Fantasy Football Picks 2021: 2-Round Mock Draft, Top Keeper Rankings and Advice

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Barely two weeks stands between us and the start of the 2021 NFL season.

It's cram session time for fantasy football fanatics.

Luckily, this is a great place for community cramming as we're here to run through a two-round mock, lay out our top keeper rankings and discus some of our favorite draft day strategies.

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Round One

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

4. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

5. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

6. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

8. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

9. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

10. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

11. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

Round Two

13. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

14. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

15. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

16. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

17. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

18. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

19. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

20. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

21. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

22. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

23. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

24. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

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1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

4. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

5. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

6. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

7. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

8. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

9. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

10. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

11. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

12. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

13. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

14. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

15. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

16. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

17. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

18. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

19. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

20. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

21. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

22. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

23. J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens

24. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

25. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

26. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

27. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

28. D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

29. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

30. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

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The most important thing to remember for draft night also ranks among the most obvious. Know your league format—inside and out.

If you play in a two-quarterback league or even one that rewards six points for passing touchdowns instead of four, then you can bump that position up the draft board. Mahomes should be the first overall pick in a two-quarterback league. In a standard setup, he might not go in the first two rounds.

Does your league reward a full point, a half-point or no points per reception? Adjust your values on receivers and pass-catching running backs accordingly. Is this a redraft league, or do you use a dynasty or keeper format? If it's the latter, you can either pay premiums for youth and potential or target undervalued older players for a quick chance to contend.

From there, always be conscious of your roster construction. Know which positions you have covered and which you still need to address. Also, pay attention to those bye weeks. Spread out the byes as best you can to avoid a mid-season scramble to the waiver wire that might force you to drop players you want to keep around.

Have a plan for your first few picks, but be willing to pivot away from it if the draft board moves in unexpected directions. If there are early runs at position groups, you might need to bite the bullet and get in on the action, even if it means reaching higher than you planned. Saying that, if you have some deep sleepers you like at the position, consider snatching up the best values at other spots and circling back to that position later.

Finally, get your homework done ahead of time. You should be preparing for drafts right now—and since you're reading this, you are—and taking full advantage of the resources available. Digest all the rankings and analysis you can handle, then get some real-time practice in mock drafts to add in the human element you'll encounter at your actual draft.