2021 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Strategy and Cheatsheet for Opening Rounds

As we approach the final week of the 2021 NFL preseason, it's crunch time for fantasy football managers. The regular season kicks off on September 9, meaning time is running out for season-long fantasy drafts.

With two weeks of exhibition action in the rearview, managers should have a good idea of which players are fantasy-relevant. Some variables do remain—New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, for example, doesn't "have a timetable" for naming a starting quarterback. However, managers know at this point which players are worth targeting early.

This doesn't mean, though, that managers shouldn't employ some strategy beyond taking the best player available. Here, we'll examine some tried and true approaches to early snake drafting, a full three-round mock draft and a positional cheat sheet to help get you started.

Mock draft and rankings are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Three-Round Mock Draft

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Round 1

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. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

7. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

8. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

9. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

10. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

11. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

12. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Round 2

1. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

2. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

3. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

4. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

5. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

6. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

7. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

9. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

10. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

11. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

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

Round 3

1. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

2. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

3. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

4. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

5. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

6. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

7. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

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

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

10. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

11. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

12. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Craft a Predraft Plan by Mock Drafting

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Before showing up to your fantasy draft (or logging in for the remote experience), you should have a clear plan in place for the early rounds. In fact, you should have several of them.

Knowing which positions you want to target early is only part of the battle. It's wise to grab three premier running backs and/or wide receivers in the first four rounds, but how you get those three can hinge on how your draft falls.

It's not worth reaching for a running back at pick No. 17 if the top 15 RBs are already off the board. You're going to get more value by taking the top receiver or tight end at this point. You can come up with plans for various strategies by navigating mock drafts (several of them) before your live draft.

What will your approach be if there is an early run on running backs? How will you want to proceed if quarterbacks start going in the first round? Multiple draft simulations should help you find answers.

There's a good chance that whichever site your league uses will have mock-draft options. Just be sure to know your league's format and scoring system and mock-draft accordingly. You won't paint as clear a picture by repeatedly mock drafting for standard if you're in a PPR league.

Rinse, repeat and create some personal tiers for where you're comfortable taking players. Determine which players you are comfortable taking in Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4. You should have little trouble filling out your roster from there.

Prioritize Running Backs Early

Jason Behnken/Associated Press

While it's always smart to grab at least one No. 1 receiver within the first three rounds, running backs should be your top priority early. The position is still king in fantasy because of the high-volume value it provides.

Remember, a quality starting back is going to see double-digit touches almost every single week. Even the best receivers and tight ends can fall out of the game plan if they're given an early lead or are constantly double-covered.

And, the best starting backs aren't going to last beyond the first few rounds. With several teams utilizing a committee approach, the days of the NFL having 32 featured backs have passed.

In 2020, only eight running backs topped 1,000 yards rushing.

Now, it's also important to pay attention to PPR upside here. A back doesn't have to be a 1,000-yard rusher to be elite. Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers, for example, rushed for only 530 yards last season. However, he averaged 5.4 receptions and 93.3 scrimmage yards over 10 games.

PPR machines like Ekeler, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara and Aaron Jones aren't likely to fall out of the first round, and they're certainly not going to last past Round 2.

PPR upside is important with complementary backs, too. Cleveland Browns standout Kareem Hunt made just five starts in 2020. However, he finished with 38 receptions, 1,145 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns.

Pay Attention to Injury Situations

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Paying attention to injuries is important for all rounds of your fantasy draft. However, it's critical in the early stages. First- and second-round picks are expected to carry fantasy teams, but they cannot do so if they're on the sideline.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, for example, would be a top-five lock if completely healthy. However, he's returning from a torn ACL and may not be ready to start early in the season. The Giants aren't going to let him on the field until he's healthy enough to first take hits in practice.

"I think every player has to have physical contact and experience the hits they're going to take in a game before it becomes live, full speed in the regular season," Giants coach Joe Judge said, per Michael Eisen of the team's official website.

Similarly, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas—a perennial PPR star prior to last season—is expected to miss significant time as he recovers from June ankle surgery.

Knowing that players like Barkley and Thomas probably won't be available early in the season can help you avoid overdrafting a potential bust.

This is another area in which mock drafting can be valuable. Knowing where in drafts injured players are likely to go can help you better determine when is the right time to take a flier on them.

PPR Positional Cheat Sheet

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Running Back

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

4. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

5. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

6. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

7. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

9. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

10. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

Wide Receiver

1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

3. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

4. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

5. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

6. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

7. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

8. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears

10. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

Quarterback

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

3. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

10. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tight End

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

4. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

5. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

6. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

7. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

8. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team

10. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers

Kicker

1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

2. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs

3. Greg Zuerlein, Dallas Cowboys

4. Rodrigo Blankenship, Indianapolis Colts

5. Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons

6. Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins

7. Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8. Matt Prater, Arizona Cardinals

9. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills

10. Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers

Defense/Special Teams

1. Los Angeles Rams

2. Washington Football Team

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. San Francisco 49ers

6. Indianapolis Colts

7. Baltimore Ravens

8. Buffalo Bills

9. New England Patriots

10. New Orleans Saints