Fantasy Football: 5 Bold predictions for the 2021 season
By Matt Gruber
4. Tyler Higbee will score 10 touchdowns
After a disappointing season in 2020, I think we see Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee bounce back in a big way. An upgrade at quarterback with Matthew Stafford coupled with the fact that the new signal-caller loves his big pass catchers, it would not surprise me to see Higbee be his favorite target in the red zone.
Fellow tight end Gerald Everett is now gone. Higbee finally has the tight end position to himself. In the five games Everett missed back in 2019, Higbee averaged 11 targets per game. This is now a new quarterback but, last season, Stafford targeted then-teammate tight end T.J. Hockenson 101 times and connected with him for six touchdowns.
While the Rams have plenty of offensive weapons, I expect Stafford to lock on to the 6-foot-6 tight end often. Higbee scoring 10 touchdowns is a real possibility.
3. Tee Higgins will be a top-15 wide receiver in fantasy football
Coming off a productive rookie season where Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins recorded 67 catches for 908 yards and six touchdowns on 108 targets, year two could be even better. With a full year under his belt, a better understanding of the league and the playbook, and a stronger rapport with quarterback Joe Burrow, Higgins could be in for a big year. In addition, the Bengals drafted wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the first round this year, and that will draw some attention away from Higgins.
Last season, Higgins finished as the WR28 in PPR leagues with 194.6 fantasy points. The 15th ranked fantasy receiver finished with 236.8 fantasy points. All his production was done in 14 games. If we extrapolate his numbers over 16 games, Higgins would have logged 77 catches for 1,038 yards and seven touchdowns. This equates to 222.8 fantasy points, or the WR21. With Burrow under center for an entire season, we can expect Higgins’ numbers to only get better.