I’ve now ranked the top 30 quarterbacks, top 25 running backs, top 25 wide receivers and top 10 tight ends. You should now be good to go for your fantasy drafts. Go get ’em, tiger! What, you want more? Is it because of my very subtle and mature penis jokes masterfully woven throughout the rankings like a Dan Brown novel? I could just write a long list of penis jokes, if you prefer. More rankings you say? Alright, I get it, not everyone is playing in an 8-team league where they own 7 of the teams like my home league with Cousin Cletus. We will rank on. Longer. And harder. And with more thrusting. Anyway, here’s my top 40 running backs for 2021 fantasy football:
Click here to see all 2021 Fantasy Football Rankings.
*Note: These rankings are geared toward half PPR leagues. Projections provided in this season’s rankings are NOT my own, they come from Rudy Gamble’s World-Renowned 2021 Fantasy Football Projections. 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 have won Rudy Gamble the FantasyPros designation of “Best Bold Ranker” for the years 2017-2019 (and likely 2020!).Â
Tier 6 (cont’d)
26. Raheem Mostert – Is there another player with as wide of a range of fantasy outcomes as Raheem Mostert? How bout Antonio Brown? Or, like, any other running back in the NFL? Touché random italicized voice. But what I mean is, Mostert has already flashed RB1 potential in the Shanahan offense so we know the potential is there. But he has to compete with a slew of other talented options like Trey Sermon, Wayne Gallman and JaMycal Hasty. I’d be lying if I said I have a good handle on what this backfield will look like by week 5, and I’d be wary of any analyst who says they know where this mess is headed.Â
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 182 Rush Attempts, 873 Rushing Yards, 33 Receptions, 8 Total Touchdowns
27. David Johnson – More moving parts go into ranking David Johnson than there are in this fancy coffee pot my wife just bought. Serious, what was wrong with the old coffee pot?! But back to DJ; I think most people are overlooking the fact that he averaged 4.7 YPC in 2020, which was a career- high! That’s right, more yards per carry than he averaged back in his first-round fantasy heydays. Of course, he did have Deshaun Watson at QB opening things up—don’t bank on that moving part in 2021. Also, can the moving parts on Johnson’s body remain intact for a full season? Doubtful. Still, the former fantasy beast is being totally written off by fantasy owners this preseason and I think that’s a big oversight.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 181 Rush Attempts, 844 Rushing Yards, 35 Receptions, 7 Total Touchdowns
28. Mike Davis – Big Mike did his best Christian McCaffrey impersonation for most of 2020. The resemblance was striking! Alright, not exactly, but the fantasy numbers really were fantastic as he finished at the #15 fantasy running back in 14 games played. Now can he replicated this production in his new Falcons uniform? I have some doubts but Rudy has aggressively projected his as his #15 RB once again which has my attention. There isn’t a ton of competition in this backfield for touches so I might be under ranking him here just based on sheer volume alone.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 207 Rush Attempts, 924 Rushing Yards, 48 Receptions, 9 Total Touchdowns
Tier 7
29. Damien Harris – Tier 7 here is where things really start to get sketchy for me this year at RB. Feels like I’m driving through a ghost town in a zombie movie. But there are these very talented, athletic, young gentlemen all over the place in this ghost town. But I have no idea if these very talented, athletic, young gentlemen will have the opportunity to rise up and break free from the clenches of the ghost town! Are you still with me? Good. What I’m getting at here is this: do believe Damien Harris has the talent to produce high-end RB2, or even RB1 numbers if given the opportunity. I just don’t trust that Belichick will ever actually give him the chance to do it. Although stranger things have happened with Belichick. Like when he let his dog select every Patriots’ draft pick since Tom Brady.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 171 Rush Attempts, 854 Rushing Yards, 15 Receptions, 5 Total Touchdowns
30. Michael Carter – Alright so we have some exciting, shiny rookies here in the ghost town with us. One of these next four is probably going to have a huge fantasy season and make my ranking look silly. But which one? It’s like a game of Russian Roulette and I don’t want to blow the brains out of your fantasy team by recommending you reach for any of these youngsters. But if you choose to reach, of your own free will, then I’d reach for Carter based on early reports out of Jets camp. He won’t be given the starting job without competition from Tevin Coleman and La’Mical Perine, and this is still the Jets’ offense we’re talking about, but if things break right there’s a chance Carter puts up the best Jets RB season since Thomas Jones.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 150 Rush Attempts, 667 Rushing Yards, 39Receptions, 5 Total Touchdowns
31. Javonte Williams – I’ve been like a broken Phil Collins record this offseason regarding my belief in Melvin Gordon for one more night season. Let me just paste my man Bobby Lamarco’s Melvin Gordon 2021 Fantasy Sleeper piece here once more. Again, this isn’t a knock on Williams, I believe in the talent and expect he has a decent role in the second half. But 2022 is the year I think we’ll all want to roster Javonte.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 182 Rush Attempts, 795 Rushing Yards, 38 Receptions, 7 Total Touchdowns
32. Travis Etienne – Just like with Williams, this ranking is less about the rookie and more about the incumbent, James Robinson. I get the love for Etienne, he’s a mystery box and there could be anything inside, even James Robinson. In all seriousness, Etienne is very talented but let’s not forget Robinson produced first-round fantasy numbers out of nowhere in his own rookie season. Once a player has shown that type of ability, it shouldn’t be written off so easily. In short, I’m out on Etienne in 2021.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 130 Rush Attempts, 589 Rushing Yards, 48 Receptions, 6 Total Touchdowns
33. Trey Sermon – Everything I wrote about Mostert above applies to Sermon as well. Except for the part about him having already flashed RB1 potential in the Shanahan offense. So I guess it’s more like half of what I wrote above that applies. The point is, I think some fantasy footballers are getting out over their skis with Sermon. It’s not like the 9ers spent a 1st rounder on this kid like the Jags did with Etienne. And there’s a bunch more competition out in San Fran. Maybe I should have him ranked a bit further below Etienne, now that I’m typing it all out. Regardless, I don’t see myself drafting either of these two rookies considering their premium ADPs (Etienne is currently going in the 5th round and Sermon in the 8th round).
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 133 Rush Attempts, 581 Rushing Yards, 33 Receptions, 6 Total Touchdowns
Tier 8
34. James Conner – How will the Cardinals’ backfield shape up this preseason? Many hypothesized that Chase Edmonds would finally take over the lion’s share of the work. I’m thinking those hypothesizers didn’t see Edmonds repeatedly disappoint over the past two seasons when David Johnson and Kenyan Drake were hurt. This is why Arizona brought in Conner over the offseason, and while I do expect an evenly split backfield, I also won’t be surprised if Conner scores a slew of touchdowns this season.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 180 Rush Attempts, 817 Rushing Yards, 26 Receptions, 7 Total Touchdowns
35. Chase Edmonds – See two inches above. I’m not a believer in Edmonds as anything more than a committee back. And this committee back is currently being drafted in the 6th round. Hard pass.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 100 Rush Attempts, 457 Rushing Yards, 63 Receptions, 5 Total Touchdowns
36. Ronald Jones – We discussed the Tampa backfield on the most recent Razzball Fantasy Football Podcast with guest Darik Buchar. Our guest made a compelling argument that the only Bucs RB that you really want to own is Gio Bernard. The theory being that Brady handpicked Bernard to come in and play the James White role in this offense. I’m buying into this narrative, it makes a ton of sense. I can’t recommend spending a 7th or 8th round draft pick on anyone in this backfield which could start to mirror some of the Patriots’ nightmare backfields of the past decade.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 158 Rush Attempts, 770 Rushing Yards, 26 Receptions, 6 Total Touchdowns
37. Leonard Fournette – See two inches above. The only thing I’ll add to my anti-Ronald Jones diatribe is that if any running back were going to put up a LeGarrette Blount-type 18 touchdown season as we saw in 2016 in New England, it’d have to be Fournette. We could also see pigs fly.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 119 Rush Attempts, 521 Rushing Yards, 36 Receptions, 7 Total Touchdowns
38. Zack Moss – 37 running backs ranked and still no Buffalo Bill? I guess I’m obligated to throw one in here at some point. As someone who owned both Devin Singletary AND Zack Moss on the same team last year, I feel qualified to advise everyone to run far away from this Bills backfield. Unless one of Singletary or Moss gets hurt, I don’t see many scenarios where we’ll feel good about starting either of the two. Josh Allen is the ultimate touchdown vulture.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 139 Rush Attempts, 642 Rushing Yards, 21 Receptions, 6 Total Touchdowns
Tier 9
39. A.J. Dillon – We’re back into a tier of running backs that I can see myself drafting. I mean, have you seen Dillon’s thighs? I’m pretty sure standard fantasy scoring gives a couple points per week for each of those beauties. Your league doesn’t give thigh points? Alright, well I still think Dillon is going to put up some fantasy goodness in his second year, so long as Rodgers doesn’t have some unknown vendetta against him. Jamaal Williams is gone and Aaron Jones now has a new four-year deal, so no reason to run him into the ground. And if Jones were to get hurt, then we’re looking at a potential RB1 in Dillon. Gimme, gimme.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 173 Rush Attempts, 806 Rushing Yards, 17 Receptions, 6 Total Touchdowns
40. Kenyan Drake – I don’t think Gruden brought The Drake in this offseason solely as Josh Jacobs insurance. I expect he’ll have some spider 99 tomahawk whisky dog-bone formations drawn up to utilize the versatility Drake provides. There should be a healthy load of receptions in his future and I wouldn’t be shocked if he takes as much as 35% of the rushing work. And just like with Dillon, if Jacobs were to go down, we’re looking at another potential RB1 here.
Rudy’s 2021 Projection: 154 Rush Attempts, 678 Rushing Yards, 25 Receptions, 5 Total Touchdowns
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