Fantasy Football 2021: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Winning Strategy

The preseason is underway, and the beginning of the 2021 NFL regular season is one month away. That means we're right in the thick of draft season for fantasy football leagues.

Most drafts will be held at some point over the next four weeks, and some have less time for preparation than others. But regardless of whether your league's draft is this week or not until after Labor Day, it's important to develop strategies that will have you ready when the time arrives.

Using the FantasyPros mock draft simulator, here's a look at how first rounds could potentially unfold in 12-team, points-per-reception leagues. Then, we'll get into some strategies that could lead to fantasy football success this season.

1st-Round Mock Draft

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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. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

6. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

7. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

9. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

10. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

11. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

Consider Taking 3 RBs in First 4 Rounds

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Running backs get drafted in the first round because they're at a premium. While there are 32 NFL teams, not every one has a lead running back who consistently gets more carries than the rest of the players in the backfield.

Because of that, you can never stack up too many running backs on your roster during the first few rounds of a fantasy draft. Consider this: No. 2 and No. 3 wide receivers on an NFL team still get on the field a good bit and can put up big numbers, while No. 2 and No. 3 running backs contribute much less.

The best first-round strategy is to add a running back, especially if you have a top-four pick, where it's a given that you should draft one of McCaffrey, Cook, Henry or Kamara. But there are some strong backs available late in the first round, as well as in the few rounds to follow.

If you can get three strong starting running backs on your roster, they can all fit in your lineup by utilizing the flex spot. There's also depth in case one underperforms or gets injured.

Waiting a While to Draft a QB Can Work out Well

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A couple of quarterbacks will likely get drafted in the second or third round. Most of the top QBs will come off the board around the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. But there's no need to force yourself to draft a quarterback at that point if things don't line up well for you and you'd rather keep building depth at running back and wide receiver.

There should be a few quarterbacks are worthy of being the starter in your lineup still available in the seventh and eighth rounds. And one of the biggest sleepers of the draft could be Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Per Fantasy Football Calculator, Tannehill's average draft position is the 11th pick of the eighth round, making him the QB11. However, his production could far exceed that. In 2020, he passed for 3,819 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 16 games, which put him seventh among QBs in fantasy points.

Now, the Titans also have wide receiver Julio Jones on their offense. So Tannehill may be capable of a repeat performance, or perhaps an even better one.

If you're nervous about waiting until the eighth round to draft your quarterback, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady and the Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford are solid options who have ADPs in the seventh round.

A Bunch of 2nd-Year WRs Could Have Breakouts

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It's tough to be successful in your rookie year. There are some who can do it, but sometimes it takes a year or two of professional experience before a player breaks out.

This year, there are quite a few second-year receivers who may be on the verge of breakouts. The Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson and the Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb could have huge 2021 seasons, but that's to be expected after both excelled as rookies.

Others such as the Pittsburgh Steelers' Chase Claypool (sixth-round ADP), the Denver Broncos' Jerry Jeudy (seventh round), the Jacksonville Jaguars' Laviska Shenault Jr. (eighth round) and the Indianapolis Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. (ninth round) are all breakout candidates with tremendous potential fantasy value.

Another pair to watch is Las Vegas Raiders wide receivers Henry Ruggs III (10th round) and Bryan Edwards (14th round). They're likely both going to have bigger roles in 2021 after the Raiders lost Nelson Agholor in free agency. So Ruggs and Edwards could be great late-round sleepers to target.

It would still be smart to draft a few reliable proven wide receivers, but adding one or two of these potential breakout targets could possibly take your team to another level down the line.