Redrafting the 2020 Fantasy Football Season

2020. Man, what a year. We had protests, fires, a global pandemic that shut down everything, and freaking murder hornets. By the way, what happened to them? We do still have a few weeks left in the year, so are they to be the grand finale? Not all was doom and gloom, though, and there were plenty of new acts to top the charts. A K-pop band rose to the top for the first time in the US and we are close to getting our Jetsons toy, as SkyDrive successfully tested a flying car.

The fantasy football world mirrored real life in 2020. There was carnage in the first round of drafts, as the consensus top three picks were all affected by injuries, but death often propels life. Here's a look at how the landscape would shape out if we were to redraft the season.

Before I begin, I need to provide transparency so that I don't get internet tomatoes thrown at me. Preseason ADP data is from FantasyPros. FantasyData was the source for total fantasy points through Week 14. I tried to stay true to drafting with the total fantasy points produced up to this date. So a player like Cam Akers, who has come on strong lately, didn't get elevated in the process.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024 fantasy football drafts:

• Fantasy football draft rankings (all positions)
• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Fantasy football rookie rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings
• IDP fantasy football rankings

 

Round 1

Preseason ADP was as such:

1. Christian McCaffrey - Has played only three games due to injury.
2. Ezekiel Elliott - Inept quarterback play due to the Dak Prescott injury tanked his season. The emergence of Tony Pollard has siphoned carries away.
3. Saquon Barkley - Season-ending injury
4. Derrick Henry - Rumbling, stumbling, and bumbling... Fine, just rumbling to lead the league in rushing yards.
5. Dalvin Cook - The Wolfgang Puck of running backs.
6. Michael Thomas - Injuries to both he and Drew Brees have torpedoed his season. He hasn't scored a touchdown all season!
7. Alvin Kamara - The number one ranked running back in PPR leagues. Crazy, huh?
8. Davante Adams - Is the apple that fell on Newton's head, not the one that Eve ate. Adams has defied the laws of fantasy physics by leading the league in both touchdowns and yards per game.
9. Nick Chubb - Missed four games due to injury but has been a stud since.
10. Tyreek Hill - Leading the wide receiver position in fantasy points. More than Adams! As Frank Drebin would say, "Nothing to see here."
11. Joe Mixon - Yuck. Missed the final 10 games due to injury.
12. Josh Jacobs - Game script dependent. Just throw him the damn ball!

Here is how the first round would look like if we were to redraft:

1. Alvin Kamara - The case could be made for Cook here, but the passing game involvement makes him game-script proof.
2. Dalvin Cook - The Vikings are fifth in the league for rushing play percentage at 47.63%. Cook has received 48 carries in the red zone, good for third in the league, and 18 attempts within the five-yard line, which is second behind only Ezekiel Elliott. He's scored 15 touchdowns on the season. Ironically, this Cook gets fed.
3. Tyreek Hill - THE big-play threat for THE best quarterback in the league directing THE most explosive offense in the NFL. He's also rushed 12 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
4. Davante Adams - Could easily put him at three. He's received double-digit targets in every game but three, and in two of those he garnered nine targets. Oh, he's also scored 14 touchdowns and has Aaron Rogers throwing him the ball.
5. Travis Kelce - He's THE best tight end on THE most explosive offense with THE best quarterback throwing him the ball. Kelce is essentially a wide receiver one. As it stands, his fantasy points would rank him below Davante Adams. He has scored 62 more fantasy points than the second tight end and 106 fantasy points more than the third tight end.
6. Derrick Henry - The Titans are fourth in rushing play percentage and Henry leads the league in red zone carries. The lack of passing game involvement is always a concern, but he's failed to reach 100 yards rushing in only five games.
7. James Robinson - There are wide receivers who have scored more fantasy points than Robinson, but three-down running backs are gold. 224 rushes for 1,035 yards with seven touchdowns to go along with 46 receptions on 57 targets for 326 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
8. Stefon Diggs - New team? No problem, as he's produced 100 receptions on 134 targets for 1167 yards and five touchdowns. I could see some going with Aaron Jones here to lock up a running back, but the landscape has shifted some. The fragility of the running back position, more committee situations, and the consistency of alpha wide receivers elevate the position.
9. DK Metcalf - If Tyreek is The Cheetah, then D. K. Metcalf is a wildebeest with NOS. 69 catches on 106 targets for 1180 yards and 10 touchdowns.
10. Keenan Allen - 144 targets!!! The ADOT is low, but 144 targets! That leads the league by a wide margin, as Diggs is second with 134.
11. DeAndre Hopkins - Another wide receiver. I'm looking to place Aaron Jones somewhere, but he just can't hang with these top receivers. Hopkins hasn't had a massive season, as his ADOT is very low as well,  but 94 receptions on 127 targets for 1155 yards and 5 touchdowns is no laughing matter. The pace at which Arizona plays helps his volume.
12. Patrick Mahomes - I hate putting Mahomie up this high, as I'm a late-round quarterback guy. With that said, he's unbelievably consistent, has a sky-high ceiling, and is in one of the best environments out there for a quarterback. He put up 329.32 fantasy points on the season.

 

Round 2

Preseason ADP was as such:

1. Julio Jones - Never Julio, as the kids like to say. Jones has missed several games due to injury. Plus, Matt Ryan has been ice cold, so the Matty Ice nickname isn't a nickname anymore.
2. Aaron Jones - Jamaal Williams gets too much work for my liking.
3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire - We fell for the banana in the tailpipe.
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Lamar Jackson - The 9% touchdown rate from last season was unsustainable. In addition, slightly fewer rushing plays per game.
6. DeAndre Hopkins 
7. Travis Kelce
8. Chris Godwin - Not God. Missed several games due to injury and Tom Brady spreads the ball around. Godwin has one game with at least 10 targets and has not eclipsed 100 yards in a game all season.
9. Kenyan Drake - Utilized differently this season. The lack of passing game involvement is a surprise. In addition, Chase Edmonds carved out a role for himself.
10. George Kittle - Succumbed to injury.
11. Miles Sanders - Missed some games due to injury. Even when healthy, though, utilized in a sub-optimal fashion.
12. Austin Ekeler - Missed games due to injury. Fragility at the running back position! I'm curious if the market swings the other way and provides value at the position next year.

Here is how the second round would look like if we were to redraft:

1. Kyler Murray - Right behind Mahomes with 326.44 fantasy points on the season. Like I wrote in the Mahomes blurb, I hate having quarterbacks this high, but the numbers are the numbers. The top running backs, tight end, and wide receivers are off the board so here we are. The rushing floor/upside combined with the elevated number of plays run by the Cardinals is unmatched. Murray rushed 115 times for 712 yards and 10 touchdowns, while the Cardinals were fourth in total plays run from scrimmage with 886. Oh, almost forgot. He also completed 309 or 461 passes for 3231 yards and 23 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Pretty, pretty good.
2. Aaron Jones - Jones is one of the most explosive running backs in the league and can take it to the house on any play. Unfortunately, he doesn't get the bell cow usage like the other top backs. On the season, he's carried 150 times and received 51 targets in the passing game. Jamaal Williams has rushed 113 times and garnered 33 targets. Yuck. With that said, he's in an Aaron Rodgers-led offense, so opportunities will always be there. The ceiling is capped, though.
3. Allen Robinson II - What did Robinson do in a past life to deserve the quarterbacks he's had to deal with? He should be the face of the "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade" campaign. Despite having to snare Scuds from Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky, Robinson has still managed to haul in 86 receptions for 1,027 yards and six touchdowns.
4. Calvin Ridley - Imagine if Matt Ryan was still good? I kid. Ridley has hauled in 67 of 108 targets for 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns. And he missed a game. Ridley received at least nine targets in eight of 13 games.
5. Justin Jefferson - I actually wrote that Bisi Johnson would be the number two receiver in Minnesota. I'm a stupid, stupid man. Jefferson is amazing. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
6. Tyler Lockett - Overall numbers are boosted by two monster games: 15 receptions for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and nine receptions for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Amazing roto player. Too bad fantasy football is head to head. Regardless, he has Russell Wilson throwing him the ball and the potential to win any week is there.
7. Kareem Hunt - Nick Chubb is Superman, a player with unbelievable physical attributes, while Kareem Hunt is more Batman, who has a diverse utility belt. Too bad he is also Robin, and to Superman no less. With that said, Hunt's numbers are elevated because Chubb missed games due to injury, but we are redrafting with that scenario.
8. Ezekiel Elliott - Elliott currently has 211 rushes on the season. The only other season he didn't eclipse 300 carries was in 2017, when he missed six games. Injuries to the offensive line and Dak Prescott destroyed his season. With that said, he is still receiving the bulk of the carries, has 63 targets in the passing game, and is the goal line back.
9. Mike Davis - Stepped into the CMC role.
10. David Montgomery - Feet of Saquon Barkley. Vision of Le'Veon Bell. Strength of Ezekiel Elliott. Athleticism of Sony Michel. Never forget. The production on the ground has been subpar. Only one game with at least 20 carries and two games over 100 yards. With that said, the passing game involvement has been a pleasant surprise, as he's received 55 targets on the season.
11. Adam Thielen - Missed a few games and isn't the target hog like in years past, as Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson are also getting theirs, but heavy red zone involvement has led to 12 touchdowns on the season.
12. Amari Cooper - The loss of Prescott hurts for sure, but he has more receptions than last year, is on pace for more targets, and could equal the yardage number. The brutal state of the running back position elevated Cooper here.

 

Round 3

Preseason ADP was as such:

1. Kenny Golladay - Missed most of the season due to injury and still not back.
2. Mike Evans - Has scored 11 touchdowns, but only two games with at least 100 yards. Career-low aDOT of 11.9.
3. Todd Gurley - One game over 100 yards and limited usage in the passing game. In weeks 11, 13, and 14, Gurley has essentially been phased out, receiving eight, eight, and six carries respectively.
4. Amari Cooper
5. Odell Beckham Jr. - Season-ending ACL injury. Didn't do much when healthy, though, as the Browns leaned heavily on the run.
6. Chris Carson - Missed some games and wasn't heavily used when on the field. Four games with fewer than 10 carries and limited usage in the passing game.
7. JuJu Smith-Schuster - Morphed into Larry Fitzgerald, as the aDOT plummeted from 9.7 to 5.4.
8. Adam Thielen
9. Jonathan Taylor - A roller coaster of a season being compared to Trent Richardson at one end of the spectrum and Barry Sanders at the other. The Colts utilized three running backs and were opponent-specific in their gameplans. With that said, over the last three weeks, Taylor has been the guy and rushed for at least 90 yards in each game. The limited role in the passing game limits ceiling, though.
10. A. J. Brown - Missed a few games and low passing volume hurts his overall value. Has scored nine touchdowns, though.
11. David Johnson - This D. J. was not producing the hits this season. Or the season before. Missed games due to Covid. When healthy, never rushed for more than 100 yards and receive over four targets in a game.
12. Mark Andrews - Missed a few games due to injury. Low passing volume hurts and the regression in touchdown rate for Lamar Jackson directly impacted Andrews.

Here is how the third round would look like if we were to redraft:

1. Robert Woods - With the Rams going from the 17th-most rushing attempts to seventh this season, the passing volume has dissipated somewhat for Woods. With that said, he's still garnered 106 targets so far on the season and rushed 21 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
2. Darren Waller - Like Kelce, Waller is essentially a wide receiver, as his 205.7 fantasy points would rank him 14th among wide receivers. The crazy thing is that the gap between him and Kelce is over 60 points!
3. Antonio Gibson - Displayed his versatility and explosiveness. Unfortunately, the usage was inconsistent and the "emergence" of J. D. McKissic was depressing. With that said, he scored 11 touchdowns.
4. Josh Jacobs - Eclipsed the 100-yard mark only twice and the lack of passing game involvement made him game script dependent.
5. Jonathan Taylor
6. Aaron Rodgers - Was left for dead in preseason drafts, as he had thrown only 25 and 26 touchdowns the prior two seasons. Tadow! 39 touchdowns later, Rodgers responds with, "How you like me now?"
7. Russell Wilson - Russ was allowed to cook for much of the early part of the schedule, but tailed off as the season progressed. From weeks 11-14, Wilson failed to surpass 265 yards and threw eight touchdowns. Compare that to the first five games of the year, as he tossed 19 touchdowns and threw for over 300 yards in three of those games.
8. Josh Allen - The rushing fell off, but the coaching staff put trust in Allen by utilizing more spread concepts and allowing him to throw it more. The Bills went from 21st in passing play percentage to 12th this season. As a result, he rewarded the coaching staff and fantasy owners with an increase of 10% in completion percentage and 28 passing touchdowns.
9. Deshaun Watson - I hate having all these quarterbacks here, but the numbers tell me otherwise. The rest of the positions were meh and this tier was much better than the next. Watson led the NFL in average yards per attempt at 8.7. Plus, he added 369 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
10. Robby Anderson - The aDOT plummeted from 14.6 to 9.6 and only two touchdowns were secured. Thanks, Teddy Bridgewater. The decrease in splash plays led to a higher catch rate and more receptions. Woo hoo for PPR!
11. Terry McLaurin - He is the new Allen Robinson, as he is able to ball out despite the poor quarterback play. The 1001 yards and three touchdowns are all him. I exaggerate, but not that much.
12. Tyler Boyd - The Bengals were fifth in pass attempts per game and could have been higher if Joe Burrow didn't go down. Boyd was a big beneficiary as he was on pace for 139 targets, 1136 yards, and 4.8 touchdowns.

 

Round 4

Preseason ADP was as such:

1. Leonard Fournette - What a ride. From starter in Jacksonville to unemployed to signing with Tampa Bay to watching LeSean McCoy take his place. At least he was able to stay in the same state.
2. Allen Robinson II
3. Cooper Kupp - Had a huge 2019 with 94 receptions, 1161 yards, and 10 touchdowns. As with Woods, the passing volume dissipated as the Rams went more run-heavy this season. Preseason drafters were smart to not go chasing waterfalls, as the touchdowns plummeted to three this season.
4. Deshaun Watson
5. James Conner - A supposed bell-cow, three-down running back in the fourth round? Yahtzee! Unfortunately, Conner missed a few games, and only received 20 carries in a game two times. The killer, though, was the lack of targets in the passing game. Back in 2018, Conner received 71 targets. So far in 2020, he's garnered only 30.
6. D. J. Moore - His aDOT increased to a career-high 12.5. Unfortunately, the efficiency decreased to a career-low 56.2%.
7. Calvin Ridley 
8. Dak Prescott - Sad face.
9. Mark Ingram - Injuries and the emergence of J. K. Dobbins nuked Ingram.
10. Raheem Mostert - Injuries derailed his season.
11. Melvin Gordon III - Injuries and splitting carries with Phillip Lindsay.
12. Le'Veon Bell - Went from being the man in New York to getting released to signing with the Chiefs to being the backup to Edwards-Helaire.

Here is how the fourth round would look like if we were to redraft:

1. Ronald Jones Jr. - Carved out the main role in the backfield for Tampa Bay and is 100 yards short of a thousand-yard season. The 42 targets are encouraging, although, the presence of Fournette capped the passing game upside.
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster
3. A. J. Brown
4. Cooper Kupp
5. Mike Evans
6. Cole Beasley - The increased volume in the Bills passing attack has been a boon for Beasley. 71 catches on 92 targets for 838 yards and four touchdowns. The aDOT hasn't changed from prior years, but yards per reception is a career-best 11.8.
7. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
8. Kenyan Drake
9. Nyheim Hines - Hines had that special sauce, scoring two touchdowns in three separate games. Hines was second on the Colts with 62 targets, but more impressively, received 33 red zone looks.
10. Nick Chubb
11. Chris Carson
12. Chase Claypool - Started the season slowly, but then exploded in Week 5 with seven catches for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Diontae Johnson happened to miss that game, so was the third fiddle when everyone was healthy. Still garnered 84 targets and scored 10 touchdowns on the season, with two of those on the ground.

 

Round 5

Preseason ADP was as such:

1. Zach Ertz - Injuries killed his season.
2. Tyler Lockett
3. Courtland Sutton - I hate injuries.
4. D. K. Metcalf
5. Keenan Allen
6. Robert Woods
7. DeVante Parker - Regressed from the 128 targets, 1,202-yard, and nine touchdown campaign in 2019. Quarterback change and the conservative offense were to blame.
8. Stefon Diggs
9. Kyler Murray
10. Devin Singletary - Increased passing volume from the Bills offense and the emergence of Zack Moss killed his value.
11. D. J. Chark Jr. - Two games with over 10 targets, but only one game with at least 100 yards receiving. The aDOT was a career-high, but unfortunately, Gardner Minshew started only seven games, while Jake Luton and Mike Glennon started three games each.
12. Cam Akers - Has received 21 and 29 carries the past two games. Unfortunately, he totaled 59 carries the rest of the season.

Look at all that wide receiver value!

Here is how the fifth round would look like if we were to redraft:

1. D. J. Moore
2. Diontae Johnson - The alpha of the wide receiver core for the Steelers, Johnson received at least 10 targets in eight games. The bugaboo is the 61.1% catch rate.
3. Tee Higgins - 92 targets on the season with eight games with at least eight targets.
4. CeeDee Lamb - The loss of Dak Prescott hurt, but Lamb still scored 165.2 fantasy points, good for the 27th wide receiver.
5. Curtis Samuel - The receiving numbers weren't particularly impressive, but he was involved in the running game. He was second on the team with 20 red zone opportunites.
6. Corey Davis - Inconsistent production due to the low passing volume and A. J. Brown, but still had four games with at least 100 yards and three games with over 10 targets.
7. Will Fuller - He was the 17th wide receiver in terms of fantasy points, but had to move him down due to the suspension.
8. Todd Gurley - Scored nine touchdowns and was semi-productive in the early going, receiving at least 18 carries in five games, but got phased out as the season went on.
9. Melvin Gordon III
10. Chase Edmonds - More of a nuisance to Kenyan Drake's value, Edmonds carried the ball 83 times for 404 yards and a touchdown while receiving 57 targets and scoring three touchdowns in the passing game.
11. D'Andre Swift - Got injured and Patricia'd, but showed his tremendous upside when given the opportunity. In limited duty, rushed for 355 yards and scored five touchdowns on 77 carries while catching 35 of 44 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns.
12. Miles Sanders

 

Round 6

Preseason ADP was as such:

1. Darren Waller
2. T. Y. Hilton - Seven games with five or fewer targets. Only two games with at least 10 targets and one game hauling in over 100 yards. Brutal season with 46 receptions for 604 yards and four touchdowns.
3. Terry McLaurin
4. A. J. Green - I thought Green was primed for a bounceback season with Burrow at the helm. Did I mention that I'm a stupid, stupid man? Don't answer that. Injuries did sap some production, but he received at least 10 targets in only three games and didn't reach the 100-yard threshold.
5. David Montgomery
6. Jarvis Landry - Cleveland was 30th in pass attempts per game. Only three games with at least 10 targets and 87 on the season after receiving 138, 149, and 161 the prior three seasons.
7. Kareem Hunt
8. D'Andre Swift
9. Drew Brees - Injuries and age affected his season.
10. Michael Gallup - No Prescott, no bueno.
11. Rob Gronkowski - Is the 10th tight end in fantasy scoring after 13 games. That says more about the tight end landscape than anything else. He's 148.46 points behind Kelce.
12. Marquise Brown - Hollywood for the wrong reason: all sizzle no steak. He did score five touchdowns, but the catch rate was only 53.1% and he only caught 43 of 81 targets. The accuracy of Lamar Jackson and low passing volume, in general, didn't help.

Here is how the sixth round would look like if we were to redraft:

1. Brandon Aiyuk - Missed some games but the Jimmy Garoppolo injury really hurt.
2. Marvin Jones - The 61-catch, 1,101-yard, nine-touchdown season from 2017 seems like a generation ago. To be fair, Jones has 55 catches and six touchdowns through 13 games, but he's at 12.1 yards per reception, a far cry from the 18 Y/R mark he posted three seasons ago.
3. Brandin Cooks - O'Brien'd. In the four games he was coach, Cooks received five, eight, five, and three targets. The five games after O'Brien was fired, 12, nine, nine, nine, and eight targets.
4. Jarvis Landry
5. Ryan Tannehill - The Titans opened up the offense a bit this season, as they improved from 32nd to 27th in pass attempts per game. Last season through 10 games, Tannehill attempted 286 passes. This year, he's thrown 403 passes in 13 games, an increase of three passes per game. He's always chipped in the running game and has contributed 152 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, to go along with 28 passing touchdowns.
6. Lamar Jackson
7. Justin Herbert - What a revelation for the Chargers, as Herbert threw for over 300 yards in each of his first two starts. In 12 total starts, he's completed 66.3% of his passes for 3467 yards and 25 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions.
8. Tom Brady - Brady is attempting 38 passes per game, the same number as last year with the Patriots. The difference is that he's already thrown six more touchdowns in three fewer games. There's a chance he can match is 2015 high of 36 touchdowns in a season.
9. T. J. Hockenson - Has scored the third-most points among tight ends, but is 41 points behind Waller and 106 points behind Kelce.
10. Robert Tonyan - Has received more than five targets only twice all season, but has scored nine touchdowns.
11. James Conner
12. DeVante Parker

 

Round 7

Preseason ADP was as such:

1. Josh Allen
2. Julian Edelman - Season-ending knee injury.
3. Matt Ryan - Remember when Ryan was good? Yeah, me neither. The completion percentage is the lowest since 2011 and he's only thrown 19 touchdowns on the season.
4. Tom Brady
5. Tyler Boyd
6. Evan Engram - 88 targets? Ok. 50 receptions? Yuck. 56.8% catch rate? YUCK. One touchdown? YUCK YUCK YUCK. With that said, the sixth tight end for fantasy.
7. Aaron Rodgers
8. Hunter Henry - Three touchdowns and 548 receiving yards. Ladies and gentlemen, clap your hands together and give a warm RotoBaller welcome to the number seven tight end for 2020.
9. Jared Cook - Five or fewer targets in 10 games. The loss of Drew Brees hurt, but he wasn't lighting the world on fire with him either.
10. Will Fuller V
11. Deebo Samuel - Hamstring injury cost him a bunch of games.
12. Brandin Cooks

Here is how the seventh round would look like if we were to redraft:

1. Julio Jones - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Missed four games and only scored three touchdowns. Told y'all 2020 was nutty.
2. J. D. McKissic - The 25th running back in PPR scoring. Ha! McKissic only rushed 66 times for 299 yards, but he hauled in 58 of 82 targets for 426 yards.
3. Nelson Agholor - Last year, Agholor caught 39 of 69 targets in 10 starts. This season, he's caught 38 of 64 targets in 10 starts. The difference? Philly fans close your eyes. 635 yards and seven touchdowns compared to 363 yards and three touchdowns.
4. Tim Patrick - The 37th wide receiver in PPR leagues. Caught 43 of 67 targets for 643 yards and six touchdowns.
5. Mike Gesicki - 44 receptions for 602 yards and six touchdowns. Good for the fifth tight end in PPR leagues. Ran 56% of routes from the slot.
6. Mark Andrews
7. Hunter Henry
8. Logan Thomas - Only one game with more than 70 yards receiving in a game and six games with more than five targets. Thomas had three games with fewer than 10 yards. The number eight tight end for fantasy. What a wasteland.
9. Ben Roethlisberger - 29 touchdowns with nine interceptions, good for the number 11 quarterback in fantasy.
10. Kirk Cousins - Only attempted 400 passes, yet threw for 27 touchdowns on 8.2 yards per attempt.
11. Derek Carr - Quarterback run! In normal drafts, these guys probably get drafted a few rounds later, but the options at the other positions were yuck. Carr had four games with three touchdowns in a game. The 24 touchdowns on the season are the most since 2016 when he threw for 28. There are still three games left in the season.
12. Keelan Cole Sr. - Caught 47 of 74 targets for 571 yards and five touchdowns. Too bad the quarterback situation was in flux down in Jacksonville or the numbers could have been better. Regardless, Cole is the 38th wide receiver, ahead of Marquise Brown, Chris Godwin, Christian Kirk, Darius Slayton, and Emmanuel Sanders.

 

Lessons Learned

Football is a violent sport so injuries are a part of the game. Can we predict them, though? Nope. So there's a certain amount of luck that goes into every season. You can spend countless hours kneeling before the injury gods but a more efficient use of your time would be to try and understand the landscape.

The running back position is a fragile position, as evidenced by the carnage that happened in 2020. It's been well-documented that passing has become more prevalent over the years, with the wide receiver position getting an increase of viable fantasy candidates. With that said, the alphas have separated themselves from the pack, and their consistency has become worth paying for. Tight end is a wasteland with Travis Kelce head and shoulders above the pack, with Darren Waller a distant second.

Going forward, fantasy football comes down to draft cost. It will be interesting to see how the market reacts to the events of 2020. Will running backs slip in drafts next season while wide receivers get elevated? If so, then some tremendous value could be had.

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