All In on Courtland Sutton in 2021

| Posted on |

Denver Broncos Wide Receiver Courtland Sutton was playing grown man football in 2019 … and he was just 24 years old, in his second season in the NFL.

Right now, he’s being deliriously undervalued by fantasy football players. Per Fantasypros Average Draft Position (ADP), Sutton is going off the board as WR22.

At 6-foot-4, 216 with impressive speed, Sutton can make defenses see ghosts, particularly in the red zone. Sutton had six touchdowns in 2019. That feels like his floor for 2021 and with his size and abilities, his touchdown ceiling is nonexistent. He saw 124 targets in 2019 and was touted as a fantasy asset heading into 2020, but he tore his ACL in the first week of the season. 

The silver lining to the timing of that injury, is that he should be fully healthy before the start of the 2021 season. 

“But the quarterback…”

Sutton finished with 1,112 yards and six touchdowns in Drew Lock’s rookie year. He was Pro Football Focus’ 10th highest-graded receiver. Now, the Broncos have Teddy Bridgewater, who boosted Robby Anderson and DJ Moore’s production last season. If Lock earns the QB1 spot, great, it means he earned. Either way, Sutton will have improved QB play compared to 2019.

“But the drops…”

The only knock on Sutton’s 2019 campaign was his 57.6% catch rate and five drops. Kenny Golladay finished his second year in the NFL with a 58.8% catch rate and four drops. AJ Green didn’t surpass a 60% catch rate until his 5th season in the NFL. I’m not worried. 

“But the mouths to feed…”

Sutton is competing for targets with: 

-2020 first-round pick Jerry Jeudy

-‘20 second-round pick KJ Hamler

-‘19 first-round pick Noah Fant

-‘20 fourth-round pick Albert Okquegbunam 

–Tim Patrick 

Those are facts, but I’m betting on the talent. I believe it’s highly likely Sutton finishes the 2021 season with the most targets of any Denver pass catcher. Couple that with his inevitable presence in the end zone and you have all the makings of a fifth-round steal in your draft.