Fantasy Football 2021: Breaking Down Mock Draft and Cheatsheet

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If you already know when you will be picking in the first round of your league’s fantasy football draft, then your preparation is a bit simpler. For others, it will be important to evaluate how the entirety of the opening round could go and be ready to draft from any spot in the order.

No matter what, every manager is going to come out of the first round with one talented player on their roster. But it’s important to know which players are the best options and how each one could influence your strategy for the rest of the draft.

Here’s a first-round mock draft following the order of average draft positions in points-per-reception leagues per Fantasy Football Calculator, along with some of the key decisions to consider with those selections.

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1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

4. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

7. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

8. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

9. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

10. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

11. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

12. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

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It’s easy to have concerns over using the No. 1 pick to select Christian McCaffrey this year. Although the Panthers running back has tremendous upside, he was limited to three games in 2020 because of injuries, and he’s returning to an offense that looks a bit different with quarterback Sam Darnold at the helm.

Still, McCaffrey is a one-of-a-kind back who can put up huge numbers, particularly in PPR leagues because of his contributions in the passing game. For those who may have forgotten, McCaffrey not only rushed for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2019, but he also had 116 catches for 1,005 yards and four touchdowns.

Even though McCaffrey didn’t get on the field much last season, he played well when he did, showing that he can fit in well in head coach Matt Rhule’s offense. And it also gives us an idea of what to expect in 2021, assuming that he can stay healthy.

While 2020 may have been tough for him, McCaffrey never had injury concerns before that, playing in all 16 games in each of his first three NFL seasons. There’s no reason to think there isn’t a big season in store for the 25-year-old, and he remains the obvious No. 1 overall pick in fantasy.

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After watching how much better Travis Kelce was than every other tight end in fantasy last year, there are going to be plenty of managers trying to do whatever it takes to get the Kansas City Chiefs standout on their fantasy roster this year. And for good reason. But it’s going to come at a high cost considering Kelce’s ADP is at No. 9 overall.

Is it strange to think about taking Kelce even earlier in the first round? Not at all. In fact, it could end up being a strategy that pays big dividends during the 2021 season.

It wouldn’t be wise to use a top-four pick on Kelce considering McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry and Alvin Kamara are four running backs who can carry fantasy teams. But there’s reason to think that Kelce could be a smart pick at No. 5, choosing him over the next tier of RBs and Davante Adams, the top wide receiver on the board.

Kelce’s 2020 production wasn’t an outlier, either. While he set career highs in both receiving yards (1,416) and touchdowns (11), he’s had five straight 1,000-yard seasons and had at least eight touchdowns in three of the past four years. That’s why Kelce is a first-round-worthy tight end who can give fantasy managers a huge advantage at the position.

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Using the Fantasy Football Calculator PPR average draft positions as a mock, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor makes it to the second round. His ADP is the first pick of the second. However, he’s more than worthy of a first-round selection—more so than other RBs with better ADPs.

As a rookie in 2020, Taylor rushed for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns while also notching 36 receptions for 299 yards and a score. However, he greatly improved as the season went along, rushing for at least 74 yards in each of his final six games, including a 253-yard breakout in Week 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

So there’s reason to believe that Taylor is set to have a big 2021 season as he builds off that late success. Especially considering he may get even more opportunities, as head coach Frank Reich told JJ Stankevitz of the Colts’ official site that Taylor “will be a little bit more of the bell cow.”

Taylor is an ideal player to target in the back half of the opening round in fantasy drafts, and if he slips to the final few picks, the manager who lands him should be getting a steal.