Skip to content

Club Dynasty: Last Chance Players for 2021 (Fantasy Football)

In honor of one of my favorite Netflix shows, Last Chance U, I wanted to discuss a few players that I believe are in “Make or Break” situations with their current teams for the upcoming NFL season.  All of these guys have shown promise in the past, but haven’t been able to put it all together on the field yet.  I don’t necessarily recommend any as a Buy or Sell, I just want to lay out the circumstances that they are up against and also point out the positives that they have going for them.  Let’s get into it!

Mike Williams

ProsCons
*Avg 16.3 ppg when targeted > 5 times*Only played 16 games once in his 4-year career because of injuries
*5th year option was already picked up for 2021*New regime in LA might want to bring in a speedy deep threat WR
*10th in yards per reception in 2020*Austin Ekeler is expected to return 100% healthy for ’21 (avg 6.5 targets/game in 2020)

 

Mike Williams has seen many ups and downs throughout his career.  Many people were excited about the pairing of him with Justin Herbert.  To this point, he hadn’t had the opportunity the play with a strong-arm QB that could accurately get the ball downfield to him. Unfortunately, injuries held him back from being consistent in 2020 and he put up another subpar season, finishing as the WR46.

Currently, on his 5th-year option, Williams is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.  This is his final chance to perform up to his 1st round draft capital, before hitting the free-agent market for the first time.

Tyler Higbee

ProsCons
*New Rams QB Matt Stafford should be an upgrade over Jared Goff*Rams drafted TE Brycen Hopkins in the 4th round of the NFL Draft
*Higbee's main competition, Gerald Everett, is now a free agent*24th in TE targets per game in 2020
*11th in yards per route run among TEs in 2020*Potential cut candidate since LA could save $2.3 million off of the cap by releasing him

 

Tyler Higbee exploded at the end of 2019. His last five weeks that season was the best fantasy finish for a TE ever. He came crashing back down to Earth last season by finishing as the TE17 while having minimal involvement in the offense.

Higbee’s value will get a boost by the Stafford trade, as McVay can now unleash his full offense that had been held back by Goff over the last two seasons.  With Gerald Everett also gone, he should be able to pick up most of his vacated targets, but we aren’t quite sure how much 2nd-year TE Brycen Hopkins will be involved.  Higbee is owed $6.8 million in ’22 but only carries a $1.2 million dead cap hit.  If he doesn’t produce this year, it’s likely his last in LA.

Parris Campbell

ProsCons
*TY Hilton is set to become a free agent, many suggested that Campbell was drafted to replace him*Injuries, injuries, and more injuries
*All medical reports expect him to be 100% healthy for Training Camp*Colts have expressed interest in acquiring a high-end WR through Free Agency and have plenty of cap space to do it
*He saw 9 targets in Week 1 of 2020, his only full game*The last time we saw Carson Wentz, he played awful

 

In 2019, Parris Campbell was widely regarded as one of the top rookie WR prospects. His Ohio State highlight reel is filled with game-breaking big plays and we saw him run the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds, showcasing his blazing speed.

So far, we have yet to see Campbell’s playmaking ability translate onto the NFL field because he’s struggled to stay healthy.  He fractured both his hand and foot during his rookie season to cut his year short.  Last year, it was a severe PCL/MCL sprain they took him out after Week 1.  We’ve seen the flashes, it’s just a matter of staying on the field long enough to put a full season together.  If the Colts don’t make a splash WR signing this off-season, they most certainly will in ‘22 if Campbell continues to go on the IR.

Rashaad Penny

ProsCons
*5.3 YPC through first two seasons of his career (not close to 100% health in 2020)*Has only played in 27 out of 48 possible career games because of injuries
*Chris Carson is set to become a free agent*Seattle just signed RB Alex Collins to the team
*Seattle has limited cap space and draft picks to try and find a potential replacement for Carson*Russell Wilson is rumored to be on the trade block, which would be devastating to the Seattle offense if he leaves

 

Ever since Seattle officially decided not to franchise tag Chris Carson, Twitter has been lighting up with Rashaad Penny debates.  Penny was a 1st-Round pick by Seattle in 2018, after he led the NCAA in rushing yards as a Senior.  He has tried to work his way into the Seahawks’ RB lineup over the past few years, but can never stay healthy long enough to establish himself.

Editor’s Note: Andrew wrote a full article on Penny in 2020. Check it out here!

I am going to throw his 2020 season out of the window. He was clearly not healthy and only received 11 total carries on the season. The last time that we saw Penny at 100% was during Weeks 12-13 of 2019.  In those two games, he saw a nearly identical snap count to Carson, yet rushed for 203 yards vs. Carson’s 128.  He was well on his way to taking over the backfield–but suffered a significant ACL injury in Week 14 that wiped out the remainder of 2019 and his 2020 season.  Seattle will have to make a decision on his 5th-year option after 2021, so this season will likely decide the fate of his career with the Seahawks.