While the 2021 NFL season is still months away, it is never too early to prepare for the fantasy season. Whether it’s research, mock drafts, or going with your gut, everyone has a way to prepare for their fantasy drafts. However, this isn’t another article to help you prepare for the fantasy season. Today, I am going to give three bold fantasy predictions for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021.
All stats are base on PPR scoring.
Be sure to check out all of Fanelli’s Fantasy Predictions.
Justin Jefferson Finishes as the Overall WR1
Despite averaging only 32.5 snaps per game over the first two weeks of the season, Jefferson finished the year as the WR6, averaging 17.1 fantasy points per game. However, Jefferson ended the second half of the season on fire. Over his final eight games, Jefferson averaged 19.7 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, Jefferson had six games with 21.5 or more fantasy points last season. Despite his impressive numbers last season, Jefferson has plenty of room to grow. Last season, Adam Thielen had a ridiculously high 36.4 percent red zone target share compared to 19.4 percent for Jefferson. Furthermore, Thielen had an 18.2 percent touchdown rate compared to 7.9 percent for Jefferson. After his strong rookie season, expect the Vikings to feature Jefferson more, leading to the overall WR1 finish.
Irv Smith Doesn’t Finish as a Top-12 Tight End
Many believe Smith is a sleeper now with Kyle Rudolph in New York. However, that isn’t going to be the case. In the nine games both Smith and Rudolph played, Smith played an average of 62 percent of the snaps per game. By comparison, in the four games without Rudolph, Smith played an average of 71 percent of the snaps. Furthermore, in the four games without Rudolph, Tyler Conklin averaged 70 percent of the snaps per game. Despite Rudolph averaging only 3.1 targets per game, Smith had only three games with seven or more fantasy points. Meanwhile, in the four games without Rudolph, Smith had only two with more than seven or more fantasy points. Expect Conklin to cut into Smith’s workload, keeping him out of the top-12 tight ends.
Adam Thielen has 10 or More Touchdowns
Last season, Thielen had a career-high 14 touchdowns and an 18.2 percent touchdown rate. Many believe Thielen will regress this season because of his touchdown production. However, that isn’t the case. Since Kirk Cousins joined the Vikings in 2018, Thielen has been a fantasy star. During that span, Thielen has averaged 16.5 fantasy points and 0.71 touchdowns per game. Over a 17 game pace, Thielen would score 12 touchdowns if he averaged 0.71 per game. Furthermore, in the two seasons that he has played 15 or more games with Cousins, Thielen has scored at least nine touchdowns each season. Even if Thielen losses some touchdowns to Jefferson, he still should have no trouble scoring double-digit touchdowns.
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