9. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Although expectations were extremely high for the rookie out of LSU, nobody thought he would be as good as he was in 2020. Due to the pandemic, incoming rookies had it extremely tough. They were barely able to establish any kind of connection with their teammates prior to Week 1 of the season because of the coronavirus protocols.
Jefferson struggled out of the gate, catching just five passes for 70 yards through the first two weeks of the season. But by Week 3, he and quarterback Kirk Cousins were finally on the same page. Against the Titans, Jefferson secured seven passes for a whopping 175 yards along with the first touchdown of his career. He finished that game with 30.5 fantasy points. From then on out, he was an absolute stud and surpassed veteran Adam Thielen on the depth chart.
The 21-year-old would go on to finish the season with 88 catches, 1,400 yards and seven scores. His 1,400 receiving yards were the third-most in the NFL, and he only dropped two passes all season long. Overall, he finished as the seventh-most productive wideout in fantasy football. Although it may be tough to top those numbers in 2021, I wouldn’t bet against Jefferson. He is clearly emerging into one of the best wideouts in the game.
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