Fantasy football performances from the second half of 2020 to note

Wide Receivers with strong second-half fantasy football performances in 2020

Which wide receivers caught fire in the second half of the season?

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

For as incredible as Justin Jefferson was, the first half of his season was inconsistent. Although he did show flashes of sensational play (WR1 in Week 6 and WR2 in Week 3), Jefferson finished outside the top 48 in five of eight games. But you could let that slide as he was the WR21, averaging 12.5 ppg.

From that point on, Jefferson cemented his case to be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and could have won it. Jefferson was the WR4 in his final eight games (16.3 ppg). He was third in targets (81), led all WRs with 773 yards, and had 4 TDs. In 75% of his games (six of eight), Jefferson was the WR20 or better.

Marvin Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars

I know it was easy to miss, but Marvin Jones was excellent last season, specifically in the second half for fantasy football. 

Up until Week 7, Jones was the WR78, averaging 6.4 points while playing alongside Kenny Golladay. Following the injury to Golladay, Jones was the WR4 in 0.5 PPR formats. Yes, you read that right: WR No. 4 overall. He averaged 15.3 ppg on 75.2 yards and 0.8 TDs per game on 8.5 targets. He had seven games with double-digit fantasy points, including five with 17 or more points. 

Jones is now with the Jaguars and is 31 with a rookie QB (though a highly touted one in Trevor Lawrence). The WR room is rather crowded with D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault, but there is a chance we see Jones have some success for fantasy football in 2021, although likely not to the extent he did in the second half of 2020.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Coming off a breakout year, many expected more of the same with Chris Godwin and even pegged him to be Brady’s No. 1 option. Yet, through Week 9, Godwin was the WR63 in fantasy. However, this was not so much a production issue as it was a health problem. Godwin only played in five of nine games due to a hamstring injury and broken finger. 

Once he was back, Godwin found fantasy football success, as did Tampa Bay’s offense in general during the second half of the season. Playing on 87% of the snaps (seven games), he was the WR13 (14.4 ppg) with 520 yards and 3 TDs on 37 receptions (49 targets). Mind you, this was also with Antonio Brown on the team. The Buccaneers’ offense should be on fire out of the gates this season, leaving Godwin in the reliable WR2 range with weeks inside the WR1.

Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots

What if I told you that from Week 9 and on, Nelson Agholor was the WR18 in fantasy football? Well, it’s true. Agholor recorded 604 receiving yards and 4 TDs over this stretch while averaging 11.2 ppg. He was as erratic as they come, but when he connected with Derek Carr, he did it big, recording three top-10 finishes with 343 yards and 3 TDs in those contests. 

Agholor has a chance at the WR1 role in New England, but it’s highly doubtful he ever finds consistency. 

T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

T.Y. Hilton’s first half of the season was a painful as it gets, leaving many to suspect that Father Time had caught up with him. Up until Week 11, Hilton was the WR89 (5.2 ppg). However, Hilton was the WR8 over his final six games, averaging 14.6 ppg, thanks to 435 yards receiving and 5 TDs. 

Hilton re-signed with the team in the offseason and brought in Carson Wentz, who has familiarity with the staff. Perhaps Hilton’s second half is a sign of promising fantasy football performances to come in 2021.

Tight Ends with strong second-half fantasy football performances in 2020

At a position that struggles for fantasy relevancy, who turned it into high gear in the second half?

Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team

Outside of the DMV, few people thought Logan Thomas would be the surprise that he was. Through eight weeks, Thomas was 18th among TEs while averaging 7.0 points. But there were glimpses of something brewing. In Weeks 6 and 7, he caught 7 of 8 targets for 102 yards and 2 TDs and was the TE9 and TE4, respectively. After the bye week, Thomas rattled off one of the most impressive fantasy football performances of the second half. 

In the final 10 games, Thomas was the TE3, averaging 10.1 ppg on 7.8 targets, 5.7 receptions, and 51.3 yards. Five of his games (50%) were inside the top eight in scoring. He was third in targets (70), receptions (51), and yards (462). 

Thomas is a solid low-end TE1/high-end TE2 option in 2021. It is unlikely he repeats this second-half performance after the team signed Curtis Samuel and wants to get Antonio Gibson involved in the passing game more with Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Through Week 9, Eagles TE Dallas Goedert was the TE35 due to missing four games. But in reality, he missed six, as he saw just 1 target in Week 3 and served as a Week 8 decoy before their bye week. 

Once healthy, Goedert looked like the potential breakout we saw in 2019. He was the TE7 to close out the season, recording 32 receptions on 46 targets for 371 yards and 2 TDs in his seven games.

Although Zach Ertz remains on the team, Goedert is a reliable mid-tier TE1 for 2021. As a result, he should have several more stellar fantasy football performances, as we saw in the second half of last season.

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Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football and a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers Association). You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.