The offseason always brings players that are prospects to buy- the 2021 offseason is now different, here Steven Petkau gives three candidates.
Austin Ekeler (RB, LAC)
This man is arguably a top 3 receiving back in the league, behind Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara. Not to mention the new and improved offensive line of the Chargers. With additions like former All-Pro Corey Linsley, Oday Aboushi, and Matt Feiler, their run game is certainly going to get a boost. Although battling injuries may be a concern, he remained consistent even after coming back from a hamstring injury.
During weeks 1-3 (pre-hamstring injury), Ekeler was averaging 19.9 PPG in PPR formats, which ranked him as the 6th best RB in that timespan. If you compare that to weeks 12-17 (post-hamstring injury), it’s very similar. He averaged 17.2 PPG, which is slightly lower, but the pass-catching machine still managed to retain RB6 value within those last 6 weeks. You don’t want to miss out on his production in the 2021 season!
Current Cost: An early-ish first round pick
Pre-Injury (Week 1-3)
| Week | Rush Att | Rush Yards | Recs | Rec Yards | TD | Points |
| 1 | 19 | 84 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9.7 |
| 2 | 16 | 93 | 4 | 55 | 0 | 18.8 |
| 3 | 12 | 59 | 11 | 84 | 1 | 31.3 |
| Average | 16 | 79 | 5 | 47 | 0 | 19.9 |
Post-Injury (Week 12-17)
| Week | Rush Att | Rush Yards | Recs | Rec Yards | TD | Points |
| 12 | 14 | 44 | 11 | 85 | 0 | 23.9 |
| 13 | 8 | 36 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 10.8 |
| 14 | 15 | 79 | 9 | 67 | 0 | 23.6 |
| 15 | 13 | 60 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 11.9 |
| 16 | 10 | 45 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 15.8 |
| 17 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 33 | 1 | 17.1 |
| Average | 11 | 47 | 6 | 43 | 0 | 17.2 |
Michael Thomas (WR, NO)
“What? Michael Thomas? But Brees is gone!” Exactly, so try to buy him from a more panicked owner. Even if the Saints have Taysom Hill starting under center, Michael Thomas will still thrive. It’s a small sample size but in weeks 11-14 last year when Hill was the starting QB, Michael Thomas averaged a pleasing 16 PPG on a 9.3/7.5/85.8 pace. It’s not crazy outstanding, but keep in mind that he was battling injuries throughout that tenure. He had no touchdown receptions either, not only is it highly unlikely for that to happen again to the 2019 WR1, but there is a sense of relief that it’s literally impossible to be faced with a TD regression. A healthy Michael Thomas is going to be a solid addition to your WR core this offseason.
Current Cost: Multiple first-round picks
| Week | Target | Rec | Rec Yard | TD | Points |
| 11 | 12 | 9 | 104 | 0 | 19.4 |
| 12 | 6 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 9.0 |
| 13 | 11 | 9 | 105 | 0 | 19.5 |
| 14 | 8 | 8 | 84 | 0 | 16.4 |
| Average | 9.25 | 7.5 | 85.8 | 0 | 16.1 |
Amari Cooper (WR, DAL)
An underrated route runner overshadowed by a fancy new rookie. No shade to CD, but what people fail to realize is that Amari Cooper was the WR1 in weeks 1-4. His totals were 51/37/401 for averages of 12.8/9.3/100 for 21.3 PPG. He did this all with only one touchdown! And what happened in week 5? You guessed it. Dak goes down, and Cooper finishes as WR29 during weeks 5-17. If you’re concerned about Lamb eating into his production, don’t be. With Prescott under center, Lamb only totaled 29 targets. On a per-game basis, that’s 7.3 targets compared to Cooper’s 12.8. The truth is Dak likes Cooper more than his other weapons, and we don’t need to worry about any sort of TD regression. And with Dak back, you’re going to want Amari in your lineup.
Current Cost: A first round-pick
| Week | Target | Rec | Rec Yards | TD | Points |
| 1 | 14 | 10 | 81 | 0 | 18.1 |
| 2 | 9 | 6 | 100 | 0 | 16.0 |
| 3 | 12 | 9 | 86 | 0 | 17.6 |
| 4 | 16 | 12 | 134 | 1 | 31.4 |
| Average | 12.8 | 9.3 | 100 | 0.25 | 20.8 |
Start getting ready for the 2021 fantasy season with our draft kit (currently on pre-order pricing until the end of May) Remember you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram if you want to connect with us. Feel free to slide into those DMs if you need help!
Image Credit: Darren Yamashita – USA TODAY Sports
