The 2020 NFL season begins on Thursday with Chiefs vs. Texans. With NFL rosters trimmed down to 53 players, owners are keeping close tabs on the latest Fantasy football news, with some surprising releases already shaking things up. The Jaguars released Leonard Fournette, who promptly signed with the Buccaneers. Where should Fournette be in your 2020 Fantasy football rankings? And which running backs in Jacksonville will emerge as 2020 Fantasy football sleepers following his departure?
With running back situations in flux throughout the league and difficult decisions to make at every position as you wrap up your Fantasy football draft prep, a reliable set of 2020 Fantasy football rankings is key. Before determining your 2020 Fantasy football strategy, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say. Their model has a proven history and can help identify the top 2020 Fantasy football sleepers, breakouts and busts, giving you a major advantage over your competition.
Last season, the model correctly said Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield would be a bust despite the fact that he was being drafted in the sixth round on average. It also nailed Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin as a breakout when he was being drafted well outside the top 15 wide receivers, and correctly predicted that quarterback Jameis Winston, who finished the season with an eye-popping 5,109 passing yards and 33 touchdowns, would be among the top sleepers. Anyone who followed their model's advice was well on their way to a league title.
Now, the model has simulated the entire 2020 NFL season 10,000 times and came up with some very surprising player projections. It's identified the top sleepers, breakouts and busts so you'll have an edge in your Fantasy football league.
Top 2020 Fantasy football picks
One player the model is high on: Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones. Now in his fifth season with the Lions and his ninth in the NFL, Jones produces when he's healthy. In his last 16-game season in 2017, he had 61 catches for 1,101 yards and nine scores. Last year, he had 62 catches for 779 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games.
Luckily, a lighter offseason workload should help Jones stay healthy in 2020 after missing 10 games the last two seasons combined. Jones ranked 15th in the NFL in Fantasy points per target in 2019, so if he can stay healthy and take on a larger workload, he has obvious value in an offense that should be improved. That's why the model ranks him ahead of returning 1,000-yard receivers like DeVante Parker, Stefon Diggs, Michael Gallup and D.J. Chark.
Another surprise: The model is fading Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, even though he's a Heisman Trophy winner and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He's coming off a historic season with LSU. Burrow completed 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns in 2019 against stout SEC defenses and also added 368 yards rushing and five scores on the ground.
That's led to him being drafted in the 11th round on average in standard CBS Sports Fantasy football leagues, but there will be growing pains for the rookie on a Bengals offense that ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring and 26th in total yardage. Even with talent at the skill positions, Burrow will be playing behind a largely unchanged offensive line that gave up 48 sacks last season. That's why the model ranks him behind quarterbacks like Ryan Tannehill and Gardner Minshew, who are both being drafted at least a round later on average.
Where to find 2020 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising wide receiver you aren't even thinking about to finish in the top 10 of its 2020 Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing.
So which players are poised for breakouts, which sleepers do you need to jump on, and which busts should you avoid at all costs in your Fantasy football league? Visit SportsLine now to get 2020 Fantasy football rankings, plus see which WR is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
