Dynasty Football Rankings: 2021 Preseason Update
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These dynasty football rankings are fluid and should be used as a general guide to value players. Many players’ values are dependent on whether a roster is ready to contend for a title or in the process of rebuilding. As such, certain veterans ranked below younger prospects in my rankings could still be worth acquiring in a trade straight up for a contender, and some high-upside prospects may make more sense for a rebuilding team even if ranked below some veteran producers at the position.
The influx of a talented 2021 rookie class has shaken up these dynasty football rankings quite a bit, as incoming rookies with high upside like Ja’Marr Chase and Najee Harris are already worth drafting early in startups. Taking into account team need and roster construction, here are my updated top-200 dynasty football rankings assuming a standard 1QB format with PPR scoring (you can find my superflex rankings here). And be sure to check back for updated dynasty rankings as we approach the end of the 2021 regular season!
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Dynasty Football Rankings
Last updated on Wednesday, September 8th.
| Rank | Pos Rk | Player | Pos | Team | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RB1 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | CAR | |
| 2 | RB2 | Saquon Barkley | RB | NYG | |
| 3 | TE1 | George Kittle | TE | SF | |
| 4 | WR1 | Tyreek Hill | WR | KC | |
| 5 | WR2 | Stefon Diggs | WR | BUF | |
| 6 | RB3 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | IND | |
| 7 | RB4 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | RB | KC | Stop sleeping on KC's no. 1 RB. With Bell gone, CEH's usage as a receiver and overall could rocket him up the fantasy boards as a sophomore. |
| 8 | WR3 | CeeDee Lamb | WR | DAL | |
| 9 | WR4 | D.K. Metcalf | WR | SEA | |
| 10 | WR5 | Justin Jefferson | WR | MIN | |
| 11 | WR6 | A.J. Brown | WR | TEN | Brown's ceiling is capped in 2021 with Julio there, and his continuing absence in the preseason following two knee surgeries is concerning. |
| 12 | WR7 | Calvin Ridley | WR | ATL | |
| 13 | WR8 | Ja'Marr Chase | WR | CIN | |
| 14 | TE2 | Darren Waller | TE | LVR | |
| 15 | RB5 | Dalvin Cook | RB | MIN | |
| 16 | RB6 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | DAL | |
| 17 | RB7 | Nick Chubb | RB | CLE | |
| 18 | RB8 | Alvin Kamara | RB | NO | |
| 19 | RB9 | Antonio Gibson | RB | WAS | |
| 20 | TE3 | Travis Kelce | TE | KC | |
| 21 | QB1 | Patrick Mahomes | QB | KC | |
| 22 | WR9 | Amari Cooper | WR | DAL | |
| 23 | WR10 | DeAndre Hopkins | WR | ARI | |
| 24 | WR11 | Davante Adams | WR | GB | It's the last dance for Adams and Rodgers in GB. Adams will be 29 years old in December, and his landing spot is uncertain for 2022 and beyond. |
| 25 | WR12 | Keenan Allen | WR | LAC | |
| 26 | WR13 | Allen Robinson | WR | CHI | |
| 27 | RB10 | Najee Harris | RB | PIT | |
| 28 | RB11 | D'Andre Swift | RB | DET | |
| 29 | RB12 | Joe Mixon | RB | CIN | |
| 30 | TE4 | Kyle Pitts | TE | ATL | |
| 31 | QB2 | Dak Prescott | QB | DAL | |
| 32 | QB3 | Lamar Jackson | QB | BAL | |
| 33 | QB4 | Kyler Murray | QB | ARI | |
| 34 | QB5 | Josh Allen | QB | BUF | |
| 35 | WR14 | Brandon Aiyuk | WR | SF | |
| 36 | WR15 | Terry McLaurin | WR | WAS | |
| 37 | RB13 | Austin Ekeler | RB | LAC | |
| 38 | RB14 | Aaron Jones | RB | GB | |
| 39 | WR16 | Chris Godwin | WR | TB | |
| 40 | WR17 | Mike Evans | WR | TB | |
| 41 | WR18 | Jaylen Waddle | WR | MIA | |
| 42 | WR19 | Courtland Sutton | WR | DEN | |
| 43 | RB15 | Derrick Henry | RB | TEN | |
| 44 | TE5 | T.J. Hockenson | TE | DET | |
| 45 | QB6 | Trey Lance | QB | SF | Lance's rushing floor and ceiling will vault him into the elite tier of QBs whenever he starts. He is still undervalued in many leagues. |
| 46 | QB7 | Justin Herbert | QB | LAC | |
| 47 | QB8 | Russell Wilson | QB | SEA | |
| 48 | QB9 | Trevor Lawrence | QB | JAX | |
| 49 | QB10 | Joe Burrow | QB | CIN | |
| 50 | WR20 | D.J. Moore | WR | CAR | |
| 51 | WR21 | Diontae Johnson | WR | PIT | |
| 52 | WR22 | Tee Higgins | WR | CIN | |
| 53 | TE6 | Mark Andrews | TE | BAL | |
| 54 | RB16 | Trey Sermon | RB | SF | |
| 55 | RB17 | Javonte Williams | RB | DEN | |
| 56 | WR23 | Robert Woods | WR | LAR | |
| 57 | WR24 | Cooper Kupp | WR | LAR | |
| 58 | WR25 | Elijah Moore | WR | NYJ | Prior to a quad injury, there were steady reports of Moore dazzling at training camp. Don't forget about this electric rookie WR. |
| 59 | WR26 | Rashod Bateman | WR | BAL | Similar to Moore, Bateman landing on IR to start the year has depressed his dynasty value. He's another rookie to buy the dip on. |
| 60 | WR27 | DeVonta Smith | WR | PHI | |
| 61 | WR28 | Michael Thomas | WR | NO | Thomas could miss half the 2021 season or more, and it sounds like trouble is brewing between him and management. His value could plummet. |
| 62 | RB18 | David Montgomery | RB | CHI | |
| 63 | WR29 | Tyler Lockett | WR | SEA | |
| 64 | QB11 | Ryan Tannehill | QB | TEN | |
| 65 | QB12 | Justin Fields | QB | CHI | |
| 66 | WR30 | Jerry Jeudy | WR | DEN | |
| 67 | WR31 | Terrace Marshall | WR | CAR | |
| 68 | WR32 | Rondale Moore | WR | ARI | |
| 69 | RB19 | Josh Jacobs | RB | LVR | |
| 70 | RB20 | Miles Sanders | RB | PHI | |
| 71 | WR33 | Chase Claypool | WR | PIT | |
| 72 | WR34 | Laviska Shenault | WR | JAX | |
| 73 | WR35 | D.J. Chark | WR | JAX | |
| 74 | RB21 | Chris Carson | RB | SEA | |
| 75 | TE7 | Dallas Goedert | TE | PHI | |
| 76 | TE8 | Noah Fant | TE | DEN | |
| 77 | RB22 | Gus Edwards | RB | BAL | With Dobbins out for the year, Edwards figures to lead a dynamic BAL rushing attack. He's a strong RB2 with back-end RB1 upside. |
| 78 | RB23 | Travis Etienne | RB | JAX | Etienne should make a full recovery, but his workload was uncertain to begin with with Robinson on a cheap rookie contract as well. |
| 79 | WR36 | Michael Pittman | WR | IND | |
| 80 | WR37 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | PIT | |
| 81 | RB24 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | BAL | There's some worry with the LCL in addition to the ACL, and Edwards is signed through 2023. Dobbins is returning to a committee. |
| 82 | RB25 | James Robinson | RB | JAX | With Etienne out for the year, Robinson returns to RB2 status in a vastly improved JAX offense, though Carlos Hyde will probably steal touches. |
| 83 | WR38 | Tyler Boyd | WR | CIN | |
| 84 | WR39 | Adam Thielen | WR | MIN | |
| 85 | WR40 | Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | CLE | |
| 86 | WR41 | Robby Anderson | WR | CAR | |
| 87 | WR42 | Corey Davis | WR | NYJ | |
| 88 | WR43 | Kenny Golladay | WR | NYG | On a new team, missing all of preseason with a soft tissue injury, and a poor OL leading to fewer deep targets all hurt Golladay's value. |
| 89 | WR44 | Julio Jones | WR | TEN | |
| 90 | RB26 | Darrell Henderson | RB | LAR | With Akers out for the year but LAR having traded for Michel, Henderson is a risk/reward prospect with a tenuous hold on the lead job. |
| 91 | WR45 | Michael Gallup | WR | DAL | |
| 92 | WR46 | Jalen Reagor | WR | PHI | |
| 93 | WR47 | Mike Williams | WR | LAC | |
| 94 | WR48 | Brandin Cooks | WR | HOU | |
| 95 | RB27 | Myles Gaskin | RB | MIA | |
| 96 | RB28 | Michael Carter | RB | NYJ | |
| 97 | RB29 | Chase Edmonds | RB | ARI | |
| 98 | RB30 | Ronald Jones | RB | TB | |
| 99 | RB31 | Damien Harris | RB | NE | Harris figures to be the lead back and should see more GL work with Newton gone, but make no mistake: this is still a messy RBBC in NE. |
| 100 | WR49 | Deebo Samuel | WR | SF | |
| 101 | RB32 | Kareem Hunt | RB | CLE | |
| 102 | RB33 | Sony Michel | RB | LAR | If his knee is healthy, Michel is talented enough to eventually win the lead role in an efficient LAR rushing attack. He's a risk/reward acquisition. |
| 103 | TE9 | Jonnu Smith | TE | NE | |
| 104 | WR50 | Curtis Samuel | WR | WAS | |
| 105 | WR51 | Antonio Brown | WR | TB | Brown may not have much long-term value, but he can return WR2 production with WR1 upside with Brady in TB for this season at least. |
| 106 | WR52 | Jarvis Landry | WR | CLE | |
| 107 | QB13 | Zach Wilson | QB | NYJ | |
| 108 | QB14 | Jalen Hurts | QB | PHI | |
| 109 | QB15 | Matthew Stafford | QB | LAR | |
| 110 | RB34 | Leonard Fournette | RB | TB | |
| 111 | WR53 | Will Fuller | WR | MIA | |
| 112 | RB35 | Cam Akers | RB | LAR | Achilles tears are far more concerning for RBs than ACLs, and even with modern medicine, there's no guarantee Akers will be ready to start 2022. |
| 113 | TE10 | Hunter Henry | TE | NE | |
| 114 | QB16 | Tom Brady | QB | TB | Even at the age of 44, Brady is set up for an MVP season. Contenders should target him as a potential league-winner at a veteran discount. |
| 115 | RB36 | Raheem Mostert | RB | SF | |
| 116 | WR54 | Henry Ruggs | WR | LVR | |
| 117 | RB37 | Mike Davis | RB | ATL | |
| 118 | WR55 | Marquez Callaway | WR | NO | Callaway's performance along with Thomas's injury opens the door for him to become the no. 1 WR in NO for early season and maybe longer. |
| 119 | RB38 | Tony Pollard | RB | DAL | |
| 120 | RB39 | A.J. Dillon | RB | GB | |
| 121 | TE11 | Robert Tonyan | TE | GB | |
| 122 | WR56 | Mecole Hardman | WR | KC | |
| 123 | RB40 | Devin Singletary | RB | BUF | |
| 124 | WR57 | Gabriel Davis | WR | BUF | |
| 125 | WR58 | Darnell Mooney | WR | CHI | |
| 126 | RB41 | Alexander Mattison | RB | MIN | |
| 127 | RB42 | Ty Johnson | RB | NYJ | Johnson has shown flashes before in DET, and he has upside if he wins a major role in LaFleur's Shanahan-esque run scheme. |
| 128 | RB43 | Tony Jones | RB | NO | Jones usurped Murray to be the no. 2 in NO behind Kamara, so he becomes an elite handcuff with potential standalone flex value. |
| 129 | WR59 | Bryan Edwards | WR | LVR | |
| 130 | RB44 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | NE | Stevenson has shown burst as a runner and receiver and is a Harris injury away from potential RB2 production behind a top-10 NE OL. |
| 131 | RB45 | Elijah Mitchell | RB | SF | |
| 132 | WR60 | Cole Beasley | WR | BUF | A perennially undervalue slot receiver, Beasley is still the no. 2 in a pass-heavy BUF offense with WR2 potential for 2021. |
| 133 | WR61 | Marvin Jones | WR | JAX | With Chark returning from finger surgery and Shenault not playing in 2WR sets, Jones could be a strong WR3 or flex option with Lawrence. |
| 134 | QB17 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | GB | |
| 135 | QB18 | Deshaun Watson | QB | HOU | The lack of movement on the trade front as well as lack of any settlement all but guarantees that Watson will miss the entirety of the 2021 season. |
| 136 | QB19 | Baker Mayfield | QB | CLE | |
| 137 | QB20 | Mac Jones | QB | NE | |
| 138 | QB21 | Tua Tagovailoa | QB | MIA | |
| 139 | RB46 | Melvin Gordon | RB | DEN | |
| 140 | RB47 | James Conner | RB | ARI | |
| 141 | WR62 | Marquise Brown | WR | BAL | |
| 142 | WR63 | Dyami Brown | WR | WAS | |
| 143 | RB48 | Darrel Williams | RB | KC | |
| 144 | TE12 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | PIT | |
| 145 | TE13 | Adam Trautman | TE | NO | |
| 146 | TE14 | Mike Gesicki | TE | MIA | |
| 147 | TE15 | Tyler Higbee | TE | LAR | |
| 148 | RB49 | Zack Moss | RB | BUF | |
| 149 | TE16 | Evan Engram | TE | NYG | |
| 150 | TE17 | Logan Thomas | TE | WAS | |
| 151 | TE18 | Cole Kmet | TE | CHI | |
| 152 | TE19 | Tyler Conklin | TE | MIN | With Irv Smith out for the year, Conklin steps into potential back-end TE1 production if he builds rapport with Cousins in MIN. |
| 153 | WR64 | D'Wayne Eskridge | WR | SEA | |
| 154 | RB50 | Ty'Son Williams | RB | BAL | Now the 1B to Edwards following Dobbins's injury, Williams has some deep flex potential and RB2 upside if Edwards were to miss time. |
| 155 | WR65 | Nico Collins | WR | HOU | |
| 156 | WR66 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | DET | |
| 157 | TE20 | Irv Smith Jr. | TE | MIN | With a lost 2021 season, Irv Smith drifts back into the range of upside lottery ticket TEs for 2022 and beyond. |
| 158 | QB22 | Sam Darnold | QB | CAR | |
| 159 | QB23 | Jameis Winston | QB | NO | Winston won the job in NO to start the year, but he'll need to limit turnovers, and he steps into a more run-heavy offense than the one he led in TB. |
| 160 | QB24 | Carson Wentz | QB | IND | |
| 161 | QB25 | Kirk Cousins | QB | MIN | |
| 162 | TE21 | Zach Ertz | TE | PHI | |
| 163 | RB51 | Nyheim Hines | RB | IND | |
| 164 | RB52 | Kenyan Drake | RB | LVR | |
| 165 | WR67 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | WR | CLE | Peoples-Jones is a boom-bust deep threat in 2021, but he could step into a prominent role in 2022 with Odell Beckham a possible cut candidate. |
| 166 | WR68 | Van Jefferson | WR | LAR | With a strong-armed Stafford replacing Goff, Jefferson has upside as the no. 3 WR in LAR and a serviceable deep threat. |
| 167 | WR69 | Amari Rodgers | WR | GB | |
| 168 | RB53 | Rashaad Penny | RB | SEA | |
| 169 | WR70 | Josh Palmer | WR | LAC | |
| 170 | WR71 | Parris Campbell | WR | IND | |
| 171 | WR72 | Kadarius Toney | WR | NYG | |
| 172 | RB54 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | CAR | |
| 173 | RB55 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | PHI | |
| 174 | WR73 | Russell Gage | WR | ATL | |
| 175 | TE22 | Anthony Firkser | TE | TEN | |
| 176 | TE23 | Austin Hooper | TE | CLE | |
| 177 | TE24 | Blake Jarwin | TE | DAL | |
| 178 | TE25 | Mo Alie-Cox | TE | IND | |
| 179 | WR74 | Nelson Agholor | WR | NE | |
| 180 | WR75 | Sterling Shepard | WR | NYG | |
| 181 | TE26 | Gerald Everett | TE | SEA | |
| 182 | TE27 | Rob Gronkowski | TE | TB | |
| 183 | RB56 | Phillip Lindsay | RB | HOU | |
| 184 | RB57 | Jaret Patterson | RB | WAS | |
| 185 | WR76 | A.J. Green | WR | ARI | |
| 186 | RB58 | Chris Evans | RB | CIN | |
| 187 | RB59 | Giovani Bernard | RB | TB | |
| 188 | RB60 | James White | RB | NE | |
| 189 | QB26 | Derek Carr | QB | LVR | |
| 190 | QB27 | Matt Ryan | QB | ATL | |
| 191 | QB28 | Daniel Jones | QB | NYG | |
| 192 | WR77 | Emmanuel Sanders | WR | BUF | |
| 193 | TE28 | O.J. Howard | TE | TB | |
| 194 | WR78 | DeVante Parker | WR | MIA | |
| 195 | WR79 | Christian Kirk | WR | ARI | |
| 196 | TE29 | Donald Parham | TE | LAC | |
| 197 | TE30 | Dawson Knox | TE | BUF | |
| 198 | RB61 | Jeff Wilson Jr. | RB | SF | |
| 199 | WR80 | Quintez Cephus | WR | DET | |
| 200 | TE31 | Jordan Akins | TE | HOU |
For more fantasy football and NFL content, follow me on Twitter @FFA_Meng.
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Great info thx