RADIO
Scott Engel issues his bold predictions for the 2021 fantasy football season. You simply cannot miss these confident calls while doing your 2021 fantasy football draft prep.
The best fantasy football analysts are right over 50 percent of the time according to some studies I have seen. RotoBaller’s Nick Mariano, though, an annual top ranker, should be an exception.
But we do our best to help give you an advantage over the opposition. We are dedicated at RotoBaller to help you win, that is my primary goal and always has been for 25 years.
So I am going to both fearlessly and confidently deliver my most dauntless and some sensible predictions for the 2021 season here. I am not afraid to be wrong. Yet I remain firm I am going to be right on many of these calls. Most of them come from exhaustive research and observations, while a few are just ones are based on strong premonitions. Those have turned out well at times before.
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“I May Be Wrong, But ….”
-Kyler Murray will throw 35 TD passes and rush for 1,000 yards. He will finish as the No. 1 QB in fantasy football.
-Chase Edmonds will finish with 1,275 scrimmage yards and eight total TDs.
-Mike Davis will rush for 1,100 yards with eight rushing TDs.
-Kyle Pitts will catch 75 passes and finish with seven receiving TDs.
-J.K. Dobbins will finish as a back-end fantasy RB1.
-The Ravens will lose to the Titans in the AFC Championship Game.
-Zack Moss will rush for eight TDs.
-Josh Allen will get injured and miss three games. Mitchell Trubisky will play well for one game and then have two awful outings. I am not hoping for Allen to get hurt, but I just have a bad gut feeling about it this year. This is one I want to be wrong on, I never wish for injuries. But get ready to stream defenses against the Bills for a brief spell.
-Sam Darnold will emerge as a respectable fantasy QB2. But D.J. Moore won’t hit 1,100 receiving yards again. He will spread the ball around a lot and Dan Arnold will catch six TD passes.
-Justin Fields will start by Week 2. He will finish as Fantasy QB9, often reminding us of Deshaun Watson as a player.
-David Montgomery will rush for 150 yards and three TDs in a game as he cements himself as a high-end fantasy RB2.
Darnell Mooney will average 14.5 yards per reception and catch seven TD passes.
-The Bears will lose to the Packers in a tight game in the NFC Divisional Round. They will advance to the NFC Championship Game in 2022.
-Tee Higgins will perform at a fantasy WR2 level. Ja’Marr Chase will start slow but will come on to catch eight TD passes.
-Odell Beckham Jr. will miss four games but will play at a fantasy WR3 level when available. He will be boom or bust for most of the season.
-Ezekiel Elliott will rush for 12 TDs as a finisher for the best offense in the NFC.
-CeeDee Lamb will have more catches than Amari Cooper, but Cooper will finish with more TDs and a higher yards per reception average. That may not be bold, but will be the way it shakes out among the two top Cowboys WRs.
-Cooper will get the ruling on a controversial late catch in the Divisional Round at Lambeau Field. But Aaron Rodgers will engineer the game-winning drive. No, I don’t hate the Cowboys, and I do think Dez caught the ball. Regardless, Dallas will lose at Green Bay after beating the Rams in the Wild Card Game.
NFL VP of Officiating: Yes, Dez Bryant caught it vs. Packers https://t.co/LGhcu414GZ pic.twitter.com/iqaTOm2t9z
— Zesty NFL Cowboys (@zesty_cowboys) July 14, 2018
-Javonte Williams will be Denver’s lead RB by Week 4.
-Jerry Jeudy will catch 80 passes for 1,175 yards and eight TDs.
-D'Andre Swift will finish as a low-end fantasy RB2 even though the Lions only win four games.
-Aaron Rodgers will finish as fantasy QB2. The Packers will host the NFC Championship Game and defend their legendary turf this time, beating the Seahawks to advance to the Super Bowl.
-Robert Tonyan will catch 60 passes and finish with nine TDs.
-Phillip Lindsay will lead Houston in rushing yards and Mark Ingram will lead the team with six rushing scores.
-The Texans will win two games, beating the Patriots and the Jaguars at home. Bet them in those matchups.
-Michael Pittman Jr. will catch nine TD passes. Parris Campbell will catch seven.
-James Robinson will not be overworked like he was last year, and will finish as a higher-end fantasy RB2.
-Trevor Lawrence will rely on Marvin Jones as his most dependable pass-catcher. Jones will be a regular fantasy WR3 starter.
-The Jaguars will win seven games.
-Patrick Mahomes will miss two games with injuries. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be an unreliable Fantasy RB2. The Chiefs will lose to the Titans in the Divisional Round.
-Austin Ekeler will rush for four TDs and catch six TD passes. Donald Parham Jr. will outproduce Jared Cook. The Chargers will just miss the playoffs.
-Matthew Stafford will throw for 4,600-plus yards and 38 TDs and the Rams will win the NFC West. He will finish second in the NFL MVP voting. Los Angeles will be eliminated in the Wild Card round by a hungry Cowboys team. But Stafford will make fantasy players very happy as he sits on a new throne during the regular season in Los Angeles. This is how he will react when asked if he keeps up with his former team:
-Darrell Henderson will miss six games. He will be a very steady and sometimes explosive fantasy RB2 when he plays.
-You will cut Tyler Higbee by Week 5.
-Henry Ruggs will average 14.8 yards per catch and catch seven TD passes.
-Jaylen Waddle will the best rookie WR in fantasy football, catching nine TD passes. Malcolm Brown will lead Miami in rushing TDs with seven. Tua Tagovailoa will lead Miami to the playoffs while functioning as a respectable fantasy QB2.
Jaylen Waddle shook him 🤯 @D1__JW
(via @MiamiDolphins)pic.twitter.com/nyirqOJyva
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 18, 2021
-Miami will have the best defense in fantasy football. It starts in Week 1 vs. New England.
-Dalvin Cook will miss three games. That’s not a stretch, but it seems to be the realistic expectation.
-Jameis Winston will finish as fantasy QB14. He will have some fine outings and less turnovers. Taking less chances will lead to some mediocre fantasy outings. Winston will be boom or quiet.
-Marquez Callaway will finish just under 1,000 receiving yards with six TD catches.
-Juwan Johnson will lead the Saints TEs in receptions but Adam Trautman will catch one more TD, six to five.
-Saquon Barkley will miss five games. Kenny Golladay will miss four but still finish with eight TD catches.
Michael Carter Jr. will be the lead fantasy producer from the Jets backfield by Week 3.
-Corey Davis will finish as a mid-range fantasy WR2. He will catch 85 passes. The Jets will win six games.
-Miles Sanders will rush for no more than five TDs. DeVonta Smith will catch 65 passes for 950 yards and seven TDs as he misses a few games.
-Najee Harris will have 11 total TDs from scrimmage, eight rushing and three receiving.
-Pat Freiermuth will have seven TD receptions as a rookie.
-Russell Wilson will be much steadier this season and throw for 37 TD passes. Expect more consistency. He will finish third in the NFL MVP voting.
-Rashaad Penny will start three games and total 160-plus yards from scrimmage and two TDs in his best outing of the season.
-Gerald Everett will finish as fantasy TE9.
-Trey Lance will finish as fantasy QB10. The 49ers will lose in the Divisional Round to Seattle. Trey Sermon will be a fantasy RB2 as he emerges no later than the sixth game of the season.
-Tom Brady will finish as fantasy QB13. The Buccaneers will make the playoffs but not win a game.
-Derrick Henry will rush for 1,800 yards and 15 TDs. Julio Jones will miss five games but will catch seven TD passes. Anthony Firkser will finish as TE10. The Titans will win the AFC Championship.
-Ryan Fitzpatrick will finish as QB11. Antonio Gibson will finish as RB8. Terry McLaurin will finish as WR5 as he busts out with his best season yet working with Fitzpatrick. Washington will win the NFC East and lose in the first round of the playoffs. Fitzpatrick will throw a game-sealing interception.
-The Packers will win Super Bowl LVI over the Titans. Rodgers will throw five TD passes and win his second Super Bowl MVP award and fourth NFL MVP in his final season for Green Bay.
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