Fantasy football championships are hard to come by, but not as difficult as finding a productive fantasy tight end. In 2020, only Las Vegas Raider Darren Waller and Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce scored over 170 fantasy points. With tight end production down, the league is ready for another star to make a jump into the spotlight. The hyper-athletic, Denver Bronco Noah Fant, could be the next in line to breakout. With that said, Fant has quickly become one of the most popular late round dart throws in fantasy football leagues, but will he meet the expectations with the current landscape of the Denver Broncos roster?
2021 Fantasy Football Outlook: Noah Fant
Identifying a Breakout Candidate at Tight End
Drafting a capable tight is not an exact science, but one could look at athletic profile to help. Fant is a freak athlete and was drafted top 20 in the NFL draft for a reason. Despite being criminally under targeted in his first two NFL seasons, Fant still managed to put up decent numbers in Denver. With his big frame and elite athletic traits, Fant can have a breakout season and jump into the top five tight end conversation.
Fant has break away speed for a tight end and can line up all over the field. The speed along with the versatility, give boom potential that most tight ends do not offer. In a league where the tight end play overall is pretty weak, big play potential is huge. One or two big chunks from the tight end position can make or break weekly match-up in fantasy football.
Projecting the Denver Broncos Offense
The only thing holding back the Noah Fant hype train is his situation in the Broncos offense. With lackluster quarterback play, it’s hard to project a really high ceiling for Fant, even with all the other intangibles. However, a positive note on his situation is with an underwhelming supporting cast on offense, he should get a decent share of the targets in 2021. His reception total jumped over 50 percent from 2019 to 2020, and a similar trajectory would put him near 85 receptions on the season. Part of decent fantasy production from tight ends is simply how many looks they get, which translates to red-zone targets as well.
The Broncos project to be in a lot of close games, which may translate to more throwing situations. This along with rumors out of training camp, stating Fant will be utilized more out wide in the Broncos offense, push his ceiling even higher.
Noah Fant Average Draft Position in Fantasy Football
Fant ranked 13th in standard leagues last season at the tight end position. Even so, according to fantasypros, his ADP is eighth amongst tight ends in 2021. Since, most tight ends will be mid to late round picks this season, none of this really matters. Fant is worth the risk after the big catches are off the board.
There is a possibility that Noah Fant can regress if the Broncos offense becomes too run heavy. However, the needle moving up, is far more likely. Their team should be better in 2021, hopefully creating more opportunities for Fant along the way. In a fantasy football decision between a few mid-level tight ends, lean toward Noah Fant based on his career trajectory and off-season rumors thus far.
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