Countdown to 2021 fantasy football drafts: Tyreek Hill No. 8

You might have a hard time picturing Tyreek Hill. That’s because you mostly just see a blurry flash of red moving quickly down the field. He’s that fast. But he’s more than just a speedster. With great hands and the ability to break tackles as well as outrunning an opponent, Hill’s a one-man highlight reel who belongs in your fantasy lineup each and every Sunday he’s in action. Because he checks all the boxes, and then some, for being a great wide receiver, we’ve got him eighth on our list this year.

To commemorate the 2021 NFL season, we’ll be counting down the 75 best fantasy football players in the league. Picking a Top 75 is subjective, especially when you are projecting a whole season of accumulated fantasy points, but that’s part of the fun. We’ll assume what I see as an average league, which is 12 teams, .5 PPR scoring and a roster of 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, & 1RB/WR/TE. Kickers and defenses need not apply.

Change is the nature of the NFL beast, so trades and injuries will likely impact this list as we go along, but hey, this isn’t rocket science. We’re here to have a little fun and build up some much needed anticipation for a league cast in the shadow by baseball, soccer, hockey, etc. Sarcasm aside, the NFL is addictive and we’re here to give your daily fix as we close in on the season.

The official fantasy football drafting tiers can be found here.

No. 8, Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs, WR

Hill’s always been good, but he and Patrick Mahomes have established one of the best QB-WR combos we’ve seen in some time. Since Mahomes took over under center, Hill’s seen big uptick in targets, and he catches about 65 percent of the passes that come his way. That’s not just big downfield throws either. He’s a game breaker on screen passes. Last season, saw Hill pile up 1,276 receiving yards on 87 catches (135 targets), and he set a new career-high with 15 touchdowns. And just for a nice little bonus, he added two rushing touchdowns and 123 yards on 13 carries.

Competition for touches

There’s really not anyone to eat into Hill’s targets. He shares a big workload along with tight end Travis Kelce, but there’s no shortage of throws to catch in the Chiefs’ pass-first offense. With Sammy Watkins gone this season and nobody brought in to replace him, there’s even a chance Hill could see more work.

Team offensive expectations

The Chiefs are no doubt feeling the pressure to show the rest of the league that what the Buccaneers did to them in the Super Bowl last year isn’t going to be easily repeated. Always one of the most productive units in the league, look for the Chiefs to lean on Hill, Kelce and Mahomes for a big season.

What’s his upside?

It’s hard to ask anything more of Hill than what he did last year, but it’s not a stretch to think he could get back to 1,400 receiving yards. As long as he’s healthy, he’s going to be one of the NFL’s best receivers.

What’s his downside?

The Bucs defense bullied the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, thanks in large part to their pass rush and both of Kansas City’s starting offensive tackles out with injuries. That’s not something very many teams can do, and even in that game, Hill still finished with 73 yards on seven receptions, his worst outing of the playoffs last year.

Projection

90 receptions; 1,330 yards; 13 touchdowns; 10 carries; 85 yards; 1 rushing touchdown.