Malik Cunningham

Cunningham is a third-year starter and is established as a reliable fantasy option. He is an accurate and effective passer who has completed 63.5 percent of his passes at 9.7 YPA with 42 touchdowns over the last two seasons and he adds plenty of rushing production; his 609 rushing yards ranked third among quarterbacks in 2020. The question heading into 2021 is how he handles losing Tutu Atwell, Dez Fitzpatrick and Javian Hawkins to the NFL. Cunningham is talented enough to produce regardless of the supporting cast, but if no one steps up, it will impact his upside.

Cunningham quietly finished 2019 third nationally in passer rating at 194.8, behind only Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. Despite not assuming the full time starting role until Week 3, Cunningham finished the season with 2,543 total yards and 28 combined touchdowns. His ability to run seemingly keeps his floor safe (second on team with 122 carries), and he's thrown only 245 career passes in two seasons, suggesting there is room for growth in his second season as a starter in Scott Satterfield's offense. Louisville returns their top two running backs and three of their top four receivers from a year ago. It all adds up to Cunningham taking a step forward. That may not have always felt like the case when watching Cunningham last season, as the offense used a lot of smoke and mirrors to create mismatches. Despite the passing efficiency, Cunningham didn't always pass the eye test. As such, expecting just modest statistical improvement, assuming 12 starts, is the safer play here. But Cunningham carries a higher ceiling than most.