The 2020 NFL season impacted by COVID-19 saw no shortage of excitement or interest as wagering and fantasy football were at all-time high marks. It’s estimated that fantasy football has ballooned into an approximately $8 billion dollar industry. Yes that is billion, with a “B”. As leagues have become more competitive, there are more apps to choose from, and larger corporations are getting in on the action, it’s become trickier than it might have once been to dominate and get your share of the winnings. Selecting your first round pick or where to start in building your daily fantasy lineup can be relatively easy even to a novice player. Additionally, there are many resources online that will give their two cents on whether you should draft Christian McCaffrey or Derrick Henry with your first pick. In this write-up we’re digging a little deeper and trying to give you the complimentary players that might be flying a little under the radar heading into the season that could elevate your squad to a title. While it can be important to nail that first round selection, the guys you take in the middle rounds of a draft can often be the difference makers, or at the very least provide you with some depth to survive bye weeks and injuries.
If you follow the BetCrushers you know that we save you the monotony of telling you to draft Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Our objective is to help provide some quieter options that give you a true advantage over your opponents. Yes, we could certainly tell you that Josh Allen, Dalvin Cook and DeAndre Hopkins will win you your fantasy league, but anyone who’s tuned into the NFL once in the last two seasons could tell you that. We’re providing you nine players you should consider drafting or adding to your early DFS lineups that could be the supporting cast to your first round picks to carry you to a title. A few of the names on our list probably won’t surprise you, but a couple of these guys are sure to get your attention in one way or another.
The BetCrushers Top Picks:
The 2020 season was a bit of a bust for Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark, Jr. who struggled to stay healthy and was in and out of the lineup. Coupled with inconsistent quarterback play, the numbers were simply not there for the talented wideout. We’re expecting a big bounceback campaign with the addition of number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence at the QB position. The Jaguars have a capable running game, and free agent Marvin Jones and 2nd year player Laviska Shenault give the team a lot of options on the offense. While it will somewhat eat into his targets, Chark should emerge as the top threat in the passing game for a team that figures to be in some high-scoring games and probably playing from behind a fair amount. If D.J. Chark, Jr. is still floating on your draftboard in the later rounds, take a flyer on him and he could end up putting up some nice numbers for you.
The Washington Football Team had one of the most underrated wide receivers in the league a season ago as Terry McLaurin showed enormous skill and potential in an offense that didn’t move the ball through the air particularly well. This year the team welcomes Curtis Samuel as a free agent addition from Carolina to line up opposite of McLaurin in a great signing that is going to make this offense much tougher to defend. Despite being the odd man out in Carolina with D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson, Samuel still made huge plays when he was given the opportunity to shine. Washington can run the football, and we know McLaurin is going to often draw the opponents number one corner. With gunslinging Ryan Fitzpatrick the likely starting QB (or even if Taylor Heinicke wins the job), expect a lot of shots and big plays from Samuel. The average fantasy player won’t have Samuel on their radar so slide him into your WR2 slot and you’re likely to get a nice return on that investment.
After a hot start in Arizona, the Kenyan Drake experiment fizzled out leaving the team with Chase Edmonds, and forcing them to bring over free agent James Conner at the running back position. The job is Edmonds to lose, and while he’ll certainly share some time with Conner, he is by far the more explosive and dynamic of the two heading into the season. Edmonds has spent his short career playing second fiddle and it will be interesting to see how he responds to being the lead guy in the backfield. He’s a perfect fit in the offense which forces defenses to both account for a strong wide receiver corp, but also the running prowess of quarterback Kyler Murray. As a result, there is often space in the draw and screen games that a speedy player like Edmonds can take advantage of. He won’t put up elite numbers, but he should be a guy that you can use as a flex player that can give you solid output week in and week out.
Perhaps the player with the biggest upside on our list resides with one of the league’s most prolific offenses in Kansas City. Wide receiver Mecole Hardman has shown flashes of brilliance as one of the fastest players in the league in his first two seasons on both offense and special teams. With the departure of Sammy Watkins, the receiver opposite Tyreek Hill appears to be Hardman’s role, although dependable Demarcus Robinson will also see some playing time. Hardman is perhaps the fastest and most gifted receiver in the league who is the third or fourth option in the passing game on his own team. That volume concern might be a little scary, but for a team that throws it as much as the Chiefs this is actually a good thing. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce force teams to gameplan coverage towards them, which means that Hardman is one-on-one or working zones opposite the side of the main weapons. Throw in the fact that Hardman only needs a couple of grabs to hit the century mark and the endzone and he’s a player you should be able to count on this season.
Not everyone on our list is an afterthought type of player as there will be no shortage of media coverage on former first round pick Joe Burrow coming off of major knee surgery. Although Burrow is a huge potential star, most fantasy rankings have him ranked around the 15th overall quarterback, with some lists even having him outside of the top 20. If you don’t end up taking one of the big five QB’s, finding the best second tier guy becomes absolutely critical. Things are lining up really well for Burrow to put up some huge numbers in his second season. First things first, by all counts his rehab has gone really well and he should be good to go for the preseason and week one of the regular season. Speaking of coming back from injury, the Bengals will also welcome back starters on their offensive line and running back Joe Mixon into the fold which should help teams from teeing off on Burrow on early downs. Now let’s talk about the first round addition of Ja’Marr Chase, the flashy wideout who was a teammate of Burrow at LSU. Lining him up in tandem with last year’s rookie star Tee Higgins, and the severely underrated Tyler Boyd and this team should be making big plays in the passing game. Don’t be shocked if Burrow ends up a top 7 fantasy quarterback. If you opt to wait in taking a QB, give Burrow a look.
It could be a long season for the Detroit Lions as they’re in another full rebuild mode, most notably missing face of the franchise in quarterback Matthew Stafford. There’s likely to be one really bright spot in fantasy world however with T.J. Hockenson manning the tight end position. Hockenson is likely to find himself in decent draft position, but is listed behind guys that he should surpass in production. For starters, he is pretty much the only legit option in the passing game. The Lions are relying on Tyrell Williams, Geronimo Allison and Breshad Perriman at the receiver position, which in simple terms, is not good. Next we have to look at new quarterback Jared Goff who will be learning a new offense, and often struggles under pressure. He has often gravitated toward tight ends when he’s rushed which means Hockenson will get a lot of looks. Once again, we’re looking at a team that figures to be losing in a lot of games which means a lotta throws in the second half of games. Don’t be surprised if Hockenson sees as many targets as the big three at the tight end position.
No team was more devastated by injuries in 2020 than the San Francisco 49ers. Their sputtered which hindered the rookie season of wide receiver Brandon Auyik, who dealt with his own injuries along the way. If the law of averages can pan out and the Niners can keep their core intact, Auyik could be a breakout start in 2021. He showed glimpses of why the 49ers wanted him as a rookie, and has skill as a route runner with good hands who has speed to burn as well. Regardless of who ends up playing QB this year, Auyik should find some big plays. In a division that has some big name receivers, Brandon Auyik will be the guy who quietly turns in a consistently good campaign.
Let the jokes begin! Alright, we get it, having Sam Darnold on a list of things that are expected to go well can be considered laughable, or maybe even a little bit insane. Make no mistake about it, this is a a do or die situation for Darnold in determining what his career will ultimately be in the National Football League. Before you completely dismiss him or this idea, let’s look at what brought us to this conclusion. You simply cannot grade Darnold on his tenure with the Jets. He was not setup to succeed in any form or fashion. Surrounded by a better organization and coaching will offer Darnold an opportunity to start fresh and develop his physical talent. Equally important is the fact that he will be surrounded by superior talent that can make him look really good. A healthy Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore, along with his former favorite target Robby Anderson means it won’t be nearly as laborious to move the ball up and down the field and put points on the board. If you’re rostering two quarterbacks, get Sam Darnold on your team.
Cooper Kupp is already a guy that will already be high on draft boards entering the season. We’re here to tell you that however high you have him ranked, it needs to be higher. His peer Robert Woods should also be a hot target, but Kupp is the guy who should absolutely dominate in 2021. Bringing quarterback Matthew Stafford into Sean McVay’s offense will supercharge this group to the levels we saw that made McVay a star as a rookie head coach. Kupp should be a PPR machine and score his fair share of touchdowns making him a solid wide receiver number one. Throw in that the cornerback play within the NFC West isn’t great outside of the the Rams and Cooper Kupp should thrive. We’ve got Kupp pegged as a top ten fantasy receiver who can help carry you to a championship.
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