College Fantasy Football 2021: Flex Player Rankings and Creative Team Names

Sure, most of the college football world is focused on Oklahoma, Texas and the drama of possible conference realignment. But first, we need to prepare for the 2021 fantasy football season.

While finding a productive quarterback and tight end are important, crushing the flex spots is absolutely paramount.

The reason is simple, too. Relative to the number of starting spots available, running backs and wide receivers will generate the most points throughout the year. They'll be the core pieces of a championship-winning roster.

The following rankings are for a standard league.

1. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State

2. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

3. David Bell, WR, Purdue

4. Sincere McCormick, RB, UTSA

5. Mohamed Ibrahim, RB, Minnesota

6. Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama

7. Leddie Brown, RB, West Virginia

8. Kevin Marks Jr., RB, Buffalo

9. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Georgia Tech

10. Chris Rodriguez, RB, Kentucky

11. Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M

12. Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame

13. Ulysses Bentley IV, RB, SMU

14. Xazavian Valladay, RB, Wyoming

15. Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU

16. Reggie Roberson Jr., WR, SMU

17. Kevin Harris, RB, South Carolina

18. Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State

19. Ty Fryfogle, WR, Indiana

20. Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State

21. Ronnie Rivers, RB, Fresno State

22. Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis

23. Camerun Peoples, RB, Appalachian State

24. Romeo Doubs, WR, Nevada

25. Jerrion Ealy, RB, Ole Miss

26. John Metchie III, WR, Alabama

27. Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State

28. Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn

29. Drake London, WR, USC

30. Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati

Beyond the big news of realignment, the Big 12 and SEC are also headliners here. This time, however, it's a product of what running backs the conferences will put on the field in 2021.

Heading into the season, the Big 12 has three potentially elite fantasy options. Those standouts are Iowa State's Breece Hall—the league's reigning Offensive Player of the Year—Texas' Bijan Robinson and West Virginia's Leddie Brown.

Last year, Hall averaged 146 yards from scrimmage and totaled 23 touchdowns. Best of all, Iowa State returns the entire offensive line—plus 2019 starter Trevor Downing is back from injury.

Robinson is a breakout candidate after a torrid end to 2020 and the arrival of new coach/play-caller Steve Sarkisian. Robinson is aiming for a similar jump to that of Brown, who improved from 512 scrimmage yards in 2019 to 1,212 last season.

Throw in Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn, and the Big 12 should have several key contributors at the position.

What the SEC lacks in top-tier fantasy running backs, it atones for with depth. The biggest names to watch are Kentucky's Chris Rodriguez, Texas A&M's Isaiah Spiller and South Carolina's Kevin Harris, while both Ole Miss' Jerrion Ealy and Auburn's Tank Bigsby have considerable upside.

Rodriguez picked up 785 yards and 11 touchdowns last season but should have a greater workload in 2021. Asim Rose, who handled 106 carries for Kentucky, left for the NFL.

Spiller and Harris both averaged 100-plus rushing yards and served as the primary red-zone runners for their respective teams. Spiller has totaled 19 touchdowns over the last two seasons, and Harris tied for fifth nationally with 15 rushing scores in 2020.

Ealy, who also returns kickoffs, topped 700 rushing yards in both 2019 and 2020. Although he shares the backfield with Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish Jr., Ealy told the Ole Miss Spirit that he expects to play slot receiver this season, too.

Rounding out the group is Bigsby, a rising star at Auburn. He crossed the 100-yard barrier four times while averaging just over six yards per carry as a true freshman.

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