8 crazy fantasy football predictions for the 2020 season

Let’s be bold.

By now, you’re either finished drafting your fantasy football squads or getting ready for a last-minute draft as Thursday’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans approaches.

Of course, you’ve hopefully done your research (if not, here’s our 2020 cheat sheet with all of our preview content!), but perhaps you want some bold takes on what will happen this season. Last year, in this column, we nailed the Lamar Jackson breakout and Chris Carson ascending to RB1 status … and whiffed on some others (Latavius Murray did not, in fact, score 10 touchdowns).

But fortune favors the bold, so let’s be bold!

1. No rookie running back will finish in the top 12 RBs by season’s end

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Yep, that includes Clyde Edwards-Helaire. I’ll explain: rookies in general in 2020 will have a much tougher time than in previous years acclimating to the NFL thanks to no OTAs and preseason games.

Then, you have to couple that with the situations some of the big first-year names are facing. CEH was a first-round pick for the Chiefs, but I wonder if Darrel Williams takes away enough work that the rookie is a solid RB2 who catches a bunch of passes but doesn’t pile up the yardage.

The buzz around Jonathan Taylor is great, but will Marlon Mack be completely phased out for the Colts? I doubt it. The same goes for J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram. D’Andre Swift has to overcome the presence of Kerryon Johnson and Adrian Peterson, and Cam Akers has Malcolm Brown and — when he’s healthy — Darrell Henderson. Despite the fact that Devin Singletary seems to have had an uneven camp for the Bills, I still think Zack Moss and him split the work.

You get the idea. Draft accordingly.

2. Calvin Ridley will outscore Julio Jones in 2020

We’re all waiting for the year when Jones takes a step back … and it didn’t happen in 2019. At age 31, and with Ridley making a third-year leap, I’m thinking it happens. I’m not saying Jones will notch his first sub-1,000-yard season since 2013 (!).

But here’s the thing: Jones isn’t known for his red-zone dominance. So if Jones ends up with around 1,000 yards and, say five touchdowns, and Ridley grabs eight or nine and also has around 1,000 yards, the latter will be the more valuable player.

3. Kareem Hunt will outscore Nick Chubb

When Hunt was activated in November for the Browns in 2019, Chubb’s value took a hit. Even though Hunt didn’t pile up rushing yardage, he did catch 37-of-44 targets in eight games.

This is relevant because Kevin Stefanski is now the head coach in Cleveland, and there was more of a time-share in Minnesota — where he was offensive coordinator — than you thought. And I can see a scenario where Hunt gets more playing time because of his pass-catching ability late in games, hurting Chubb’s early-draft value to the point where Hunt ends up outscoring him.

4. Robert Woods will be a WR1

I don’t know if this is THAT bold. But, look: Brandin Cooks is gone, maybe Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee split more of their workload … and Woods has quietly been super consistent over the past two seasons. There’s some positive touchdown regression coming, too.

5. Derrick Henry won’t finish in the top 10 RBs

I’ve said it a bunch in our fantasy previews: I can’t buy in on another 18 touchdowns, and I worry about him after a 300-plus-carry season. Add in the fact that he caught just 18 passes in 2019, and I’ll look elsewhere in the first round.

6. The leading running back scorer for the Jaguars will be Chris Thompson

The Jaguars are going to be playing from behind a lot, the backfield is a complete mess now that Leonard Fournette is a Buc, and Thompson’s former coach in Washington — Jay Gruden — is now the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville. Thompson is going to catch A LOT of passes.

7. Tom Brady won’t live up to his ADP

I can’t shake it. I keep seeing Brady on his first non-Patriots team in his career and I can’t help but think there’s going to be A LOT of adjusting that needs to be done when it comes to the Buccaneers’ offense. It means I’m worried about Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski … and the same goes for Brady.

8. The Jets leading receiver will be Chris Herndon

The Jets’ receiving corps is kind of a mess and the Herndon buzz from the 2019 preseason has been doubled this preseason. I’m all in.

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