Fantasy Football 2021: 5-Round Standard League Mock Draft, Potential Team Names

The start of the 2021 NFL regular season arrives Thursday, which means that time is running out for fantasy draft prep.

If you have waited to begin studying for your fantasy draft, the time is now for a cram session. Familiarizing yourself with the latest draft rankings and preseason developments is a great way to start. It can also be beneficial to conduct a few mock drafts before embarking on the real thing.

While mock drafts aren't going to tell you which player to choose during your selection process, they can help you determine where players are being valued. This can reduce the risk of missing out on a rising prospect or pulling the trigger too early on a boom-or-bust player.

Here we'll run through the first five rounds of a 12-team, standard snake draft, conducted using FantasyPros' Mock Draft Simulator. We'll also dive into some of the more notable and/or surprising picks of each round and provide some insight into fantasy trends. Then we'll present some team-name suggestions for those of you rushing to put together your squad.

Round 1

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1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

3. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

4. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

7. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

9. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

10. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

11. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

There are no surprises at the top of Round 1. The first three selections—Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook—are all workhorse dual-threat backs with tremendous upside. They have even more value in points-per-reception (PPR) formats but are still solid picks here. Ezekiel Elliott is a consistent back, even if he may be on the decline. Derrick Henry is a standard superstar, and his floor is incredibly high.

Henry has led the league in each of the past two seasons.

New York Giants back Saquon Barkley remains in the first round, even though he is coming off of a torn ACL. There's some serious risk with Barkley, who only recently participated in full-contact drills and might not see a significant workload early. The Penn State product is still working back to being himself.

"I know whenever I'm able to get back out there—maybe it might be one quarter, maybe it might be one play—whatever the opportunity is, when I'm back out there, I know I'm gonna be able to go out there and be who I am and play how I am," Barkley said, per Steve Serby of the New York Post.

You won't always see tight ends going in Round 1, but the trio comprising the top tier—Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and George Kittle—serve as focal points for their respective teams. They should be valued as such.

Round 2

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1. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

2. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

3. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

4. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

5. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

6. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

7. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

8. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

9. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

10. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

11. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

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

Buffalo Bills wideout Stefon Diggs kicks off Round 2, which isn't much of a surprise. He led the league in both receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535) last season despite it being his first year in Buffalo.

It may be more of a surprise that Diggs isn't more regularly trending as a first-round target.

Seeing Patrick Mahomes go 14th overall is a bit surprising, as quarterbacks simply aren't valued that highly in most formats. However, the Kansas City signal-caller is in a tier of his own because of his tremendous weekly floor. Mahomes passed for at least 200 yards and a touchdown in every game last season.

While Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Najee Harris projects as a workhorse back in 2021, managers should exercise caution. He's still an unproven rookie, and the Steelers are working with a revamped offensive line.

Round 3

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

2. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

3. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

4. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

5. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

6. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

7. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

8. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

9. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

11. Julio Jones, WR, Tennessee Titans

12. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

The top of Round 3 feels a tad low for Justin Jefferson, who racked up 1,400 receiving yards as a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings last season.

It also feels a little high for Tennessee Titans wideout A.J. Brown. While Brown had 11 touchdown receptions in 2020, he also had just 1,075 receiving yards and 75 receptions. More importantly, though, he's being paired with a target-dominant receiver in Julio Jones and is coming off of double-knee surgery.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Brown is expected to be ready for Week 1 but has also been sidelined in recent practices.

Another selection to note is that of Bills quarterback Josh Allen. This could indicate the start of a run on second-tier quarterbacks—a group that includes Allen, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Aaron Rodgers.

Round 4

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1. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

2. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

3. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

4. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

5. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

7. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

9. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

10. Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

11. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

12. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper kicks off Round 4. While some eyebrows will be raised upon seeing him go before teammate CeeDee Lamb, it's not a total shock.

Lamb was impressive as a rookie and showed a ton of upside. However, Cooper has topped 1,100 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons—and he played the bulk of 2020 without quarterback Dak Prescott.

Another mild surprise here is the selection of Murray over Jackson. While both are dual-threat quarterbacks, Jackson has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons. He is also likely to see a boost from offseason additions like Sammy Watkins and rookie first-round pick Rashod Bateman.

This may be a bit high for Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. While the rookie has the potential to join the group of elite tight ends, he's unproven and playing in an offense with other quality pass-catchers such as Calvin Ridley and fellow tight end Hayden Hurst.

Round 5

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1. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

2. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

3. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

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

5. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

6. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

7. Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons

8. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

9. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

11. Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams

12. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

For the same reasons that Jackson may see a boost, Mark Andrews is now firmly in the second tier of tight ends. With quality perimeter targets in the Baltimore Ravens offense, Andrews may not be force-fed the football, as has been the case in years past.

While Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson has good upside, he's a risky pick—even this high. He may be Ben Roethlisberger's top target, but Chase Claypool will be looking to build off of a promising rookie season, and JuJu Smith-Schuster hasn't gone anywhere.

The selection of Atlanta Falcons running Mike Davis signals the switch to middle-tier running backs. While Davis will be a starter in 2021, he cannot be counted on for a large weekly workload.

Davis started 12 games for the Carolina Panthers last season and had just 642 rushing yards. Low-level starters like him should be targeted for the flex spot and not RB1 or RB2.

Team Names

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• Hot Chubb Time Machine (Nick Chubb)
• Walking on Burrow-ken Glass (Joe Burrow)
• Chief of Stafford (Matthew Stafford)
• Derrick of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Derrick Henry)
• McCaffrey-Peat (Christian McCaffrey)
• Money Pitts (Kyle Pitts)
• Landry, Ho! (Jarvis Landry)
• Dalvin and the Chipmunks (Dalvin Cook)
• Kamara Chameleon (Alvin Kamara)
• Chasing Glory (Ja'Marr Chase)
• Lance Lance Revolution (Trey Lance)
• Aaron on the Side of Caution (Aaron Rodgers)
• It's the Pitts (Kyle Pitts)
• If You're Not Firkser Last (Anthony Firkser)
• I Have the Will, Son (Russell Wilson)
• Mac Attack (Mac Jones)
• Guess Who's Back—Dak Again (Dak Prescott)
• T.B. Continued (Tom Brady)