2021 FGT Fantasy Football Mock Draft – Rounds 1 & 2

By the Football Garbage Time Staff

As I mention every year, we here at Football Garbage Time are all about helping out our readers.  And the 2021 season is just around the corner in September, so we all know what that means…the FANTASY FOOTBALL season is ALSO around the corner in September!

So as everyone gets ready to root for their favorite NFL team and commit entire Sunday afternoons to eating tons of junk food and yelling at the TV screen when refs inevitably make yet another bad call on the field, some of us, including you I suspect, will be furiously tinkering with our fantasy football lineups and eventually wondering why the fantasy gods hate us when we end up losing by 0.01 fantasy points because Aaron Rodgers took one too many knees at the end of the game.  Phew, that was a ridiculously long sentence.

Say what you will about whether Fantasy Football is “good” for the NFL or not.  One thing we all agree on here is that playing Fantasy Football is a lot of fun…but much more so if you’re winning.

So, as we do every year, we conducted a live Mock Fantasy Football Draft on Twitter (just check out #FGTMockDraft) for a mock PPR standard scoring Yahoo 10-team league (1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K & 1 DEF) so that all of you can get some insight as to who we like for the upcoming 2021 season, and hopefully help all of you with your drafts.

This year, ten different writers & podcasters from six different sites participated, including:

Each one is taking part in a mock draft live over several weeks on Twitter (feel free to check out the back and forth on Twitter by searching for #FGTMockDraft).  What trends and surprises did we see?

Below are the results of the first two rounds along with some comments from those who made the picks.  We also include the Average Draft Position (ADP) as of July 21st as per Fantasy Pros so you can see how we differ from how they’re currently being drafted in PPR leagues.

You can check out the complete six round draft results HERE.

Don’t agree?  Well, it’s a free country, so sound off in the comments!  And don’t forget to come back to check out Rounds 3 & 4 and 5 & 6 of the mock draft!

– Ha Kung Wong, Editor-In-Chief

Joanne Kong

1st Round – Pick 1 – Dalvin Cook (RB) [Current ADP: 2.0]

2nd Round – Pick 20 – Keenan Allen (WR) [Current ADP: 31.4]

This is what Joanne had to say about her picks:

Having the first pick overall this season is tough. With Christian McCaffery healthy and Derrick Henry putting up 2,027 rushing yards last season, it’s a difficult choice. People who selected Christian McCaffery first overall last year got a slap to the face when he left the season injured. There are no guarantees, but you hope that your first round pick is consistently one of your best producers for your fantasy season.

In 2020, Dalvin Cook had the second most rushing yards, behind Henry, with 1,557 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He also had the second most rushing attempts, again behind Derrick Henry, with 312 attempts. At twenty-six years old, Cook is in his prime and has shown consistent production on the field. Thanks to the threat of the passing game with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, it’s difficult for defenses to stack the box against the run, giving Cook ample opportunity to match or even exceed his production from last year.

Injury is definitely a factor with Cook since he’s only played 14-games in each of the last two seasons. But there are never any guarantees. Even sitting out two weeks, though, Cook has been a force on the field over the last two seasons. If Cook remains healthy and the Vikings passing game can remain competitive, Cook could easily be the top back of the season.

For those who have the first overall pick in 10-team leagues, there are eighteen picks between your first and second pick. And after pick two and three, there will be another 18 picks before the fourth round.  Strategy now comes to into play because you likely don’t have the liberty of waiting to see if players you’re targeting fall to you. Who will and won’t be there in round four?  What’s the depth of skill players you’re targeting?

In the 2020 season, Keenan Allen tallied 992 yards catching 100 out of the 147 targets from rookie quarterback phenom Justin Herbert. With an increasing target share with Herbert, going up from 9.3 in 2019 to 10.5 in 2020, Allen’s numbers can only improve, particularly with Hunter Henry moving on to the New England Patriots. Henry’s departure leaves Mike Williams as the only other proven pass-catcher outside Allen, and with an off-season to develop with Herbert, Allen is looking like a good WR1 prospect to break a thousand yards for the upcoming season, and hopefully have touchdowns a plenty. If that’s not reason enough, Allen scored at least 14 PPR points in 9 of 13 games in 2020, which I would consider to be close to his floor in 2021.

Scott King

Christian McCaffrey – USA Today Sports

1st Round – Pick 2 – Christian McCaffrey (RB) [Current ADP: 1.0]

2nd Round – Pick 19 – Antonio Gibson (RB) [Current ADP: 19.2]

This is what Scott had to say about his picks:

As I’ve said for a few years now, drafts are going back to RB heavy in the first two rounds. The RBs role is different in real football and pass catching has become critical.  I went RB-RB again this year grabbing two target monsters in Christian McCaffrey and Antonio Gibson. Gibson was a solid pickup I had last year that won me cash.

Antonio Gibson 2020 Rushing & Receiving Stats
Game Game Rush Rush Rush Rush Rush Rush Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece
Year G GS Rush Yds TD Y/A Y/G A/G Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD R/G Y/G Ctch% Fmb
2020 14 10 170 795 11 4.7 56.8 12.1 44 36 247 6.9 0 2.6 17.6 81.8% 2
Care 14 10 170 795 11 4.7 56.8 12.1 44 36 247 6.9 0 2.6 17.6 81.8% 2

Dan Thury

Saquon Barkley – Getty Images

1st Round – Pick 3 – Saquon Barkley (RB) [Current ADP: 5.4]

2nd Round – Pick 18 – Joe Mixon (RB) [Current ADP: 21.4]

Andrew Erickson

1st Round – Pick 4 – Ezekiel Elliott (RB) [Current ADP: 7.6]

2nd Round – Pick 17 – Aaron Jones (RB) [Current ADP: 12.6]

This is what Andrew had to say about his picks:

#toocheap

Zeke has bounce back all over him and Aaron Jones is a locked and loaded top-10 RB with Rodgers under center. #buythedip

Ryan Whitfield

Alvin Kamara – USA Today

1st Round – Pick 5 – Alvin Kamara (RB) [Current ADP: 3.6]

2nd Round – Pick 16 – Stefon Diggs (WR) [Current ADP: 13.4]

Kris Hopper

Derrick Henry – USA Today

1st Round – Pick 6 – Derrick Henry (RB) [Current ADP: 3.4]

2nd Round – Pick 15 – DeAndre Hopkins (WR) [Current ADP: 16.2]

Will Gentile

1st Round – Pick 7 – Travis Kelce (TE) [Current ADP: 8.4]

2nd Round – Pick 14 – Cam Akers (RB) [Current ADP: 16.4 before Injury, NA after Injury]

This is what Will had to say about his picks:

It was very unsettling to draft a TE in the first round. Probably won’t do that in multiple leagues, but the upside is there. Sean McVay should ride Akers this year so I like him in round two.

UPDATE: With Cam Akers now out for the season due to an Achilles injury, Will would have selected Aaron Jones with the 14th Pick.

Wole Akinso

1st Round – Pick 8 – Jonathan Taylor (RB) [Current ADP: 7.4]

2nd Round – Pick 13 – Nick Chubb (RB) [Current ADP: 9.0]

Ha Kung Wong

1st Round – Pick 9 – Tyreek Hill (WR) [Current ADP: 9.6]

2nd Round – Pick 12 – Austin Ekeler (RB) [Current ADP: 11.2]

This is what Ha Kung had to say about his picks:

Tyreek Hill had his 3rd top 5 WR finish in PPR leagues in 4 years.  He returns to essentially the same offence, and perhaps more importantly, a completely healthy Patrick Mahomes.  In 2020 PPR scoring, only Alvin Kamara (377.8 points), Davante Adams (358.4), Dalvin Cook (337.8) and Derrick Henry (333.1) totaled more fantasy points than Hill’s 328.9, and all of Kamara, Cook and Henry are being drafted in the top 4 by ADP.  At the end of the first round, the top tier RBs are essentially off the board, but the top tier WRs are all available.  So if I’m drafting near the turn, I’m looking to dominate at WR and pick up RBs later in the draft.  In other words, time to zig when everyone else zags.  If you prefer to go Davante Adams here, I get it, but I’m not 100% sure that Aaron Rodgers is all-in this year, or that he’ll remain in Green Bay, so I’d rather not gamble with my first pick.

After taking a WR, I wanted the best available RB in the second round, and Austin Ekeler absolutely fits the bill, particularly in PPR leagues.  2020 was marred by an hamstring injury, but I think people are unfairly depressing his value in PPR.  Just look at 2019 where he had a whopping 993 receiving yards on 92 receptions catching 82.5% of his targets.  That alone may make him worth drafting in the second round, but add in 557 rush yards and 11 total TDs and you can understand why some could consider him in the first round.  Could he get injured again?  Sure, but we can’t control for that.  And with Justin Herbert just getting better, I’m betting on the Chargers offense being a force to be reckoned with for some time into the future.

Adam Aniba

1st Round – Pick 10 – Patrick Mahomes (QB) [Current ADP: 22.0]

2nd Round – Pick 11 – Justin Jefferson (WR) [Current ADP: 22.6]

This is what Adam had to say about his picks:

With Pick #10 grabbing Pat Mahomes was a no brainer. The Chiefs signal caller should be the top fantasy earner at the quarterback position in ‘21, when all is said and done.

Landing Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson WR with pick #2 in round two, was another steal. The Minnesota WR set the rookie record with 1400 yards in ‘21 and looks to have a repeat performance this season. Look for Jefferson along with his Vikings teammate/FGT Fantasy Draft #1 overall selection Dalvin Cook, to be big time earners for their fantasy owners.

Check back soon for our Round 3 and 4 draft picks!

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