Fantasy Football 2021: Dynasty Mock Draft, Rankings and Tips for Team Names

Feel like you're a top-tier fantasy football manager who is looking for a challenge? Then maybe it's time for you to join a dynasty league to either replace or supplement the typical redraft league you're currently in.

Unlike traditional fantasy, dynasty leagues don't give you the opportunity for a fresh start year after year. When the league begins, you'll draft your team. After that, those players will remain with you every season, and the only draft that will take place from then on will be for incoming rookies.

It can be challenging, and you have to take age into consideration much more than in a standard fantasy league. If you end up with a bunch of older players, you could have a ton of roster holes to fill when the next season arrives.

Dynasty leagues can be a ton of fun, but if you're considering starting/joining one, you'll need to put in plenty of research, as you must do for all fantasy sports.

As the start of the 2021 NFL season nears, here are some team names to consider, top-30 dynasty rankings to begin the season and a mock for how the first round of a new league could potentially go.

Top Team Names

David Richard/Associated Press

Home Sweet Mahomes

Run CMC

Hot Chubb Time Machine

Lights, Kamara, Action

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood

Cobra Kyler

Hurts So Good

Dak to the Future

Can't Stop the Thielen

Fantasy Football Team

Fresh Prince of Helaire

Jake Fromm State Farm

Fant Touch This

Pop Lockett Drop It

Catalina Wine Mixon

Top-30 Dynasty Rankings

Zach Bolinger/Associated Press

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

4. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

5. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

6. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

7. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

8. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

9. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

10. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

11. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

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

13. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

14. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

15. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

16. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

17. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

18. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

19. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

20. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

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

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

23. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

24. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

25. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

26. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

27. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

28. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

29. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

30. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

1st-Round Dynasty Mock Draft

Nell Redmond/Associated Press

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

3. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

4. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

5. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

6. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

7. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

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

9. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

10. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

11. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

Dynasty startup drafts are likely to begin the same way that most fantasy drafts in 2021 have: McCaffrey going No. 1 overall. Not only is the Panthers running back the projected top fantasy player heading into the season, but he's also still just 25, so there's a ton of potential value with him.

McCaffrey is coming off a 2020 season in which he was limited to three games because of injuries. And that could be a bit of a concern, especially in a dynasty league, in which you want players who are consistently healthy and won't have issues every year.

However, last year may end up being an anomaly for McCaffrey. He had never missed a game through his first three NFL seasons, and now that he's healthy again, he could be on the field a lot for Carolina this year, just like he was from 2017-19.

And when McCaffrey is on the field, he's heavily involved in both the running and passing games. That's what helps him put up such big fantasy numbers, especially in points-per-reception leagues.

After McCaffrey gets picked, things will go a bit differently in the rest of the first round than in redraft leagues. Taylor and Jefferson are much more valuable in dynasty leagues, as both are entering their second NFL seasons and have long careers ahead of them.

Taylor rushed for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games for the Colts last season, while Jefferson had 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games for the Vikings. These two could be stars in the league for the next decade and potentially more, making them worthy of top-five picks in dynasty startup drafts.

Still, running backs and wide receivers are going to come off the board quickly in these types of drafts, just like you would normally see in standard leagues. These positions are the most valuable, and that doesn't change in dynasty. In fact, they may be even more important.

If you build a dynasty roster with several young starting running backs, you could be set for years to come. It'll be easier to find quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends on the waiver wire throughout a season, and those are positions where rookies typically start earlier in their careers.

In this mock, more WRs were selected in the first round than you'd typically see in a standard redraft league. But these players are so young that it's hard to pass them up in favor of a top-tier running back who is considerably older.

One of the most important strategies in dynasty leagues? Have fun, just like in standard redraft leagues. Fantasy football is one of the best parts of the NFL season, and the more into it you are, the better chance you'll have of building a successful roster and making it to the playoffs.