D’Andre Swift is currently an early-round draft pick in most 2021 fantasy football leagues. Despite the destruction of this offense, see his ADP is still near the top of the draft. With Detroit losing so many important pieces, can Swift retain top 12 fantasy football value? We will do a deep dive into his 2020 production and use Awesemo’s NFL fantasy football projections to see where he will finish among the 2021 fantasy football rankings.
2021 Fantasy Football Player Previews: D’Andre Swift
| PPR Finish in 2020 | Half-PPR Finish in 2020 | Standard Finish in 2020 |
| RB #18 | RB #18 | RB #20 |
| PPR PPG Finish in 2020 | Half-PPR PPG Finish in 2020 | Standard PPG Finish in 2020 |
| RB #18 | RB #20 | RB #22 |
Swift’s Production in 2020
Despite Swift’s talents, the assumption last year was that competition in the backfield would hold Swift back. Kerryon Johnson and Adrian Peterson limited Swift’s upside. Still, in 13 games, Swift had 114 carries (39th at his position) for 521 yards (35th), 46 receptions for 357 yards (10th), and 10 total touchdowns (10th).
Lions Offseason Changes
The Lions moved Matthew Stafford to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and some draft picks. They also lost wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. Even worse for Swift is the addition of running back Jamaal Williams. Reports out of camp are Swift will be 1A in the backfield and Williams 1B, further suggesting some volume barriers for Swift.
Swift’s Outlook in 2021
Going into this season, the variety of outcomes is very high for Swift. He could be a dump-off machine and get a crazy number of targets due to a stagnant offense. In this scenario, Swift would finish as a top-12 running back despite limited rushing upside due to the Lions being down late in games. The other scenario would be that Swift is stuck in a committee with Williams and is a decent RB2 with limited upside. The most likely scenario is a combination of both scenarios. Williams will impact Swift enough not to give him top-12 potential, but his impact is not enough to keep him outside the top 20. His upside is still very high given the amount of receiving work he can get, but with Williams on board, it is hard to see a scenario where Swift becomes a true three-down back. Draft Swift if the price is correct, but temper expectations for a top-12 season.
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