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McFarland: Top-250 Fantasy Football Rankings

Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) before the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Utilizing tiers is the best way to ensure that you generate value with each pick in 2021 fantasy football drafts, especially throughout the early rounds. I'll break down how and why to target certain position groups in each tier, along with backup plans for those who choose to go another direction. 

The following are my top 250 players in PPR drafts broken into tiers. All strategy is based on 12-team leagues. For those looking for rankings beyond the top 250, rankings in other formats or rankings by the rest of PFF's fantasy analysts, find those at our rankings page.

Last Updated: Aug. 25, 2021


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TIER 1: ELITE TALENT AND WORKLOADS

Rank Position Name Team Position Rank
1 RB Christian McCaffrey Panthers RB1
2 RB Dalvin Cook Vikings RB2
3 RB Alvin Kamara Saints RB3
4 RB Aaron Jones Packers RB4
5 TE Travis Kelce Chiefs TE1
6 WR Davante Adams Packers WR1
7 WR Tyreek Hill Chiefs WR2
8 RB Derrick Henry Titans RB5
9 RB Ezekiel Elliott Cowboys RB6
10 WR Stefon Diggs Bills WR3
11 RB Saquon Barkley Giants RB7
12 RB Austin Ekeler Chargers RB8

From the early position, focus on the dual-threat running backs and then pivot to the elite receivers and tight ends ahead of Henry and Elliott, who both are at or approaching the 1,500-attempt marker.

Barkley could start slow but provides RB1-overall upside once he is rolling. If you don't like the risk associated with Barkley, Diggs is the easy pick.

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