Top 10 Fantasy MVP Picks for 2021 - Fantasy Football Podcast for 9/1

Your league doesn't have and you do. And then over the back half of the year, there's the potential. The potential is so great that he could be a league winning player a la Robert Griffin from years ago where the risk is worth the reward. And, you know, I don't know if it'll be week one, two, three, but back half, it really should be a lot of Trey Lance. So I'm in. I'm down with it.

And the price. It's wonderful. So let's turn to Danny Kelly, who covers the NFL and Fantasy for the Ringer and Spotify. What's up, fellas? This is Danny Kelly from the Ringer Fantasy Football Show. And my fantasy MVP this year is none other than Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford is one of my favorite meddley around quarterback targets. And I think he could open up this Rams passing offense to levels we haven't really seen since 2018. But this isn't just about Stafford.

Rams head coach Sean McVay hosted the ringers flying coach podcast this summer. And it was my impression listening in that he is extremely excited for a guy like Stafford to run this offense. After seeing a few of his peers and former protegees like Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, get a bunch of love over the last few seasons. I think McVeigh is going to be really wrapped up to remind everyone that he is still the league's preeminent offensive genius. In other words, I think he's going to throw a lot, especially after losing Cam Acres. That brings me to Robert Woods and Cooper Cup, both of whom bring that magical combination of a high floor and a high ceiling.

Woods is probably going to get his 130 targets again this year, but with Stafford under center, he could dramatically increase his efficiency and touchdown upside in 2021. Plus, he's good for a rush or two every game just to boost that bottom line. As for Cup, I've got three words for you, positive touchdown regression. Scored 10 touchdowns in 2019 and finished as wide receiver 4 and PBR, then caught just three touchdowns last year and finished as wide receiver 26. Now, I know that touchdowns are pretty random and unpredictable, but I think with Stafford throwing passes, I bet the cup outpaces his touchdown solo from last year by a good amount.

Bottom line, I think the Rams are going to move the ball. They're going to score a lot of points. Stafford is going to unlock the entire playbook, activate every concept, every play, and everyone in that offense. All right, Jason, what do you think? So I brought this up about a month ago where every now and then I look back on the previous season and think, how did we miss X? It's just so obvious and nobody saw it coming. And this is one of those where it's like, okay, Sean McVeigh is.

maybe the best offensive mind in football, and he goes out and gets a hand-picked quarterback for his system, it could just work. I mean, I don't have him projected, but if he goes out and, you know, throws for 5,040 and just lights the world on fire, and the Rams offense is unbelievable, I won't be shocked. I don't have him ranked there, but I am the highest of the three of us. I have him.

as the quarterback 10, so I'm happy grabbing him as a late-round target. Yeah, Stafford has been difficult to gauge where he can go for fantasy because he provides nothing on the ground. But what I like from Danny's bit there is him talking about him talking with Coach McVeigh. And like, you know, I like that narrative. That McVeigh is ready to take the mantle back. And that's what I'm talking about of, you know, fantasy football. We get.

You get into spreadsheets and you can get too far removed sometimes from the human aspect. I put myself in the position of being Sean McVeigh where you were that guy and then all of a sudden the NFL and the public are looking at other coaches thinking that they're better than you. I am a crazy competitive person. And if I heard those words as an NFL coach and I was able to turn my offense around, I would devastate.

Everyone in my path, I would run up the scores, Bill Belichick style after all the SpyGate stuff. Belichick was like, you want to see what I can do if I unleash my offense? I score 50 points a game. That's what I do. So I think that's a very interesting, a different take that hasn't really been explored on this show. I would agree, and I would just say this. My hesitancy around that situation, I think it really does come down to, can Stafford really stay healthy?

for a whole season. Like you could have all the greatest plans in the world, but if you're starting quarterback, he doesn't have to be off the field hurt, but if he's banged up, if he's limited, if he's always on the injury report. Some of these things, the back for Matthew Stafford in years past, have just created a hesitancy to where, I mean, you're right, Jay. It could be one of those things we're like, well, duh, why wouldn't this team?

Higbee and Woods and Cup and Jefferson and like they'll use Tutu in a way. Deshaun Watson. Deshaun Jackson. Yeah. Yeah, he's there. Deshaun Jackson is making plays in camp and getting ready for week one, his one week. But no, you're right. It'll be an interesting storyline where we may look back with regret if we don't have a piece of that offense. All right, let's turn to our very own Kyle the Borgoggan, Kyle Borgignon.

himself from our fantasy footballers DFS podcast, our editor-in-chief over here on the website with his fantasy MVP pick. Greetings, Foot Clan, it's your editor-in-chief, Kyle Borgonni, aka the Borgogan. Listen, I don't want you cool cats and kittens to be handed the bits this year. So my 2021 fantasy MVP, I'm going to give you a hearty, meaty portion of Kittle. Yes, George Krieger, Kittle is my fantasy MVP.

And this doesn't sound maybe like a wild stance given that he's drafted among that elite tier, but I want to let you know how all in I am and you should be in 2021. Kittle can supplant Travis Kelsey and claim his throne as the Titan won in fantasy. We forget how good he was last year despite poor quarterback play. He had a 24% target share, and he finished first among all tight ends in yards per route run.

He's going in the early to middle third round, and that discount you get from Kelsey affords the opportunity to grab a stud at running back and wide receiver and opens up the rest of your draft. Over the last three years, Kittle has averaged more yards per game than Stefan Diggs and the same yards per target as Tyree Kill. And once Trey Lance takes the reins, just log out and enjoy a hashtag foot clank title. Okay. A plus audio quality. D.

Plus jokes. Oh, what? I give it a C plus. Well, it started, it ended stronger than the Kittle and bits beginning. But I, look, it's all, um, you know Jason likes that joke. In comparison to George, George Kittles potential. Yeah. Yeah, there was a Carol Baskin joke in there. The reality here is George Kittle is easily forgotten because he was injured last year, because there's been a lot of talk about Brandon Ayyuk.

Debo Samuel, a new rookie coming in. There's a lot of reasons to doubt George Kittle. I mean, genuinely, I often doubt him myself. And I think if he had played a full 16 and just dominated the way he usually dominates every game last year, we'd probably be talking about, are we sure we want to go Travis Kelsey here? So we'll have to see how the target market share divides up when...

everybody's healthy, but then everybody probably won't be healthy. It's the Niners. And his talent is undeniable. His physical ability, you know, it's similar to Travis Kelsey. There's certain guys on the field that you cannot do anything about. He is absolutely one of them. And unfortunately, he does miss a game or two every year, it seems like, with that kind of violent running style. He just goes for it.

All right, let's turn it over to Mike, the fantasy hit, man. It's time for our MVP picks. I want to thank everybody that contributed theirs, which was awesome. Liz, Jamie, Marcus, Adam, Adam, Danny, and the Borgogan, I guess we will also give our adoration too. All right, my fantasy MVP, rookie running back, Najee Harris. I have been madly in love with him all off season, and that passion still

Burns, Bright. Look at the player coming out of college. At Alabama, playing in the toughest conference in the NCAA, almost 1,900 yards, 30 touchdowns. He added pass catching 43 receptions at the running back position, which is absurd. That's an extremely high number in the college game. And he landed in the perfect place.

with first round draft capital. He goes to Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Look at the workload that these players have received. Levion Bell, DeAngelo Williams, James Connor, whoever the guy is for Mike Tomlin, they get work. Over the past five years, we've seen the RB1 for Pittsburgh average, 83% of the carries, and a 16% target share. That is essentially...

You are combining Derek Henry's workload on the ground and Austin Echler's workload through the air into one person. And on top of that, Najee Harris is a super talented dude to take all of that work and just explode for fantasy football. Over the last decade, first round rookie running backs that were drafted in the top three rounds, they've all beat their ADP.

except for Clyde Edwards allaire. History is on the side of Najee Harris. Analytics are on the side of Najee Harris. The film study is on the side of Najee Harris. Everything is there for him to be a dominant fantasy player. Can I give two more things that I think are on the side of Nazi Harris? Oh, yes. No, they're on your side. I will not hear counterpoints at this time. No, there are no counterpoints. If there were counterpoints for a rookie, it would normally be based on a couple of things. It would be.

maybe size, right? Like, Najee's got the size to be a true workhorse. And then you would go, okay, age and acclimation time. He's older for a rookie running back. There is a part of, you know, the closest thing you get to the NFL in college is playing at Alabama. Yes. And in the SEC. And then you combine that with the age, what we've already seen from a trust perspective from the coaching staff. Like they drafted him to hand the job to him.

So I can see it. All right. I'll go ahead and jump in with my fantasy football MVP for 2021. It's Rahim the dream. Mostert. 49ers running back. Look, good vibes heading into the season for this. Alachuan just delivered a cease and desist. I'm warning you. Yeah, well, after a certain amount of years, like if you're not on prime time, you lose your nickname? You don't lose it. You just share it.

Oh, okay. So Rahim the Dream is taking it for at least this episode. Look, the vibes heading into the season are great for this rushing attack, the read option potential with Trey Lance. If you look at the final preseason game, they ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns. You already know Shanahan can do that, and you're going to unlock another cheat code. I brought it up with the read option with Trey Lance. All 10 plays on their first drive.

Rahim Moster was the only running back out there. He is the guy, and when you listen to the coaching staff talk, his speed to the edge is the secret weapon. Nobody else has it in football, and it's essential to what they're doing in the backfield. Let's remember what Rahim Moster can do for fantasy. He didn't start a single game in 2019 and had five RB1 weeks, including an RB8 run during weeks 12 through 17.

Last year, marred by injury, but he started out and did exactly what I'm talking about. RB6 and RB15 in the game that he ended and left with the MCL injury. He still averaged 85 total yards per game for them last year. McKinnon is gone. This is going to be Rahim Mosterd and Trey Sermin. And when the offense is doing what it's supposed to do, it's going to be Rahim. We were bringing it up in the office the other day, and Al was like,

Is he really the fastest player in football? And yeah, he pretty much is the fastest player in the game. 8.7% of his runs have gone for 15 plus yards. That's better than Chub, better than Henry, better than Cook. That's the special sauce. And that is the kind of uniqueness to him where he doesn't have to be in every down running back to still be a fantasy football MVP. He had the two fastest runs in 2020. He's still got the juice.

Kind of came on late in his career, very much like Gus Edwards. He battled for every inch. And so I do, I'm not going to presume injury for Rahim Moster. What I saw in that final preseason game going into the year was electricity. So I am, I am, I drafted him in our League of Record draft, traded up for him, and I'm in on Rahim. Yeah, I mean, I do have.

The twinges of worry of both injury, because that's been the history, and the fact that Tray Sherman is there. So second half of the year does he get more and more involved? Especially if one, my worry is one injury that takes him out for a week. And all of a sudden, Tray Serber comes in and it just dominates. And then maybe it goes different. But you give in this offense, Rahim Moster, 12 carries. We're not talking about 25. You give them 12, 13 touches.