Josh Allen remains an elite fantasy football option in 2021

While the start of the 2021 NFL season feels like it’s in the distant future, fantasy football drafts will be here before we know it. This series will take an early look at the Buffalo Bills and some fantasy football expectations for this season.

In the 2020 season, Josh Allen emerged as the season’s top fantasy quarterback in the league. The third-year quarterback was the leading scoring option, beating out Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray and Patrick Mahomes for the top spot. Allen’s success was propelled by 46 total touchdowns (37 passing, 8 rushing, 1 receiving), along with 4,544 passing yards. This was a monumental leap over 2019, where Allen passed for 3,089 yards with 29 total touchdowns (20 passing and 9 rushing).

The question heading into the season for fantasy owners is simple—which version of Josh Allen will we see in 2021? The experts are expecting the 2020 version, as ESPN’s analysts unanimously picked Allen as the No. 2 quarterback in their ranking (behind Patrick Mahomes). Bills fans are hoping this is the case, as a sign that the team has a long-term franchise quarterback in place.

Much of the conversation is centered around a possible regression for Allen in 2021, but what if he takes another step forward? This is a scary thought for opposing defenses, but you can make a case that Allen could continue to improve with stability on the offensive line, and the addition of Emmanuel Sanders.

While we don’t know how Allen will perform in 2021, I do know that I feel comfortable taking him as the top overall quarterback. It might be a coin flip for many between Allen and Mahomes, but I’m comfortable picking Buffalo’s quarterback to lead my fantasy team.