Feeling the heat? Players facing a pivotal 2021

The “hot seat” is a term frequently used to describe someone who faces a pressure-packed situation, bearing the weight and responsibility of what is to come. Someone who is on the hot seat often faces job uncertainty or even career ambiguity.

Which MFFL players are facing the pressure in 2021?

The following is a list of players, one from each team, facing a pivotal 2021 season. Some of them have their jobs on the line. Some of them are at career crossroads. And others bear a great deal — if not the lion’s share — of the burden of their teams’ fortunes.

Bangkok Blitz — JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR/PIT

For the second straight year, Smith-Schuster checks in as the honorary representative for the Blitz in this particular column. How can someone face two consecutive pivotal seasons? Well, it’s quite easy for someone whose fortunes have been dancing in the breeze like Forrest Gump’s feather. After a disastrous 2019 season, the Blitz boldly placed the NFT on JJSS last offseason, signing him to a lucrative three-year, $13 million contract. With the rise in the salary cap his salary inflated to $17.3 million, and he still has two years left on his deal. Smith-Schuster rebounded last year and finished as the WR16, still falling short of his paycheck. This year, he is off the grid, being ranked as low as the No. 37 receiver — placing him into the WR4 tier. While I think he’s likely to surpass that low ranking, that’s still a poor ROI for a player bringing home the fifth-highest salary at his position. It’s quite possible this is Smith-Schuster’s last year in Bangkok. The only thing saving his job at the moment is the fact that the Blitz are in such great cap shape — let that serve as a PSA to all the owners who like to dispose of their draft picks like stale potato chips.

Christmas Island Crabs — Austin Ekeler, RB/LAC

At the moment, it’s Ekeler, and not because he has to worry about his job or is at some kind of career crossroads. It’s simply because he’s one of only two Crabs under contract, with the other being the Baltimore Ravens defense. Ekeler was handed an $18 million salary on the Exclusive Franchise Tag, tying him with eight other running backs for the highest salary in the league at the position. It’s hard to envision Tyreek Hill remaining with the team past the NFT Auction. But if the Crabs elected to match the highest offer on him, he would immediately leapfrog Ekeler into the hottest of the hot seats, with a salary probably way too high even for a player as talented as he is. Truthfully, if the Crabs have visions of the first overall pick in 2022, then anybody who actually plays well will be on the hot seat — in an ironic plot twist.

Ecuador Ewoks — Ezekiel Elliott, RB/DAL

Never has one player carried the weight of a franchise’s future on his shoulders quite like Ezekiel Elliott has for the Ewoks. Elliott has single-handedly carried the Ewoks to several victories in the past and now he’s nearing the end of his run. The Ewoks are in rebuilding mode, if not out of desire, certainly out of necessity. They have just seven players under contract and a whopping $73 million in available cash to spend. But Elliott will enter the 2021 NFT Auction with an opening bid of $18 million. He’s probably worth that and two second-round picks for any team that might be interested in acquiring him. The Ewoks will then have to decide whether to match that bid or accept the modest draft pick compensation for him. It’s probably worth more to the Ewoks to trade his rights or match the highest offer and then deal him to a team in win-now mode. There’s a lot of pressure riding on Zeke, as there has been for many years. He just knows that he enters the upcoming season under enormous pressure to rebound from last year’s down year and will have to perform for whichever franchise he suits up for.

Egypt Pharaohs — Joe Mixon, RB/CIN

Can there really be anyone else in this spot? Mixon has been an underachiever in his short career, never quite living up to his talent or his draft capital. He was tagged this offseason with the EFT for the second-straight season, currently being paid $18 million. Last year he played effectively in his limited time on the field. But the Pharaohs will be demanding much more from him in 2021. With uncertainty surrounding Ronald Jones, and a tremendous fall from grace for Sony Michel, the Pharaohs are in dire need of production from the running back position, and that falls squarely on the shoulders of Mixon. He’s primed for a great season — if, and only if, he can stay on the field.

Jamaica Jerks — Kenny Golladay, WR/NYG

Kenny Golladay was paid handsomely last offseason, bringing home a 3-year, $13 million contract from the NFT. He was healthy for just four games and turned in an extremely disappointing season. He changed locations this offseason and now faces tremendous expectations heading into the second year of his big deal. Golladay ranks seventh among all receivers with a $15.8 million salary, but he’s ranked all the way down at WR20 at the moment. The Jerks will be leaning heavily on Dalvin Cook and Keenan Allen and they will need some more help as uncertainty still remains at the quarterback and tight end positions. And who do you think they’ll be looking to for that support? Yes, the one with the bloated salary who has a lot to prove in 2021.

Nagasaki Kamikazes — Derrick Henry, RB/TEN

Prior to Henry’s acquisition, the player whose butt was burning the most from his red hot seat was D’Andre Swift. The Kamikazes gave up two first-round picks and a second for the second-year pro and were asking a lot out of him to carry the backfield. Sensing the need to make a big splash at the position and really elevate themselves from paper champions into actual champions, the team felt it imperative to go for the gold and acquire a true stud running back. Exit Swift, enter Henry. And thus, a new leader for the hottest seat has emerged. With the Kamikazes approaching the top of the mountain several times in the last four seasons but never quite planting a flag there, Henry has been brought in to be the Sherpa that finally gets them there. Talk about pressure. And the fact that the Kamikazes had to give up Davante Adams to help get the deal done only further adds weight to Henry’s massive shoulders.

Russia Renegades — David Montgomery, RB/CHI

Truly, the honor of the hot seat could have gone to any of the Renegades’ four running backs, all of whom appear headed for some kind of regression in 2021. But specifically to Montgomery and Miles Sanders, whom the Renegades gave up assets for via trade. Montgomery’s seat is probably a little bit hotter as he finished all the way up at RB4 last year, thus has the most ground to lose. Montgomery has to prove that he was worth the trade but also that he has a future beyond his rookie contract. Each of the four backs will have to fight for playing time and that only brings up the temperature even higher in the running backs room.

San Juan Scorpions — Terry McLaurin, WR/WAS

WR9 … can you believe it?! McLaurin’s seat is hot not because he’s in danger of losing his job. It’s also not because he’s at a career crossroads or that he’s carrying the fate of his team’s fortunes on his shoulders. His seat is hot because his stock has risen so high that he’s crept into the Top 10 wide receiver rankings. This is a guy who was drafted one slot ahead of Mr. Irrelevant in the 2019 MFFL Draft. In a few short years, he’s risen into prominence and the hype train is barreling down the tracks. McLaurin finished as WR20 last year, but many experts are ready to predict he makes the leap into WR1 territory in 2021. Whether or not he does probably won’t sway the fortunes of the Scorpions too much in one direction or the other. But it does impact whether McLaurin heads for a big contract extension next year or he falls back into the second tier of wideouts and faces another prove-it season one year from now.

Switzerland Squirrels — Michael Thomas, WR/NO

There are a few contenders for the honor of the hottest seat in Switzerland, but Thomas probably takes the cake. After failing miserably as the MFFL’s highest-paid player a season ago — yes, due to injury — Thomas now faces an uncertain future with a new quarterback to deal with and he will be counted on by the Squirrels to deliver some major production. Yes, Derek Carr is the current starting quarterback and he’s on the outside of QB1 territory. And yes, the Squirrels traded for the rights to Aaron Jones and he becomes their only solidified, dependable starting running back. But Thomas is the team’s highest-paid player. Whether or not he receives any bids in the NFT Auction remains to be seen, and it’ll be interesting to see to what lengths the Squirrels go to keep him. Thomas needs to rebound in a big way in 2021 and that makes his seat that much hotter.

Turkey Jerky — Amari Cooper, WR/DAL

I’d like to give the honor to both Davante Adams and D’Andre Swift, as the Jerky gave up Derrick Henry and a first-round pick (and other picks) for them. With Adams facing uncertainty at quarterback and Swift rapidly sliding down the running back rankings, they’re clearly facing stiff pressure. But I’m giving the honor to Amari Cooper from a dollars and cents perspective. Cooper will enter the auction with an opening bid of $16 million, making him the sixth-highest paid receiver at the moment. But he’s currently ranked WR16 and has a hungry young second-year player chasing him down. That puts immense pressure on him to contribute and maintain his strong WR2 outlook and offer an ROI that is somewhat decent. If he can’t maintain a high level of production in 2021, it’s going to reflect elsewhere in Turkey’s lineup.

Ukraine Grainers — Chris Godwin, WR/TB

Are you sensing a pattern developing here with wide receivers? Godwin is yet another player who received a big payday in last year’s NFT Auction, signed a three-year deal, and woefully underperformed. While incredibly talented, Godwin is the ninth-highest paid receiver and is ranked a little bit below that at WR14. The discrepancy is not as bad as some of the other receivers listed here, but it puts Godwin in a pressure-packed situation nonetheless. If it weren’t for all the other talented players surrounding him — all demanding to be fed the ball — Godwin probably would be ranked right back in the Top 10, commensurate with his salary. With an uncertain Grainers quarterback situation and several young receivers trying to take the next step, Godwin will be looked upon to help lead the Grainers to success this season. And much will be expected from him.

Wake Island Wookiees — James Robinson, RB/JAX

This was to be expected. Robinson cost the Wookiees an arm and a leg to acquire. Call the “arm” the first-round pick that they gave up for his UFA rights and call the “leg” the $18 million salary they coughed up. While Robinson took the league by storm as an undrafted free agent rookie last year, he was bound to come crashing down to earth. Robinson is presently tied for the league league in running back salaries, but is ranked all the way down at RB29. While it’s possible that he completely surprises everybody and earns way more touches than anyone is expecting, he still will not crack the Top 10 — which makes him overpaid by tag standards. With the Wookiees having so much invested in him this season, I can’t think of another player whose seat is as hot as Robinson’s heading into the 2021 season.