Fantasy Football 2021: Dynasty Draft Rankings, Keeper Advice and Team Names

Kristopher KnoxAug 21, 2021

The beauty of fantasy football—well, one of them—is that games come in many flavors. For more casual fans and weekend practitioners, there are daily fantasy sports (DFS) games. For the traditional fantasy enthusiast, there are season-long leagues. For the diehard fantasy fans, there are keeper and dynasty leagues.

Keeper leagues don't quite require an all-in commitment, as generally only one or two players are retained from year to year. However, there is a strategy involved when considering whom to keep and when to redraft.

Dynasty leagues are for the fantasy aficionado. Championship rosters are built over years, not weeks or months, and suffering through losing campaigns is generally part of the equation.

Here you will find a look at some tried-and-true keeper and dynasty strategies, the latest long-term points-per-reception (PPR) rankings and some creative team-name suggestions for those hoping to build a multiyear contender.

2021 Dynasty and Keeper Positional Rankings

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Running Back

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

5. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

7. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

9. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

10. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

Wide Receiver

1. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

3. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

4. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

5. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

6. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

7. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

10. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

Quarterback

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

3, Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks

4. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

6. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

9. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

10. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Tight End

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

4. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

5. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

6. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

7. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

8. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

9. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

10. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Keeper and Dynasty Strategies

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On their surface, keeper drafts are fairly straightforward to navigate—keep your elite players and exchange the rest for rolls of the proverbial dice. However, it's important to keep league rules and current values in mind.

Not every keeper league is going to have the same system for retaining players. Some will tax an original-round pick for keeping a player (if you drafted Lamar Jackson, for example, you can keep him with a fifth-round pick), while others begin taxing at the top of the draft.

In some long-term keeper leagues, up to two players can be retained each season. Keeping the first will cost a first-round selection, while keeping the second will cost a second-rounder. In this format, draft values and draft positioning is critical.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, for example, has an average draft position of fourth overall, according to FantasyPros. If you're picking 10th in the first-round order and have Kamara on your roster, keeping him will likely provide more value than starting over.

If you are picking at the top of the first round, however, there may be more value in eschewing keepers and getting your choice of the available players—you are likely picking that high for a reason. Essentially, the lower you are in the pick order, the more valuable a keeper tends to be.

Dynasty drafts for ongoing leagues are less straightforward because they usually only involve incoming rookies and lower-tier players who aren't on rosters. Managers generally don't have to part with players to select in dynasty drafts, though they must meet roster limits.

Trades often come into play in dynasty leagues, as managers move future selections for draft capital and/or veteran payers—just like in real life.

When approaching yearly drafts or trade proposals, consider whether your team is rebuilding, looking to fix a few problem areas or ready to win. There's nothing wrong with packaging a few future picks for a productive veteran if your team is ready to make a run within the next couple of years. Managers looking at prolonged periods of basement-dwelling should take the opposite approach.

Drafts for new dynasty leagues are more akin to traditional yearlong drafts, though with extra emphasis on younger players. Remember, you are looking to build a dynasty, not a one-year wonder.

Managers should opt for a solid mix of immediate production and youth here while placing a diminished value on players close to retirement. A rookie quarterback like Trevor Lawrence, for example, has far more long-term value than an aging vet like Tom Brady.

Dynasty Team Names

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Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

If you are starting up a dynasty team, be sure to come up with a name you enjoy. You are going to be stuck with it for a while. Also, try to focus on players who are going to be around for the long term. Naming your team "24 Karat Fitzmagic" may get a few laughs, but when 38-year-old signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick hangs it up in a few years, you will have to go back to the drawing board.

Obviously, the idea here is to base a team name around one of your core dynasty players. However, here are a few suggestions based on younger players to help get you started: