Fantasy Football 2021 Cheatsheet: Draft Rankings and Sleepers to Target

We're now less than a week away from the start of the 2021 NFL season. But some fantasy football leagues still haven't held their drafts.

That will change in the near future, as drafts will need to be completed before Thursday night, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys kick off in the season opener. So there are sure to be plenty of drafts occurring in the next few days.

To help with any last-minute preparation and research, here are top-50 player rankings heading into the season, followed by some sleepers to keep an eye on during your fantasy football draft.

Top-50 Player Rankings

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1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

4. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

5. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

6. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

7. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

8. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

9. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

10. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

11. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

12. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

13. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

14. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

15. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

16. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

17. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

18. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

19. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

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

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

22. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

23. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

24. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

25. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

26. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

27. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

28. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

29. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

30. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

31. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

32. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

33. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

34. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

35. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

36. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

37. Julio Jones, WR, Tennessee Titans

38. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

39. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

40. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

41. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

42. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

43. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

44. Kenny Golladay, WR, New York Giants

45. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

46. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

47. Darrell Henderson Jr., RB, Los Angeles Rams

48. Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins

49. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

50. Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

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Many fantasy managers who are looking to take a second quarterback late in the draft are looking to the rookies. Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance and Justin Fields have been among the popular options to take and then stash on the bench behind a proven QB to wait and see if they potentially break out down the line.

However, Tagovailoa deserves to be in that same conversation. And the only reason he may not be is because of the struggles he had during his rookie season in 2020. But there's the potential for the 23-year-old to take a big step forward this year.

Tagovailoa's passing numbers weren't too inspiring last season (1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games). But the Dolphins' offense should be much better in 2021, as they've bolstered their receiving corps with the additions of free-agent signing Will Fuller V and rookie Jaylen Waddle.

Plus, Tagovailoa has had a full training camp to work as the starter, a luxury he didn't have heading into his first season. He knows he's going to get a chance to lead the team and prove why he was taken with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

With an average draft position in the 14th round in fantasy (per Fantasy Football Calculator), Tagovailoa is a great option to consider late who could reap huge rewards at some point this season.

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

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Williams has never been a top fantasy option at wide receiver, mostly because he's been used as a deep threat. He can put up huge numbers if he converts on those opportunities, or he could get shut out in any given week if he doesn't.

Over the past two seasons, Williams has totaled 1,757 yards and seven touchdowns. And he's put up those numbers with only 97 receptions. He's a boom-or-bust player who can be too risky to start in fantasy.

But that may change in 2021, considering the Chargers will have a new offensive look with Joe Lombardi now serving as the offensive coordinator. And they're likely to have a strong passing attack with quarterback Justin Herbert likely to build off his impressive rookie campaign.

That could lead to a breakout season for the 26-year-old Williams. And considering his ADP in fantasy drafts is late in the 10th round (per Fantasy Football Calculator), he's worth taking a chance on around that time.

Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

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Some fantasy managers are taking several tight ends too early. Kyle Pitts, T.J. Hockenson and Mark Andrews are all getting picked in the first half of the draft, and that trio is unlikely to match the production of the top three players at the position (Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Darren Waller).

Don't fall into that trap if there's a run on mid-tier tight ends early. It's going to prevent you from building strong depth at running back and wide receiver, and there's a good chance the TE who you pick ends up being a bust, considering the early selection you used to draft him.

Instead, it's better to wait for Higbee, who isn't getting drafted until the eighth round on average (per Fantasy Football Calculator) and sometimes not until later. And there's one big reason why Higbee could be poised for a breakout year: new Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

It's been clear that Stafford has relied on his tight end heavily in the past, as he's a big reason for Hockenson's success in recent years. Now, Stafford and Higbee could be a connection that resembles the one from the QB's later seasons in Detroit.

Higbee could end up being among the top tight ends in fantasy, making him a big sleeper to keep an eye on.