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This may shock you, but in my youth, I was a stubborn jackass. As most of us know, the world has a way of humbling us arrogant fools sooner or later. Life naturally and systematically grinds the ego down, and if we choose to surrender, there’s unfathomable joy waiting. Joy in the form of fantasy football glory and scores of very attractive women (or men if you’re into that) fawning after you. But step one: we must surrender. We must look ourselves in the mirror and admit we were wrong about Taysom Hill. We must grovel at the feet of Ben Roethlisberger. We must massage the loins of Kerryon Johnson. What I’m saying is, most of this post is about what I’ve been wrong about—granted, it’s difficult to take victory laps before the preseason has even ended. Anyway, here’s who’s moving most in my rankings in recent days, along with my updated top 200 rankings for 2021 fantasy football:
Marquez Callaway – Is there anyone rising faster than Marquez 2.0 down in NOLA? Listen, it looks like I was wrong about Taysom Hill. I didn’t believe the rumblings. My donkey sense was tingling and calling BS. But at this point, it’s hard to deny that Jameis Winston is in line to start week one and there seems to be natural chemistry with Callaway. I’ve adjusted the rankings accordingly on all three of these guys and won’t be at all surprised if Callaway posts high-end WR2 numbers this year. Seriously, who else does Jameis have to throw to?!
James Robinson – OK OK here’s one I was right about—for all the wrong reasons! Well, not ALL the wrong reasons, it did look like Robinson was well ahead of Travis Etienne before his season-ending foot injury. It’s unfortunate for the rookie, but we have to look for the silver linings. And the silver lining is that I own JRob on almost every fantasy team. I think he’s still being undervalued in drafts after the Etienne news, remember this is a guy who’s already proven he can be a fantasy RB1!
Najee Harris – I was in on Najee at his draft cost in early drafts (early 2nd round) but still somewhat uneasy due to the degradation of Ben Roethlisberger’s arm over the past two seasons; I had my concerns about this offense as a whole. But Ben has shockingly looked like Antonio Brown’s old buddy this preseason and the rookie RB hasn’t looked too shabby himself. Give all the Steelers’ weapons a little boost up your board (but still don’t draft JuJu!).
Javonte Williams – I’ve been saying for two months that I’m in on Melvin Gordon and out on Williams this year. I might have been wrong on that call too. Williams looked fantastic in his debut and it’s sounding more and more like this backfield could end up closer to a 50/50 split than I ever expected in week one. I’m tempted to flip Gordon and Williams in my rankings at this stage.
Devin Singletary – I still don’t believe Singletary is anything special but Zack Moss’s ankle injury has really opened the door for Singletary to take charge of the Bills’ backfield this preseason and he’s looked pretty darn good. It’s tough to keep Moss ahead of Singletary considering their respective preseason performances and usage, but this will obviously still be a timeshare.
Corey Davis – After last season’s big breakout, Davis has been disrespected by this year’s drafters. Part of it is due to the new team which can be a tough adjustment for receivers, and part of it is due to the rookie QB he’ll be working with. But Zach Wilson has been surprisingly sharp this preseason and seems to be clicking immediately with Davis. I’m not sure I’ve moved the late-blooming receiver up enough in my rankings.
Rhamondre Stevenson – Is Crazy Ole Bill going to get cooky at RB this year? The big rookie, Stevenson, has looked amazing this preseason and you know he’s caught Bellichick’s eye. Remember that season another big man, LaGarrette Blount, enjoyed in New England a few years back?
*Note: I have not included my own projections in any of this year’s rankings. Rudy Gamble’s World-Renowned 2021 Fantasy Football Projections are all you need! These preseason projections are available free of charge, while Rudy’s in-season weekly projection subscription is currently available until August 31st at an early bird discounted price of only $17.99 for the entire season! These are the same weekly projections that won Rudy Gamble the FantasyPros designation of “Best Bold Ranker” for the years 2017-2019 (and likely 2020!).
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Note: Filters and sorting in the table below apply to the output |
# | Name | Team | Pos |
---|---|---|---|
Christian McCaffrey | CAR | RB | |
Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB | |
Dalvin Cook | MIN | RB | |
Derrick Henry | TEN | RB | |
Aaron Jones | GB | RB | |
Alvin Kamara | NO | RB | |
Davante Adams | GB | WR | |
Saquon Barkley | NYG | RB | |
Nick Chubb | CLE | RB | |
Antonio Gibson | WAS | RB | |
Austin Ekeler | LAC | RB | |
Najee Harris | PIT | RB | |
Tyreek Hill | KC | WR | |
DeAndre Hopkins | ARI | WR | |
Stefon Diggs | BUF | WR | |
D.K. Metcalf | SEA | WR | |
A.J. Brown | TEN | WR | |
Travis Kelce | KC | TE | |
Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | RB | |
CeeDee Lamb | DAL | WR | |
Darren Waller | LV | TE | |
Miles Sanders | PHI | RB | |
James Robinson | JAC | RB | |
Keenan Allen | LAC | WR | |
Calvin Ridley | ATL | WR | |
D’Andre Swift | DET | RB | |
Justin Jefferson | MIN | WR | |
Terry McLaurin | WAS | WR | |
David Montgomery | CHI | RB | |
Allen Robinson II | CHI | WR | |
Chris Godwin | TB | WR | |
Kyler Murray | ARI | QB | |
Patrick Mahomes II | KC | QB | |
Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | RB | |
Julio Jones | TEN | WR | |
Diontae Johnson | PIT | WR | |
Chris Carson | SEA | RB | |
Kenny Golladay | NYG | WR | |
Josh Jacobs | LV | RB | |
Mike Evans | TB | WR | |
Joe Mixon | CIN | RB | |
Odell Beckham Jr. | CLE | WR | |
Darrell Henderson | LAR | RB | |
D.J. Moore | CAR | WR | |
George Kittle | SF | TE | |
Mike Davis | ATL | RB | |
Amari Cooper | DAL | WR | |
Adam Thielen | MIN | WR | |
Myles Gaskin | MIA | RB | |
Mark Andrews | BAL | TE | |
Kareem Hunt | CLE | RB | |
Raheem Mostert | SF | RB | |
Robert Woods | LAR | WR | |
Kyle Pitts | ATL | TE | |
Ja’Marr Chase | CIN | WR | |
Josh Allen | BUF | QB | |
Lamar Jackson | BAL | QB | |
Javonte Williams | DEN | RB | |
Jalen Hurts | PHI | QB | |
Cooper Kupp | LAR | WR | |
Jerry Jeudy | DEN | WR | |
Melvin Gordon III | DEN | RB | |
Michael Carter | NYJ | RB | |
Chase Claypool | PIT | WR | |
Russell Wilson | SEA | QB | |
Tee Higgins | CIN | WR | |
Courtland Sutton | DEN | WR | |
Gus Edwards | BAL | RB | |
Trey Sermon | SF | RB | |
Damien Harris | NE | RB | |
Chase Edmonds | ARI | RB | |
T.J. Hockenson | DET | TE | |
Noah Fant | DEN | TE | |
Dak Prescott | DAL | QB | |
Tyler Lockett | SEA | WR | |
Mike Williams | LAC | WR | |
Robby Anderson | CAR | WR | |
Antonio Brown | TB | WR | |
Logan Thomas | WAS | TE | |
Aaron Rodgers | GB | QB | |
Justin Herbert | LAC | QB | |
Deebo Samuel | SF | WR | |
Dallas Goedert | PHI | TE | |
Robert Tonyan | GB | TE | |
Tyler Boyd | CIN | WR | |
D.J. Chark Jr. | JAC | WR | |
Corey Davis | NYJ | WR | |
Brandon Aiyuk | SF | WR | |
Henry Ruggs III | LV | WR | |
David Johnson | HOU | RB | |
James Conner | ARI | RB | |
Ronald Jones II | TB | RB | |
Leonard Fournette | TB | RB | |
Marquez Callaway | NO | WR | |
Michael Pittman Jr. | IND | WR | |
Jaylen Waddle | MIA | WR | |
Devin Singletary | BUF | RB | |
AJ Dillon | GB | RB | |
Ryan Tannehill | TEN | QB | |
Phillip Lindsay | HOU | RB | |
Kenyan Drake | LV | RB | |
Matthew Stafford | LAR | QB | |
Zack Moss | BUF | RB | |
JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT | WR | |
Giovani Bernard | TB | RB | |
Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | RB | |
Tom Brady | TB | QB | |
Tua Tagovailoa | MIA | QB | |
Trevor Lawrence | JAC | QB | |
Will Fuller V | MIA | WR | |
Jarvis Landry | CLE | WR | |
Rob Gronkowski | TB | TE | |
Mike Gesicki | MIA | TE | |
Curtis Samuel | WAS | WR | |
Brandin Cooks | HOU | WR | |
Michael Gallup | DAL | WR | |
Michael Thomas | NO | WR | |
Marvin Jones Jr. | JAC | WR | |
Terrace Marshall Jr. | CAR | WR | |
Laviska Shenault Jr. | JAC | WR | |
DeVante Parker | MIA | WR | |
Jakobi Meyers | NE | WR | |
Tony Pollard | DAL | RB | |
Marquise Brown | BAL | WR | |
Elijah Moore | NYJ | WR | |
Larry Rountree III | LAC | RB | |
Joe Burrow | CIN | QB | |
Kirk Cousins | MIN | QB | |
Baker Mayfield | CLE | QB | |
Matt Ryan | ATL | QB | |
Gabriel Davis | BUF | WR | |
Jamaal Williams | DET | RB | |
Tony Jones Jr. | NO | RB | |
Ty’son Williams | BAL | RB | |
Evan Engram | NYG | TE | |
Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | QB | |
Rashaad Penny | SEA | RB | |
J.D. McKissic | WAS | RB | |
Wayne Gallman Jr. | FA | RB | |
Nyheim Hines | IND | RB | |
James White | NE | RB | |
Tyler Higbee | LAR | TE | |
Jonnu Smith | NE | TE | |
Hunter Henry | NE | TE | |
Marlon Mack | IND | RB | |
Quintez Cephus | DET | WR | |
Jalen Reagor | PHI | WR | |
Cole Kmet | CHI | TE | |
Adam Trautman | NO | TE | |
Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | WR | |
Alexander Mattison | MIN | RB | |
Derek Carr | LV | QB | |
Austin Hooper | CLE | TE | |
Justin Fields | CHI | QB | |
Tevin Coleman | NYJ | RB | |
Trey Lance | SF | QB | |
Darnell Mooney | CHI | WR | |
Jameis Winston | NO | QB | |
Ryan Fitzpatrick | WAS | QB | |
Salvon Ahmed | MIA | RB | |
Latavius Murray | NO | RB | |
Sam Darnold | CAR | QB | |
KJ Hamler | DEN | WR | |
DeVonta Smith | PHI | WR | |
Daniel Jones | NYG | QB | |
Quez Watkins | PHI | WR | |
Rashod Bateman | BAL | WR | |
Rondale Moore | ARI | WR | |
Byron Pringle | KC | WR | |
Chuba Hubbard | CAR | RB | |
Jared Cook | LAC | TE | |
Zach Ertz | PHI | TE | |
Tarik Cohen | CHI | RB | |
Kenneth Gainwell | PHI | RB | |
Tre’Quan Smith | NO | WR | |
Russell Gage | ATL | WR | |
Blake Jarwin | DAL | TE | |
Nelson Agholor | NE | WR | |
Van Jefferson | LAR | WR | |
Damien Williams | CHI | RB | |
Matt Breida | BUF | RB | |
Mecole Hardman | KC | WR | |
Cole Beasley | BUF | WR | |
Sterling Shepard | NYG | WR | |
Emmanuel Sanders | BUF | WR | |
Jamison Crowder | NYJ | WR | |
Jared Goff | DET | QB | |
O.J. Howard | TB | TE | |
John Brown | LV | WR | |
Parris Campbell | IND | WR | |
T.Y. Hilton | IND | WR | |
Taysom Hill | NO | QB | |
Sony Michel | LAR | RB | |
Bryan Edwards | LV | WR | |
A.J. Green | ARI | WR | |
Tyrell Williams | DET | WR | |
Dyami Brown | WAS | WR | |
Darrel Williams | KC | RB | |
Gerald Everett | SEA | TE | |
Chris Herndon | MIN | TE |