2021 Fantasy Late-Round Draft Targets

Welcome to our latest in our series of collaborative articles from the FFfaceoff team. We will be running these weekly collaborative pieces on different content all off-season long. For this first piece, we’ll be talking about 2021 Fantasy Late-Round Draft Targets. These names are players who currently have an ADP of 100 or higher according to FantasyData.

Ryan Tannehill

QB Tennessee Titans

ADP 100.7, QB13

First up is a late-round quarterback who just barely falls into this category with an ADP barely over 100. Ryan Tannehill has been one of the more consistent fantasy-scoring quarterbacks in the league with an FFFaceoff Consistency Score of 10.5, putting him in the top 10. Since he took over signal calling duties in Week 6 of the 2019 season for Tennesee, Tannehill has been near the top of the league in just about every statistical category; 8.6 yards per attempt (No. 1), QBR of 110.6 (No. 2), and a 67.9% completion percentage as per Pro Football Reference. – Brendan O’Bryan @OBryanBren

Brandin Cooks

WR Houston Texans

ADP 101.1, WR39

I get it. W all know there is a decent chance that Deshaun Watson is not under center for the Texans ever again. Whoever takes over at quarterback is a clear step down from Watson. But Brandin Cooks is still the clear-cut number one option in the passing game for a team that is, very likely, going to be trailing. A lot. Whether it ends up being Watson who is throwing the ball or not, the price tag on a criminally underrated wide receiver in Cooks is worth the risk at his ADP. Cooks may not bring that consistent production that we as fantasy owners like to see, but as someone who would be in one of your Flex spots, his weekly upside is nice to have. 

In 2020, Cooks was the 16th best receiver in fantasy and saw a 22% market share of the pass attempts in the 15 games he played in. There is also next to no threat of that changing. Unless you think Chris Conley or the ghost of Andre Roberts is going to eat into Cooks market share, you can get a team’s number one receiver in the back of your drafts. The only real other name to keep an eye on is rookie Nico Collins, but he’s a bit of a long shot to be productive right away. If Cooks fizzles out, you didn’t waste valuable draft capital anyway. If he delivers the kind of fantasy season he does just about every year of his career, then you got a steal in the 8th or 9th round. – Phillip Caldwell @DumpsterDiveFF

Michael Pittman Jr.

WR Indianapolis Colts

ADP 101.9, WR40

The first thing anyone thinks of when talking about the Colts passing game is Carson Wentz. After his 2020 season in Philadelphia, the comments are never good. But here’s the thing, Wentz was actually quite good for three seasons. In the three seasons following his rookie year, from 2017-2019, Wentz’s per-game stats equate to seasonal averages of 4,163 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a 64.3% completion percentage. Those numbers are actually pretty darn good. Fantasy managers need to take his 2020 season with a grain of salt. Injuries absolutely dismantled every positional group of the Eagles’ offense. He was playing behind an awful offensive line and throwing to a talent-deprived group of wide receivers.

Michael Pittman Jr., the former USC product put together an epic senior season, racking up 101 receptions for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was an upper-tier prospect coming out last season. He was drafted to be their new alpha receiver. That hasn’t changed, not after an off-season that saw the Colts ignore the wide receiver position. Pittman is primarily competing against TY Hilton to be the top target, who is on the wrong side of 30 and has dealt with injuries in recent years. There’s also Zach Pascal who has been a journeyman wide receiver and Parris Campbell, who can’t seem to stay on the field. The lack of competition leaves an easy path for Micahel Pittman to become Wentz’s preferred target.

As with any pick with an ADP of 100+, there will always be question marks around these players. There’s a reason they’re being drafted where they are after all. Pittman has a relatively easy path to a healthy target share in 2021. Pittman has everything we’re looking for in a late-round pick. He has the talent, as evidenced by his draft position in the 2020 NFL Draft, and an easy path towards consistent volume. He has the upside of a top-30 wide receiver. – Rob Lorge @RobFFAddict

Laviska Shenault

WR Jacksonville Jaguars

ADP108.2, WR43

If you spend a good amount of time on Twitter, you’re probably a bit surprised to see Laviska Shenault’s name on this list. I was a bit surprised as well, as he’s got an ADP of 108.2 and he’s the WR43 off the board. I don’t think he’ll necessarily be better than DJ Chark who has an ADP of 77 and WR30, but I do think there’s a decent chance they could end up putting up similar numbers. Shenault is a weapon just about anywhere that he lines up on the field. After averaging 11.2 PPR points per game in his rookie campaign, Shenault now gets Trevor Lawrence, the best quarterback prospect we’ve seen come out since Andrew Luck, and the optimism is absolutely warranted. This offense could be very exciting to watch with James Robinson, Travis Etienne, DJ Chark, and Shenault. Of these four players, Shenault has the lowest ADP and I fully expect him to out-perform his ADP of 112. – Aaron Schill @aaron_schill

Mike Williams

WR Los Angeles Chargers

ADP 128.9, WR50

I know what you’re thinking! How many times are we going to give this guy a chance? The thing is, with his current ADP of 128.9, fantasy managers aren’t really giving him much of a chance. The cost of admission is pretty much free. The former Tiger has given us glimpses of his talent, it’s just never all come together and the volume hasn’t been there. In his second season, he scored 10 touchdowns on just 43 receptions. He followed that season up by securing his first 1,000-yard season on just 49 catches. The four-year pro is a deep-ball monster and has averaged 16.7 yards per catch over his career. The hope here is that Philip Rivers just didn’t have the mustard on his arm to routinely take advantage of Williams’ deep-ball prowess. Now, with the reigning rookie offensive player of the year, Justin Herbert, he should have a quarterback who can effectively take advantage of his skill set.

The Chargers offense should be electric this season with Herbert under center. Williams won’t be the top target in Los Angeles, not with Keenan Allen still in town, he really doesn’t need to be in order to help your fantasy teams. Hunter Henry left in free agency and was replaced with the much older, Jared Cook. The Chargers do not have a clear WR3 at the moment. That should mean, as long as Williams is healthy, he should see a healthy dose of targets from Herbert. That should be music to every fantasy manager’s ears. He’s got big-play potential and a very nice weekly ceiling. The touchdown potential is through the roof at 6’4″ and attached to Herbert and this Chargers offense. Williams should be the most locked-in we’ve ever seen him. The Chargers declined his fifth-year option, effectively making him a free agent at the season’s end. Fantasy managers should get the best Williams has to offer with the hopes of securing a big payday. He’s another late-round receiver with top-30 upside. – Rob Lorge @RobFFAddict

James White

RB New England Patriots

ADP 137.4, RB54

The popular New England Patriots running back to draft this year is Damien Harris who has an ADP of 68.9 and is being drafted as the 31st running back off the board. While I do believe Harris will be the running back to own, James White has become a bit of an afterthought after being a nice late-round PPR option for the last few years. No, he’s probably not going to get the 70+ receptions that we’ve seen him get in recent years, but he’s still a very capable back and offers a safe floor for someone that you’re spending a 12th-round or higher draft pick on. He’ll periodically have some big games and offers a nice bye week replacement. Not to mention, if something would happen to Harris then White would immediately see a nice bump in production, or if Bill Belichick just doesn’t feel like giving Harris the ball anymore. Which we know, is always a possibility with New England running backs. – Aaron Schill @aaron_schill

Giovani Bernard

RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ADP 149.3, RB57

The first thing you think of when you think of Giovani Bernard this year is probably going to be that there are far too many mouths to feed in Tampa Bay. That, or the fact that he becomes the RB3 in a crowded and unpredictable backfield. Tom Brady threw 118 passes to his running backs last year, and neither Leonard Fournette nor Ronald Jones has been efficient or reliable in the passing game. Bernard is also a solid pass blocker, which could help him get on the field a bit more. You can spend a 12th-round pick or so on Bernard and it’s absolutely worth the upside that he could bring if Brady leans on him like we’ve seen him do with running backs in the past in New England. There’s also the obvious upside that comes if either Fournette or Jones misses time. We’ve also seen that Bruce Arians has no problem riding the hot hand or benching someone that can’t catch the ball or fumbles a few times. – Aaron Schill @aaron_schill

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