Fantasy Football Guide 2021: NFC sleepers, targets, busts, strategies

The two-part fantasy football guide from Zach Cohen concludes in the NFC with sleepers, busts, strategies and much more for every team.

I’ll skip the fluff. For part one of my fantasy football guide, click here to see the 100+ AFC players I break down.

For strategies, sleepers, busts, targets and more from the NFC, congratulations! You’ve come to the right place. If you want the full rundown on what you can expect, I encourage you to read the intro in the AFC guide.

It tells you that my research stems from 12-team PPR leagues unless stated otherwise. It also tells you that ADP means Average Draft Position. It also tells you what it means when I say RB1 or TE6 if you didn’t already know. An RB1 references a top-12 player at his position, hence one starter for every team in the league. The RB1 means the overall No. 1 running back. Pay attention to the articles used if you’re unsure what I’m talking about.

I also compiled all information from Pro Football Reference and 4for4 Football, unless stated otherwise. As for what makes my NFC guide different than my AFC one, you’ll get to hear about the NFC players who fall into these categories.

• Favorite sleepers, like Trey Lance and Trey Sermon
• My favorite players to fade, like Leonard Fournette and Evan Engram
• My favorite targets, like Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson

I also dive into my overall strategy, which includes:

• Prioritizing running backs and tight ends
• Avoiding the handcuffs to your starters
• Waiting on quarterbacks, mostly
• Balancing risk with consistency
• Streaming defenses and kickers

So let’s get back into this mammoth 6,700-word guide filled with 100+ players. Have questions or want more analysis? Hit me up on Twitter @ZachCohenFB.

Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Football Guide

I could say the same about Kyler Murray as I did about Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes: Consider the opportunity cost when drafting him. It doesn’t make him a bad pick if, say, there’s a clear run on quarterbacks in your draft. Just make sure you’re comfortable with who you’re passing up by taking Murray or any top quarterback.

Ah, Chase Edmonds. He’s been one of my favorite fantasy targets for the last couple of seasons. However, I’m not as high on him this year. He definitely has the potential to be a solid RB2 for your team, especially if the Cardinals‘ offense kicks into full gear. I just don’t think Kliff Kingsbury is ready to give the reins over to Edmonds.

Bringing in the bigger James Conner didn’t help Edmonds’ case either. You should be very confident in your first two running backs before you take a swing on Edmonds. As for Conner, meh. An injury to Edmonds may make Conner worthy of a starting spot. For now, he doesn’t offer much upside at his current price.

Don’t get me wrong, DeAndre Hopkins is clearly a top-five wide receiver, and he should be drafted as such. I just look around at the other wideouts in that group: Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Calvin Ridley. Aside from Travis Kelce and Kyle Pitts—who are just bigger receivers— none of those teams really did much to enhance their team receiving rooms beyond their star wideout. The Cardinals added A.J. Green and drafted Rondale Moore.

It seems to me Kingsbury wants to spread the ball out a bit more, even if it’s by a slim margin. While I expect Green to be a non-factor, Moore was getting schemed the ball left and right in the preseason. I’d take the other four receivers before I take Hopkins. If Maxx Williams becomes fantasy-relevant, consider it a sign of the apocalypse.