Erickson: 2021 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

There's no offseason for dynasty fantasy football leagues. So while we anxiously await the start of NFL free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft, there's still plenty of information — and rankings — to sort through. 

Offseason trades have provided a head start on the reshuffling for 2021, as we've seen three quarterbacks — all drafted with Top-2 picks — moved in Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. (You can read some of the fantasy fallout of those trades here and here.)

The following are my top-300 dynasty rankings along with analysis on major risers and fallers by position. The list includes incoming rookies, but don’t consider their spots set in stone until we get further into the pre-draft process. 

If you’d like to dive even deeper into the dynasty rankings or see them by position, head over to PFF's fantasy football rankings page.

Rank	Player	Team	Position
1	Christian McCaffrey	CAR	RB
2	Saquon Barkley	NYG	RB
3	Jonathan Taylor	IND	RB
4	Dalvin Cook	MIN	RB
5	A.J. Brown	TEN	WR
6	Alvin Kamara	NO	RB
7	Justin Jefferson	MIN	WR
8	Nick Chubb	CLE	RB
9	Davante Adams	GB	WR
10	Tyreek Hill	KC	WR
11	D'Andre Swift	DET	RB
12	Travis Kelce	KC	TE
13	D.K. Metcalf	SEA	WR
14	Cam Akers	LAR	RB
15	George Kittle	SF	TE
16	Stefon Diggs	BUF	WR
17	Derrick Henry	TEN	RB
18	Joe Mixon	CIN	RB
19	Clyde Edwards-Helaire	KC	RB
20	Calvin Ridley	ATL	WR
21	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	RB
22	Darren Waller	LV	TE
23	Aaron Jones	GB	RB
24	Patrick Mahomes II	KC	QB
25	DeAndre Hopkins	ARI	WR
26	Michael Thomas	NO	WR
27	Antonio Gibson	WAS	RB
28	D.J. Moore	CAR	WR
29	Chris Godwin	TB	WR
30	Courtland Sutton	DEN	WR
31	J.K. Dobbins	BAL	RB
32	CeeDee Lamb	DAL	WR
33	Terry McLaurin	WAS	WR
34	Allen Robinson II	CHI	WR
35	Mike Evans	TB	WR
36	Amari Cooper	DAL	WR
37	Tee Higgins	CIN	WR
38	Keenan Allen	LAC	WR
39	Diontae Johnson	PIT	WR
40	Najee Harris	ROOKIE	RB
41	Brandon Aiyuk	SF	WR
42	Javonte Williams	ROOKIE	RB
43	Kenny Golladay	DET	WR
44	Travis Etienne	ROOKIE	RB
45	Ja'Marr Chase	ROOKIE	WR
46	Austin Ekeler	LAC	RB
47	Kyler Murray	ARI	QB
48	JuJu Smith-Schuster	PIT	WR
49	Odell Beckham Jr.	CLE	WR
50	Deshaun Watson	HOU	QB
51	Josh Jacobs	LV	RB
52	Miles Sanders	PHI	RB
53	Mark Andrews	BAL	TE
54	Josh Allen	BUF	QB
55	Julio Jones	ATL	WR
56	Dak Prescott	DAL	QB
57	David Montgomery	CHI	RB
58	Cooper Kupp	LAR	WR
59	James Robinson	JAC	RB
60	Kareem Hunt	CLE	RB
61	AJ Dillon	GB	RB
62	D.J. Chark Jr.	JAC	WR
63	Dallas Goedert	PHI	TE
64	Jerry Jeudy	DEN	WR
65	Jaylen Waddle	ROOKIE	WR
66	Damien Harris	NE	RB
67	Robert Woods	LAR	WR
68	Lamar Jackson	BAL	QB
69	T.J. Hockenson	DET	TE
70	Justin Herbert	LAC	QB
71	Kenneth Gainwell	ROOKIE	RB
72	Noah Fant	DEN	TE
73	Tyler Boyd	CIN	WR
74	Kyle Pitts	ROOKIE	TE
75	Chase Claypool	PIT	WR
76	Brandin Cooks	HOU	WR
77	Ronald Jones II	TB	RB
78	Joe Burrow	CIN	QB
79	Hunter Henry	LAC	TE
80	Will Fuller V	HOU	WR
81	David Johnson	HOU	RB
82	Adam Thielen	MIN	WR
83	Deebo Samuel	SF	WR
84	Melvin Gordon III	DEN	RB
85	Myles Gaskin	MIA	RB
86	Chase Edmonds	ARI	RB
87	Michael Gallup	DAL	WR
88	Russell Wilson	SEA	QB
89	Tyler Lockett	SEA	WR
90	Tony Pollard	DAL	RB
91	Laviska Shenault Jr.	JAC	WR
92	Aaron Rodgers	GB	QB
93	Evan Engram	NYG	TE
94	Kenyan Drake	ARI	RB
95	Mike Gesicki	MIA	TE
96	Trevor Lawrence	ROOKIE	QB
97	Devonta Smith	ROOKIE	WR
98	Marquise Brown	BAL	WR
99	Raheem Mostert	SF	RB
100	Curtis Samuel	CAR	WR
101	Leonard Fournette	TB	RB
102	Rashod Bateman	ROOKIE	WR
103	Rondale Moore	ROOKIE	WR
104	Justin Fields	ROOKIE	QB
105	Chris Carson	SEA	RB
106	Jalen Hurts	PHI	QB
107	Jonnu Smith	TEN	TE
108	Jarvis Landry	CLE	WR
109	Irv Smith Jr.	MIN	TE
110	Henry Ruggs III	LV	WR
111	Zack Moss	BUF	RB
112	Jalen Reagor	PHI	WR
113	Tarik Cohen	CHI	RB
114	DeVante Parker	MIA	WR
115	Baker Mayfield	CLE	QB
116	Ke'Shawn Vaughn	TB	RB
117	Ryan Tannehill	TEN	QB
118	Matthew Stafford	LAR	QB
119	Tua Tagovailoa	MIA	QB
120	Nyheim Hines	IND	RB
121	James Conner	PIT	RB
122	Logan Thomas	WAS	TE
123	Mike Williams	LAC	WR
124	Trey Sermon	ROOKIE	RB
125	Elijah Moore	ROOKIE	WR
126	Matt Ryan	ATL	QB
127	Michael Carter	ROOKIE	RB
128	Christian Kirk	ARI	WR
129	Parris Campbell	IND	WR
130	Devin Singletary	BUF	RB
131	Trey Lance	ROOKIE	QB
132	Rashaad Penny	SEA	RB
133	Zach Ertz	PHI	TE
134	Alexander Mattison	MIN	RB
135	Austin Hooper	CLE	TE
136	Robert Tonyan	GB	TE
137	Denzel Mims	NYJ	WR
138	Robby Anderson	CAR	WR
139	Hayden Hurst	ATL	TE
140	Sterling Shepard	NYG	WR
141	Cole Kmet	CHI	TE
142	Darrell Henderson	LAR	RB
143	Latavius Murray	NO	RB
144	Phillip Lindsay	DEN	RB
145	Mecole Hardman	KC	WR
146	Michael Pittman Jr.	IND	WR
147	Jamaal Williams	GB	RB
148	Carson Wentz	PHI	QB
149	Jamison Crowder	NYJ	WR
150	O.J. Howard	TB	TE
151	Derek Carr	LV	QB
152	Corey Davis	TEN	WR
153	Sony Michel	NE	RB
154	Darnell Mooney	CHI	WR
155	Kirk Cousins	MIN	QB
156	Tylan Wallace	ROOKIE	WR
157	Tyler Higbee	LAR	TE
158	Zach Wilson	ROOKIE	QB
159	Blake Jarwin	DAL	TE
160	Tom Brady	TB	QB
161	Marlon Mack	IND	RB
162	Darius Slayton	NYG	WR
163	James White	NE	RB
164	Taysom Hill	NO	QB
165	Eric Ebron	PIT	TE
166	John Brown	BUF	WR
167	Marvin Jones Jr.	DET	WR
168	Jeff Wilson Jr.	SF	RB
169	Jameis Winston	NO	QB
170	David Njoku	CLE	TE
171	Damien Williams	KC	RB
172	J.D. McKissic	WAS	RB
173	Cole Beasley	BUF	WR
174	Gus Edwards	BAL	RB
175	Khalil Herbert	ROOKIE	RB
176	Javian Hawkins	ROOKIE	RB
177	Chuba Hubbard	ROOKIE	RB
178	T.Y. Hilton	IND	WR
179	Elijah Mitchell	ROOKIE	RB
180	Dawson Knox	BUF	TE
181	Le'Veon Bell	KC	RB
182	Preston Williams	MIA	WR
183	Todd Gurley II	ATL	RB
184	Gabriel Davis	BUF	WR
185	Teddy Bridgewater	CAR	QB
186	Antonio Brown	TB	WR
187	Lynn Bowden Jr.	MIA	RB
188	Jared Goff	DET	QB
189	Bryan Edwards	LV	WR
190	Terrace Marshall Jr.	ROOKIE	WR
191	Kadarius Toney	ROOKIE	WR
192	Tutu Atwell	ROOKIE	WR
193	Gerald Everett	LAR	TE
194	Dyami Brown	ROOKIE	WR
195	Anthony Miller	CHI	WR
196	N'Keal Harry	NE	WR
197	Nelson Agholor	LV	WR
198	Kerryon Johnson	DET	RB
199	Jakobi Meyers	NE	WR
200	Emmanuel Sanders	NO	WR
201	Sammy Watkins	KC	WR
202	James Washington	PIT	WR
203	Anthony McFarland Jr.	PIT	RB
204	Allen Lazard	GB	WR
205	KJ Hamler	DEN	WR
206	Chris Herndon IV	NYJ	TE
207	Darrynton Evans	TEN	RB
208	Adam Trautman	NO	TE
209	Duke Johnson Jr.	HOU	RB
210	Joshua Kelley	LAC	RB
211	Van Jefferson	LAR	WR
212	Sam Darnold	NYJ	QB
213	Keke Coutee	HOU	WR
214	Amon-Ra St. Brown	ROOKIE	WR
215	Breshad Perriman	NYJ	WR
216	Wayne Gallman	NYG	RB
217	Ian Thomas	CAR	TE
218	D'Wayne Eskridge	ROOKIE	WR
219	Jimmy Garoppolo	SF	QB
220	Jordan Akins	HOU	TE
221	Mike Davis	CAR	RB
222	Benny Snell Jr.	PIT	RB
223	Brevin Jordan	ROOKIE	TE
224	Boston Scott	PHI	RB
225	Pat Freiermuth	ROOKIE	TE
226	Tim Patrick	DEN	WR
227	Andy Isabella	ARI	WR
228	A.J. Green	CIN	WR
229	La'Mical Perine	NYJ	RB
230	Russell Gage	ATL	WR
231	Jimmy Graham	CHI	TE
232	Donovan Peoples-Jones	CLE	WR
233	Hunter Renfrow	LV	WR
234	DeSean Jackson	PHI	WR
235	Tre'Quan Smith	NO	WR
236	Salvon Ahmed	MIA	RB
237	Harrison Bryant	CLE	TE
238	Justice Hill	BAL	RB
239	Mac Jones	ROOKIE	QB
240	Jerick McKinnon	SF	RB
241	Royce Freeman	DEN	RB
242	Jared Cook	NO	TE
243	Giovani Bernard	CIN	RB
244	Daniel Jones	NYG	QB
245	Josh Reynolds	LAR	WR
246	Devin Duvernay	BAL	WR
247	Jermar Jefferson	ROOKIE	RB
248	Antonio Gandy-Golden	WAS	WR
249	Josh Oliver	JAC	TE
250	Travis Fulgham	PHI	WR
251	Albert Okwuegbunam	DEN	TE
252	Miles Boykin	BAL	WR
253	Rhamondre Stevenson	ROOKIE	RB
254	Jalen Hurd	SF	WR
255	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	GB	WR
256	Rob Gronkowski	TB	TE
257	Julian Edelman	NE	WR
258	Tyler Johnson	TB	WR
259	Donald Parham Jr.	LAC	TE
260	Scotty Miller	TB	WR
261	Jaret Patterson	ROOKIE	RB
262	Rashard Higgins	CLE	WR
263	Larry Rountree III	ROOKIE	RB
264	Pooka Williams	ROOKIE	RB
265	Collin Johnson	JAC	WR
266	Justin Jackson	LAC	RB
267	John Ross	CIN	WR
268	Anthony Firkser	TEN	TE
269	Marcus Mariota	LV	QB
270	Matt Breida	MIA	RB
271	Tevin Coleman	SF	RB
272	Dalton Schultz	DAL	TE
273	DeeJay Dallas	SEA	RB
274	Quintez Cephus	DET	WR
275	Carlos Hyde	SEA	RB
276	Malcolm Brown	LAR	RB
277	Randall Cobb	HOU	WR
278	Drew Lock	DEN	QB
279	Will Dissly	SEA	TE
280	Eno Benjamin	ARI	RB
281	Mark Ingram II	ROOKIE	RB
282	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	QB
283	Golden Tate	NYG	WR
284	Trey Burton	IND	TE
285	Keelan Cole Sr.	JAC	WR
286	Mo Alie-Cox	IND	TE
287	Auden Tate	CIN	WR
288	Jack Doyle	IND	TE
289	Demarcus Robinson	KC	WR
290	Zach Pascal	IND	WR
291	Drew Sample	CIN	TE
292	Devin Asiasi	NE	TE
293	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	TE
294	Trayveon Williams	CIN	RB
295	Cam Newton	NE	QB
296	JaMycal Hasty	SF	RB
297	Kendrick Bourne	SF	WR
298	Rodney Smith	CAR	RB
299	Jason Huntley	PHI	RB
300	Devonta Freeman	BUF	RB

QUARTERBACKS

It seems only fit that we open with the man of the hour, new Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz’s dynasty stock took a major nosedive after an atrocious 2020 season that saw him finish as the No. 20 quarterback overall in fantasy points per game (16.5). 

Posting low-end QB2 numbers has been Wentz’s recent standard in fantasy football — that’s pretty much all he has produced as the team’s starting quarterback aside from his miraculous 2017 MVP campaign. 

But make no mistake that I was drinking the Wentz Kool-Aid entering 2020, as I had him ranked seventh in my dynasty quarterback rankings. I had really bought into the addition a downfield weapons in Jalen Reagor along with returning talent like DeSean Jackson and Dallas Goedert. But, alas, the injury bug did its worst on the Eagles once again with almost all key offensive players missing time. The offensive line had several injuries as well. 

Wentz landing with the Colts is definitely a big boost to his dynasty stock — this is the best-case scenario for him. He’s in a familiar system and gets the chance to play behind PFF’s seventh-highest-graded offensive line from last season. 

Those two things alone won’t make Wentz a fantasy superstar because his problems go much further. But after hitting rock bottom last year, he really can’t go anywhere but up.

He’s currently ranked as my QB20 in the dynasty — in a tier with other experienced QBs like Derek Carr (QB21), Matt Ryan (QB18), Matthew Stafford (QB15) and Ryan Tannehill (QB14). 

The replacement at No. 7 in my rankings is Justin Herbert. The Los Angeles Chargers’ rookie quarterback averaged over 22 fantasy points per game on his way to becoming the NFL’s rookie of the year in 2020. 

There are some signs for potential regression in Year 2, but that's why I have him at QB7 as opposed to landing in the top-five. 

Herbert wasn't the only rookie quarterback flying up my dynasty rankings — Philadelphia Eagles future QB1 Jalen Hurts takes a massive leap forward, going from QB40 back in July to QB13 now.

Hurts has the chance to be fantasy football’s next superstar, but I’ll need some reassurance from the coaching staff that he will indeed be the team’s quarterback after a report surfacing that the Eagles could be looking to address the quarterback position with the sixth pick in the 2021 draft. 

But, again, that source is not a member of the Eagles’ organization, so we can’t assume that's the plan. I'm still looking to acquire Hurts because of the upside he offers if he does become the full-time starter. 

RUNNING BACKS

There’s no question that a running back’s shelf life is short in the NFL. But I’d argue that a running back’s fantasy shelf life as an elite or just usable asset is even shorter. Looking back at the running backs who absolutely tanked from 2019 to 2020 in the rankings, there’s a pretty common theme.

Most of these RBs are all older and playing on second or third contracts with new teams. Consider the cases of Todd Gurley II, Mark Ingram, Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman and Le’Veon Bell.

This severe drop-off shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering a running back’s best production almost always comes during the first few seasons of their careers. This should be viewed as a warning sign for those holding the likes of Melvin Gordon III, Kenyan Drake, Raheem Mostert, Leonard Fournette, Chris Carson, David Johnson and James Conner. Their fantasy value could come crashing down as early as the 2021 season. It might be wise to get out now before their value evaporates.

Plus, we have a nice new crop of second-year running backs to help lead our dynasty teams to championships. Antonio Gibson, A.J. Dillon, D’Andre Swift, Cam Akers, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, J.K. Dobbins and James Robinson all reside in the top-25 dynasty running backs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn is currently sitting at RB40, which is actually a few spots up from last year’s rankings. If things play out in his favor in free agency, we could easily see him take over the pass-catching RB role in Tampa. 

WIDE RECEIVERS 

There isn’t a more debated wide receiver in dynasty fantasy football than Odell Beckham Jr. After melting faces during his days with New York Giants, OBJ hasn’t been the same star player in Cleveland. He has dealt with injuries, but even when healthy he's been much more of “just a guy” than a true difference-maker.

Beckham averaged 14.3 fantasy points per game (24th) and 14.6 expected fantasy points per game (15th) in his six healthy games in 2020. OBJ’s fall-off has caused him to drop in my dynasty rankings from WR11 to WR25, just two slots behind LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase.

But I’ll say that there is some reason for optimism and to consider buying-low on a player like Beckham now that he doesn’t carry a heavy price tag. Many will point to the Cleveland Browns’ overall improvement on offense without Beckham during the second half of 2020 and conclude that the team is better off without him. 

But PFF’s Ben Linsey argues that a lot of the Browns' struggles early on were because they were playing difficult defenses. Baltimore, Washington, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh accounted for four of the six teams they opened with in 2020.

All graded out as top-12 defenses by PFF. OBJ averaged 28 fantasy points in the other two games against the poor defenses of the Bengals and Cowboys. Not too shabby for a WR2 in fantasy. 

When it comes to wide receiver risers, the two I want to call out are A.J. Brown and Justin Jefferson, who rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in my dynasty wide receiver rankings. I understand the argument for ranking players like Davante Adams or Tyreek Hill ahead of those guys, but we need to think longterm. 

At just barely 22 years old, Jefferson posted an historic rookie season and produced a yards per route run of 2.66 — a mark we only see from elite wide receivers like Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and Davante Adams. 

Brown also ranks among 2020's elite receivers due to his insane efficiency on a yards per route run basis. Next year is shaping up to be his best season to date. 

Next season presents an opportunity for Brown to finally see 120-plus targets with Corey Davis likely on the move. When Davis disappeared toward the end of the year, Brown gobbled up all the targets. He commanded a 35% target share in the team’s final five games.

With at least one of Davis or Jonnu Smith almost certainly off the Tennessee roster next season, we need to embrace the fact that A.J. Brown is the No. 1 wide receiver in dynasty.  

TIGHT ENDS

Zach Ertz was the most notable faller at the tight end position, dropping from TE5 all the way to TE15 after looking like a shell of himself last season. But at just 30 years old and likely in a new situation in 2021, he is surely giving off buy-low vibes.

The entire Eagles offense was a mess last season and Ertz was banged up throughout, so I’d be willing to go dumpster diving for his services. No tight end scored fewer points versus expectation (-48.4) than the Eagles’ veteran tight end. His expected fantasy points per game (11.3) ranked seventh at the position. 

He’s still probably still a bit too low as TE15, but I can see that quickly moving upon a change of scenery.

Ertz’s eventual departure from Philadelphia will be a huge gain for one of my guys in Dallas Goedert. I was high on Goedert heading into last year, ranking him as my No. 4 tight end in dynasty. I've stuck to my guns here, ranking him No. 5 for 2021. 

That’s probably one of the bigger discrepancies you’ll find across all dynasty rankings, but it’s for good reason. Goedert showed massive upside with Ertz out from Weeks 8-12, finishing as fantasy’s No. 2 tight end (12.3 fantasy points per game) behind only Travis Kelce. He averaged nearly 38 routes run per game.