Folks, fantasy football is one of the best ways to spend your free time during the year and we’re here to get you prepared for it! Today I want to focus on five players who had a rough go of things during the 2020 fantasy football campaign that are poised to rebound heading into the 2021 season.
Simply put, these players had a lot of bad luck in 2020. In football, just like in life, everything generally tends to regress to the mean. So let’s have a look at five players who will absolutely rebound in 2021 as long as they’re healthy.
1. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
It’s no secret that Clyde Edwards-Helaire had an incredibly disappointing fantasy season last year when you consider that in most leagues he was a first round pick. He had just five touchdowns last season and due to his smaller frame he was limited in goal line work. The good news for CEH is that he was a statistical anomaly last season as he was the only running back with 205 attempts to score less than eight rushing touchdowns in 2020. That trend is unlikely to continue for two years in a row.
2. RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Sticking with the AFC West theme, Austin Ekeler is absolutely set to rebound this season. Ekeler only played in ten games last season but he had his highest rushing yards per game at 53 and his highest targets per game with 6.5 targets. His three touchdowns last season was also the lowest total of his career. Those factors combined with him hopefully playing in more games will mean a lot of positive regression for Ekeler.
3. TE Evan Engram, New York Giants
*Sigh*, I can’t quit Evan Engram. Every single year I get so excited about his upside and every single year he flashes potential but then underperforms. Engram’s biggest issue is that he doesn’t get enough end zone targets. With that being said, he is one of the most athletic tight ends in the league. If the ship is going to get right then it’s going to be this season with all of the weapons that the Giants offense has.
4. RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Nobody enjoyed watching Zeke suck more than I did last year in what was clearly the worst season of his career to date. He couldn’t hold onto the ball and he rushed for a lower rushing total through fifteen games than in the season where he played just ten games when he was suspended for alleged domestic violence.
With that being said, Zeke has one of the highest usage rates inside of the five yard line in his career last season. The fact that he only scored eight touchdowns last season was purely bad luck for him. On top of that, Dak Prescott will be under center which will not allow teams to key in on him inside the five yard line.
5. Odell Beckham Jr., WR Cleveland Browns
Listen, I get that I’m the king of the Odell Beckham Jr. fan club. I wear that mantle with pride and joy. With that being said, the Browns are loaded on offense this year and Odell Beckham is going to get his share of pie. He is still a guy who should easily get 1000 yards receiving if he’s healthy and at minimum five touchdowns. He may not be as flashy as he once was, but he’s still a solid fantasy starter.
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