Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions

Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions – Wide Receiver Edition

TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 25: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) prior to the first half of an NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Bucs on November 25, 2018, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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TAMPA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 23: Odell Beckham #13 and Jarvis Landry #80 of the Cleveland Browns talk during a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on August 23, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Football 2019: 5 Bold Predictions – Wide Receiver Edition

4. Jarvis Landry will finish outside the top-30 at WR.

How This is Bold:

Over the past four seasons, Browns’ WR Jarvis Landry has finished outside the top-15 at the position just once in PPR formats. Even in a down-year last season, Landry still finished as fantasy’s overall WR18. According to Fantasy Football Calculator, Landry is still being drafted as a top-25 wideout (round 6.12).

Why This Will Come True:

Ever since entering the league back in 2014, Landry has been a PPR darling, finishing as a top-15 WR in three of the last four seasons (two top-10 finishes). As a player that thrives on sheer volume, he’s going to have a hard time replicating this kind of success on a revamped Browns offense.

While many expected the insertion of QB Baker Mayfield into the starting lineup would’ve helped Landry last season, it actually did quite the opposite. Over the first-half of 2018, Landry saw a healthy 94 targets, but that number plummeted to just 55 targets over the second-half as Mayfield began to find his footing in Cleveland’s offense.

Despite him seeing 148 total targets (9th-most in the league) over the course of the season, Landry ranked just 94th in fantasy points per target, suggesting that he needed each and every one of those targets to finish as the overall WR18. Additionally, the LSU alum’s QBR, when targeted in 2018, ranked just 88th in the NFL. In shorter terms, Landry’s efficiency saw a significant drop.

2019 will also be the first year that Landry won’t be relied on as his team’s no. 1 option in the passing game, all thanks to the entrance of superstar wideout Odell Beckham Jr. Both Beckham, as well as Kareem Hunt upon his eventual return, are going to eat into Landry’s targets, maybe the only thing that kept him fantasy-relevant a season ago. “Juice” is still a good playmaker with above-average skills after the catch, but he’s beginning to look like the odd man out in Cleveland.

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