Fantasy Football 2021: 4-Round Mock Draft, Top Keeper Players and Team Names

While fantasy football keeper drafts are similar to their traditional season-long brethren, there are some key differences. The most obvious, of course, is that managers get to keep players from one season to the next.

Knowing who to keep isn't as simple as sticking by your top 2020 performers, either. If your top running back from last season has an average draft position (ADP) that places him in the third round, it's not worth spending a first-round pick to keep him.

Sometimes, it's simply more valuable to dive back into the player pool. Several top options will be kept and off the proverbial table, but you should still be able to find solid value.

To help you determine whom to keep and whom to let go, we're going to examine some of the best keeper options for 2021. We'll dive further into some of the must-keep players, run down a full four-round mock draft and look at some keeper-themed name suggestions for your team.

Mock draft and picks are based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

3. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

4. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

7. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

9. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

10. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

11. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

12. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

              

Round 2

1. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

3. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

4. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

6. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

7. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

8. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

9. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

11. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

12. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

          

Round 3

1. George Kittle, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

4. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

5. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

6. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

7. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

8. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

9. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

10. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

11. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

12. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

             

Round 4

1. James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

3. Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens

4. Julio Jones, WR, Tennessee Titans

5. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

6. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las VegasRaiders

7. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

8. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

9. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

10. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

11. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

12. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

Quarterback

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

3. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

6. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

10. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

               

Running Back

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

2. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

5. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys 

6. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

7. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

8. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

8. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys 

9. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

10. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

           

Wide Receiver

1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

2. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

3. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

4. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

5. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

6. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

7. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

8. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears

9. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

10. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

               

Tight End

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

4. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

5. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

7. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

8. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

9. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers

10. Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team

When it comes to determining whom to keep and whom to let go, a couple of key factors are in play. First, don't even consider a player who doesn't have a high-volume workload and, thus, a high floor.

Second, you have to ensure that a player's value justifies a keeper slot. For example, Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb has an ADP of 6, according to FantasyPros. If you hold the last selection in Round 1, there's a slim chance that Chubb is going to fall back to you if redrafting.

The exception is if all 11 other managers carry at least one keeper. If your league makes keepers public, and you know that Chubb will be available at No. 12, it may be worth redrafting just to weigh your options.

However, there's usually at least one manager who opts not to keep—or if new to the league, doesn't have the option. Therefore, it's important to determine which players are must-keeps under all scenarios.

We can start with the big four running backs: Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara and Derrick Henry. There's virtually no scenario wherein these backs are going to fall past open redraft slots.

Cook, Kamara and Henry were all elite fantasy producers in 2020, while McCaffrey was limited to only three games. However, McCaffrey topped both 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in 2019 and appears to be at 100 percent heading into the regular season.

"I feel like he's hungry and he's ready to go," Carolina Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter said of McCaffrey, per Darin Gantt of the team's official website. "He's the same guy; he's explosive, he doesn't look like he's lost a step. I can't wait to see what he does this year."

This is what separates McCaffrey from New York Giants back Saquon Barkley. While Barkley can be elite, he is also returning from a torn ACL and a partially torn meniscus. There's no guarantee that Barkley will even be available in Week 1.

Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill are the only receivers worth keeping with first-round selections, though several top wideouts are worthy of keeping with a Round 2 pick. If you have, say, Kamara and Stefon Diggs on your roster, it's worth using two keeper slots and retaining both.

Diggs is still an elite receiver and could fall to Round 2, but there's no way he or McCaffrey are falling to the third round.

Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and George Kittle are the only tight ends worth considering for a keeper slot, and it's best to avoid quarterbacks. The lone exception is Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes' floor is high enough that he's in a tier of his own. If you're picking at the end of the order, it can be worth it to keep Mahomes in the fold.

However, the next tier of quarterbacks is wide enough that it doesn't make sense to use a keeper slot on a player like Josh Allen, Kyler Murray or Aaron Rodgers. Under almost any circumstance, you're better off using your keeper slots on skill players.

When it comes to naming your fantasy team, the key is usually to focus on one of your core players. Take one of your keepers or top draft choices, add in a recognizable phrase or reference and stir. The more pun-ishingly groan-worthy, the better.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• Hot Chubb Time Machine (Nick Chubb)
• Walking on Burrow-ken Glass (Joe Burrow)
• Derrick of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Derrick Henry)
• McCaffrey-Peat (Christian McCaffrey)
• Money Pitts (Kyle Pitts)
• Dalvin and the Chipmunks (Dalvin Cook)
• Chasing Glory (Ja'Marr Chase)
• Lance Lance Revolution (Trey Lance
• Aaron on the Side of Caution (Aaron Rodgers)
• If You're Not Firkser Last (Anthony Firkser)
• I Have the Will, Son (Russell Wilson)
• Guess Who's Back—Dak Again (Dak Prescott)