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It’s early, but here is the first pass at my top 150 players for 2021 fantasy football. The crucial game plan for the 2021 fantasy season is to draft players from the Los Angeles Chargers. I’m putting a lot of faith in this offense to build upon it’s success last year.
Other notes:
- Alvin Kamara takes a hit with Drew Brees retiring.
- A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin are set to turn heads and break ankles this year.
- Can Brandon Aiyuk become a fantasy WR1 in his sophomore campaign?
- T.J. Hockenson is the biggest beneficiary of the off-season shake-up in Detroit.
- If Atlanta fails to draft a running back on Days 1 or 2 of the NFL Draft, where do we take Mike Davis?
- Should Mark Andrews still be considered a top five tight end?
- Kalen Ballage is the best bet to lead Pittsburgh’s backfield.
Who did I leave out? Let me know in the comments.
Pre-2021 NFL Draft Top 150
Rank | Player | Team | Positional Rank | Breakdown |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Team | Positional Rank | Breakdown |
1 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | RB1 | Departure of Mike Davis makes it tougher to reduce his touches. |
2 | Derrick Henry | TEN | RB2 | Departer of former OC Arthur Smith might increase Henry's carry-total in 2021. |
3 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | RB3 | Always an injury risk but when on-field, he's a weekly contender to be the overall RB1. |
4 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | RB4 | Has been underutilized under previous, old school coaching staffs. The arrival of HC Brandon Staley and OC Joe Lombardi (and their analytics department) unlocks Ekeler's true potential. |
5 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | RB5 | The addition of Kenny Golladay will force fewer 8-man boxes but Jason Garrett remains intent on ramming Barkley up the gut. |
6 | Davante Adams | GB | WR1 | Green Bay failed to provide Aaron Rodgers with a new pass catching weapon in free agency. |
7 | Aaron Jones | GB | RB6 | The departure of Jamaal Williams leaves Jones with monstrous receiving responsibilities that should offset TD-vulturing by A.J. Dillon. |
8 | Tyreek Hill | KC | WR2 | Patrick Mahomes' WR1. Enough said. |
9 | Travis Kelce | KC | TE1 | Making the case for best pass catching TE of all time. |
10 | Nick Chubb | CLE | RB7 | The heart of Cleveland's road grading offense. |
11 | Stefon Diggs | BUF | WR3 | Diggs should see another monstrous workload as the focal point of Buffalo's downfield-passing offense. |
12 | A.J. Brown | TEN | WR4 | No. 2 WR Corey Davis is gone, replaced by unproven one-trick pony Josh Reynolds. No. 3 WR Adam Humphries is gone. No. 1 TE Jonnu Smith is gone. No. 3 TE MyCole Pruitt is gone. |
13 | Calvin Ridley | ATL | WR5 | The drafting of Ja'Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts could drop him a couple spots but Ridley is now an elite receiver in the NFL. |
14 | Cam Akers | LAR | RB8 | Signs point to Akers being an 18+ touch per game RB this year. |
15 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB9 | With Marlon Mack coming off a torn Achilles, this is likely to be more of a two-back show with Nyheim Hines than a three-headed monster. |
16 | Keenan Allen | LAC | WR6 | OC Joe Lombardi, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, has the perfect Michael Thomas replacement on his hands. |
17 | Terry McLaurin | WAS | WR7 | McLaurin should be among the position's elite in usage this year. |
18 | Justin Jefferson | MIN | WR8 | Expect Jefferson to build on his phenomenal rookie season. |
19 | Alvin Kamara | NO | RB10 | Neither Jameis Winston, nor Taysom Hill are likely to funnel excessive targets his way. |
20 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | RB11 | Elliott is clearly on the downside of his prime but he's still a lock for 300+ touches in a high-scoring offense. |
21 | DeAndre Hopkins | ARI | WR9 | Target hog. |
22 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | RB12 | The Washington offense is set to takeoff with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm and the addition of Curtis Samuel. Gibson's redzone attempts should drastically increase -- as well as his passing game usage. |
23 | Joe Mixon | CIN | RB13 | Cincy's theoretical workhorse. |
24 | D.K. Metcalf | SEA | WR10 | Seattle is back on the run-first train, dropping Metcalf out of the position's Top 3. Still an elite asset though. |
25 | Michael Thomas | NO | WR11 | A potentially excellent value this low in drafts. |
26 | James Robinson | JAX | RB14 | Robinson scored fewer that 10.0 .5PPR points in just two games last year. The addition of Carlos Hyde is a bit concerning as Hyde is a notorious touch-stealer and player for new Jags HC Urban Meyer in college. |
27 | Mike Evans | TB | WR12 | The NFL's only receiver to ever clear 1,000 yards in said player's first seven seasons. A remarkably consistent, slam dunk of a pick -- both in real life and fantasy. |
28 | Allen Robinson | CHI | WR13 | Now playing with the best QB of his career -- a washed up Andy Dalton -- Robinson should continue his rock-solid fantasy ways. |
29 | Brandon Aiyuk | SF | WR14 | Aiyuk showed game-breaking run-after-catch ability last year. He'll battle Deebo Samuel for the No. 1 WR role and may have a leg up as Samuel's shown a bevvy of injury issues through his first two NFL seasons. |
30 | Raheem Mostert | SF | RB15 | All members of this backfield should be heavily invested in. The lead back, Mostert, offers heaps of upside. |
31 | Julio Jones | ATL | WR15 | Monitor his hamstring rehab closely. Is the scar tissue being treated? If so, draft with confidence. |
32 | George Kittle | SF | TE2 | 15 games would return outrageous value. His brutal playing style heightens his increase risk a tad. |
33 | Darren Waller | LV | TE3 | Perhaps a higher floor option than Kittle. |
34 | Amari Cooper | DAL | WR16 | Cooper will be battling 2nd-year man CeeDee Lamb for rights to Dallas' 1A WR role. |
35 | CeeDee Lamb | DAL | WR17 | Lamb proved to be the real deal in his rookie season last year. |
36 | Miles Sanders | PHI | RB16 | Jalen Hurts' rushing ability will hurt Sanders' pass catching totals. |
37 | D.J. Moore | CAR | WR18 | The departure of Curtis Samuel seriously condenses the primary targets in CAR's passing offense. |
38 | Courtland Sutton | DEN | WR19 | Assuming the knee is healthy by training camp, Sutton should set career marks this year operating as the team's alpha receiver. Sutton is flanked by a deep pass catching corps that will keep teams from doubling up coverage on him too often. |
39 | Robby Anderson | CAR | WR20 | Anderson should see more downfield targets this year than he did last year, when the team experimented with Anderson as the X-receiver during the first-half of the season. |
40 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | RB17 | A full training camp will work wonders for CEH. |
41 | Chris Carson | SEA | RB18 | Carson's unlikely to see the same success he saw in early-2020, before Pete Carroll returned SEA to a run-first mindset. He's still a lock for 18+ touches per game though. |
42 | Chris Godwin | TB | WR21 | There are a lot of mouths to feed in TB but Godwin's floor/potencial ceiling combo are a great value at this point. |
43 | D'Andre Swift | DET | RB19 | Swift pass catching outlook was kneecapped when the team brought aboard pass pro specialist/slow but capable dual threat Jamal Williams from rival Green Bay this off-season. |
44 | J.K. Dobbins | BAL | RB20 | Dobbins should see plenty more work than he did last year but Gus "Bus" Edwards will still see double-digit touches per game. |
45 | Tee Higgins | CIN | WR22 | As of now, Higgins is the alpha receiver in Cincy with A.J. Green headed to Arizona in free agency. Approach with caution though as the Bengals are heavy favorites to take the Draft's premier WR Ja'Marr Chase or WR/TE hybrid Kyle Pitts. |
46 | Robert Woods | LAR | WR23 | Rock-solid, year-in and year-out. |
47 | D.J. Chark | JAX | WR24 | Assuming Trevor Lawrence is selected at No. 1 overall by Jacksonville, Chark's stock is shooting way the heck up. |
48 | Adam Thielen | MIN | WR25 | Thielen's now the No. 2 WR in MIN but the passing tree is small enough for him to largely stay relevant on a weekly basis. |
49 | Melvin Gordon III | DEN | RB21 | Phillip Lindsay departed in free agency and has not been replaced, after tallying 118 carries and 14 targets in 2020. |
50 | Kenny Golladay | NYG | WR26 | Golladay will see plenty of targets as the Giants' alpha receiver. He doesn't gain a ton on separation though, which hurts his upside as QB Daniel Jones is a bit of a see-it, throw-it passer. |
51 | Chase Claypool | PIT | WR27 | Lean towards Claypool in .5PPR. |
52 | Diontae Johnson | PIT | WR28 | Lean towards Johnson in full-point PPR. |
53 | Chase Edmonds | ARI | RB22 | 2020 lead back Kenyan Drake departed in free agency and has not been replaced. |
54 | Curtis Samuel | WAS | WR29 | OC Scott Turner + Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB + No. 2 WR job = breakout season for Curtis Samuel. |
55 | Odell Beckham Jr. | CLE | WR30 | At this point in the draft, Beckham offers enticing upside and his potential sporadic production has been accounted for. |
56 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | RB23 | Hunt's a very high-floor option at the position with RB1 potential if Nick Chubb misses time. |
57 | Josh Jacobs | LV | RB24 | Outrageously dependent on touchdowns for fantasy production, Jacobs has scored just twice in Raiders losses through his two-year career. Despite Jacobs routinely displaying pass catching capabilities, the team continued its investment in pass catching RB specialists by signing Kenyan Drake in free agency this year. Drake's two-year deal is the 13th most expensive RB contract in the league, in average annual value ($5.5 million). |
58 | T.J. Hockenson | DET | TE4 | With Kenny G and Marvin Jones gone, Hock is the alpha receiving weapon in Detroit at the moment. |
59 | Patrick Mahomes | KC | QB1 | As safe as it gets. |
60 | Josh Allen | BUF | QB2 | Brian Daboll unlocked Allen's potential this year and the team was lucky enough to keep him in-house this off-season. |
61 | Corey Davis | NYJ | WR31 | Davis should have the upperhand over 2nd-year man Denzel Mims for the No. 1 WR job. |
62 | Ja'Marr Chase | N/A | WR32 | Could rise drastically, depending on where he lands. |
63 | Devonta Smith | N/A | WR33 | Could rise drastically, depending on where he lands. |
64 | Jarvis Landry | CLE | WR34 | Potentially CLE's No. 1 WR, depending on how Odell Beckham Jr.'s season goes. |
65 | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND | WR35 | A full training camp will work wonders for the promising 2nd-year X-receiver. |
66 | Mike Davis | ATL | RB25 | Although it's likely that Atlanta drafts a talented rookie running back on Day 1 or Day 2, until they do, Mike Davis is in for a monstrous workload as the Falcons' lead back. His dual threat capabilities gives new HC/former Titans OC Arthur Smith the opportunity to diversify his Derrick Henry-inspired running back role. |
67 | Najee Harris | N/A | RB26 | Big-bodied dual threat. |
68 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | TE5 | Zach Ertz is completely washed. |
69 | Travis Etienne | N/A | RB27 | Perhaps more of a committee back at 205lbs but more than capable as a dual threat. |
70 | Laviska Shenault | JAX | WR36 | Shenault should be able to beat out free agent signee Marvin Jones Jr. for the No. 2 job. |
71 | Kyle Pitts | N/A | TE6 | Could rise drastically, depending on where he lands. |
72 | Deebo Samuel | SF | WR36 | If Samuel is able to stay healthy this year, Round 6 is an absolute steal. Run-after-catch beast. |
73 | Mike Williams | LAC | WR37 | Brandon Staley and Joe Lombardi are going to unlock this offense. |
74 | Cooper Kupp | LAR | WR38 | Kupp is likely to maintain his high-floor ways but may get a bit over looked as new QB Matthew Stafford will be looking downfield more than former Rams QB Jared Goff. |
75 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | WR39 | High-floor as the current No. 2 WR in CIN. |
76 | Javonte Williams | N/A | RB28 | Talented rusher. |
77 | Jalen Reagor | PHI | WR40 | A bit of a boom/bust option but he's the top dog there now. |
78 | Christian Kirk | ARI | WR41 | Should take over slot duties with Larry Fitzgerald out of the picture. |
79 | Will Fuller | MIA | WR42 | Zero downfield competition in Miami. There are concerns over Tua Tagovailoa's pro potential but he tore it up as a deep passer in college. |
80 | Jerry Jeudy | DEN | WR43 | Having the freedom to operate as the No. 2 WR should make life a lot easier for the developing wideout. |
81 | Myles Gaskin | MIA | RB29 | Emphasis on the pre-draft aspect here. |
82 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | WR44 | Sporadic production due to scheme and injuries has become routine. |
83 | Cole Beasley | BUF | WR45 | Not a world-beater but steady as can be. |
84 | Robert Tonyan | GB | TE7 | Big Bob broke out last year and the Pack did nothing to boost their pass catching corps. |
85 | Mark Andrews | BAL | TE8 | The Ravens' lack of committment to building out their pass catching corps both helps and hurts Andrews. The target volume is great but there's no real dominant WR threat to pull the defense's attention away from the talented tight end. |
86 | David Montgomery | CHI | RB30 | The addition of Damien Williams and the return of Tarik Cohen (ACL) drastically drops Montgomery's outlook. |
87 | Gus Edwards | BAL | RB31 | The "2" in Baltimore's 1-2 Punch at running back. 15 touches per game seems entirely possible, plus RB1 upside should J.K. Dobbins miss time. |
88 | Kenyan Drake | LV | RB32 | A match-up-based flex option. |
89 | Nyheim Hines | IND | RB33 | Should see 10-12 touches per game with much of it coming through the air. |
90 | Justin Herbert | LAC | QB3 | Brandon Staley and Joe Lombardi are going to shred the AFC this year and Herbert is their means of doing so. |
91 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT | WR46 | Really just a role player in the PIT offense now but he maintained a decent redzone presence last season and could beat his stats if his knee-health is improved. |
92 | Marquise Brown | BAL | WR47 | Brown has shown us that he cannot operate as a No. 1 WR at this point. He's a talented downfield receiver who can be played, match-up pending. |
93 | Brandin Cooks | HOU | WR48 | With Deshaun Watson looking like he may never play again, recent rumors indicate Houston may target Alex Smith. Cooks should see decent volume but without a powerful arm at QB, his prospects are hurt. |
94 | Ty Johnson | NYJ | RB34 | Potential lead back in the new Shanahan-tree offense. |
95 | Kyler Murray | ARI | QB4 | Murray should continue to progress as a passer. |
96 | DeVante Parker | MIA | WR48 | Parker will duke it out with Will Fuller for rights to the No. 1 WR job. |
97 | Kalen Ballage | PIT | RB35 | Biggest compeition for the dual threat back is 2-down banger, Benny Snell Jr. |
98 | Jaylen Waddle | N/A | WR49 | Potential 1st Round pick -- downfield baller. |
99 | David Johnson | HOU | RB36 | Washed up lead back on an atrocious team. |
100 | Leonard Fournette | TB | RB37 | Somehow has better hands than Ronald Jones. |
101 | Tony Pollard | DAL | RB38 | A more potent dual threat that Ezekiel Elliott at this point in their respective careers. Zeke isn't relinquishing lead back duties though. |
102 | Zack Moss | BUG | RB39 | Higher upside than the RBs listed directly ahead of him but Josh Allen's rushing ability and Devin Singletary's pass catching chops nerf his outlook. |
103 | Noah Fant | DEN | TE9 | Lots of mouths to feed in DEN but he could be the No. 2 pass catcher behind Sutton/the primary safety blanket play for Lock. |
104 | Mike Gesicki | MIA | TE10 | Should Kyle Pitts land here, Gesicki's ceiling would be dropped. |
105 | Jonnu Smith | NE | TE11 | Bill Belichick has raved about Smith for years. |
106 | Logan Thomas | WAS | TE12 | Ryan Fitzpatrick loves his big-bodied pass catchers. Thomas could be a serious weapon in the redzone. |
107 | Dak Prescott | DAL | QB5 | Dak should immediately resume his pre-injury Top 5 fantasy status from last year. |
108 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | QB6 | Accepting play-action as an inevitability paid major dividends for Rodgers last season. |
109 | JaMycal Hasty | SF | RB40 | Hasty is likely to be involved as the No. 2 back in SF this year and would vault into RB2 status if Raheem Mostert (29-years old on April 9th, 2021) were to miss time. |
110 | Gabriel Davis | BUF | WR50 | Emmanuel Sanders will siphon a few targets away from Davis has a shot at 1,000 yards and 6-8 scores. |
111 | Sterling Shepard | NYG | WR51 | The signing of Kenny Golladay and departure of Golden Tate should land Shepard in his preferred slot receiver role. Great value pick here. |
112 | Deshaun Watson | HOU | QB7 | If Watson is somehow allowed to play this year, he'll have to rush like crazy in this putrid offense. |
113 | Jalen Hurts | PHI | QB8 | The Eagles had terrible injury luck last year. A healthy, full training camp for the group means lift-off for Hurts. |
114 | Darrell Henderson | LAR | RB41 | Henderson will pop off for a few big games but he looks firmly in the No. 2 RB spot behind 2020-breakout rookie Cam Akers. |
115 | Damien Harris | NE | RB42 | Rush-only lead back. |
116 | Latavius Murray | NO | RB43 | With the team likely moving away from funneling passes to Alvin Kamara and more towards a run game/deep shot approach, Murray should find himself much more involved this year. |
117 | Hunter Henry | NE | TE13 | Henry will see a decent target workload but will frequently be asked to block. Should Jonnu Smith miss time, Henry vaults firmly into the TE1 conversation. |
118 | Justin Jackson | LAC | RB44 | Jackson is now the No. 2 back in LA with Kalen Ballage in Pittsburgh. |
119 | Ronald Jones | TB | RB45 | A fast, committee rusher. |
120 | Salvon Ahmed | MIA | RB46 | Capable No. 2 back. |
121 | Jamison Crowder | NYJ | WR52 | Crowder is likely to take a slight hit in targets with Denzel Mims developing as the team's No. 2 and Corey Davis taking over as the alpha. Should still have a wonderfully high floor though. |
122 | Tre'Quan Smith | NO | WR53 | With WR Emmanuel Sanders and TE Jared Cook gone, Smith should see a sharp uptick in targets. The downfield receiver should have a few decent showings this year. |
123 | Tom Brady | TB | QB9 | Brady finished as the QB8 last year and has almost the entirety of his supporting cast back this year. |
124 | Joe Burrow | CIN | QB10 | A loaded pass catching corps that could add his college partner in crime Ja'Marr Chase. |
125 | Carlos Hyde | JAX | RB47 | The touch-stealer played for Urban Meyer in college and he's likely to see at least 8-10 touches per week in a change of pace capacity. |
126 | Denzel Mims | NYJ | WR54 | Mims could pop off for a few big time performances in the Jets' deep play-action passing scheme. |
127 | Ke'Shawn Vaughn | TB | RB48 | Theoretically the highest upside of the Bucs backfield but he still has to earn the trust of Tom Brady. |
128 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | QB11 | The addition of RG Kevin Zeitler is HUGE. |
129 | Julian Edelman | NE | WR55 | Father Time has come for him but he's back to being the team's No. 1 WR this year. |
130 | Henry Ruggs | LV | WR56 | Tons of potential but doesn't fit the scheme, nor the QB he plays for. |
131 | John Brown | LV | WR57 | Brown is a more accomplished NFL player than Ruggs and could take the job from him. He's a boom/bust pick though. |
132 | Antonio Brown | N/A | WR58 | Unsigned as of yet, TB is likely the only team that will take him. |
133 | Darius Slayton | NYG | WR59 | Slayton now has to compete with Kenny Golladay for downfield targets. |
134 | Preston Williams | MIA | WR60 | No. 3 in the Miami pecking order at the moment. |
135 | Matthew Stafford | LAR | QB12 | Very likely a career year for Matthew Stafford. |
136 | Malcolm Brown | MIA | RB49 | Brown has a low key chance at stealing the lead back gig. |
137 | Rashaad Penny | SEA | RB50 | The re-signing of Chris Carson speaks volumes about Penny's status with the team. |
138 | Matt Ryan | ATL | QB13 | The addition of a pass catcher like Ja'Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts would push Ryan up a few spots. The incoming efficiency of new HC Arthur Smith's offense is mouthwatering. |
139 | Russell Wilson | SEA | QB14 | With Seattle returning to a Stone Age offense, efficiency will be the name of the game. |
140 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN | QB15 | The efficiency of the Tennessee play-action-heavy scheme keeps Tannehill as an extremely high-floor player. |
141 | Damien Williams | CHI | RB51 | Pass catching back Tarik Cohen might neutralize Williams' fantasy value but Williams is an extremely capable dual threat RB. He's got a shot to force a timeshare with David Montgomery and would become a high-end flex play/RB2 if Montgomery were to miss time. |
142 | Eno Benjamin | ARI | RB52 | Now the No. 2 back in Arizona. |
143 | Boston Scott | PHI | RB53 | The team's signing of Jordan Howard in-season last year puts Scott's ability to keep the No. 2 job somewhat in doubt. |
144 | Jordan Wilkins | IND | RB54 | No. 3 back who would leapfrog Nyheim Hines for No. 2 duties, should Jonathan Taylor miss time. Marlon Mack is still recovering from a torn Achilles. |
145 | Evan Engram | NYG | TE14 | Tons of potential but Jason Garrett is impossible to ignore. |
146 | Irv Smith Jr. | MIN | TE15 | Kyle Rudolph's departure means a whole lot more work for Smith. |
147 | Baker Mayfield | CLE | QB16 | Will have some quiet weeks but the "boom" weeks will hit hard. |
148 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | WAS | QB17 | Washington's supporting cast is perfect for Fitzmagic. |
149 | Rob Gronkowski | TB | TE15 | Once Gronk found his footing, he was a difference maker. TB is likely to give him plenty of rest in-season though. |
150 | Breshad Perriman | DET | WR61 | Will fight Tyrell Williams for the No. 1 WR job. |