even in those positive matchups.

Others of Note

Tight Ends

Credit: Best Odds
Anthony Firkser: 1 reception, 8 receiving yards

Firkser was a popular sleeper candidate going into the season and he is still trying to fight his way towards meaningful usage. He hasn’t seen more than 5 targets in a game this year and only has 4 total over the last three weeks. Geoff Swaim (4 for 23 with 1 TD receiving) got the only valuable points at the position thanks to the touchdown this week. Firkser is essentially irrelevant for fantasy unless the Titans suddenly change up their offensive gameplan over the second half of the season.

Ricky Seals-Jones: 2 receptions, 12 receiving yards

This is Seals-Jones’s first true dud game since taking over the primary tight end role from Logan Thomas. Denver’s underperforming defense was able to corral the Washington offense enough such that they were unable to do much overall against them during this game. His snap counts are still best in the league and that level of availability has been a serious boon for his owners. However, his time in the sun may be coming to an end as Thomas has made enough progress to have a chance to play after the Week 9 bye.

Others of Note

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Soared and Floored: NFL Week 6 Fantasy Recap

Welcome to PFP’s weekly studs and duds fantasy recap for the 2021 football season! Here we take a look at some of the standout performances, both and good and bad, from Thursday’s and Sunday’s contests. These are more instant reactions rather than in-depth analyses, with things to keep in mind as the season progresses. Let’s see who took to the skies and who bottomed out in Week 6! You can check out Week 5 here.

Players Who Soared

Credit: NFL.com

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins: 33/48, 373 passing yards, 3 pass TDs, 2 rushes, 16 rushing yards

After two down weeks Cousins had a strong showing against a Panthers defense that couldn’t make up for Sam Darnold‘s (17/41 for 207 and 1 TD with 1 INT passing, 4 for 48 rushing, 1 fumble lost) struggles. Having Dalvin Cook (29 for 140 and 1 TD rushing, 2 for 3 receiving) back in the lineup certainly helped, which opened up the playbook in a big way. Cousins has been very consistent this year but certainly relies on a powerful running game to keep defenses honest. Luckily, Cook is one of the toughest players in the league and will play through all but the worst injuries to support his quarterback. Look for Cousins to put another quality showing in coming off the bye against Dallas in Week 8.

Jalen Hurts: 12/26, 115 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT, 10 rushes, 44 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs

It takes a special kind of player to look as bad as Hurts does on the field and still be a fantasy powerhouse. His ability to overthrow his receivers and make poor mental decisions in Philadelphia’s run-pass option (RPO) scheme is truly impressive to watch. Eagles fans must be screaming their heads off to let Miles Sanders (9 for 56 rushing, 2 for 10 receiving) touch the ball more to help create more opportunities for Hurts. Hurts has yet to start a full season’s worth of games in his young career, but his career path is unsustainable. He needs to show more as a passer in his next two matchups against Las Vegas and Detroit.

Patrick Mahomes: 32/47, 397 passing yards, 2 pass TDs, 2 INTs, 3 rushes, 31 rushing yards

The Super Bowl hangover has been hitting Mahomes hard this season. To put it nicely, he has an uncharacteristic 8 INTs this season, more than he finished with the previous two seasons. Despite the obvious struggles, the talent continues to shine through when asked to keep a game from getting out of hand. His second-half looked so much better than his first half, leading the Chiefs on some impressive-looking drives to keep Washington at arms reach. If he can keep that momentum going through his next couple of matchups he should be back to his blow-out ways without any trouble.

Others of Note
  • Dak Prescott: 36/51, 445 passing yards, 3 pass TDs, 1 INT, 3 rushes, 10 rushing yards, 1 fumble lost
  • Matthew Stafford: 22/28, 251 passing yards, 4 pass TDs, 1 INT, 2 rushes, 12 rushing yards
  • Joe Burrow: 19/29, 271 passing yards, 3 pass TDs, 1 INT, 5 rushes, 20 rushing yards
Credit: DraftKings

Running Backs

Jonathan Taylor: 14 rushes, 145 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs, 1 reception, 13 receiving yards

Taylor has exploded the last two weeks, following his massive receiving performance against Baltimore last week by running all over Houston. He averaged over 10 yards a carry and literally carried the Colts’ momentum throughout the entire game. Carson Wentz (11/20 for 223 and 2 TDs passing) focused on efficiency and minimizing mistakes while Taylor keep the offense humming. The second-year back has started to stabilize his role and will be a high-upside option over the next few weeks.

Leonard Fournette: 22 rushes, 81 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs, 6 receptions, 46 receiving yards

Any concerns about Ronald Jones (5 for 20 rushing, 1 for 9 receiving) taking away work from Fournette have essentially disappeared. Fournette dominated the snap count and was relied on at the goal line multiple times in this contest. He is the defacto #1 back in one of the best offenses in the league and should be treated as such. His efficiency can be spotty but his floor is rock solid with his involvement in the passing game. Continue riding Fournette with confidence, even with two less than ideal matchups before the bye week.

Joe Mixon: 18 rushes, 94 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 59 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

This was an important game for Mixon. He took advantage of a soft matchup and also showed toughness in the wake of recovering from injury. Mixon passed every test with flying colors. The Bengals offense allows Mixon to thrive while defenses are constantly trying to keep Ja’Marr Chase (4 for 97 receiving) from going over the top (and mostly failing). He has a tough test next week in a divisional matchup in Baltimore, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs in a more hostile environment.

Others of Note
  • Darrell Henderson: 21 rushes, 78 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 2 receptions, 29 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
  • Darrel Williams: 21 rushes, 62 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs, 3 receptions, 27 receiving yards
  • Najee Harris: 24 rushes, 81 rushing yards, 6 receptions, 46 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
Credit: PFF

Wide Receivers

CeeDee Lamb: 9 receptions, 149 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Lamb took full advantage of a struggling Patriots passing defense by absolutely torching them this game. He out-targeted Amari Cooper (5 for 55 receiving) for the third time this season, continuing the dance between one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league. Lamb has certainly looked more explosive than Cooper so far and could easily start stealing more and more snaps and targets as the season goes on. As Dallas continues to hum going into the bye week, look for Lamb to hold his WR1 upside through the break.

Adam Thielen: 11 receptions, 126 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

It’s nice to see that Thielen can still produce these types of games from time to time. It’s also a needed reminder for fantasy owners that he’s still one of the best red-zone threats in the league, even as Justin Jefferson (8 for 80 receiving, 1 fumble lost) takes away some of his upside. Thielen came down with a season-high in targets, receptions, and yards against a defense that should have posed more of an issue for this offense. As with Cousins earlier, Cook is really what makes this offense hum and allows for these games to happen. The Vikings head into their bye week to work on getting fully healthy before a prospective shootout against Dallas.

Donovan Peoples-Jones: 4 receptions, 101 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Peoples-Jones’ standout performance this week was propped up by a 57-yard hail mary TD to end the second half. It could be tempting to pick him up off waivers after two straight weeks of flex-level play and with Odell Beckham (5 for 79 receiving) still not truly breaking out. However, it’s important to remember Jarvis Landry is coming off IR soon and this is still a run-first team. Peoples-Jones is nothing more than a cheeky DFS play on a week-to-week basis.

Others of Note
  • Cooper Kupp: 9 receptions, 130 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs
  • Jaylen Waddle: 10 receptions, 70 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs
  • Antonio Brown: 9 receptions, 93 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs
Credit: Predominantly Orange

Tight Ends

Noah Fant: 9 receptions, 97 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Fant has had an up and down season for most of 2021 so far. The third-year tight end was someone that the fantasy community expected to break out this season but hasn’t quite lived up to the hype. This week in particular came from some garbage-time production as the Broncos were trailing for most of this game. He’s still commanding a 20%+ target share from Teddy Bridgewater (35/49 for 334 and 3 TDs with 3 INTs passing, 2 for 9 rushing, 1 fumble lost), but his upside is limited due to the inconsistent Broncos offense.

Mike Gesicki: 8 receptions, 115 receiving yards

Gesicki was the biggest beneficiary of the slew of wide receiver injuries the Dolphins had entering this game. He was able to sustain the favorable target share he had even with Tua Tagovailoa (33/47 for 329 and 2 TDs with 1 INT passing, 3 for 22 rushing) coming back from his injury. He’s a top-10 WR in PPR formats due to high volume with limited scoring upside on a struggling team but has found use as an efficient security blanket. He will maintain his TE1 status as the season continues.

Others of Note

Players That Got Floored

Credit: USA Today

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones: 29/51, 242 passing yards, 3 INTs, 3 rushes, 4 rushing yards, 1 fumble lost

The concussion that Jones suffered in last week’s game against Dallas must have factory reset the Giants quarterback to his 2020 form. These were his first true interceptions of the season, adding two fumbles while not feeling pressure in the pocket for a good amount of the game. His offensive line did let him down, and he lost Kadarius Toney early on to a reaggravated injury, but Jones took some big mental steps back this week. He’ll need to regain all that lost progress quickly to have any chance of having a quality fantasy performance next week against Carolina.

Taylor Heinicke: 24/39, 182 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT

This was a truly disappointing game for Heinicke. The Washington quarterback had a glorious breakout opportunity against the league’s worst defense but was unable to keep pace with Mahomes and the Chiefs. He did just enough to make sure he wasn’t the reason they lost the game and that was it. Unfortunately, this means Heinicke’s fantasy ceiling is capped moving forward. He’ll need to prove he can do more for this offense if he doesn’t want to lose his job once Ryan Fitzpatrick is cleared to return.

Justin Herbert: 22/39, 195 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT, 2 rushes, 12 rushing yards

The Ravens defense found a way to stifle the young superstar, making him look absolutely pedestrian following his huge outing last week. Herbert was unable to get anything going while their opponent was keeping all of his major weapons in check. This is the lowlight following the highlight of the previous game, and one Herbert will look to forget going into the bye.

Others of Note
  • Davis Mills: 29/43, 243 passing yards, 2 INTs, 2 rushes, 5 rushing yards
  • Jared Goff: 28/42, 202 passing yards, 1 INT, 1 rush, 1 rushing yard
  • Baker Mayfield: 19/28, 234 passing yards, 2 pass TDs, 1 INT, 3 rushes, 8 rushing yards, 2 fumbles lost
Credit: Fantasy Couch

Running Backs

Myles Gaskin: 5 rushes, 9 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 5 receiving yards

It’s become very apparent that Gaskin is not benefiting from any positive game scripts this season. Even when Miami controls the game, they refuse to give Gaskin opportunities to gain meaningful yardage. He is not built to be the running back sent between the tackles like he’s currently being used. The most disappointing aspect is that with multiple receivers out due to injury he couldn’t establish any usefulness there, even with six targets. Fantasy owners need to fade Gaskin and the rest of the Dolphin’s backfield for their own sanity.

Antonio Gibson: 10 rushes, 44 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 0 receiving yards, 1 fumble lost

Gibson fell hard in this one. The combination of a nagging shin injury and a very negative game script led to J.D. McKissic (8 for 45 rushing, 8 for 65 receiving) taking over the backfield for many of the meaningful snaps in this game. With the way Washington’s defense has performed this year, this may be more common moving forward than Gibson’s owners would be comfortable with. Hopefully, this team can start turning it around after their week 9 bye, but right now expectations have to remain low.

Others of Note
  • Chase Edmonds: 4 rushes, 46 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 4 receiving yards
  • Austin Ekeler: 6 rushes, 7 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 48 receiving yards
  • Tony Pollard: 10 rushes, 41 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 22 receiving yards
Credit: USA Today

Wide Receivers

Mike Williams: 2 receptions, 27 receiving yards

The stat line is very concerning, but totally understandable given the situation. Williams was still recovering from his injury and the Ravens had every answer for this offense. The good news is that Williams didn’t appear to suffer any setbacks during the game. He has the bye week to completely heal up before returning to his normal WR1 self.

Terry McLaurin: 4 receptions, 28 receiving yards

The wide receiver floored section has a very strong “don’t panic” theme this week. McLaurin was also fighting off an injury and Heinicke wasn’t doing the passing game any favors to try and breathe some life into it. There are better days ahead for this offense as a whole, and McLaurin will remain a huge part of it. His 32 targets over the last three games are strong evidence of that.

Others of Note

Tight Ends

Credit: USA Today
Jonnu Smith: 1 reception, 9 receiving yards

Smith was never expected to be a workhorse tight-end going into the season, but even those lowered expectations haven’t been met. Outside of his lone score in Week 4, he’s been practically invisible in an already barren Tight End landscape. Hunter Henry‘s (2 for 25 and 1 TD receiving) emergence as a scoring-upside option in the offense has put the final nail in the coffin for the former Titan. Barring an injury to Henry, Smith doesn’t hold any long-term value in redraft leagues.

Others of Note

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Soared and Floored: NFL Week 4 Fantasy Recap

Welcome to PFP’s weekly studs and duds fantasy recap for the 2021 football season! Here we take a look at some of the standout performances, both and good and bad, from Thursday’s and Sunday’s contests. These are more instant reactions rather than in-depth analyses, with things to keep in mind as the season progresses. Let’s see who took to the skies and who bottomed out in Week 3! You can check out Week 3 here.

Players Who Soared

Credit: USA Today

Quarterbacks

Sam Darnold: 26/39, 301 passing yards, 2 pass TDs, 2 INTs, 6 rushes, 35 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs

Darnold has turned into Ryan Tannehill 2.0, escaping the clutches of Adam Gase and blossoming into the above-average to great QB he was perceived to be coming out of USC. Darnold has three consecutive games with over 300 passing yards along with five total rushing TDs. Joe Brady’s offensive playcalling has opened up Darnold’s playmaking ability and allows him to command this surprisingly competitive Panthers team even without Christian McCaffrey. He will once again be in the QB1 conversation when they host the Eagles next week.

Matt Ryan: 25/42, 283 passing yards, 4 pass TDs, 1 rush, 17 rushing yards

The 36-year-old Falcons quarterback shows he hasn’t quite fallen off the cliff yet, but his consistency is still very suspect. He made a couple of nice throws this game, including a beauty to Cordarrelle Patterson (more below) in the end zone early on, but he still looked a little shaky at times. Ryan is very much a matchup-dependent streaming option this year, with an intriguing matchup against the New York Jets next week. The Jets don’t typically give up a lot to the QB because they get eviscerated on the ground, but the Falcons may have to beat them through the air without a very confident running game.

Daniel Jones: 28/40, 402 passing yards, 2 pass TDs, 1 INT, 4 rush, 27 rushing yards

See Jason Garrett? This is what happens when you start opening up the playbook. The Giants’ offense looked much better tonight compared to the beginning of the season, and that includes Jones who took huge steps forward (literally) fixing his pocket awareness and mobility in the backfield. It led to a fantastically managed game with some mistakes that weren’t too costly (the INT was on a last-second hail mary to close out the first half). With Dallas, the Rams, and Carolina next on the schedule, he’ll need to prove that he can maintain this progress through some tough matchups, but this Saints defense was a great litmus test for him as a player.

Others of Note
  • Patrick Mahomes: 24/30, 278 passing yards, 5 pass TDs, 1 INT, 5 rushes, 26 rushing yards
  • Taylor Heinicke: 23/33, 290 passing yards, 3 pass TDs, 5 rushes, 43 rushing yards
  • Jalen Hurts: 32/48, 387 passing yards, 2 pass TDs, 8 rushes, 47 rushing yards
Credit: USA Today

Running Backs

Cordarrelle Patterson: 6 rushes, 34 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 82 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs

The 30-year-old “running back” has been the Falcons’ secret weapon through the first four weeks of the season. His run after the catch abilities from his kick returning days has made him a dangerous weapon out of the backfield as a very reliable check-down receiver for Ryan. He even showed some great body control on one TD catch in the endzone as well. He’s averaging 7 targets and 70+ receiving yards a game and has already matched his career-high in receiving TDs in four weeks. If he starts siphoning more work away from Mike Davis (13 for 14 rushing, 2 for 12 with 1 TD receiving) he could be this year’s league winner off waivers.

Saquon Barkley: 13 rushes, 52 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 5 receptions, 74 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

The stat sheet for Barkley today would seem very uninspiring if it was cut off after the third quarter. Thankfully for the Giants, he came alive when it mattered most. He torched Marshon Lattimore for a 54-yard score to keep the game close, and then plowed his way forward for the overtime winner from the 6-yard line. Barkley has been looking more and more healthy as the weeks go on, as evidenced by his increasing snap counts. Unfortunately, he is still showing the boom-or-bust tendencies that have plagued him since joining the league. The Giants will need to get better at blocking upfront, otherwise, Barkley’s owners will continue to see highs and lows from this freakish athlete as the season continues.

James Robinson: 18 rushes, 78 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs, 1 reception, -2 receiving yards

For the second week in a row, Robinson made sure to show new head coach Urban Meyer why he had so much promise in his breakout rookie season last year. With Carlos Hyde being a healthy scratch before the start of the game, this is a huge indicator that they’re looking to feature Robinson more. A 95% snap count in a game that was competitive throughout is another huge check in that box as well. Owners who stuck with him through the iffy first couple of weeks are about to be rewarded for remaining faithful.

Others of Note
Credit: USA Today

Wide Receivers

Tyreek Hill: 11 receptions, 186 receiving yards, 3 receving TDs

After a couple of disappointing weeks, it was refreshing to see Hill return to his absolute blowout form. He had no trouble at all blowing the top off of the suspect Eagles secondary, with scoring plays of 6, 12, and 44 yards. His floor isn’t the most secure compared to other high-end receivers, but his ceiling is unquestioned in the Andy Reid & Mahomes offense. He’s a must-start WR1 every week to avoid missing out on these week-winning performances.

DJ Moore: 8 receptions, 113 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

The former first-round pick continues to improve on the one thing that held him back in his first three seasons; finding the endzone. The targets and yardage are nothing new for Moore, but now with Darnold at the helm, the offense has opened up enough to allow Moore to thrive. The absence of McCaffrey doesn’t hurt either, but Moore’s TDs are coming from outside the red zone, meaning even when the star running back returns Moore’s value won’t diminish. He has a high WR2 floor every week until further notice.

Randall Cobb: 5 receptions, 69 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Similar to Emmanuel Sanders last week, Cobb is a sneaky weekly start if you need a high-upside flex play. Cobb also has the distinction of having previously rapport with his current QB that Sanders doesn’t have. This is all today that you shouldn’t expect this every week from Cobb, who had more targets today than the first three weeks combined. look for him to be more of a sneaky DFS play in plus matchups instead of consistent WR2-like production.

Others of Note
Credit: NFL.com

Tight Ends

C.J. Uzomah: 5 receptions, 95 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Uzomah showed out on Thursday night with a huge night for the dozens of fantasy players who were brave enough to start him. By doubling his season totals in targets and receptions in a single night, he now enters the dreaded “touchdown flier” tier of tight ends. This particular performance was most likely helped out by Tee Higgins missing his second straight game, so once the second-year wideout returns, Uzomah’s floor gets just a little bit lower and a little bit riskier.

Dawson Knox: 5 receptions, 37 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Knox has scored for the third week in a row and has been targeted more often as the Bills’ offense starts to solidify. As the team continues to find the answer at running back he becomes a very reliable weapon in the red zone for one of the league’s best offenses. This type of upside is hard to ignore at the tight end position as Knox makes his case as an every-week start.

Mo Alie-Cox: 3 receptions, 42 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

This massive human being playing tight end for the Colts has been a popular pick as a sleeper tight end for fantasy for a couple of years now. Unfortunately for Cox, Indianapolis is one of the many NFL teams that employ multiple TEs in their schemes, having to fight Jack Doyle (1 for 24 receiving) for snaps on a week-to-week basis. Unless Cox starts to show a consistent presence in the game plan, with or without Doyle in the lineup, he’s nothing more than a touchdown-dependent dart throw.

Others of Note
  • Maxx Williams: 5 receptions, 66 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
  • Dalton Schultz: 6 receptions, 58 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
  • Mike Gesicki: 5 receptions, 57 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
  • Noah Fant: 6 receptions, 46 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Players That Got Floored

Credit: Chicago Sun-Times

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields: 11/17, 209 passing yards, 1 INT, 3 rushes, 9 rushing yards

Despite the second stinker in a row against a much worse defense, this was a much better game for Fields. He was only sacked once while enjoying a relatively clean pocket for most of the game, was able to hit Darnell Mooney (5 for 125 receiving) and Allen Robinson (3 for 63 receiving) on some quality throws, and managed the game well while the Bears were in constant control of the game. They leaned on their running game in the red zone which also took away some scoring opportunities for the young QB. Although there’s a good chance Andy Dalton starts next week if healthy, it was a promising look for the rookie after the dreadful outing last week.

Ben Roethlisberger: 26/40, 232 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 1 INT

Roethlisberger is currently producing some of the saddest QB play I’ve ever seen. He looks clumsy in the pocket, has even less mobility than normal, and is constantly under fire behind a shoddy offensive line that forces lots of check-downs and forced passes just to get the ball out quickly. The fact that he hasn’t thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game this season is extremely concerning and has limited upside even in plus matchups as the season continues.

Baker Mayfield: 15/33, 155 passing yards, 2 rushes, 11 rushing yards

Mayfield is lucky that he shares a division with Big Ben, or his disappointing outings this season would be garnering much more attention. Mayfield was once again erratic at best, missing wide-open receivers all afternoon and being unable to capitalize on big-play opportunities. The Browns have had success this season despite Mayfield, leaning on their elite tandem of Nick Chubb (21 for 100 rushing, 1 for 5 receiving) and Kareem Hunt (14 for 69 and 1 TD rushing, 2 for 17 receiving) out of the backfield. Mayfield’s game-managing tendencies need to improve as they head to face high power offenses in the Chargers and Cardinals the next two weeks.

Others of Note
Miles Gaskin was floored in week 4.
Credit: DraftKings

Running Backs

Myles Gaskin: 2 rushes, 3 rushing yards

Gaskin completely disappeared this game, ceding meaningful touches to Salvon Ahmed (3 for 1 rushing, 2 for 12 receiving) and Malcolm Brown (8 for 23 rushing, 1 for 4 receiving). Even more confusing is his lack of usage in the receiving game, where most of his upside lies. He was a fantasy draft darling this year but has not come close to his pre-season potential so far. Avoid Gaskin at all costs against the vaunted Tampa Bay running defense next week.

Mark Ingram: 6 rushes, 24 rushing yards

After some promising week 1 usage, Ingram has predictively fallen in productivity the last couple of weeks. As the early-down back, the negative game scripts Houston commonly faces are incompatible with his usage. There aren’t too many matchups to look forward to where you can confidently play Ingram in anything more than a desperation flex role.

Chris Carson: 13 rushes, 30 rushing yards, 1 reception, 1 receiving yard

Unlike Ingram above, the limited usage of Carson is not something you could foresee. He’s been given fewer snaps as the weeks go on and doesn’t appear to be nursing any injuries. They may be trying to manage his workload due to his injury history, especially on a short week facing the Rams on Thursday. The continued use of Alex Collins (10 for 44 with 1 TD rushing, 2 for 34 receiving) in this offense caps Carson’s ceiling, something to monitor as the season continues.

Others of Note
  • Dalvin Cook: 9 rushes, 34 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 10 receiving yards
  • Miles Sanders: 7 rushes, 13 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 34 receiving yards
  • Tony Pollard: 10 rushes, 67 rushing yards
JuJu Smith-Schuster was floored by Ben Roethlisberger more than his competition on the other sideline.
Credit: DraftKings

Wide Receivers

JuJu Smith-Schuster: 2 receptions, 11 receiving yards

Coming off a rib injury last week, no one was expecting a huge stat line from the young wideout. However, we expected to see a little more from Smith-Schuster with Chase Claypool out and Diontae Johnson presumably covered by Jaire Alexander. What we got is a player trending downwards in receptions and yards week over week, and a risky play in a haphazard offense moving forward.

CeeDee Lamb: 2 receptions, 13 receiving yards

This was a very disappointing day for Lamb, but not from lack of trying. He had the second-highest targets on a day where Dak Prescott only attempted 22 passes. The Cowboys took an early lead and never let go, relying on their running game to keep possession and limit Carolina’s opportunities. Expect more of a shootout against the emerging Giants offense next week.

Odell Beckham: 2 receptions, 27 receiving yards

Beckham was the true victim of Mayfield’s accuracy issues this week. Finally healthy and presented with a great opportunity to produce, Mayfield missed Beckham on what would have been a long touchdown late in the game. The star wideout is hamstrung in Cleveland’s run-first offense, making missed opportunities like this all the more painful.

Others of Note
Will Dissly was floored in week 4 against the 49ers.
Credit: Field Gulls

Tight Ends

Will Dissly: 2 receptions, 5 receiving yards

Another case of missed opportunity with Gerald Everett missing this game due to injury. Dissly just didn’t see the targets needed to produce in fantasy this week. For those well versed in streaming the tight end position, this outcome should not be a surprise. If Everett is healthy, Dissly will fade into the background once again without much interest soon.

Robert Tonyan: 2 receptions, 8 receiving yards

This game was a step in the right direction for the much-maligned Tonyan. He saw his highest target share of the season, and just missed a touchdown opportunity when Aaron Rodgers overthrew him. His usage in the offense is taking a turn for the better, so look for better weeks to come for the sleeper tight end pick during draft season.

Others of Note

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Soared and Floored: NFL Week 3 Fantasy Recap

Welcome to PFP’s weekly studs and duds fantasy recap for the 2021 football season! Here we take a look at some of the standout performances, both and good and bad, from Thursday’s and Sunday’s contests. These are more instant reactions rather than in-depth analyses, with things to keep in mind as the season progresses. Let’s see who took to the skies and who bottomed out in Week 3! You can check out Week 2 here.

Players Who Soared

Soared
Credit: PFF

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen: 32/43, 358 passing yards, 4 pass TDs, 4 rushes, 9 rushing yards, 1 rush TD

This was the get-back game we were waiting for from Allen. It also came against the highly touted Washington defense which has not been living up to the pre-season hype. Allen got going early and often, scoring three of his passing touchdowns in the first half, keeping the pressure up for the whole game. Allen’s fantasy owners can finally sigh in relief after this MVP-type performance

Justin Herbert: 26/38, 281 passing yards, 4 pass TDs, 4 rushes, 16 rushing yards

In keeping with the theme of the previous player, Herbert also enjoyed getting back on track against a vulnerable Chiefs defense. This particular effort benefitted from the Chief’s tendency for turnovers this game, scoring the majority of their points off takeaways. The advantageous field position does not take away from the impressive showing from last year’s rookie record-setter. With another plus divisional matchup next week against the Raiders, Herbert remains fixated in the QB1 conversation.

Others of Note:
  • Matthew Stafford: 27/38, 343 passing yards, 4 pass TDs, 2 rushes, -2 rushing yards
  • Patrick Mahomes: 27/44, 260 passing yards, 3 pass TDs, 2 INTs, 4 rushes, 45 rushing yards
  • Tom Brady: 41/55, 432 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 3 rushes, 14 rushing yards, 1 rush TD

Running Backs

Soared
Credit: NFL.com
Kareem Hunt: 10 rushes, 81 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 6 receptions, 74 receiving yards

The back-and-force dance between Hunt and Nick Chubb (22 for 84 rushing, no targets) continues this week, as Hunt was significantly behind Chubb in the ground game. Instead, Hunt appeared to be one of the biggest benefactors of the Jarvis Landry injury, commanding seven targets in the passing game. His three-down utilization works in tandem with his electric playmaking ability, as seen on his 29-yard scamper for his lone score on the day. Hunt will always be part of the offensive game plan every week and is worth flex consideration even in negative matchups.

James Robinson: 15 rushes, 88 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 6 receptions, 46 receiving yards

The Jaguars are finally starting to realize the weapon that they have in Robinson. His efficiency has remained steady week over week as his rushing attempts have ballooned from 5 in week 1. Robinson is putting his best case forward to retain a three-down role moving forward in this offense, and with Trevor Lawrence‘s struggles (more below), they may need to rely on him considerably to get anything going. If this role continues, Robinson will start to live up to his draft season potential following Travis Etienne‘s injury.

Najee Harris: 14 rushes, 40 rushing yards, 14 receptions, 102 receiving yards

Harris was a check-down machine for a struggling Steelers offense in this game. 19 total targets are absurd for anyone in the league, matching Raiders focal point Darren Waller‘s insane week 1 performance against Baltimore. Of course, this was also due to the injuries to Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster, but it’s very reassuring to see this kind of work for Harris. Unless the Steeler’s offensive line can start opening up holes for the rookie, this passing work is what’s going to carry him for the whole season.

Others of Note
  • Peyton Barber: 23 rushes, 111 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 3 receptions, 31 receiving yards
  • D’Andre Swift: 14 rushes, 47 rushing yards, 1 rush TD, 7 receptions, 60 receiving yards
  • Alexander Mattison: 26 rushes, 112 rushing yards, 6 receptions, 59 receiving yards
  • Austin Ekeler: 11 rushes, 55 rushing yards, 6 receptions, 52 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Wide Receivers

Soared
Credit: NFL.com
Mike Williams: 7 receptions, 122 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Williams is doing everything in his power to make a huge statement in his contract year. The big-bodied former first-round pick has carved out a significant role in this Chargers offense, commanding at least 9 targets and 1 score in each of the first three weeks. He is Herbert’s go-to target in the red zone so far this year, as well as being a reliable offensive weapon all over the field for the young QB. This offense is going to be a problem trying to cover Williams and Keenan Allen (8 for 50 receiving with 1 TD) moving forward.

Cooper Kupp: 9 receptions, 96 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Back-to-back multi-touchdown games for Kupp. Absolutely insane. We knew that this Rams offense would wake up a little bit in the passing game with the acquisition of Stafford, but no one saw this type of emergence for Kupp. Double-digit targets in each of his first three weeks mean he will constantly remain the focal point of this wide receiving core with endless opportunities to continue blowing up.

Emmanuel Sanders: 5 receptions, 94 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

This was a game that we could see coming for the veteran wideout. Despite being third in the pecking order behind Stefon Diggs (6 for 62 receiving) and Cole Beasley (11 for 98 receiving), he’s been playing the majority of snaps and had 100 total yards coming into this game. Blow-up games like this should reoccur as Sanders develops his chemistry with Allen as the season continues. He’s a solid WR3/Flex play moving forward, especially in a tantalizing matchup against Houston next week.

Others of Note:

Tight Ends

Soared
Credit: USA Today
Tyler Conklin: 7 receptions, 70 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

After Irv Smith Jr. went down before the season started, Conklin garnered some hype as a sleeper TE at the very end of fantasy drafts. This may be his first standout game of the season, but the stat sheet shows a solid level of involvement over the first three weeks. Maintaining his 75-80% snap counts will provide additional opportunities in positive matchups moving forward.

Mike Gesicki: 10 receptions, 86 receiving yards

Jacoby Brissett (32/49 for 215 passing, 7 for 37 with 1 TD rushing) sure does love his tight ends. The Dolphins’ backup quarterback has a history of peppering a large number of targets to the position, and Gesicki was a huge benefactor of this tendency this week. It was a needed get-right game for Gesicki as well, and something we can look forward to as long as Brissett is starting.

Others of Note

Players That Got Floored

Quarterbacks

Floored
Credit: Football Outsiders
Justin Fields: 6/20, 68 passing yards, 3 rushes, 12 rushing yards

There are moments in football where you feel for a young quarterback in a bad situation, and this is certainly one of those moments. Fields was hounded all day by the Brown’s defensive front, getting sacked nine times for a total loss of yardage (67) nearly equal to his passing total. You can’t fully blame the offensive line for the rookie’s struggles, but they certainly didn’t help. If Andy Dalton remains sidelined and Fields’ hand checks out okay, he’ll at least have a softer challenge against Detroit to look forward to.

Trevor Lawrence: 22/34, 219 passing yards, 1 pass TD, 2 INTs, 6 rushes, 27 rushing yards, 2 lost fumbles

Does anyone else hear alarm bells? Lawrence adds another four total turnovers to his depressingly impressive stat sheet against a very beatable Cardinals defense. This is Daniel Jones-level of ball security issues and should be very concerning for the first-year quarterback. Coming off this performance and traveling to Cincinnati next week is not looking as ideal as it was at the start of the season. The Jaguars’ offense as a whole needs to find its footing soon to help develop their young heir apparent.

Others of Note
  • Zach Wilson: 19/35, 160 passing yards, 2 INTs, 1 rush, 2 rushing yards
  • Carson Wentz: 19/37, 194 passing yards
  • Jared Goff: 22/30, 217 passing yards, 1 rush, 4 rushing yards

Running Backs

Floored
Credit: DraftKings
Phillip Lindsay: 7 rushes, 5 rushing yards

This game from Lindsay is the perfect highlight of the quagmire that is the Houston backfield. Lindsay saw the most rushing attempts out of the three main running backs while being on the field for the least amount of snaps. There’s no consistency to the usage of these backs, except for how inefficient they appear to be. I will avoid talking about this backfield unless someone officially puts their stamp on the lead role.

Damien Harris: 6 rushes, 14 rushing yards, 2 receptions, -3 receiving yards

The Patriot’s starting running back has come down to Earth following a stellar week 1 performance. The negative game script hurt Harris’s potential to salvage this game, where he put up his least efficient effort of the season yet. Harris is a risky play against Tampa Bay’s stout rushing defense next week, but the schedule softens up considerably following that matchup. Look for Harris to be a good trade-for target for the next couple of weeks.

Ty’Son Williams: 5 rushes, 22 rushing yards

This was a disappointing outing for the Ravens team as a whole in a juicy matchup against the lowly Lions. Williams still looks to be the lead back in this offense but the team just couldn’t get anything going all game. The good news is Williams is still the most productive back on the team, with Latavius Murray (7 for 28 rushing) and Devonta Freeman (3 for 8 rushing) not doing much on their own as well. Volume may be an issue moving forward however if the other two keep eating into his snaps.

Others of Note

Wide Receivers

Floored
Credit: USA Today
Robby Anderson: 1 reception, 8 receiving yards

This is a concerning trend for one of the popular sleeper picks during the draft season this year. Anderson only has 11 targets total to his name through three weeks and has seen his snap count decline every week. The injury to Christian McCaffrey might open up more opportunities for the explosive wideout, but it’s certainly a situation to monitor moving forward. For now, DJ Moore (8 for 126 receiving) has left Anderson in his dust with no chance of looking back.

Kadarius Toney: 2 receptions, 16 receiving yards

The Giants’ first-round pick has been very quiet through the first three weeks of the season. Toney has been battling various injuries and illnesses which has stunted his development with the rest of the first-team offense. Unfortunately, he could not make use of his sudden opportunity with Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton going down with injuries in this game. Toney may be asked to step up sooner rather than later and is a decent waiver option to keep an eye on.

DeAndre Hopkins: 3 receptions, 21 receiving yards

Hopkins came into this matchup hobbled by a rib injury suffered during practice. It’s more likely than not that he was run out there as a decoy for most of this game, which led to this dud of a stat line. Hopkins has always been a tough player, so it was within the realm of possibility that he could still produce, so this still hurts for his owners. Keep an eye on the injury reports throughout practice this week to see if he can return to form next week.

Others of Note

Tight Ends

Floored
Credit: USA Today
Evan Engram: 2 receptions, 21 yards, 1 lost fumble

As a Giants fan, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to be impartial on anything Engram-related for fantasy football. A limited Kenny Golladay and injuries to Shepard and Slayton opened the door wide open for Engram to take advantage of the target vacuum, and he once again squandered this beautiful opportunity. His athletic prowess is without question, but the consistent mental errors mean you cannot trust him until he puts together a string of multiple quality starts.

Jonnu Smith: 1 reception, 4 yards

This fantasy dud is brought you by an inability to bring in most of his targets (6) and an ugly bobbled catch that lead to a pick-six. The unfortunate part for Smith is that he has limited upside due to his consistent but low volume usage in this Patriots offense that wasn’t able to run the ball. It’s been hard to trust either Smith or Hunter Henry (5 for 36 receiving) as anything more than TE2s this year while they continue to eat into each other’s workload.

Others of Note:

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Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings, 2021

The 2021 NFL season is approaching, as such the 2021 fantasy football season is also on the horizon. In this article, I will outline the top 20 running backs to target in your upcoming fantasy draft:

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey remains the top choice not only at running back but in the entirety of fantasy football in your drafts. The Stanford Cardinal product produced a historic fantasy season in 2019 following up a stellar 2018. Despite McCaffrey’s injury woes last season, he should top your draft board.

2. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

Followed closely behind McCaffrey is the Minnesota Vikings’ Dalvin Cook. Cook is primed for another excellent season having been an incredible fantasy back whenever he is on the field. He should be the second player off the board in your fantasy football drafts.

3. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts sits third on this list due to enjoying a blistering home stretch of the season in 2020 after being given the reigns as the team’s lead ball carrier. The Colts have the easiest schedule in terms of rush defenses, and Taylor should feast.

4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

Derrick Henry is the fourth running back to come off the board, as the Alabama Crimson Tide product looks poised for another monster season, having broken the 2,000 rushing yard barrier in 2020. Henry’s lack of upside in the passing game keeps him from being any higher on this list but you should have no hesitation slotting him as your RB1.

5. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants rounds out the top five because of his elite talent in both the running and passing game. Despite his torn ACL in 2020, the G-Men’s tailback is poised for an extremely productive season.

6. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints’ workhorse slid a bit because of the riches available at the top of the running back position. Kamara is a bonafide top fantasy option as he provides exorbitant upside in the passing game.

7. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

Najee Harris is poised to enjoy a massive rookie season as the 2021 first-round draftee slots into an offense that is historically conducive to running back success. Harris also will have the advantage of an extremely easy schedule and should comfortably be taken in the first round of drafts.

8. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

Nick Chubb is an extremely safe bet at the top of your fantasy football drafts. The former Georgia Bulldog is the leader of a potent Cleveland Browns’ rushing attack and looks to build on his already great career thus far. Perhaps the best pure runner in the league, Chubb is a great pickup.

9. Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team

Antonio Gibson is in a prime position to break out this season. He was extremely successful in 2020 when given the reigns of the Washington rushing attack, and with high receiving upside, he is a top choice.

10. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers running back is poised to produce another solid season with Aaron Rodgers committing to the team for one more season. Jones is a touchdown machine with awesome receiving upside, managers drafting at the bottom of the first round should be confident in selecting him.

11. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott is in line to churn out a bounce-back season with star quarterback Dak Prescott back at the helm. Elliott is a much better player with Prescott under center and should be expected to perform at a high level.

12. JK Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

JK Dobbins is ready to take on the workhorse role in the frightening Baltimore Ravens’ rushing attack. The Ohio State product will produce a stellar season alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson and establish himself in the NFL.

13. D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

The sophomore Lions running back is in line for a total breakout season. Swift averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 2020 and should produce at an extremely high level leading the offense.

14. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

David Montgomery projects as one of the safest bets in fantasy football. For what should be third-round draft value and Montgomery provides extremely reliable and solid production.

15. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

The pass-catching Ekeler is a very solid choice in your drafts because of his usage and rapport with Justin Herbert. Ekeler provides very good value for your team and projects as a second or third-round choice.

16. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

Clyde Edwards-Helaire of the Kansas City Chiefs should enjoy an improvement on his rookie campaign. Although Edwards-Helaire did not enjoy requisite usage in 2020, and that should change in 2021.

17. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

Miles Sanders is a reliable choice in your fantasy drafts with good value in the third round. Sanders provides both rushing and receiving upside that translates to fantasy success and will be relied upon next to Jalen Hurts.

18. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Mixon should finally have the solid, consistent season fantasy managers have been waiting for. Mixon’s production should steady in 2021 with Joe Burrow returning and Cincinnati reloading on offense in the draft.

19. Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins

Myles Gaskin of the Miami Dolphins will enjoy a stellar season as the focal point in Miami’s rushing attack. Gaskin showed what he was capable of in 2020 and the path is clear for him in 2021.

20. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

Josh Jacobs takes some hit in value due to the arrival of Kenyan Drake, however, he is still a solid option. Jacobs is a premier NFL runner and is a solid RB2 in drafts.

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