X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Justin Carter's Bold Predictions for 2020 Fantasy Football

Justin Carter reveals his bold fantasy football predictions for the 2020 NFL season, evaluating which players could be sleepers or busts.

It's time for my favorite piece to write every year -- my bold predictions for the upcoming NFL season.

Last year's bold predictions went...okay. I hit on Leonard Fournette becoming a receiving threat and was basically correct on Josh Allen, who was almost a top-five fantasy quarterback. My Albert Wilson take, however, was something we can just safely ignore because...yeah, that wasn't great.

Anyway, below are five bold predictions. Will they be right? Who knows! These are the kinds of things that I really want to happen, even if I'm not so sure they actually do happen. Let's go!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Will Fuller V Is A WR1 On A Per-Game Basis

Yes, I'm hedging here with the per-game part, because there's no way I'm predicting a fully healthy year for Will Fuller.

But look, if we're talking about a per game kind of thing, a healthy Will Fuller is -- and always has been -- the perfect wide receiver for Deshaun Watson. He stretches the field, allowing Watson to buy some time in the backfield and then launch the ball to him for the big play.

Let's talk about 2018. Fuller played just seven games but caught 503 yards and four touchdowns. That included three games with 100-plus yards and a touchdown, and it happened on a team that had DeAndre Hopkins taking on a huge target share. That also included a game against the Colts where Fuller played just 31 percent of the team's snaps, but still had four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Fuller might lead the NFL in air yards per target this year. He's a key deep threat for a vertical offense. When he's on the field, he'll be a WR1.

 

There's No Quarterback Breakout

In 2019, the breakout quarterback was Lamar Jackson, and to lesser extents, Jameis Winston and Josh Allen. In 2018, it was Patrick Mahomes. In 2017, it could have been Deshaun Watson if he'd played more than seven games.

So, who will be this year's breakout QB?

No one.

Kyler Murray is a candidate, but he was already QB7 last year, so 1) improvement is expected and he's a No. 1 overall pick, so if he improves to QB4 or so, is that really a breakout, and 2) I'm not convinced he gets the passing volume or the touchdown rate needed to actually improve on his 2019 production.

Beyond Murray, breakout candidates are...who, exactly? Baker Mayfield, who had plenty of chances already and didn't do it? Daniel Jones, who ranked 28th among quarterbacks in true completion percentage last year and 23rd in accuracy rating? Joe Burrow, a rookie in a year where it will be harder than ever to be a rookie?

Nope. To borrow a phrase from the DFS world, I expect the quarterback position to be pretty chalky this year. If guys surprisingly sneak into the QB1 tier, it'll be because of injuries or struggles from players who we thought were better than them.

 

Someone In Washington's Backfield Becomes A Viable Fantasy Option

Look, no one is saying that the backfield is Washington isn't a mess. It is. They've got approximately 23 different running backs on their roster right now, none of whom inspire confidence.

But with Dwayne Haskins and some unproven wide receivers, Washington's going to need to rely on their running game, which is where someone comes in.

I think things could shift as the season goes along, but for 2020, Antonio Gibson could get the workload to be a fantasy flex starter as veteran Adrian Peterson was released. Bryce Love, Peyton Barber, and J.D. McKissic all exist, but it's unclear which could challenge Gibson when it comes to playing time.

It's worth noting that before Christian McCaffrey, Ron Rivera teams pretty consistently had someone finish as an RB2/3. From 2011 to 2016, the lead back in Carolina finished between RB24 and RB29. That's not great, but it's playable, which is better than people seem to expect from this team.

 

Jonnu Smith SZN

Hold on, let me pull up a graphic:

So, Jonnu Smith ranked second among tight ends last year in yards per target, fourth in catch rate, and third in fantasy points per target.

He's a top-10 tight end.

That's it. That's the whole section on Jonnu Smith.

 

Mike Evans And Chris Godwin Can't Save Tom Brady

Tom Brady has the best weapons around him since what...the Randy Moss days? It won't matter.

Brady is 43 years old. He's coming off a season in which he had his worst completion percentage since 2013 (and third-lowest of any full-time season). He had his fewest adjusted yards per attempt since 2002 and fewest adjusted net yards per attempts since 2013. All of those stats help us see Brady's fall off.

Want some more? His completion percentage on everything but his deep ball last year was rough:

Now, the completion percentage isn't everything. His supporting cast last year was not good, ranking 17th among quarterbacks in supporting cast efficiency while Jameis Winston's supporting cast efficiency ranked sixth.

But still. Brady's supporting cast can't get all the blame for his struggles in so many phases of the game last year. Brady took a step back. It happens when players get to this age. It usually happens way before players get to this age. No one can be good forever.

Many people think Brady's a QB1 this year. And if his deep ball completion percentage holds up like it did last year, sure. But I can't actually sit here and tell you that a 43-year-old quarterback is going to be a top-10 deep-ball thrower. Nothing is going to make me believe that. Brady is going to keep regressing. Bruce Arians' offenses are built around gunslinging, but if Brady can't gunsling, something's going to change. Brady will throw it short more. He'll hand it off to Leonard Fournette more. And when he has to throw it, he'll complete his passes at a progressively lower rate.

Age has caught up to Tom Brady.

He's not a fantasy QB1.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Quinn Mathews12 mins ago

Set To Start Throwing Program
Francisco Alvarez13 mins ago

Could Return On Friday
Cristopher Sánchez20 mins ago

Cristopher Sanchez Feeling Good, No Plans For MRI Exam
Bryson Stott25 mins ago

Out Against Southpaw On Wednesday
Jac Caglianone26 mins ago

Posts Third Straight Multi-Hit Game
Emmanuel Clase31 mins ago

Dealing With Shoulder Discomfort
Nick Nastrini33 mins ago

Rebounds In Latest Outing
Agustín Ramírez36 mins ago

Agustin Ramirez Sitting Out After Hot Start
Kerry Carpenter42 mins ago

Sitting Out Of Series Finale Against Padres
Alex Pham45 mins ago

Strikes Out 11 On Tuesday
Brendan Donovan50 mins ago

Out Again On Wednesday
Michael McGreevy53 mins ago

Picks Up Third Victory Of The Season
Demetrio Crisantes1 hour ago

Busy On Tuesday
Ranger Suárez3 hours ago

Ranger Suarez Cruises Through Third Rehab Start
Jaren Jackson Jr.3 hours ago

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Triston Casas3 hours ago

Connects On Second Round-Tripper
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander3 hours ago

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman3 hours ago

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam3 hours ago

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Giannis Antetokounmpo3 hours ago

Posts Big Double-Double In Game 2 Loss
Josh Smith3 hours ago

Stays Hot With Second Home Run
Lee Hodges3 hours ago

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA3 hours ago

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Julius Randle3 hours ago

Leads Timberwolves In Scoring In Game 2
Gary Woodland3 hours ago

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Brent Rooker4 hours ago

Pops Seventh Homer
Luka Dončić4 hours ago

Luka Doncic Nets 31 Points In Lakers Win
Max McGreevy4 hours ago

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard4 hours ago

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Jock Landale4 hours ago

Unavailable For Game 2
Sam Stevens4 hours ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
MLB4 hours ago

Luis Urías Continues To Produce In A’s Loss
Jae'Sean Tate4 hours ago

Remains Out Wednesday
Nicolai Hojgaard4 hours ago

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
John Tavares4 hours ago

Collects Two Points In Overtime Win
Christiaan Bezuidenhout4 hours ago

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Frederik Andersen4 hours ago

Posts 40th Postseason Win
Lawrence Butler4 hours ago

Homers In A’s Loss To Rangers
Akshay Bhatia4 hours ago

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young4 hours ago

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Kirill Kaprizov4 hours ago

Leads Wild To Valuable Road Win
Matthew Tkachuk4 hours ago

Returns With Three-Point Performance
Tommy Edman4 hours ago

Homers In Tuesday’s Extra-Inning Loss To Cubs
Erik Van Rooyen4 hours ago

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Jett Williams4 hours ago

Tallies Three Hits, Swipes Two Bags
Anthony Cirelli4 hours ago

Suffers Undisclosed Injury Tuesday
Gabriel Vilardi5 hours ago

May Return To Jets Lineup Thursday
John Klingberg5 hours ago

Ready To Return To Action
Evander Kane5 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Game 2
Michael Pittman Jr.12 hours ago

Back Injury Is In The Past
George Pickens13 hours ago

Steelers Appear Unlikely To Trade George Pickens
Jaylen Warren13 hours ago

Steelers Believe Jaylen Warren Can Be Their RB1
Andrew Novak14 hours ago

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin14 hours ago

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore16 hours ago

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark16 hours ago

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama16 hours ago

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa16 hours ago

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Jaylen Warren16 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Steelers
Will Levis18 hours ago

Unlikely To Be Traded
Houston Texans18 hours ago

Texans Considering Trading Up
Cleveland Browns18 hours ago

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Appears At Offseason Program
Thomas Detry18 hours ago

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
Christian McCaffrey18 hours ago

Has No Restrictions
Terry Rozier18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Damian Lillard19 hours ago

Will Have His Minutes Monitored Tuesday
Jayson Tatum19 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Game 2
Robert MacIntyre19 hours ago

Returns To Zurich Classic With High Hopes
Derek Forbort19 hours ago

Recovering From Surgery
Martin Fehérváry19 hours ago

Martin Fehervary To Miss Postseason Following Knee Surgery
Shane Lowry19 hours ago

Returning To Zurich Classic With Red-Hot Teammate
Luke Glendening19 hours ago

Available For Start Of Playoffs
Mitchell Chaffee19 hours ago

Available Tuesday
Cody Glass19 hours ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Brenden Dillon19 hours ago

Won't Play In Game 2
Luke Hughes20 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Matthew Tkachuk20 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Damian Lillard21 hours ago

Cleared To Play Tuesday
Brock Purdy21 hours ago

Reports For OTA's Amid Contract Discussions
George Kittle22 hours ago

Skips Start Of 49ers Offseason Program
Dallas Cowboys22 hours ago

Stephon Gilmore Spotted At Cowboys Facility On Tuesday
James Cook22 hours ago

Not At Start Of Voluntary OTAs
Kirk Cousins22 hours ago

Reports To Voluntary OTA's
Cam Ward22 hours ago

Titans Officially Staying Put At No. 1 Overall Pick, Expected To Select Cam Ward
23 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty's Tackle-Breaking Ability Sets Him Apart
23 hours ago

Jalen Milroe Not A Lock To Go In First Round
Denver Broncos23 hours ago

Broncos Willing To Trade Up In This Week's Draft
Indianapolis Colts23 hours ago

Colts Searching For A Tight End That Can Do It All
Daniel Jones24 hours ago

Colts Expect Both Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Help Them In 2025
24 hours ago

Giants High On Jaxson Dart
24 hours ago

Saints Not Expected To Take Shedeur Sanders
Nikola Jokić1 day ago

Nikola Jokic Posts 19th Postseason Triple-Double
Kawhi Leonard1 day ago

Leads Clippers To Game 2 Victory
Jalen Brunson1 day ago

Leads All Scorers With 37 Points In Monday's Loss
Tobias Harris1 day ago

Notches Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Cade Cunningham1 day ago

Leads Pistons To Victory With 33 Points
Rob Dillingham1 day ago

Out On Tuesday
Maxi Kleber1 day ago

Remains Out For Game 2
GG Jackson II1 day ago

Available For Tuesday
Evan Bouchard1 day ago

Dishes Out Three Assists In Postseason Opener
Connor McDavid1 day ago

Racks Up Four Points In Losing Effort
Phillip Danault1 day ago

Nets Two Goals In Game 1 Victory
Mark Scheifele1 day ago

Bags Two Points In Monday's Win
Lane Hutson1 day ago

Posts Two Assists In Playoff Debut
Aaron Gordon2 days ago

Cleared For Action
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF