Showing posts with label Ezekiel Elliott. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ezekiel Elliott. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

New England Patriots 2023 Fantasy Football Projections

Our Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2023 fantasy football projections for the New England Patriots.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Mac Jones522.1343.33680.818.813.0548.5116.40.61211.63
Matt Corral36.322.5250.51.20.9815.455.40.3520.5

Mac Jones: Jones missed some time in 2022, so his counting stats were down, but so were his efficiency numbers — 65.2% completion rate (67.6% in 2021), 3.2 TD% (4.2%), 6.8 Y/A (7.3) and 84.8 passer rating (92.5). Things should be better (than last year) with Bill O'Brien taking over the offense, but Jones' upside is relatively limited. Jones isn't draftable outside of two-QB or super flex leagues.

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Rhamondre Stevenson203.8927.35.546.6334.21.5191.45
Ezekiel Elliott163.1660.65.3823.4192.60.8134.1

Rhamondre Stevenson: Stevenson is coming off a breakout season (1,040 rushing yards, 69 receptions for 421 yards and six total touchdowns). Damien Harris (106 carries in 11 games) is now in Buffalo, but the Patriots signed Ezekiel Elliott to fill his void (and potentially more). Stevenson had multiple receptions in all but one game in 2022, and only three running backs — Austin Ekeler (107), Christian McCaffrey (85) and Leonard Fournette (73) — had more receptions than Stevenson last year. The biggest concern with the Elliott signing, however, is the potential to lose goal-line carries to the former Cowboy.

Ezekiel Elliott: By signing with the Patriots, Elliott boosted the fantasy stock (or at least diminished a potential concern) for Tony Pollard. Elliott set career lows in his age-27 season (2022) with 231 carries and 876 rushing yards, and he should set new career lows in 2023. That said, the Patriots have only two running backs on their active 53-man roster heading into 2023, which means that Elliott is likely to outperform his ADP.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
JuJu Smith-Schuster74.1815.74.2000143.82
DeVante Parker51.8640.83000107.98
Kendrick Bourne32.4353.81.86.642.90.2368.05
Demario Douglas212281.200040.5
Tyquan Thornton17.4255.51.33.318.20.1744.89
Kayshon Boutte668.80.400012.28

JuJu Smith-Schuster: Smith-Schuster had 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns in his lone season with the Chiefs. It's fair to say the transition from Patrick Mahomes to Mac Jones is a significant downgrade. After all, the Chiefs averaged nearly 90 more passing yards per game (89.8) and more than doubled up the Patriots in passing touchdowns (41 to 19). That said, he's atop New England's target pecking order and could come close to repeating last year's numbers, despite the relatively low weekly upside.

DeVante Parker: Parker averaged 11.5 yards per target and finished with a 66% catch rate, both of which were career highs, but his final numbers (31/539/3) amounted to another year of fantasy mediocrity. The Patriots gave Parker a new "pay-as-he-produces" (incentive-laden) three-year contract, but his fantasy outlook remains about as boring as the team's general offensive outlook.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Hunter Henry43477.72.800086.07
Mike Gesicki41.9481.62.700085.31
Pharaoh Brown8.282.60.400014.76

Hunter Henry: Henry finished last season with 41 catches for 509 yards and two touchdowns, the lowest numbers of his career when you exclude 2016 (his rookie campaign) and 2018 (missed entire season). The Patriots are expected to significantly increase their usage of 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) in 2023 after ranking only 25th in that grouping in 2022.

Mike Gesicki: Like Henry, Gesicki is coming off non-rookie lows in receptions (32), targets (52) and yards (362). The uber-athletic tight end will get an opportunity to reset in an offense that should be more likely to fully utilize his skill set.

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Saturday, August 27, 2022

Dallas Cowboys 2022 Fantasy Football Projections

Our 2022 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2022 fantasy football projections for the Dallas Cowboys.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Dak Prescott596.74014505.129.2410.4446.9192.31.64305.35
Cooper Rush44.928.5323.31.840.996.914.50.0720.18

Dak Prescott: Excluding 2020 when he missed 11 games, Prescott has finished as fantasy's QB6, QB11, QB10, QB2 and QB7, respectively, in his last five full seasons. He set a career high in 2021 in both passing touchdowns (37) and TD% (6.2), but he averaged a career low in rush attempts (3.0) and rushing yards (9.1) per game and it was the first time he had fewer than three rushing scores in a season. With Amari Cooper traded to Cleveland and the turnover or injury on the offensive line, Prescott's supporting cast is weaker in 2022 than it was last season as well.

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Ezekiel Elliott232.2975.27.6640.8294.51.8204.13
Tony Pollard146.5703.23.6640.2316.31.8154.81
Malik Davis19.380.10.392.619.30.114.18

Ezekiel Elliott: The days of drafting Elliott as a sure-fire top-five fantasy back are over. Elliott posted per-game career lows in rush attempts (13.9) and rushing yards (58.9) and was relatively inefficient with his opportunities (4.2 YPC, 6.1 Y/R and 4.4 Y/T) last season. The Cowboys (from the top down) remain committed to using Zeke as its featured back (for at least the upcoming season).

Tony Pollard: Even though Elliott played a full 17-game slate in 2021, Pollard earned an expanded role with career highs in touches (169) and scrimmage yards (1,056). Pollard is one of my favorite backs to target in 2022, as he has enormous upside if Elliott misses any time, but he has stand-alone flex value even if Elliott doesn't.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
CeeDee Lamb96.21226.47.86.452.80.19223.96
Michael Gallup57.67875.2000138.7
Jalen Tolbert52615.63.9000110.96
James Washington26.8362.12.200062.81
Noah Brown16.3205.21.300036.47
Simi Fehoko7.386.90.600015.94
KaVontae Turpin3.238.60.31.611.20.058.68

CeeDee Lamb: Albeit in an uneven season, Lamb's year-over-year numbers improved to 79/1,102/6 in 2021 from his 74/935/5 rookie season. Lamb finished as a top-24 fantasy receiver in six of nine games through Week 10 and was tied with Tampa's Mike Evans for the sixth-most fantasy points (half-PPR scoring) during that stretch. (Michael Gallup missed Weeks 2-9.) Lamb was a top-30 receiver only once over his final seven games, however, and tied with Amari Cooper as fantasy's WR42 over that span. With Cooper in Cleveland, there should be no shortage of targets for Lamb in his third season.

Michael Gallup: Gallup tore his ACL in Week 17. While he has said that he won't be ready for Week 1, he won't start the season on PUP. In other words, he should miss less than four games to begin the 2022 season. While Gallup has an 1,100-yard season (2019) under his belt and was re-signed to be the Cowboys' WR2, he's a WR4 in fantasy with weekly upside.

Jalen Tolbert: With Gallup (ACL recovery) and Washington (broken foot) both expected to miss time to begin the season, Tolbert is expected to start opposite CeeDee Lamb in two-wide sets against the Buccaneers in Week 1. The Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year finished his Jaguars career with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Dalton Schultz73743.65.1000141.46
Jake Ferguson6.765.20.500012.87
Peyton Hendershot3.736.20.20006.67
Sean McKeon3.231.40.20005.94

Dalton Schultz: Schultz set career highs in targets (104), receptions (78), yards (808) and touchdowns (eight) last season as he finished as a top-three fantasy tight end. Schultz lacks the ceiling of elite tight ends, but he makes up for that with his high floor. For example, 82 receiving yards was his season high last year, but he finished with five-plus targets in 13 of 17 games. Given the offseason changes to the team's group of pass catchers, there's a chance he's even more involved in 2022 than he was last year.

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Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Football Projections 2022

Our 2022 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2022 fantasy football projections for the Dallas Cowboys.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Dak Prescott597.6401.64511.929.2810.4647192.71.65305.85
Cooper Rush4528.63241.850.996.914.50.0720.25

Dak Prescott: Excluding 2020 when he missed 11 games, Prescott has finished as fantasy's QB6, QB11, QB10, QB2 and QB7, respectively, in his last five full seasons. He set a career high in 2021 in both passing touchdowns (37) and TD% (6.2), but he averaged a career low in rush attempts (3.0) and rushing yards (9.1) per game and it was the first time he had fewer than three rushing scores in a season. While the Cowboys re-signed Michael Gallup, Amari Cooper is now in Cleveland.

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Ezekiel Elliott232.6976.97.6840.92951.8204.52
Tony Pollard146.7704.23.6737.6292.61.6150.1
Rico Dowdle13.454.90.343.726.60.213.24
Ryan Nall623.40.122.821.80.27.84

Ezekiel Elliott: The days of drafting Elliott as a sure-fire top-five fantasy back are over. Elliott posted per-game career lows in rush attempts (13.9) and rushing yards (58.9) and was relatively inefficient with his opportunities (4.2 YPC, 6.1 Y/R and 4.4 Y/T) last season. While there was some turnover on the offensive line, the addition of Tyler Smith to play left guard should help the rushing offense overall. In addition, the organization (from the top down) remains committed to using Zeke as its featured back.

Tony Pollard: Even though Elliott played a full 17-game slate in 2021, Pollard earned an expanded role with career highs in touches (169) and scrimmage yards (1,056). Pollard is one of my favorite backs to target in 2022, as he has enormous upside if Elliott misses any time, but he has stand-alone flex value even if Elliott doesn't.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
CeeDee Lamb96.41228.37.88.166.80.24225.95
Michael Gallup57.4788.35.2000138.73
Jalen Tolbert47.55613.6000101.45
James Washington34.4454.62.700078.86
Noah Brown15.1193.41.200034.09
Simi Fehoko6750.500013.5

CeeDee Lamb: Albeit in an uneven season, Lamb's year-over-year numbers improved to 79/1,102/6 in 2021 from his 74/935/5 rookie season. Lamb finished as a top-24 fantasy receiver in six of nine games through Week 10 and was tied with Tampa's Mike Evans for the sixth-most fantasy points (half-PPR scoring) during that stretch. (Michael Gallup missed Weeks 2-9.) Lamb was a top-30 receiver only once over his final seven games, however, and tied with Amari Cooper as fantasy's WR42 over that span. There should be no shortage of targets for Lamb in his third season with Cooper traded to Cleveland.

Michael Gallup: Gallup tore his ACL in Week 17, and there appears to be a strong chance that he will miss time to start the 2022 season. While Gallup has an 1,100-yard season (2019) under his belt and was re-signed to be the Cowboys' WR2, he's a WR4 in fantasy with weekly upside.

Jalen Tolbert: With Gallup (ACL recovery) and Washington (broken foot) both expected to miss time to start the season, Tolbert is expected to start opposite CeeDee Lamb in two-wide sets against the Buccaneers in Week 1. The Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year finish his Jaguars career with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Dalton Schultz73.1744.75.1000141.62
Sean McKeon8.6870.600016.6
Jake Ferguson4.545.90.30008.64
Jeremy Sprinkle2.221.80.20004.48

Dalton Schultz: Schultz set career highs in targets (104), receptions (78), yards (808) and touchdowns (eight) last season as he finished as a top-three fantasy tight end. Schultz lacks the ceiling of elite tight ends, but he makes up for that with his high floor. For example, 82 receiving yards was his season high last year, but he finished with five-plus targets in 13 of 17 games. Given the offseason changes to the team's group of pass catchers, there's a chance he's even more involved in 2022 than he was last year.

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Friday, November 26, 2021

Report: Cowboys may hold Ezekiel Elliott (knee) out in Week 13

The Dallas Cowboys were without a number of key players in Thursday's overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Based on a report from ESPN's Ed Werder, it's possible that they could be without another next week.

Fortunately for the Cowboys, Tony Pollard is arguably the league's best backup running back and can be as (if not more) effective as Ezekiel Elliott if Zeke's out in Week 13 (and longer).

Pollard is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 8.8 yards per reception compared to 4.5 and 6.0, respectively, for Elliott. Pollard has averaged double-digit touches (11.72) this season, but he'll go from being a flex option to a must-start in fantasy football if Elliott is indeed rested next week even though the New Orleans Saints have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

More importantly for the Cowboys' offense, they should get their top two receivers -- Amari Cooper (COVID, unvaccinated) and CeeDee Lamb (concussion) -- back in Week 13.

Monday, September 6, 2021

Fantasy Football Projections 2021: Dallas Cowboys

Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the Dallas Cowboys.

Note: These projections are based on a 17-game NFL schedule, which is expected in 2021.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Dak Prescott614.2408.84882.928.2511.0657.1279.84.71342.44
Cooper Rush39.224.3266.61.410.92.77.40.0115.3

Dak Prescott: From Weeks 2 to 4 last season, Prescott threw for a minimum (yes, minimum) of 450 yards in three consecutive games with a total of 11 touchdowns (eight passing and three rushing). As noted in our Dak Prescott 2021 Fantasy Football Profile, Prescott (three) had more 450-yard passing games than the rest of the league combined (two) in 2020. During that three-game stretch before getting injured, Prescott performed as the weekly QB1, QB4 and QB1, respectively. With a talented trio of wide receivers, Prescott has tremendous upside if he can stay healthy.

MORE: Dak Prescott 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Ezekiel Elliott284.41237.19.8150.5391.42.1259.56
Tony Pollard88.5393.83.0130.1226.61.3102.95
Corey Clement7.430.70.152.623.20.18.19

Ezekiel Elliott: The offense went off the tracks when Dak Prescott sustained his season-ending injury and the offensive line injuries further impacted Elliott's production. From Weeks 6 to 17, Zeke finished as a top-12 fantasy running only twice in 10 games after doing so three times in the team's first five games. Even if Tony Pollard earns a few more touches in 2021, Elliott should rank near the top of the league in workload. In fact, only three backs had more than six games last season with at least 20 touches -- Derrick Henry (14), Dalvin Cook (11) and Elliott (11).

Tony Pollard: Even though he played fewer than 50% of the team's offensive snaps in all but one game (Week 15, 90%), Pollard had at least eight touches in 10 of the team's final 12 games. Assuming good health for Dak Prescott and the offensive line, 8-10 weekly touches in this offense could lead to stand-alone flex value for Pollard on a weekly basis. If Elliott went down with an injury, Pollard would be a top-10 play each week that Zeke missed.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Amari Cooper90.11202.46.13.49.40.01202.89
CeeDee Lamb88.41145.86.65.636.40.01202.08
Michael Gallup62.8937.26.1000161.72
Cedrick Wilson10.8149.31.22.34.6027.99
Noah Brown6.790.10.700016.56
Simi Fehoko5.877.20.600014.22

Amari Cooper: Cooper finished 2020 with a career-high 92 receptions for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns. It was his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and fifth of his career. In 41 games as a member of the Cowboys, Cooper has averaged 73.9 yards per game.

CeeDee Lamb: With a healthy Dak Prescott, Lamb began his NFL career with two 100-yard games and a minimum of 59 yards in each of his first five games. During that five-game span, Lamb scored the 11th-most fantasy points (Amari Cooper was 12th) and only five other receivers had more receiving yards (433). Based on his skill set, Lamb should eventually emerge as the 1(a) for the Cowboys to Cooper's 1(b) with Fantasy Football ADP suggesting that will happen this season.

MORE: CeeDee Lamb 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

Michael Gallup: It was a down year (59/843/5) for Gallup, who averaged 26.4 fewer yards per game than he did in 2019. Of course, the offense as a whole struggled without Dak Prescott and Gallup had 50-plus yards in four of five games with Prescott and in only three-of-11 games without him.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Blake Jarwin48.7540.72.700094.62
Dalton Schultz35.7357.91.900065.04
Sean McKeon0.97.700001.22

Blake Jarwin: With the Cowboys moving on from Jason Witten before the start of the 2020 season, Jarwin was expected to see a big jump in target share and production, but he unfortunately tore his ACL in Week 1. As a part-time player in 2018 and 2019, Jarwin had a total of 77 catches for 672 yards and six touchdowns.

Dalton Schultz: Taking on a much larger-than-expected role given Jarwin's ACL tear, Schultz had 63 catches for 615 yards and four touchdowns. The former Stanford Cardinal finished the year as fantasy's TE12 (half-PPR) and was a little better in full PPR formats (TE10) and a little worse in non-PPR formats (TE15). If Jarwin can stay healthy, however, Schultz will return to a secondary role.

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Sunday, August 29, 2021

2021 Fantasy Football Non-PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 7th Pick

The best way to become good at something is to practice. So, what should you do if you want to draft a better fantasy football team?

Practice, of course!

Leading up to the start of the 2021 NFL season, we will use the 2021 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator (powered by FantasyPros) to complete fantasy football mock drafts.

We will use a variety of scoring formats -- PPR, half-PPR, standard scoring and even 2-QB leagues, league sizes and draft slots. The goal is to give you a good representation of the team that you may be able to construct given your league settings and the rationale of why we made the picks we did.

+ Our mocks will be tracked here: Fantasy Football Mock Drafts.

That said, nothing beats practicing yourself so (check out the simulator) and complete a mock in a matter of minutes.

Non-PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 7th Pick

1.07 - Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

The offense went off the tracks when Dak Prescott sustained his season-ending injury and the offensive line injuries further impacted Elliott's production. From Weeks 6 to 17, Zeke finished as a top-12 fantasy running only twice in 10 games after doing so three times in the team's first five games. Even if Tony Pollard earns a few more touches in 2021, Elliott should rank near the top of the league in workload. In fact, only three backs had more than six games last season with at least 20 touches -- Derrick Henry (14), Dalvin Cook (11) and Elliott (11).

2.06 - D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

The sky is the limit for Metcalf, who is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign (83/1,303/10). Through Week 9, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks passing offense were unstoppable and Metcalf had more than 90 yards in seven of his first eight games. Through Week 9, only Tyreek Hill had scored more fantasy points than Metcalf.

3.07 - Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

While the team's quarterback play hasn't done him many favors, McLaurin managed to set career highs with 87 catches and 1,118 yards in his second season. While his Y/R dipped to 12.9 from 15.8, he set career highs in YPG (74.5) and catch rate (64.9%). Even though WFT didn't draft a QB in April, signing Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency boosts McLaurin's outlook and puts him squarely in the WR1 (top 12) mix even though he's a WR2 for this team.

4.06 - Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Cooper finished 2020 with a career-high 92 receptions for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns. It was his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and Cooper has averaged 73.9 yards per game during his tenure with the Cowboys. This team's top trio of receivers (Metcalf, McLaurin and Cooper) are all ranked as technically ranked as WR1 (top 12) types in my non-PPR fantasy football wide receiver rankings.

More: Dallas Cowboys 2022 NFL Mock Draft Roundup

5.07 - Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons

Filling in for a mostly-injured Christian McCaffrey in 2020, Davis performed as fantasy's RB18 in standard-scoring formats last season. Limited competition for running back touches makes Davis a back-end RB2 in 2021 with Arthur Smith taking over as Atlanta's head coach.

6.06 - Chase Claypool, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Claypool scored 11 touchdowns -- nine receiving and two rushing -- in the regular season and added two more receiving scores in the team's playoff loss to Cleveland. Re-signing JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal puts a dent into Mapletron's upside in year two, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was the team's top-producing wideout in 2021.

More: NFL Predictions 2021: AFC North

7.07 - Trey Sermon, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Not only does Sermon have the highest draft pedigree (third round) among the team's running backs, but the Niners traded up to draft him. Given his frame, balance and vision, the team could look to make him their featured back sooner than later (as much as Kyle Shanahan will feature an individual back, that is).

8.06 - James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Joining the Cardinals on a one-year deal, Conner will steal some early-down carries from Chase Edmonds and could potentially be in a fairly even split. If he can stay healthy and earn a larger role, there is plenty of upside for Conner as well (as Edmonds).

More: Chase Edmonds 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

9.07 - Laviska Shenault, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Shenault Jr. played only 10 snaps in Week 9 and then missed the following two games. Outside of those three games, the rookie had a minimum of three receptions in every game. Over the final five games of the season, he had 25 catches (on 36 targets) for 246 yards and four touchdowns and added six carries for 31 yards and he was the WR18 (non-PPR) over that stretch.

10.06 - Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Even though he played fewer than 50% of the team's offensive snaps in all but one game (Week 15, 90%), Pollard had at least eight touches in 10 of the team's final 12 games. Assuming good health for Dak Prescott and the offensive line, 8-10 weekly touches in this offense could lead to stand-alone flex value for Pollard on a weekly basis. More importantly, however, Pollard provides insurance if Elliott were to miss any time.

11.07 - Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In his first season in Tampa, Brady scored the eighth-most fantasy points and only three quarterbacks had more top-five weekly finishes than the future Hall-of-Famer. Brady's 40 touchdowns thrown were the second-most of his career and his 4,633 passing yards were a five-year high. Brady will have all of the team's starters and top pass-catchers back as he enters his age-44 season.

12.06 - Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

The fifth-year tight end saw a year-over-year dip in targets (60), receptions (44) and yards (521), but he did set a career high in touchdowns (five). With Gerald Everett signing with Seattle and the team trading for Matthew Stafford, there is optimism for improved numbers from Higbee.

More: 10 Undervalued Players in 2021 Fantasy Football Drafts

13.07 - Irv Smith, TE, Minnesota Vikings

Smith missed three games last season, but the second-year tight end set career highs in YPG (28.1), Y/R (12.2) and touchdowns (five). With Kyle Rudolph no longer on the roster, the arrow is pointing up for the third-year tight end.

14.06 - Ravens DST, Baltimore Ravens

15.07 - Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens

16.06 - Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears

While Chicago's passing attack will never be confused for Kansas City's, we've seen how productive dual-threat rookie quarterbacks can be in fantasy football. Once he takes over the starting gig, the former Buckeye will be in the weekly streaming mix, at minimum.

- View Full Mock Draft Results

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Monday, August 23, 2021

2021 Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 5th Pick

The best way to become good at something is to practice. So, what should you do if you want to draft a better fantasy football team?

Practice, of course!

Leading up to the start of the 2021 NFL season, we will use the 2021 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator (powered by FantasyPros) to complete fantasy football mock drafts.

We will use a variety of scoring formats -- PPR, half-PPR, standard scoring and even 2-QB leagues, league sizes and draft slots. The goal is to give you a good representation of the team that you may be able to construct given your league settings and the rationale of why we made the picks we did.

+ Our mocks will be tracked here: Fantasy Football Mock Drafts.

That said, nothing beats practicing yourself so (check out the simulator) and complete a mock in a matter of minutes.

PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 5th Pick

1.08 - Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

The offense went off the tracks when Dak Prescott sustained his season-ending injury and the offensive line injuries further impacted Elliott's production. From Weeks 6 to 17, Zeke finished as a top-12 fantasy running only twice in 10 games after doing so three times in the team's first five games. Even if Tony Pollard earns a few more touches in 2021, Elliott should rank near the top of the league in workload. In fact, only three backs had more than six games last season with at least 20 touches -- Derrick Henry (14), Dalvin Cook (11) and Elliott (11).

More: Dallas Cowboys 2021 Fantasy Football Projections

2.03 - Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Ridley closed the season the same way he started it -- with 100-plus yards in four of five games. Along with Davante Adams (six) and Stefon Diggs (three), Ridley was one of three receivers to finish as a top-two weekly fantasy receiver at least three times in 2020. Ridley finished last season with 90 catches on 143 targets for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns and is a top-four fantasy wide receiver in 2021 with Julio Jones in Tennessee.

3.08 - Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Allen missed a couple of games and was limited in others, but he finished with 100 catches for the third time in four seasons despite playing with a rookie quarterback. Although just shy of the 1,000-yard mark and averaging a career-low 9.92 Y/R, Allen tied his career high (set as a rookie in 2013) with eight touchdowns. Along with Davante Adams and Diontae Johnson, Allen was just one of three receivers to get double-digit targets in 10 games in 2020.

4.03 - Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Thielen averaged only 61.7 YPG, but he scored 14 touchdowns in 2020. Only three receivers were targeted more often in the red zone than Thielen (19). While Justin Jefferson has moved ahead of him in the wide receiver pecking order, Thielen is a strong WR3 for this team.

5.08 - Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

It was a disappointing season for Sanders and his fantasy managers in 2020. That said,it's an easy decision to take him as my RB2 in Round 5 as I considered taking him a round earlier. I'm liking how this squad is shaping up with Elliott/Sanders at RB and the trio of Ridley/Allen/Thielen at WR.

6.03 - T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions

Hockenson basically doubled up his rookie production with 67 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns. Given the turnover of the wide receiver corps, Hockenson could be forced into an even higher-volume role in 2021.

7.08 - Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

From Weeks 2 to 4 last season, Prescott threw for a minimum (yes, minimum) of 450 yards in three consecutive games with a total of 11 touchdowns (eight passing and three rushing). As noted in our Dak Prescott 2021 Fantasy Football Profile, Prescott (three) had more 450-yard passing games than the rest of the league combined (two) in 2020. During that three-game stretch before getting injured, Prescott performed as the weekly QB1, QB4 and QB1, respectively. With a talented trio of wide receivers, Prescott has tremendous upside if he can stay healthy.

8.03 - Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Missing half of the season, Mostert finished the year with 677 scrimmage yards (84.6/G) and only three touchdowns on 120 touches (15/G). While it's possible that Trey Sermon emerges as the team's top fantasy running back at some point this season, Mostert has been highly efficient with his opportunities by posting career averages of 5.6 YPC and 10.0 Y/R.

9.08 - Michael Carter, RB, New York Jets

Carter should be the 1(a) option in the backfield even if the offense deploys a committee approach this season. The rookie out of UNC averaged 8.0 YPC as a senior and finished his collegiate career with 82 receptions.

10.03 - Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills

Singletary followed up his rookie season with 687 rushing yards (4.4 YPC) and two touchdowns to go along with 38 catches for 269 yards. While I would prefer Moss over Singletary, neither is much more than a flex option heading into 2021. On a positive note, however, coach Sean McDermott has praised Singletary for "really trying to master the small things that come up down in and down out. ... I've really been impressed with his attention to detail over the past few days."

More: NFL Predictions 2021: AFC East

11.08 - Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Even though he played fewer than 50% of the team's offensive snaps in all but one game (Week 15, 90%), Pollard had at least eight touches in 10 of the team's final 12 games. Assuming good health for Dak Prescott and the offensive line, 8-10 weekly touches in this offense could lead to stand-alone flex value for Pollard on a weekly basis. As my RB6, Pollard would become a weekly starter if Elliott were to miss any time.

12.03 - Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Selected one pick before Justin Jefferson (88/1,400/7) in the 2020 NFL Draft, Reagor's disappointing 2020 campaign (31/391/1) became even more pronounced in comparison to Jefferson's success. Durability (five missed games) and sub-par quarterback play didn't help, but Reagor's breakout potential makes him a late-round pick to target.

13.08 - Tre'quan Smith, WR, New Orleans Saints

Smith posted career numbers in receptions (34) and yards (448) in 2020. Even with Drew Brees retiring, Smith should set new career highs with Emmanuel Sanders leaving for Buffalo and Michael Thomas likely to miss the start of the season.

14.03 - 49ers DST, San Francisco 49ers

15.08 - Justin Tucker, K, Baltimore Ravens

16.03 - Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers

If Lance isn't named the Week 1 starter, fantasy managers will look to the team's bye (Week 6) as the next logical point to potentially hand the reigns over to the rookie signal-caller. Once Lance takes over, the dual-threat talent has the potential to become a weekly top-10 play and he provides some insurance for Prescott as he heads into 2021 coming off shoulder and ankle injuries.

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Sunday, August 22, 2021

2021 Fantasy Football Projections: Dallas Cowboys

Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team. All of our initial 2021 projections will be posted by the end of May, if not sooner.

Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the Dallas Cowboys.

Note: These projections are based on a 17-game NFL schedule, which is expected in 2021.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Dak Prescott614.2408.84913.628.2511.0657.1279.84.71343.66
Garrett Gilbert39.223.7250.91.370.92.78.80.0114.66

Dak Prescott: From Weeks 2 to 4 last season, Prescott threw for a minimum (yes, minimum) of 450 yards in three consecutive games with a total of 11 touchdowns (eight passing and three rushing). As noted in our Dak Prescott 2021 Fantasy Football Profile, Prescott (three) had more 450-yard passing games than the rest of the league combined (two) in 2020. During that three-game stretch before getting injured, Prescott performed as the weekly QB1, QB4 and QB1, respectively. With a talented trio of wide receivers, Prescott has tremendous upside if he can stay healthy although his ankle and shoulder injuries led ESPN's Adam Schefter to suggest that Prescott "may not be (fully) back all season long."

MORE: Dak Prescott 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Ezekiel Elliott288.41254.59.6650.4392.52.1260.46
Tony Pollard85.8386.12.7530.3227.21.3100.78
Rico Dowdle6.1220.022.218.10.15.83

Ezekiel Elliott: The offense went off the tracks when Dak Prescott sustained his season-ending injury and the offensive line injuries further impacted Elliott's production. From Weeks 6 to 17, Zeke finished as a top-12 fantasy running only twice in 10 games after doing so three times in the team's first five games. Even if Tony Pollard earns a few more touches in 2021, Elliott should rank near the top of the league in workload. In fact, only three backs had more than six games last season with at least 20 touches -- Derrick Henry (14), Dalvin Cook (11) and Elliott (11).

Tony Pollard: Even though he played fewer than 50% of the team's offensive snaps in all but one game (Week 15, 90%), Pollard had at least eight touches in 10 of the team's final 12 games. Assuming good health for Dak Prescott and the offensive line, 8-10 weekly touches in this offense could lead to stand-alone flex value for Pollard on a weekly basis.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Amari Cooper90.61213.76.23.49.40.01204.87
CeeDee Lamb88.91156.86.65.636.40.01203.43
Michael Gallup62.7939.96.1000161.94
Cedrick Wilson10.4144.61.22.34.6027.32
Noah Brown8.2108.50.800019.75
Simi Fehoko3.549.10.40009.06

Amari Cooper: Cooper finished 2020 with a career-high 92 receptions for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns. It was his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and fifth of his career. In 41 games as a member of the Cowboys, Cooper has averaged 73.9 yards per game.

CeeDee Lamb: With a healthy Dak Prescott, Lamb began his NFL career with two 100-yard games and a minimum of 59 yards in each of his first five games. During that five-game span, Lamb scored the 11th-most fantasy points (Amari Cooper was 12th) and only five other receivers had more receiving yards (433). Based on his skill set, Lamb should eventually emerge as the 1(a) for the Cowboys to Cooper's 1(b) with Fantasy Football ADP suggesting that will happen in 2021.

MORE: CeeDee Lamb 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

Michael Gallup: It was a down year (59/843/5) for Gallup, who averaged 26.4 fewer yards per game than he did in 2019. Of course, the offense as a whole struggled without Dak Prescott and Gallup had 50-plus yards in four of five games with Prescott and in only three-of-11 games without him.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Blake Jarwin48.7542.32.700094.78
Dalton Schultz35.7358.91.900065.14
Sean McKeon1.112.90.10002.44

Blake Jarwin: With the Cowboys moving on from Jason Witten before the start of the 2020 season, Jarwin was expected to see a big jump in target share and production, but he unfortunately tore his ACL in Week 1. As a part-time player in 2018 and 2019, Jarwin had a total of 77 catches for 672 yards and six touchdowns.

Dalton Schultz: Taking on a much larger-than-expected role given Jarwin's ACL tear, Schultz had 63 catches for 615 yards and four touchdowns. The former Stanford Cardinal finished the year as fantasy's TE12 (half-PPR) and was a little better in full PPR formats (TE10) and a little worse in non-PPR formats (TE15). If Jarwin can stay healthy, however, Schultz will return to a secondary role.

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Wednesday, August 18, 2021

2021 Fantasy Football Non-PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 4th Pick

The best way to become good at something is to practice. So, what should you do if you want to draft a better fantasy football team?

Practice, of course!

Leading up to the start of the 2021 NFL season, we will use the 2021 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator (powered by FantasyPros) to complete fantasy football mock drafts.

We will use a variety of scoring formats -- PPR, half-PPR, standard scoring and even 2-QB leagues, league sizes and draft slots. The goal is to give you a good representation of the team that you may be able to construct given your league settings and the rationale of why we made the picks we did.

+ Our mocks will be tracked here: Fantasy Football Mock Drafts.

That said, nothing beats practicing yourself so (check out the simulator) and complete a mock in a matter of minutes.

Non-PPR Mock Draft: 12 Teams, 4th Pick

1.04 - Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Across scoring formats, I'd take Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook and Derrick Henry with the first three picks. While I'd take Alvin Kamara fourth in half-PPR and (full) PPR formats, it's close for me at No. 4 in non-PPR formats if one of those top-three backs doesn't fall to fourth and there is a case to be made for Elliott at this spot.

The offense went off the tracks when Dak Prescott sustained his season-ending injury and the offensive line injuries further impacted Elliott's production. Elliott looked sluggish, but he heads into 2021 lighter and in better shape. Even if Tony Pollard earns a few more touches in 2021, Elliott should rank near the top of the league in workload. In fact, only three backs had more than six games last season with at least 20 touches -- Henry (14), Cook (11) and Elliott (11).

2.09 - Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Mixon appeared in only six games in 2020 and he has now missed multiple games in three of his four NFL seasons. That said, Mixon had a minimum of 19 touches in the six games in which he appeared in 2020. Through Week 6, Mixon had more carries (119) than all running backs not named Derrick Henry (123) and was top 10 among running backs in targets (26). With Giovani Bernard now in Tampa, Mixon should be even more involved as a receiver.

More: Joe Mixon 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

3.04 - Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Jefferson exceeded all expectations in his inaugural season with 88 catches for a rookie-record 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. Not only did the former LSU Tiger have seven 100-yard games, but he had double-digit targets in five of his final six games after doing so in only two of his first 10 games. Going forward, Jefferson should be the 1(a) to Adam Thielen's 1(b) in Minnesota's passing offense.

4.09 - Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

It was a relatively disappointing season for Woods and the Rams offense in general. Woods tied a career high in receptions (90), but his receiving yardage (936) and yards from scrimmage (1,091) were three-year lows. Replacing Jared Goff with Matthew Stafford generates some optimism for all of the skill-position players.

More: 10 Undervalued Players in 2021 Fantasy Football Drafts

5.04 - Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

While Kupp averaged a career-high 6.1 receptions per game, he set career lows with 10.6 Y/R and only three touchdowns. As noted above with Woods, the upgrade at quarterback should provide a boost to Kupp, Woods and the offense overall.

6.09 - Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

It was a tale of two seasons for Wilson. In his first eight games, Wilson averaged 29.52 fantasy points per game and scored no fewer than 21.9. In his final eight games, he averaged only 17.08 and scored more than 21.9 only once during that span.

Despite Pete Carroll's prioritization to establish the run, Wilson has never finished worse than the QB11 (2016) and has finished as a top-six fantasy quarterback in five of the past seven seasons.

7.04 - Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals

The former fourth-round pick has averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 7.2 yards per reception over his first three NFL seasons. With Kenyan Drake out and James Conner in, Edmonds could be Arizona's RB1 (a term he hates). While both backs will form a committee when healthy, Conner has struggled with durability.

More: Chase Edmonds 2021 Fantasy Football Outlook

8.09 - Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Foot and hamstring injuries (plus the COVID-19 list) limited Samuel to only seven games in 2020. Samuel played only one snap (his final snap of 2020) against WFT in Week 14, but he had 65-plus yards in each of the final four games in which he appeared before that. Due to his physical playing style, he's always a threat to miss time, but he's a viable WR3 in the weeks that he's on the field.

9.04 - Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills

While I prefer Moss over Devin Singletary, a concern for both is that Josh Allen has 25 rushing touchdowns over the past three seasons. Not only has Allen led the team in that category in each of the past three years, he has 56.8% (25 of 44) of the team's rushing touchdowns over that stretch. Either way, he offers some upside in Round 9 as my RB4.

10.09 - Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Despite playing fewer than 50% of the team's offensive snaps every week except for the game Ezekiel Elliott missed (Week 15, 90%), Pollard had at least eight touches in 10 of the team's final 12 games. With or without Zeke on my roster, I'd be comfortable drafting Pollard in Round 10, but there is enormous upside if Elliott misses any time.

11.04 - Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos

Playing at less than 100% in 2020, Fant averaged only 10.9 Y/R after averaging 14.1 in 2019. Fant's ADOT (7.6 to 6.7) and YAC/R (8.3 to 6.1) both declined year over year, but he also set career highs in receptions (62) and yards (673).

More: Denver Broncos 2022 NFL Mock Draft Roundup

12.09 - Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Selected one pick before Justin Jefferson (88/1,400/7) in the 2020 NFL Draft, Reagor's disappointing 2020 campaign (31/391/1) becomes even more pronounced. Durability (five missed games) and sub-par quarterback play didn't help, but Reagor's breakout potential makes him a high-upside pick in the double-digit rounds.

13.04 - Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins

The third-year tight end posted career highs across the board with 53 receptions, 703 yards and six touchdowns. The additions of Will Fuller, Jaylen Waddle and Hunter Long put a damper on Gesicki's 2021 outlook, but he's still a back-end TE1.

14.09 - Colts DST, Indianapolis Colts

15.04 - Harrison Butker, K, Kansas City Chiefs

16.09 - Rondale Moore, WR, Arizona Cardinals

The Cards will look to manufacture touches for their dynamic rookie. Playing only seven games over the past two collegiate seasons, Moore was uber-productive as a true freshman in 2018 (114/1258/12 receiving and 21/213/2 rushing).

- View Full Mock Draft Results

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