Fantasy Football 2020. It’s a thing that used to be, but is not anymore. We are in 2021 now. That being said, there are things we can learn from 2020, specifically in terms of fantasy. So let’s go over what 2020 means for our 2021 seasons, and maybe figure out why we missed what we missed, and hit what we hit.

Fantasy Football 2020, QB

The importance of QB varies greatly, depending upon your format, Superflex options, scoring settings, etc. As far as QB performance in Fantasy Football 2020, I doubt many predicted that Josh Allen would finish first. Allen finished 2020 with a 69.2 completion percentage, along with a 37:10 TD:INT ratio and 4,544 passing yards. Fantastic numbers alone, but combined with 421 yards on the ground and 8 rush TDs, Allen wound up finishing just 16.02 fantasy points behind Lamar Jackson‘s number 1 finish last year. I projected Allen finishing as the QB6, but I was not expecting that outrageous leap in completion percentage. Kyler Murray also didn’t dissapoint, although he faded towards the end when it mattered. Aaron Rodgers wound up third while leading the league in completion percentage(70.7) and passing TDs(48). Those 48 TDs are also a career-best for the future Hall of Famer. Patrick Mahomes comes in at 4, and his floor will remain that safe for the majority of his career. Deshaun Watson rounds out our top 5, and considering Watson scored more fantasy points without Hopkins this year, you could call 2020 an excellent fantasy year for the disgruntled QB.

Let’s go over the people I was surprised by. Justin Herbert. Holy cow that rookie can play. He finished 9th in fantasy points, despite not starting week 1. Also, Ryan Tannehill finishing as the QB7 despite finishing as QB20 in Belly Up’s preseason consensus rankings. Kirk Cousins at 11 with a 35:13 TD:INT ratio was a pleasant surprise. He was 24th in those same consensus rankings. Tom Brady also proved relatively ageless with a very strong QB8 season, especially considering his strong finish during playoff time(69.91 completion percentage, 1,137 Pass Yds, 10:1 TD:INT ratio weeks 15-17).

Now, Fantasy Football 2020 gave us some real duds at the QB position as well, and for a variety of reasons. Lamar Jackson finishing as QB10 is an obvious disappointment to those owners who drafted him way too early. Bahahaha. He scored 79.9 more fantasy points last year. I took heat for projecting Lamar would only throw for 3,094 passing yards in 2020. But wait, he didn’t even do that! He threw for 2,757 yards passing. For reference, Mahomes threw for 2,841 in his last 8 regular-season games. He still managed 1,007 yards rushing and 7 TDs on the ground, but my goodness… He did not belong as QB2 and I projected him at 5th. Seems even I was over-projecting there. Drew Brees finishing as QB21 is rough, and he only played 12 games. Speaking of 12 games, Carson Wentz played that many too. Yikes what a year for him at QB22. Daniel Jones at QB24 is a huge disappointment for me personally, but losing Saquon early hurts everyone. I expected more from Gardner Minshew, but to be fair he did finish as QB16 on a per-game basis. His coach was just a moron who didn’t start him. Dak Prescott was going bonkers when he was healthy, but then he got not so healthy.

As it is with most seasons, Fantasy Football 2020 proved once again that QB can be waited on in most formats. Josh Allen could have easily been a RD3-6 acquisition, but Lamar Jackson woulda cost you a RD1-2 pick. And just like every year, guys jump out of the woodwork to surprise, like Herbert, Tannehill, and Cousins. So what did we learn in 2020? Wait on the QB. Good luck convincing me of that when I see Mahomes on the turn, but let’s pretend we will actually follow the trends and not let our emotions run crazy on draft day.

Fantasy Football 2020, RB

It was a bloodbath, a nightmare, and a beautiful disaster for RBs in Fantasy Football 2020. To start our top 5, Alvin Kamara had a ridiculous finish to wind up with 377.8 PPR points in 15 games. If you had Kamara during his 172 all-purpose yard, 6 rush TD performance in week 16 and didn’t win, then your team sucked. Dalvin Cook ran it back with another excellent year, and only missed 2 games in the process, which is big for him. Derrick Henry is a freaking animal and back-to-back rushing champ, rushing for 2,077 yards on the ground. Then, in a huge surprise, David Montgomery makes his debut in the top 5, averaging 137.4 all-purpose yards and 1.33 total TDs per game over his last 6 games. Strong finish David! Aaron Jones rounds out our top 5, and while we knew he wouldn’t score 19 TDs again, his 11 total TDs prove he has a nose for the end zone.

There were quite a few unbelievable surprises in fantasy football 2020. Jonathan Taylor finishing like a boss and winding up as RB6 is one of them after his slow start. James Robinson the undrafted monster wound up with 250.4 points in 14 games, on a Jags team that quite frankly was not good. Antonio Gibson emerging as a playmaker on that WTF team was also a pleasant surprise for most. I projected he would finish highest in consensus rankings at 18th, and he absolutely exceeded that. Nyheim Hines was the RB15 in PPR, I never thought I would say that. J.D. McKissic at RB17 gives the team from Washington two top 20 RBs, something else I never thought I would say. Mike Davis did a helluva CMC impression in 2020, and Kareem Hunt wound up scoring more than Nick Chubb, albeit in 4 more games. One more thing. Myles Gaskin doesn’t seem elite at any particular thing, but that guy is above-average in every way, making him a viable fantasy player.

On the disappointing side, where do we being? Christian McCaffrey played exceptionally well, for 3 games. Yikes. Saquon Barkley may as well have shown up to 2020 in the body-double he uses on that Hulu commercial. Ezekiel Elliot wound up finishing 9th, but that’s the most disappointing RB9 finish I can recall. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was getting RD1 hype, but wound up finishing as RB22, not terrible, but not special either. David Johnson outscored him in 1 less game for goodness sakes. James Conner, nor anyone on the Steelers roster, could get a ground game going. Todd Gurley sadly plays on Todd Gurley’s knees. Austin Ekeler and Miles Sanders both missed time, and mostly underwhelmed when they didn’t. Joe Mixon played in only 6 games, so there’s that.

RB will always be the most important position in my heart. This year offers both warnings of danger and glimmers of hope. For every Saquon and CMC, there was a J Rob or Hines. So while we now are aware that even the surefire RB1’s are no safe bet, we also know waiver-wire RBs can win you the championship. Fantasy Football 2020, as usual, was a year where RBs were at the forefront.

Fantasy Football 2020, WR

There was Davante Adams, and then there was everyone else. in 14 games, Adams scored 18 times, adding 1,374 receiving yards, which is 98.1 receiving yards per game. Adams was unstoppable as this year’s WR1. Tyreek Hill wasn’t too shabby as the WR2, winding up with 17 total TDs himself. Stefon Diggs had himself a breakout with Allen and the Bills, leading the NFL with 1,535 receiving yards. DeAndre Hopkins didn’t miss a beat in Arizona, connecting with Kyler early and often. Calvin Ridley made the leap into elite this year, finishing 5th despite playing 9 games with Julio Jones.

When it comes to surprises, where do we start? Justin Jefferson at 6? Robby Anderson and his early onslaught winding up as WR19? Chase Claypool renting real-estate in the end zone enough to finish at 23? The Corey Davis resurgence that saw him finish as the WR30 was nice also, and Will Fuller making 11 games would be a solid sign for his health holding up, considering the games he missed were for banned substances. Then again, maybe that’s how he stayed healthy. Also, Nelson Agholor is a real threat in Vegas.

The disappointments? They are D.J. Moore winding up at 25. Chris Godwin at 31 hurt too. DJ Chark wound up as the WR49, not where anyone had him going. Kenny Golladay only played in 3 games this year. And Julio, I mean yikes, just 9 games and 146.1 fantasy points. The artist formerly known as A.J. Green also disappointed tremendously in fantasy football 2020. OBJ getting hurt was brutal, but nothing was as bad as Michael Thomas deciding football wasn’t fun anymore. What the hell, MT? Even when he played, he was nothing really special. Figures this was the year I went heavy MT.

What did we learn about the WR position in 2020? That the youth is here to play, not wait. Rookies continue assaulting the veterans’ supremacy. Between D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown, and Terry McLaurin all finishing top 20, 2019’s rookies brought more of the same this year. The 2020 rookies also showed out, and next year when the draft rolls around, it looks like there will once again be plenty of WRs who will be able to contribute right off the bat.

Fantasy Football 2020, TE

Travis Kelce is a freak. We don’t have to say more after his fifth straight year finishing as the TE1. That, folks, is called consistent dominance. He didn’t even have to play week 17. This was also his fifth consecutive 1,000+ yard season. At 31, Kelce didn’t miss a beat. Darren Waller emerged as a righteous second fiddle to Kelce, and proved 2019 was no fluke. Robert Tonyan would own the surprise section of this article if he didn’t also finish 3rd. Logan Thomas at 4? Hold my beer, Tonyan. T.J. Hockenson rounded out the top 5, and I believe we are looking at his floor moving forward.

Surprises were everywhere at TE. Tonyan and Thomas, I mean wow. Dalton Schultz thriving as the TE11 after Blake Jarwin went down? Who saw that coming? Jimmy Graham scoring enough TDs to be relevant as the TE13? impressive. The thing I am most pleasantly surprised by is Evan Engram playing all 16 games. He finished as the TE15, but as we mentioned before, losing Saquon hurts everyone. Jonnu Smith started as a surprise but faded quicker than invisible ink in the second-half of the season.

The disappointments were even more prevalent. Zach Ertz finished as the TE31. Austin Hooper underwhelmed at TE21, recording only 423 receiving yards in 13 games. Hunter Henry as the TE12 was not what Hunter Henry owners wanted either. Tyler Higbee at 17 was low for most people, but I had him preseason at TE27 so I was a bit surprised here. Chris Herndon has potential but wound up as the TE33, and Dawson Knox is a guy I am still high on, but the breakout has been slightly delayed, considering his TE37 finish. Is Ian Thomas even rosterable anymore? He finished as TE54 despite playing in 14 games. And in disappointing as a whole, New England had essentially zero usable TEs in 2020. Seriously, Ryan Izzo was their highest finisher at 62. And how dare we leave out George Kittle, who wound up as the TE19 due to only playing in 8 games.

We basically knew already what Fantasy Football 2020 tried teaching us about TEs. There are an elite 1-3 TEs that are worth paying up for, and then wait on the rest. Mike Gesicki wound up as TE7, Hayden Hurst as the TE10. Those guys were available much later. Both outscored Ertz and Kittle, 2 of what were supposed to be that elite group. So if it isn’t Kelce, I am waiting. Scratch that, I will wait because I like RBs too much to wind up with Kelce.

Fantasy Football 2020, I hate K and Def, and IDP will get me divorced.

So that’s not happening here.

Fantasy Football 2020, oh how time did fly. What a fantastic year of fantasy it was, despite the Covid protocols, injuries to the stars, and difficulties knowing who was playing when. Football, and as a direct result fantasy football, almost didn’t happen in 2020. So despite there being countless grumpy MT, or Saquon, or Dak owners, I know one thing for certain. Fantasy Football 2020 was one helluva ride.

Thanks for traveling back in time with me. It seems like so long ago already. You can find me on Twitter @realryanhicks, and follow @BellyUpFantasy for all your fantasy desires. Meeting those desires is what we are all about. You can also find me every Wednesday at 7:30 CST on Belly Up Fantasy Live. We broadcast live to Twitter and Facebook, and you can find us anywhere you find podcasts. And for those few of you like me who just can’t get enough, happy draft season!