Touchdowns (TDs) – 2020 Regular Season
5 min read
After Targets, my other favorite statistic to use in optimizing my fantasy football lineups is Touchdowns (TDs). So in a similar fashion to what I recently did with Targets (Targets – 2020 Regular Season & Targets – 2020 Honorable Mention), I would like to look back and see who the best players were to get the Touchdowns (TDs) (rushing & receiving) in the 2020 Regular Season. Touchdowns are a significant driver of fantasy football success as most leagues will reward the rushing and receiving touchdowns with 6 points! They are also one of the more tricky statistics to use or even predict.
If you do find a trend or opportunity for those players getting the Touchdowns (TDs) you will have an edge! Let’s not waste the offseason and wait around for the next Fantasy Football season. Let’s look back at the past to help prepare for the future. This week I review Touchdowns (TDs)!
Touchdowns (TDs)
With such a category as Touchdowns (TDs) (rushing & receiving) the majority of the players we will come across are going to be running backs and wide receivers (they are your primary ball catchers and runners). In the 2020 Regular Season 61 players scored 7 Touchdowns (TDs) or more. Of these top 61 players scoring Touchdowns (TDs) in the 2020 regular season the list includes: 23 running backs, 24 wide receivers, 8 tight ends and 6 quarterbacks.
The scarcity in which you find those 14 non-running backs and non-wide receivers is an opportunity to get that type of production at another position. The 14 non-running backs and non-wide receivers on the list are below along with their last few years history of Touchdowns (TDs). It may be wise to keep these names at the ready when the 2021 Fantasy Football season starts if they find themselves with similar opportunities.
Touchdowns (TDs) – Quarterbacks
| Name | 2020 Touchdowns | 2019 Touchdowns | 2018 Touchdowns |
| Cam Newton | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| Kyler Murray | 11 | 4 | N/A |
| Josh Allen | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Taysom Hill | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| Lamar Jackson | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Ryan Tannehill | 7 | 4 | 1 |
Allen, Hill and Jackson return to the list from last year! Murray and Tannehill seem to be slowly improving each year in this category. Will Cam be back here in 2021’s recap?! It will be interesting to see. I do feel confident that both Allen and Jackson will continue with their averages from the last few years into 2021.
Touchdowns (TDs) – Tight Ends
| Name | 2020 Touchdowns | 2019 Touchdowns | 2018 Touchdowns |
| Travis Kelce | 11 | 6 | 10 |
| Robert Tonyan | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Jonnu Smith | 9 | 3 | 3 |
| Darren Waller | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Jimmy Graham | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Mark Andrews | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| Jared Cook | 7 | 9 | 6 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 7 | N/A | 3 |
Andrews and Cook return from the same list last year! While Kelce and Waller arrive on the scene after just 6 and 3 Touchdowns (TDs) last year. Smith, Graham, Tonyan and Gronk all greatly improved upon most recent seasons in regards to Touchdowns (TDs). Cook looks to be the most consistent over recent years and he currently isn’t on a team! Kelce, Andrews, Waller and Gronk are how I initially see these rankings line up for next season.
The above names I would imagine were on many playoff and probably championship fantasy football teams in 2020. They were players that consistently saw Touchdowns (TDs) for their teams and we know you can’t have wins without Touchdowns (TDs)!
The list below were probably on some championship teams too, as they are your Top 10 wide receivers (9 Touchdowns or more) and Top 10 running backs (10 Touchdowns or more) with Touchdowns (TDs) in 2020.
Touchdowns (TDs) – Wide Receivers
| Name | 2020 Touchdowns | 2019 Touchdowns | 2018 Touchdowns |
| Davante Adams | 18 | 5 | 13 |
| Tyreek Hill | 17 | 7 | 13 |
| Adam Thielen | 14 | 7 | 9 |
| Mike Evans | 13 | 8 | 9 |
| A.J. Brown | 12 | 9 | N/A |
| Chase Claypool | 11 | N/A | N/A |
| Tyler Lockett | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| D.K. Metcalf | 10 | 7 | N/A |
| Marvin Jones | 9 | 9 | 5 |
| Calvin Ridley | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | 9 | 3 | 7 |
Brown, Lockett and Jones are back on this list again this season! Crazy to think that no one on this list scored double digit Touchdowns (TDs) last year! Claypool is the only rookie to crack this list! You gotta like the relative consistency from Hill, Evans, Thielen, Lockett, Jones and Ridley!
Touchdowns (TDs) – Running Backs
| Name | 2020 Touchdowns | 2019 Touchdowns | 2018 Touchdowns |
| Alvin Kamara | 21 | 6 | 18 |
| Dalvin Cook | 17 | 13 | 4 |
| Derrick Henry | 17 | 18 | 12 |
| Nick Chubb | 12 | 8 | 10 |
| Josh Jacobs | 12 | 7 | N/A |
| Jonathan Taylor | 12 | N/A | N/A |
| Antonio Gibson | 11 | N/A | N/A |
| Kareem Hunt | 11 | 3 | 14 |
| Aaron Jones | 11 | 19 | 9 |
| Kenyan Drake | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Melvin Gordon | 10 | 9 | 14 |
| David Montgomery | 10 | 7 | N/A |
| James Robinson | 10 | N/A | N/A |
| D’Andre Swift | 10 | N/A | N/A |
| Jeffery Wilson | 10 | 5 | 0 |
As it did last year, it sticks out that the top 10 running backs got more touchdowns than the top 10 wide receivers. Henry, Jones and Gordon are back on this list again from last year! Taylor, Gibson, Robinson and Swift are representing the rookies on this list! Does Henry continue with double digit Touchdowns (TDs) in 2021?! You feel confident with the likes of Henry, Jones and Gordon. While Kamara and Cook really only had 1 down year each recently for Touchdowns (TDs).
Touchdowns (TDs) – Final Word
Always interesting how the Touchdowns (TDs) shake out each season. This year we added a few more Quarterbacks and Tight Ends to this top list. Touchdowns (TDs) can swing a fantasy season and if you are able to have those players that will see more Touchdowns (TDs) I feel you will have an edge. The above lists could be some names to keep in mind as you do your offseason review, ramp up for drafting your 2021 team or have trades to make now as you prepare for next year’s fantasy football season!
Do you pick all these highlighted players in the first few rounds of your 2021 drafts? Probably not. Although when you get to comparing them to others around their average draft position, I would tend to lean towards the player that is getting more Touchdowns (TDs) than not.
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If your players are on an offensive team that can get many Targets and Touchdowns, you know I would be interested in them! Statistics courtesy of The Football Database , a great resource for your NFL players statistics. If you enjoyed the article please share it with others (via the social media links).
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I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy! Enjoy the journey throughout the 2020 – 2021 Fantasy Football Season!
