Fantasy Football 2021 Rookie Rankings: Top 5
Today, we’ll rank the Top 5 rookies for the 2021 fantasy football season. You can check out Nos. 10-6 here, and the Honorable Mentions here. Remember, these are ranked for this upcoming season, not for dynasty. Without further ado…
5. DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles (Round 1, No. 11 overall)
We all know that winning a Heisman is not a guarantee of success at the NFL level, and that it really is mostly meaningless in evaluating rookies. But what’s not meaningless is being an absolute baller, producing at a monstrous level, and displaying just about every tool necessary for success. DeVonta Smith is small. He measured 6’0, 166 lbs. and lots of people think he’s too small to withstand NFL life as a primary target. Well, the SEC is the closest gauge we have to NFL-level competition, and he put up a 117-reception, 1,856-yard, 24-touchdown season to remember. He’s scored 37 touchdowns in the last two seasons, and in 2019 he was sharing the ball with Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs and Jaylen Waddle. Despite his small stature, Smith has earned praise for elite route running, superior ball skills and he has top-end speed. While he may not have quite the burners of Jaylen Waddle, Smith is plenty fast and has about three times the production.
Smith has also landed in a better situation than Waddle, who has to forge a path to a big target share through an incumbent No. 1 target (DeVante Parker), and a shiny free agent acquisition (Will Fuller). Smith comes to a team starving for a No. 1 option, that just let go of Alshon Jeffery. Philadelphia has an unusual talent in Jalen Hurts running the show, and it’s unclear if he has the passing chops to helm a top-flight passing attack. Having an unguardable route-running machine as his first look should speed up the evaluation.
4. Michael Carter, RB, Jets (Round 4, No. 107 overall)
Carter has landed in the Meadowlands, so even though he’s not considered quite as great a prospect as some of the backs that were drafted ahead of him, he’ll have elite opportunity. The Jets let go of Le’Veon Bell last season a few weeks in, and the role was handled primarily by Frank Gore all season. Gore’s gone, and their only move at the RB position so far was to hand out a $2 million, one-year deal to Tevin Coleman. Beyond that, he’s competing with La’Mical Perine, a fourth-rounder last season who only rushed for 3.6 yards per carry. Carter might be a prospect from the same round, but he was highly productive at UNC, topping 1,200 yards as a senior last season, scoring nine touchdowns, and catching 25 passes for 267 yards and two scores. He has the potential to be an every down back right out of the gate for a brand new regime; yes, Coleman will be involved at the outset as Carter is a rookie, but it’s been some time since Coleman was an impactful player. Carter has been a 1,000-yard rusher in back-to-back seasons while sharing work with Javonte Williams, who went two rounds ahead of him. He’s going to be a very under-the-radar sleeper this offseason unless he starts opening eyes in the preseason. Let’s hope he lays in the weeds and keeps his ADP down.
3. Travis Etienne, RB, Jaguars (Round 1, No. 25 overall)
Etienne was the top RB for many in this draft, and he’s one of the best playmakers in this class. Etienne was held to under 1,000 rushing yards in 2020, but he played in just 12 games, and added nearly 600 receiving yards to Clemson’s offense. Etienne is hands-down the best two-way back in the draft, and he’s being paired up with his Clemson QB, Trevor Lawrence. In most cases, it’d be worrisome to have James Robinson in the backfield, and there’s no doubt Robinson will be frustrating to Etienne owners in the early going. Unfortunately for Robinson, an excellent rusher in his own right, he was an undrafted free agent, and Etienne required first round capital. Etienne will be the man sooner rather than later, especially since he’s the No. 1 overall pick’s college teammate, and someone hand picked by new coach Urban Meyer. Etienne simply has home run ability that Robinson doesn’t, and as the weeks go by Etienne’s workload – and value – will rise exponentially, a la Jonathan Taylor in 2020.
2. Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons (Round 1, No. 4 overall)
It’s pretty wild to have expectations like this of a rookie tight end, but Pitts is special, and he’s landed in an incredible offense. Matt Ryan has long made good use of his tight ends, and even taken run-of-the-mill players like Austin Hooper and turned them into TE1s. Give him a weapon of mass destruction like Pitts, in a scheme where defenses need to worry about Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, and he’s primed for fantasy domination. Pitts was PFF’s highest-graded TE ever, and last season scored 12 touchdowns while averaging a tick under 18 yards per reception. He has the potential to be a Travis Kelce-esque player who gives fantasy teams an advantage at the position in every week. These spots are usually reserved for RBs and WRs, but this season, the best “receiver” may just be a TE.
1. Najee Harris, RB, Steelers (Round 1, No. 24 overall)
We’ve saved the best for last. Harris is the most prototypically built three down back in the class at 6’1, 232 lbs., he rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last season, caught damn near 50 passes, and accounted for 30 total touchdowns. Harris is an elite option both on the ground and through the air, and, unlike Etienne, will be unchallenged from Day 1 by any other RB on the Steelers’ roster. It should be pointed out that Pittsburgh had one of the NFL’s worst run blocking lines, and they are a high-volume passing attack, but that’s all largely irrelevant when it comes to Harris’ potential. While the Steelers throw a ton, all of the rushing work will belong to Harris, and so will some of those passes. He’s built for goal line work, and should have double-digit touchdowns. Don’t be surprised if Harris is a first round pick by the time you draft, and don’t feel weird for pulling the trigger there either.