Fantasy Football Rankings 2021: Sleepers, breakouts, busts from top model that nailed Allen’s huge year
Written by Luck Wilson on August 21, 2021
The Green Bay Packers are stacked with a plethora of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball who could help you win your Fantasy football 2021 championship. Tight End Robert Tonyan exploded onto the scene and was among the top Fantasy football sleepers in 2020, finishing with 52 receptions for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wide receiver Davante Adams also had a sensational season, catching 115 passes for 1,374 yards and 18 touchdowns. Who are this year’s 2021 Fantasy football breakouts, sleepers, and busts?
Will Adams be able to score double-digit touchdowns for the fifth time in his career, and how does he stack up with other dominant receivers like Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson in the latest 2021 Fantasy football rankings? Before setting your 2021 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2021 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Bills quarterback Josh Allen was being drastically undervalued. His Fantasy football ADP was barely in the top 70, but the model pegged him as a top-five Fantasy quarterback, a QB1 who would finish well ahead of players like Kyler Murray, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Allen ended up being the No. 2-scoring Fantasy QB, outscoring all three of those other quarterbacks and even surpassing Patrick Mahomes. Fantasy players who followed SportsLine’s advice reaped plenty of value with that pick.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, also identifying A.J. Brown as another sleeper in 2020 and players like Devin Singletary and JuJu Smith-Schuster as busts last season. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2021, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2021 Fantasy football sleepers
One of the 2021 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones. The 10-year veteran has been one of the most consistent threats in the red-zone in recent years. In fact, Jones has scored nine touchdowns in three of his last four seasons and found the end zone a total of 32 times over the last four years.
Jones brings a veteran presence to a young Jacksonville offense led by rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Jones hauled in 76 of 115 targets for 978 yards and nine touchdowns last season in Detroit, but despite his consistent production, Fantasy owners continue to overlook the 31-year-old wideout. In fact, Jones is currently being drafted in the 12th round according to the latest 2021 Fantasy football ADP.
However, SportsLine’s Fantasy football cheat sheets 2021 rank Jones ahead of receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. (ninth-round ADP), Michael Thomas (eighth) and Jerry Jeudy (10th).
Top 2021 Fantasy football breakouts
The model is also projecting Vikings tight end Irv Smith as one of its top 2021 Fantasy Football breakouts. Minnesota let tight end Kyle Rudolph sign with the Giants in the offseason, which means Smith will be in line for more production in the Vikings’ aerial attack.
With Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen drawing double-teams in the red zone, Smith could see plenty of targets inside the 20-yard-line. That bodes well for Smith’s Fantasy football 2021 value, given the fact that he’s produced when given the opportunity. In fact, Smith has received at least five targets in a game just six times in his career, but he’s averaged 11.6 points in PPR leagues those contests. The latest 2021 Fantasy football ADP shows Smith going off in the 13th round, but SportsLine’s model says he’s a better value than multiple 11th-round options, including Robert Tonyan and Tyler Higbee.
Top 2021 Fantasy football busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas as one of its biggest 2021 Fantasy football busts. New Orleans’ No. 1 receiver had a record-setting season in 2019, finishing with 149 receptions for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. He was drafted as the near-consensus WR1 in 2020, but injuries derailed his season, as he finished with just 438 receiving yards and zero scores.
Thomas is also expected to miss the early part of the 2021 regular season after undergoing ankle surgery this summer. Despite the threat of missing significant time, owners are still drafting Thomas in the eighth-round according to the latest 2021 Fantasy football ADP. However, SportsLine’s model lists Thomas ranked behind fellow wideouts like Emmanuel Sanders (14th-round ADP), Marquise Brown (13th) and Marvin Jones (12th), making him one of the top 2021 Fantasy football busts to avoid.
How to find proven 2021 Fantasy football football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about being drafted in the middle rounds of 2021 Fantasy football drafts. This quarterback is listed as a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. You can only see who it is, and the 2020 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2021 Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2021 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Josh Allen’s huge season, and find out.
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