Tag: nfl bold predictions

Fantasy Football Roundtable: Season-long staff predictions

Staff members dish on their favorite predictions for the 2021 NFL season.

The Huddle’s main “voice” comes through the keyboard of David Dorey, whether it be with his sleepers and value picks, or through his in-depth rankings and game previews.

In today’s exercise, we see how Dorey’s favored selections across an array of fantasy topics matches up with The Huddle regulars. Let’s see if we can form any kind of consensus, and even if we cannot, it is always fun to have a snapshot of differing opinions.

2021 fantasy football and NFL staff predictions

NFL MVP?

David Dorey: Kyler Murray
Cory J. Bonini: Josh Allen
Ken Pomponio: Josh Allen
Harley Schultz: Patrick Mahomes
Steve Gallo: Patrick Mahomes
HC Green: Aaron Rodgers

Fantasy football MVP?

DMD: Alvin Kamara
CJB: Kyler Murray
KP: Christian McCaffrey
HS: Aaron Rodgers
SG: Dalvin Cook
HCG: Kyler Murray

Fantasy football Offensive Rookie of the Year?

DMD: Najee Harris
CJB: Trey Sermon
KP: Najee Harris
HS: Najee Harris
SG: DeVonta Smith
HCG: Najee Harris

Must-have sleeper?

DMD: Rhamondre Stevenson
CJB: Henry Ruggs
KP: Marquez Callaway
HS: Russell Gage
SG: Corey Davis
HCG: Marquez Callaway

Must-have breakout player?

DMD: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
CJB: Henry Ruggs
KP: Antonio Gibson
HS: Marquez Callaway
SG: Bryan Edwards
HCG: Brandon Aiyuk

Favorite late-round flier?

DMD: Jakobi Meyers
CJB: Amon-Ra St. Brown
KP: Gabriel Davis
HS: Sterling Shepard
SG: Anthony Miller
HCG: Larry Rountree

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Biggest bust?

DMD: Saquon Barkley
CJB: Joe Mixon
KP: Saquon Barkley
HS: Russell Wilson
SG: Derrick Henry
HCG: Josh Jacobs

Most surprising turnaround team (bad to good)?

DMD: 49ers
CJB: Broncos
KP: 49ers
HS: Panthers
SG: 49ers
HCG: Broncos

Most surprising drop-off team (good to bad)?

DMD: Buccaneers
CJB: Saints
KP: Saints
HS: Seahawks
SG: Saints
HCG: Seahawks

Divisional winners?

DMD: Bills, Ravens, Colts, Chiefs | Cowboys, Packers, Saints, Rams
CJB: Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Titans | Cowboys, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams
KP: Bills, Browns, Titans, Chiefs | Washington, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams
HS: Bills, Browns, Titans, Chiefs | Washington, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams
SG: Bills, Browns, Colts, Chiefs | Eagles, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams
HCG: Bills, Ravens, Titans, Chiefs | Cowboys, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams

Wild Card teams?

DMD: Patriots, Dolphins, Steelers | Buccaneers, Cardinals, Seahawks
CJB: Patriots, Broncos, Steelers | Washington, Cardinals, Seahawks
KP: Dolphins, Ravens, Broncos | 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys
HS: Ravens, Chargers, Colts | Vikings, Cowboys, Cardinals
SG: Chargers, Ravens, Titans | Washington, Seahawks, Cardinals
HCG: Browns, Patriots, Broncos | 49ers, Saints, Washington

AFC Champion?

DMD: Bills
CJB: Bills
KP: Bills
HS: Chiefs
SG: Chiefs
HCG: Bills

NFC Champion?

DMD: Packers
CJB: Packers
KP: Rams
HS: Packers
SG: Buccaneers
HCG: Packers

Super Bowl Champion?

DMD: Packers
CJB: Bills
KP: Bills
HS: Chiefs
SG: Chiefs
HCG: Packers

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NFL Bold Prediction: Aaron Rodgers gets revenge on Buccaneers

An Aaron Rodgers win over the Buccaneers isn’t that bold of a prediction, but Henry McKenna has him putting a bad loss to Tampa earlier in the season behind him.

An Aaron Rodgers win over the Buccaneers isn’t that bold of a prediction, but Henry McKenna has him putting a bad loss to Tampa earlier in the season behind him.

NFL Week 2 Bold Prediction: Get ready for a huge game from Jimmy Garoppolo

In his Week 2 bold prediction, Henry McKenna has Jimmy Garoppolo throwing for 350 yards with 2 TDs against the Jets.

In his Week 2 bold prediction, Henry McKenna has Jimmy Garoppolo throwing for 350 yards with 2 TDs against the Jets.

3 bold predictions for Week 11’s game between the Saints and Buccaneers

Find out what you should be on the lookout for during Sunday’s Week 11 showdown between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The New Orleans Saints visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday looking for redemption after dropping a game at home to the lowly Atlanta Falcons in Week 10.

At 7-2, New Orleans is right near the top of the NFC playoff seeding, meaning a loss to the 3-6 Buccaneers would further dampen their pursuit of the top spot.

The Bucs are looking for redemption of their own, however. Their loss in Week 5 to the Saints started the Bucs on a four-game losing streak, which only ended with last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Ever the enigma, the Buccaneers find themselves as underdogs at home for the first time all season. But remember, this offense can put up points and fast. Tampa Bay has the league’s third-best scoring offense, averaging 28.9 points per game.

And, as the Falcons showed in last week’s upset of New Orleans, you shouldn’t give much credence to overall records when it comes to a game between divisional opponents. The sense of familiarity and the ingrained rivalry usually makes it an even matchup (unless you’re an AFC East team playing the New England Patriots).

I think the Bucs will upset the Saints in a high-scoring game that will mark the signature win of the season for Tampa Bay.

Here are three other bold predictions for Sunday’s matchup.

Bucs secondary gets to Brees

Let’s face it — the best way to beat the Buccaneers defense is to attack their secondary. Tampa Bay’s pass defense is last in the NFL and they lost their seasoned veteran this week when they cut cornerback and former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves. New Orleans knows the Bucs rush defense is a near-impenetrable wall, so expect Brees to go to the air early and often. I think he’ll throw the ball at least 50 times, forcing it in some cases. The Bucs will intercept the future Hall of Fame quarterback three times.

Winston has zero turnovers

This is like predicting Jay Cutler having an interception-free game. It’s risky. Winston has 14 interceptions on the season and seems to turn the ball over at the worst times. I think offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich will look to establish the run early with Ronald Jones and ease Winston into things. You have to play mistake-free football against a team like New Orleans in order to win. I think Winston gets 300 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns with zero turnovers.

Jonesing for a 100-yard game

Running back Ronald Jones has had a huge bounce-back season after a disappointing rookie campaign last year. The new starter for the Bucs has looked great the past two weeks, scoring touchdowns in both games. Everyone is waiting — especially fantasy owners — for Jones to have that breakout game, though. He’s flirted with 100-yard rushing games before, but has yet to eclipse the mark over his two-year career. What better time than Sunday to do it?

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