The 2020 NFL season gave us plenty of standout performances. Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis on the stars, the surprises and the promising players to watch for next season.
Aaron Rodgers was massively underrated in fantasy drafts
Rodgers' 10 games with 25 or more fantasy points is a great example of combining upper-tier talent and play design in Matt LaFleur's heavily schemed pass game in Green Bay. And, really, it shows me how Rodgers' game has matured at this stage of his career. Make the defined throws (consistently), use the play-action in LaFleur's offense to target deep coverage voids, and then take the one-on-ones with Davante Adams on outside verticals. Ball location there, paired with the elite traits of Adams. Plus, Rodgers still has the second-reaction ability to go off script when necessary. Bottom line here: We saw Rodgers play much more within the structure of this offense during his second season with LaFleur, and the results vaulted the veteran past his ADP this season of 93 (QB10). -- Bowen
That QB10 ADP was generous, too, considering additional data points: As a group, we ranked him QB15 in the preseason, and he was QB12 in NFFC leagues. Rodgers -- pending Sunday's final stat line -- scored 383.26 fantasy points, his second-best total in 16 NFL seasons behind only his 397.42 in 2011. That gives him three of the 10 best single-season point totals by any quarterback, and he's also the first quarterback to score 350-plus fantasy points four times in a career (also 2011, 2014 and 2016). People were down on Rodgers entering 2020, probably because of his 37 years of age, his so-so 2016-17 campaigns or his previous injury history, but he's a statistical machine when he's on: He's one of only 13 players to average at least 20 PPR fantasy points per game in a career, and the only one to do so with more than 118 games played. -- Cockcroft
Josh Allen became a fantasy star
Allen threw for three more touchdowns on Sunday, and added another 19.26 fantasy points to his season totals in just two quarters of work in the Bills' victory over the Dolphins. But that's just another reminder of how much his game has elevated -- especially as a thrower -- this season. Yes, the Bills added a premier wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. He's an upper-tier route runner, a volume target, who can create immediate separation or flip the field given his explosive play juice. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll? One of the best playcallers in the league this season, with consistent "answers" for both man and zone coverages. Scheme matters here. Now, mix that with Allen's refined traits both as a pocket thrower and on second-reaction plays. Ball location, processing ability, arm talent, movement skills, more. There's a reason Allen averaged over 24 fantasy points per game this season, cementing himself as a top-five QB heading into the '21 season. -- Bowen
Those 19.26 points, too, gave Allen a best-in-fantasy 396.06 for the season, which is also the fifth most by any quarterback in history. The QB11 in terms of ADP in the preseason -- though we as a group ranked him a more-favorable QB8 -- Allen came on strong at the most crucial time of our fantasy seasons, too, with three games of 30-plus points from Week 13 forward and 216.48 in the Bills' final eight games of the season. Since the advent of the 16-game schedule in 1978, only two quarterbacks scored more fantasy points in their teams' final eight games of a season: Drew Brees (218.40, 2011) and Cam Newton (217.98, 2015). Allen also completed nearly as many touchdown passes on throws at least 20 yards downfield this season (nine) as in his first two NFL seasons combined (10), which was a huge area of improvement for him. He's my fantasy MVP for 2020. -- Cockcroft
Dalvin Cook ran to another huge season
The best red zone runner in the league, Cook finished the season with 17 total touchdowns -- in 14 games. I love his fit in the Vikings' offense, too. Zone-heavy run game, with heavy personnel on the field. Multiple tight ends and a fullback clearing out running lanes. And that caters to Cook's explosive traits. But let's not forget about his impact in the pass game, especially on screen concepts. This season, Cook caught 44 passes for 361 yards. Get him loose in the open field. I was big on Cook entering the season, and my opinion hasn't changed. Just look at his traits -- as both a runner and receiver -- with the scheme fit in Minnesota. That's why I'll have Cooks as a top-three running back (again) heading into '21. -- Bowen
He set a new career high with 337.8 PPR fantasy points, and he did it in only 14 games, closing the campaign as fantasy's RB2. In the process, Cook became only the 37th running back to average at least 24 points in a season in which he played at least half of his team's games, illustrating his top-shelf impact. I consider the No. 1 pick in fantasy entering 2021 a razor-thin race, but Cook makes a compelling case. -- Cockcroft
Ezekiel Elliott took a major step backward
I was all-in on Zeke back in August. Top-five player in my ranks. And that was even with the expectation that the run volume could dip a little bit under new Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. Take the traits here, the physical running style and the scoring upside. However, after posting 20 or more fantasy points in four of the first five games of the season -- with Dak Prescott at quarterback -- Elliott didn't top that mark once the rest of the season. In fact, without Prescott under center for this team, Elliott would go on to register five games with fewer than 10 fantasy points to close out the season. Sure, this offense went through a major transition from Prescott to No. 2 Andy Dalton at the quarterback position, and Dallas did have injuries on the offensive line. But I simply didn't see the same burst or the consistent ability to break tackles from Elliott as this season progressed. And his overall play speed didn't match the tape from '19. -- Bowen
I agree, Matt, and that's the key: Did Prescott's injury ruin him, or did Elliott do it to himself? The splits are stark, as through Week 5, Elliott's career per-game PPR fantasy point average was 21.0, fourth best among running backs with a minimum of 50 games played. Of his 61 games played through that week, 51 resulted in at least 15 points and 28 with at least 20. From that point forward, Elliott played 10 games, failed to score 20 PPR fantasy points even once, scored 15-plus three times (Weeks 11, 16 and 17) and averaged 11.2. That 11.2 average placed him outside the top 25 at his position during that time frame (minimum five games played). -- Cockcroft
Davante Adams elevated his game to another level
Adams was the best wide receiver in the NFL this season. From his ability to consistently shake press coverage to his fit with Rodgers in LaFleur's system, Adams simply took over games. Look at the schemed targets, the isolation one-on-ones in the slot or outside of the numbers, or his high-end red zone production. This season, 14 of Adams' league-leading 18 touchdowns came inside the 20-yard line. And given the ability of Rodgers to play within the structure of LaFleur's system (as we discussed earlier), there is no question that Adams will be my overall WR1 leading into next season. -- Bowen
Here's what's amazing about Adams' season: He missed two games yet still paced his position in PPR fantasy points (341.8), with a 12.9-point padding at that, and finished with the 20th best total by any wide receiver in history -- and all 19 names ahead of him played all 16 games in their respective seasons. Adams' 26.3 point average was the 18th-best rate in history among players who appeared in at least half of their team's games, and fourth-best among wide receivers. And, just to give you an idea of what might have been had he never gotten hurt, Adams' 293.6 PPR fantasy points from Week 6, his first game back, forward was the most in the NFL, by 40.4 over teammate Rodgers. So much for the idea of defenses having an easier time defending Adams with so little receiver depth on the roster in 2020. -- Cockcroft
Stefon Diggs formed an immediate chemistry with Allen
As we already discussed with Allen and the playcalling of Daboll, the arrival of Diggs had an immediate impact in Buffalo. This season, Diggs led the NFL in targets (166), receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535). Heavy volume here for a wide receiver who could catch the underneath throws, work intermediate concepts or stretch the field vertically. He brought instant juice to this offense, and Daboll's ability to scheme man coverage created multiple opportunities for Allen to look up Diggs on crossers/overs or the deep-ball throws up the boundary. Incredible season for a player I had doubts on in terms of volume and overall fit last summer. Man, did he prove me wrong. -- Bowen
He was the league's leader in targets (166), and with them he set a personal best with 328.6 PPR fantasy points, obliterating the 266.3 he scored back in 2018. Diggs managed at least 14 points in all but two of his 16 games -- not to mention 110.9 total from Weeks 14-17 -- becoming only the 14th wide receiver to score 14-plus PPR fantasy points at least 14 times in a single season. -- Cockcroft
Travis Kelce posted one of the best TE seasons ever
Kelce's 20.9 PPR points per game led all tight ends, just as he did in every major statistical category this season. And if you don't have a defender with the physical traits to match Kelce in coverage, then forget about it. He has the route skills to create separation on in-breakers, plus the ability to win the isolation matchups when flexed wide from the formation. Coach Andy Reid can also simply "scheme" Kelce open out of trips sets to beat both single-high and split-safety zone coverages. And outside of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, I see Kelce as the most crucial player to this Kansas City offense. -- Bowen
He didn't play a snap in Week 17, which unfortunately cost him a chance at the single-season PPR fantasy points record for a tight end. Nevertheless, Kelce's campaign was an extraordinary one: His 312.76 points was second most at the position in history (Rob Gronkowski, 330.9 in 2011), and gives him two of the four best single-year totals among tight ends (his 294.6 points in 2018 is fourth best). Kelce's per-game average, which Matt mentioned, is the best by a tight end in history, and his 10 performances worth 20-plus PPR fantasy points was also the most by any tight end all time. The accolades are numerous for this statistical standout, one of the few players at his position who genuinely warrants first-round consideration year over year. -- Cockcroft
Darren Waller wasn't far behind Kelce
It's a shame that his huge campaign came in one when he was obviously destined to be overshadowed by Kelce's record-setting season. With his 26.7 PPR fantasy points in Week 17, Waller finished the 2020 season with 278.6 points, the eighth most by any tight end in NFL history. What's more, he saved much of that production for the weeks when his managers needed it most. Waller scored 132.4 PPR fantasy points from Week 13 through season's end, which obliterated the previous most by a tight end during the 16-game era -- Gronkowski's 118.5 in 2011 was the former mark. If we're to believe in Kelce as a potential top-10 fantasy pick for 2021, Waller shouldn't linger that far behind, despite his being regarded as the TE2 (at most). Keep this in mind: Waller finished 34.16 points behind Kelce for the lead, but he also finished a whopping 102.0 points ahead of No. 3 tight end Robert Tonyan. That's some sort of dominance. -- Cockcroft
Quarterbacks
Most Valuable Player
Cockcroft: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Bowen: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Least Valuable Player
Cockcroft: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Bowen: Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: We all saw the impact of Murray's dual-threat ability in Kliff Kingsbury's offense this season. He has dynamic talent. However, Tristan will hit on Murray's end-of-season slump. And I believe that is a direct result of how opposing defenses game-planned for the Cardinals quarterback. With wide edge rushers, and interior stunts, defenses forced Kyler to operate from the pocket -- while playing disciplined zone coverage in the secondary. Cut down his ability to make second-reaction plays there. And test the offensive scheme of Kingsbury. Because of that, Murray topped the 250-yard passing mark only once from Weeks 13-16. There's no question on Murray's fantasy ceiling here. But ... I believe the young quarterback still has to room to develop his mechanics in the pocket, and the offensive system can improve in '21. Let's see some more schemed throws for Murray. -- Bowen
He scored 20-plus fantasy points in each of the Cardinals' first 10 games of the season and 283.7 total in that span, the most by any quarterback through that many team games in any season in history. Unfortunately, Murray scored 20-plus only one time in the Cardinals' final six games, his 95.08 points during that span exceeded by more than 260 quarterbacks since the schedule moved to 16 games in 1978. -- Cockcroft
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: While we didn't see him play in Week 17 -- his Chiefs had already locked up the AFC's No. 1 seed before Sunday -- he nevertheless finished his season with 374.4 fantasy points, 12th most by any quarterback in history. Mahomes now owns two of the 12 best single-season totals all time, and he has done it in his first four NFL seasons. He is the only quarterback to score 350-plus points multiple times within his first four NFL seasons. -- Cockcroft
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: His 332.84 fantasy points was the second most by any rookie quarterback in NFL history, behind only Newton's 370.34 in 2011, and remember, Herbert only took over as the starter in Week 2 after Tyrod Taylor sat due to an accidentally punctured lung from a painkilling injection. Herbert's 10 games of 20-plus points also broke the rookie record previously held by Newton. -- -- Cockcroft
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: Jackson was the most prolific fantasy scorer in the league during the 2019 season, finishing with 415.68 points. And while some regression was expected, Jackson still registered 332.78 points this season -- while playing his best football during the fantasy playoffs. In Weeks 14-17, Jackson scored 109.68 points, while producing 12 total touchdowns. And with his dynamic playmaking, Jackson will be a top-five QB in my ranks this August. -- Bowen
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans: He set a new career high with 369.32 fantasy points, and that made him the first quarterback in history with three seasons of 300-plus points through his age-25 season. Watson's 1,185.18 fantasy points through his first 53 NFL starts is the most by any quarterback in history; Mahomes (1,088.88 through 46 starts), however, will almost certainly overtake Watson's total next season. -- Cockcroft
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: Oh, what could have been. Lost for the season because of injury in Week 5, Prescott had what was at the time a record-setting pace interrupted. He scored 135.64 fantasy points before the injury, the seventh most by any quarterback through his team's first five games of the season (since 1950), and finished with a position-best 27.1 per-game average (minimum five games). All indications are that Prescott, a free agent, will likely return to the Cowboys for 2021, but his situation will be one of those worth closely watching. He'll probably need some time to work back to full strength in his first few games back. -- Cockcroft
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With his 337.92 fantasy points in 2020, he's the oldest player in history with 300-plus, doing it at age 43. It's the fifth time in Brady's career that he has scored at least 300 fantasy points (also 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2015), and if he plays in 2021, he'll begin the season with 109.14 more career fantasy points than any other player in history. -- Cockcroft
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: Love the talent with Stafford. The toughness too. He plays hurt -- and still goes out there to throw rockets. But I also tagged Stafford as one of my "sleeper" quarterbacks this season given the anticipated throwing volume (playing with a poor defense in Detroit), plus the upside of No. 1 wide receiver Kenny Golladay. But with Golladay missing a bunch of time with injuries and Stafford leading an inconsistent offense, the Lions quarterback topped the 20-point fantasy scoring mark in only five games this season. -- Bowen
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans: Few seem to have noticed, but since he took over as the Titans' starting quarterback in Week 7 of 2019, he has scored 564.3 fantasy points, fourth most by any player in the league. Tannehill's 12 games of 20-plus points during that time might not be eye-popping, but he has been remarkably consistent in generating his total, with 22 of 26 games resulting in at least 15 fantasy points. -- Cockcroft
Running backs
MVP
Cockcroft: James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Bowen: Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
LVP
Cockcroft: Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Bowen: Todd Gurley, Atlanta Falcons
David Montgomery, Chicago Bears: We saw Montgomery's best football this season, especially from Weeks 12 through 17, when the Bears running back scored at least 20 PPR points in every game. A true zone runner, with ball carrier vision and second-level juice, Montgomery took on a volume role for this Chicago offense, which mirrored the run and pass game together. Outside zone schemes that allowed Montgomery to find daylight and use his lateral ability to make defenders miss in space. -- Bowen
His 20.7 PPR fantasy points in Week 17 capped an amazing seasonal turnaround, as through Week 9, he was averaging a 25th-among-running-backs 12.3 PPR fantasy points (minimum four games). As Matt mentioned, it was the sixth consecutive week that Montgomery scored 20-plus points -- and those account for six of his eight career 20-point performances -- putting him on an exclusive list of running backs who managed 20-plus in each of Weeks 12-17: Marshall Faulk 1999 and 2001, Ahman Green 2000, LaDainian Tomlinson 2003, Larry Johnson 2005 and Steven Jackson 2006 are the others. The Bears finally seemed to turn around their playcalling, relying -- wisely -- on their running back, and so long as that plan holds into 2021, he'll have borderline RB1 appeal. -- Cockcroft
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans: His 35.0 PPR fantasy points in Week 17 continued what has been a three-year string of fantasy-playoffs excellence. It was his NFL-leading fifth 30-point fantasy performance in Weeks 14-17 since the 2018 season, and his 283.6 total PPR fantasy points in those "playoff" weeks are also a league-leading total. Henry might be football's most underrated true fantasy RB1, and he'll enter 2021 coming off the league's eighth 2,000-yard rushing campaign (2,027). -- Cockcroft
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints: Though he missed Week 17 while on the reserve/COVID-19 list, he nevertheless scored a position-best 377.8 PPR fantasy points this season, 40.0 ahead of the No. 2 name (Dalvin Cook). It's the 28th-best single-season total by any running back, and Kamara became only the 20th running back to average at least 25 points while playing at least half of his team's games. He was a hot starter -- his 127.7 PPR fantasy points through the first four weeks was fourth most by a running back since at least 1950 -- and capped a lot of fantasy championships -- and his 56.2 points in Week 16 was the fifth-most by any running back in any game since at least 1950. -- Cockcroft
James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars: He might've missed Weeks 16 and 17 with an ankle injury, horrendous timing for his fantasy teams, but Robinson did plenty to get his teams to their leagues' championship game. He was RB58 in terms of preseason ADP, worse than either Ryquell Armstead (RB55) or Devine Ozigbo (RB56), yet became the only running back this season -- and 47th in history -- to score at least 10 PPR fantasy points in each of his team's first 14 games of the season. -- Cockcroft
Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers and Saquon Barkley, New York Giants: Despite an injury-filled season, I'm still ranking McCaffrey as my RB1 in 2021. It's the receiving game upside there -- and the overall volume -- in Joe Brady's heavily schemed offense. However, on Barkley, who is coming off an ACL injury, where does he fit with Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara in the top five? Have to see how he progresses in the offseason and throughout training camp given the knee injury. -- Bowen
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts: Taylor's end-of-season run showcased all of the traits we saw on his college film at Wisconsin. Just look at the footwork to push through the wash, the ability to stack moves together and the explosive play juice. Taylor scored at least 19 PPR points per game in Weeks 13-17, and he capped off the season on Sunday with a career-high 38.4 points versus Jacksonville, which gave him a league-high 130.3 PPR fantasy points during that stretch. Taylor will be an RB1 in my '21 preseason ranks behind that Colts offensive line. -- Bowen
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens: Dobbins will have RB1 upside in '21. It's the Ravens' run-heavy approach, plus the juice Dobbins brings to this offense with his contact balance and second-level burst. Even with the anticipation that Gus Edwards returns as the Ravens' "dive back," Dobbins has the traits of a volume runner in this Baltimore system. -- Bowen
Wide receivers
MVP
Cockcroft: Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
Bowen: Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
LVP
Cockcroft: Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Bowen: Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs: With a total of 328.9 PPR points in 15 games this season, which included his ridiculous 57.9-point day versus Tampa Bay in Week 12, Hill finished as the overall WR2 this season behind Adams. He's a consistent three-level weapon in this Kansas City offense, and Andy Reid will use him both as a vertical and horizontal threat. -- Bowen
It was the second time that he has scored 300-plus PPR fantasy points, making him the 10th wide receiver in history to have multiple such campaigns in his first five NFL seasons. Hill got it done with a huge number of big plays, pacing the league with nine catches of 20-plus yards. Only four times did any player have more in a single season since 2001: Terrell Owens (2001, 2007), Randy Moss (2003), Antonio Brown (2018). -- Cockcroft
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: His 21.3 PPR fantasy points in Week 17 gave him six games of 20-plus points this season, tied for third among rookie wide receivers behind seven by Harlon Hill (1954) and Odell Beckham Jr. (2014). Jefferson finished the season with 274.2 PPR fantasy points, the fourth most by any rookie wide receiver in history, behind only Moss' 304.7 (1998), Beckham's 295.0 and Anquan Boldin's 282.7 (2003). -- Cockcroft
DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks: Even with a dip in production at the end of the season, which is tied to the Seahawks' shift in offensive philosophy and the inconsistent play of quarterback Russell Wilson, Metcalf still posted 271.3 PPR points this season. With explosive play traits and an expanded route tree, Metcalf should be in the discussion as a top-five fantasy WR in '21. -- Bowen
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans: Even in a run-heavy system, I see Brown as a top-10 wide receiver in the '21 season. It's the physical traits, paired with his catch-and-run ability, that fit perfectly with the play-action pass game in Tennessee on in-breaking routes, in addition to the scoring upside he brings to this offense (10 touchdown receptions in '20) -- Bowen
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals: Higgins finished his season with 194.6 PPR points, and I was pretty impressed with the rookie out of Clemson. Yes, Higgins has the body control and catch radius to make plays on 50-50 balls. But look at the route running here in an offense built on timing and rhythm throws. With the anticipation that quarterback Joe Burrow is ready to roll early in the 2021 season, Higgins has WR2 upside. -- Bowen
Tight ends
MVP
Cockcroft: Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowen: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
LVP
Cockcroft: Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Bowen: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions: With 10 games of at least 10 PPR fantasy points, Hockenson quietly put together a really good fantasy season. The second-year tight end caught six touchdowns, we saw the route-running ability and we know he can produce on middle-of-the-field throws. There is a lot of upside here for a young tight end who can have a breakout season in 2021 with the right playcaller in the mix for Detroit. -- Bowen
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins: With seam-stretching ability and a catch radius to make plays outside of his frame in the low red zone, Gesicki posted three games of 20-plus PPR points this season. And with more consistent quarterback play in Miami next season, Gesicki can become a consistent TE1. -- Bowen
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers: The Packers tight end finished the season with 11 touchdown receptions -- posted 176.6 PPR points in 2020. While he doesn't have the traits of a Kelce or Waller in terms of the route tree, he fits as a middle-of-the-field target for Rodgers. And in an offense that creates defined throws, Tonyan will be in the TE1 mix again next season. -- Bowen