Fantasy Football Bold Predictions 2021

Let’s get the Internet fired up, shall we?

As we inch closer to the start of the 2021 regular season that’s only a couple weeks away, it’s time for the annual fantasy football bold predictions column. While this exercise is intended to be fun and out there, I hope some of these predictions give you some pause and prompt a re-check on a player you may not have changed your opinion on in weeks or months. 

There is one prediction for all 32 NFL teams. These takes will range from medium to spicy, but I want to be clear: I’m not writing this for the sake of shock value. Each one of the 32 predictions below represents something I either truly believe will happen or I believe is well within the realm of possibility.

Send all your hate mail to me on Twitter (@JaimeEisner) or Instagram (@JaimeEisnerTDN), and be sure to check out my updated rankings and projections for the 2021 fantasy season below.

Projections: QB | RB | WR | TE | Top 200

Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DST | Top 200

Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray does not finish as a top-five QB.

Atlanta Falcons: Calvin Ridley leads the NFL in receiving yards.

Baltimore Ravens: J.K. Dobbins ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in rushing touchdowns yet still finishes below his ADP (RB15).

Buffalo Bills: Stefon Diggs finishes as the only top-five fantasy WR without double-digit touchdowns—and still ranks in the top two.

Carolina Panthers: Sam Darnold finishes outside the top 25 in passing touchdowns.

Chicago Bears: Justin Fields is a top-eight fantasy QB once he’s named the starter.

Cincinnati Bengals: Tee Higgins leads all Bengals in receiving touchdowns.

Cleveland Browns: Donovan Peoples-Jones scores more touchdowns than Odell Beckham Jr.

Dallas Cowboys: Amari Cooper outscores CeeDee Lamb by an average of 2 fantasy points per game.

Denver Broncos: Courtland Sutton finishes outside the top 50 WRs in average fantasy points per game.

Detroit Lions: Jared Goff leads the NFL in pass attempts, yet doesn’t reach the 300-fantasy-point threshold.

Green Bay Packers: Robert Tonyan’s touchdown total drops by more than 50% year over year.

Houston Texans: Tyrod Taylor finishes as a top-18 QB in average fantasy points per game.

Indianapolis Colts: Kylen Granson leads all Colts TEs in fantasy points.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Marvin Jones finishes top three in the AFC in receiving touchdowns.

Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce scores at least 50 fantasy points more than any other TE in the NFL.

Las Vegas Raiders: Hunter Renfrow leads all Raiders WRs in fantasy points.

Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams finishes no higher than fourth on the team in targets.

Los Angeles Rams: Tyler Higbee finishes with the same fantasy points per game as T.J. Hockenson.

Miami Dolphins: Myles Gaskin finishes as a top-12 running back in average fantasy points per game.

Minnesota Vikings: Justin Jefferson outperforms his WR8 finish from last season.

New England Patriots: Neither Jonnu Smith nor Hunter Henry finish as a top-15 TE.

New Orleans Saints: No Saints WR finishes in the top 40 in total fantasy points.

New York Giants: Kenny Golladay finishes outside the top 50 WRs in fantasy points.

New York Jets: Ty Johnson finishes as a top-50 RB.

Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts doesn’t get benched, finishes as a top-10 fantasy QB.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t finish as a top-20 QB in average fantasy points per game despite having three WRs ranked in the top 35 in average fantasy points per game. 

San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk outscores George Kittle in total fantasy points.

Seattle Seahawks: D.K. Metcalf finishes outside of WR1 territory in average fantasy points per game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Antonio Brown leads all Buccaneers in targets.

Tennessee Titans: Julio Jones has his lowest receptions per game output since his rookie season (4.15 per game, 2011).

Washington Football Team: J.D. McKissic finishes top four in RB targets for the second year in a row.