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Fantasy Football Rankings 2021: Sleepers from model that predicted A.J. Brown's big year

Jun. 22, 2021
Fantasy Football Rankings 2021: Sleepers from model that predicted A.J. Brown's big year

Prior to suffering a compound fracture and dislocated right ankle that ended his season in Week 5, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was carrying owners who were lucky enough to have him in their lineups. Prescott had thrown for at least 450 yards and accounted for at least three total touchdowns in his previous three games, but can he provide similar Fantasy impact as he makes his return in 2021? Where should he be in your 2021 Fantasy football rankings?

Fellow Cowboys Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz and Ezekiel Elliott could be among the top 2021 Fantasy football picks if Prescott is healthy, but who are the top 2021 Fantasy football sleepers who could outperform their 2021 Fantasy football ADP and lead you to a title? Before making any 2021 Fantasy football picks, be sure to check out the 2021 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, the model accurately predicted a big season for Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown. The second-year playmaker had a fifth-round Fantasy football ADP, but the SportsLine Projection Model predicted he'd be a WR1. The result: Brown caught 70 passes for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns to finish as the No. 10 wide receiver in Fantasy football.

Additionally, it's called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you're always getting the best Fantasy football advice.

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2021, identifying several potential Fantasy football sleepers. Head to SportsLine now to see them.

One of the 2021 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The former second-round pick had 57 catches for 802 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie while adding 149 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground, but he wound up missing nine games last season.

Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are still the top two options in a 49ers passing attack that could be driven forward by healthy competition at the quarterback position with Trey Lance pushing Jimmy Garoppolo. In two games during the middle of the season when he was at his healthiest against the Rams and Bills, Samuel was targeted 22 times and caught 17 passes for 206 yards. Look for a healthy Samuel to be a major factor in 2021, which is why he ranks ahead of fellow wideouts like JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVonta Smith, who are being drafted at least a round earlier on average.

Another sleeper that SportsLine's Fantasy football rankings 2021 have identified: Patriots running back Damien Harris. The former Alabama star had to share carries in a crowded Crimson Tide backfield in college, but still produced 3,070 yards and was productive when given the opportunity again last season by Bill Belichick in New England.

After starting the season on injured reserve, Harris received double-digit carries in nine of the 10 games he played and rushed for 691 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a hamstring injury that ended his season. A healthy Harris should dominate early-down work again for the Patriots, a big reason why the model ranks him ahead of players like David Johnson and Javonte Williams, who are being drafted nearly 20 picks earlier on average.

SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising quarterback you aren't even thinking about being picked in the middle rounds of drafts. This quarterback is listed as a shocking top-five option in the Fantasy football rankings 2021, ahead of superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. You can only see who it is, and the 2021 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.

So which 2021 Fantasy Football sleepers should you target? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2021 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called A.J. Brown's huge season, and find out.


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