Once again, fantasy football owners endured another crazy NFL season that saw their own fantasy wishes get turned upside down as unbelievable events unfolded everywhere.
How crazy was 2019? If we used the same headlines for different players entering 2020, you’d see just how unlikely a lot of what happened really was. For some fun reference, check out the article from one year ago on crazy 2019 headlines, too.
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Kyler Murray Leads All Fantasy Players in Scoring in 2020
Murray will be entering his second season in the NFL next season, and the Cardinals offense was prolific enough to make him a Top 10 fantasy quarterback. Kliff Kingsbury’s “Air Raid” offense had Murray throwing the ball over 500 times this season, with a relatively short 6.79 yards per attempt. As he grows more comfortable – and the Cardinals feel more comfortable with him – we can expect that distance to grow some, which will bring more touchdowns and fantasy points, as well. Also, the only two quarterbacks with more rushing attempts this season were Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, who were top-10 QBs, too.
Before you laugh off Murray’s ascension in 2020, remember that both Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson became the best fantasy QBs in their sophomore years, too, in unlikely manners.
Kenyan Drake Goes From Playoffs Stud to Fantasy Star
Much like how Tennessee’s Derrick Henry owned the fantasy playoffs in 2018, propelling him into the Top 10 of fantasy running backs in 2019, Drake has a similar story going on in Arizona. From Weeks 14 to 16, no fantasy running back scored more points than the former Dolphins RB. He’ll need the Cardinals to extend/sign him and then trade or cut David Johnson in the offseason, though.
Antonio Brown Rebounds From Lost Season To Be a Top 20 Player at His Position Again
This time last year, Le’Veon Bell was the most hated fantasy player, after he cost his owners a top-three overall draft pick and chose to hold out the entire season. While Brown didn’t hold out, it was his countless poor decisions that turned him into an NFL pariah, costing his fantasy owners their second-round pick. Like Bell, who rebounded with a Top 20 RB season with a new team, Brown could similarly do this in 2020. He’ll need to face the consequences with a possible NFL suspension, but he’s still in his prime, and there are about 20 NFL teams who could use his services – 10 of which might take a chance on him.
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Russell Wilson Retires Unexpectedly Right Before the Season Starts
Just like his fellow 2012 NFL Draft-mate Andrew Luck did in 2019, Wilson could retire near the end of the NFL Preseason, and push fantasy owners who just drafted him over a ledge. Luck was a sixth-round pick this past summer, before he decided to hang up his cleats, and Wilson remains a Top 5 quarterback with similar ADP for 2020.
Dalvin Cook Holds Out To Start the Season
Cook has proven to be a valuable fantasy player in all types of leagues, and his big 2019 season has turned him into a likely Top 5 fantasy pick for 2020. The only two players who churned out better consistency stats in 2019 are Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott. He’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, however, and it’s not unreasonable to think that Cook holds out for a better deal. This is what happened with Melvin Gordon this past season, as he entered the final year of his contract, and Bell the season before that.
Patriots Defense No Longer Useful in Fantasy After Midseason
One of the best fantasy stories of the 2019 season was the ascent of the Patriots defense. Their seven touchdowns scored ranks better than most running backs and wide receivers! While they rank among the sacks leaders, it’s their high amount of interceptions that pushed them to the very top of all defense rankings. They’ll no doubt be a mid-round draft pick in 2020, especially since they still face the Dolphins and Jets twice per season. But much like the Bears from 2019, who had similar fantasy stats built on interceptions and defensive touchdowns, this fantasy defense could come back to the pack in 2020.
Jaeden Graham Emerges as Top 5 Fantasy Tight End
Atlanta’s Austin Hooper is coming off a career season (imagine that, in his contract year, no less!) and he’s going to earn a boatload of cash in free agency this spring. The Falcons are already strapped for cash with over 55 percent of their salary cap eaten up by six players. We can see them letting Hooper shop his wares elsewhere, replacing him with Jaeden, who played well in Hooper’s absence this season.
The former Ivy Leaguer would need a lot of things to happen if he’s going to become a Top 5 fantasy tight end – but how unlikely was Darren Waller’s 2019 season with the Raiders? In Waller’s first three NFL seasons, he totaled 18 catches. But once Jared Cook moved on in free agency this past offseason, Waller eclipsed his career catch total by Week 3. He finished as a Top 5 tight end, and one of the best fantasy pickups of the decade.
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Baker Mayfield Nearly Leads NFL in Passing TDs and INTs
Mayfield has certainly been a conundrum since he was the first overall draft pick in 2019, showing flashes of brilliance and stupidity in his two NFL seasons. We saw the good in 2018 and the bad in 2019 — and in 2020, we’ll see a mix of both, as the offensive weapons around him are just too good to keep him from being somewhat successful.
Much like Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay, with two superstar wide receivers around him, Mayfield could throw for 30 touchdowns in 2020 – and 30 interceptions. With no one behind him on the depth chart and a franchise putting all their chips on his arm, Mayfield will have every opportunity to undo his first-half interceptions with second-half touchdowns, much like Winston.
Teddy Bridgewater Signs With Panthers… Proves He’s a Better Backup
There should be several teams lining up to sign the Louisville product this offseason, including the Panthers, who could move on from Cam Newton now that Ron Rivera is gone. Bridgewater proved to be a fantastic backup quarterback in New Orleans, steering a stellar offense to success until Drew Brees returned from injury. This story would be like how Nick Foles led the Eagles to wins with Carson Wentz sidelined, with Foles eventually signing with the Jaguars as their new starter.
Which of these 2020 fantasy headlines do you think have the best chance of coming true? Which 2020 headlines based on 2019 news events do you think are possible?
(Top photo: Abbie Parr/Getty Images)