While June might be a slow time in the NFL, fantasy football drafts are firing off at a record pace. With dynasty leagues taking over the landscape, superflex drafts lead the way in popularity, ushering in a new “standard” of fantasy football. With preparation being the key to future success, here is a 2021 Dynasty Superflex Mock Draft to help you further gauge the values inside the ever crucial first few rounds.
How is a superflex draft different from a regular fantasy football league?
Before we put the 1.01 on the clock, let’s run over a few ground rules so we are all on the same page. The four rounds below are based on a 10-team dynasty fantasy football league with PPR and superflex settings.
For those unfamiliar with the term “superflex,” that means you have not only that traditional quarterback but an additional flex position where an RB, WR, TE, or a QB can be played. 99% of the time in your fantasy football leagues, you want this to be a QB given their higher floor and production totals.
Roster formats are traditionally a QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, two flex (RB/WR/TE), and one superflex spot. But as with all things fantasy football, this can be customized to fit everyone’s liking and preference.
A few tips before getting started
I traditionally like to go heavier on the quarterbacks and running backs in the draft’s early rounds. There are only 32 NFL franchises, and not everyone has a QB you want starting on your fantasy football team. Best practices call for at least three starting-caliber QBs on your superflex roster when you leave the draft. Positional scarcity drives up the price, and they are never cheaper than in the draft.
Run through several superflex mock drafts in the 2021 fantasy football offseason to hone a strategy you feel comfortable with before the real thing comes along.
2021 Dynasty Superflex Mock Draft | First Round
Gee, I wonder who will be the 1.01 in a QB-centric fantasy setting.
1) Patrick Mahomes (QB1 – Kansas City Chiefs)
This should not surprise anyone. Anyone not named Patrick Mahomes as the 1.01 in a dynasty superflex draft would be a surprise.
Over the last three years, Mahomes’ average weekly finish is QB7.5. Over 45 games, Mahomes has placed as the QB12 or better 33 times, QB4 or better 14 times, and QB1 seven times. Mahomes has more weeks as the QB4 or better than he does weeks as QB13 or worse (12), and that is even including games where he was injured and Week 17 games. Mahomes is the best player in the NFL, but he is also the best QB for fantasy football.
2) Josh Allen (QB2 – Buffalo Bills)
The first “decision” of a superflex dynasty draft in 2021 starts with the choice between Josh Allen or Kyler Murray. In reality, you can not go wrong with either option.
In 2020, Allen generated over 4,500 passing yards, 46 total touchdowns, and was the QB1 in fantasy with eight games over 30 ppg (4 pt TD). 62% of Allen’s performances landed him inside the top 12 while also finishing as a QB3 or better in seven of his 16 games — the highest of any QB in 2020.
3) Kyler Murray (QB3 – Arizona Cardinals)
This pick in the 2021 Dynasty Superflex Mock Draft is as simple as it gets. Take whichever QB between Murray and Allen is on the board.
Murray finished as the QB3 in fantasy and hardly anyone mentioned it. He ended the 2020 campaign just shy of 4,000 yards passing, with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In addition, he also rushed for 819 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Froms Week 1-11, Murray recorded seven QB5-or-higher performances while never scoring below 23 points in all 11 games as the QB1 (29.2 ppg). Since 2019, Murray scored 25 or more fantasy points in 46% of his starts and 21+ in 66% of his games.
4) Christian McCaffrey (RB1 – Carolina Panthers)
The first running back off the board in this 2021 Dynasty Superflex Mock Draft is the player that has dominated fantasy football since coming into the league.
McCaffrey played in only three games last year but still finished as the RB54, averaging 30.1 PPR points per game. He killed everyone last year with the 1.01, and while those wounds still hurt (trust me), I am going back to the well on this pick.
5) Dak Prescott (QB4 – Dallas Cowboys)
For as good as Dak Prescott has been, it still feels like he does not get the respect he deserves. Prescott was the QB6, QB11, QB11, and QB2 in fantasy with 34 weeks as a QB1 and 64% of his games over 21 fantasy points since 2018.
From Weeks 1-4, Prescott was on a different level of production (31.3 ppg), and I don’t see any reason he can’t pick back up where he left off. The Cowboys offense is loaded, and he has shown a consistent ability to put up fantasy production. Knowing the premium place of QBs in the superflex format, taking a QB allows for flexibility in later picks in this 2021 Dynasty Superflex Mock Draft.
6) Lamar Jackson (QB5 – Baltimore Ravens)
Without question, Lamar Jackson possesses week-winning upside. No one is more dangerous on the ground than the former 2019 NFL MVP. Over the past two seasons, Jackson has 2,211 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. That’s 848 more than Kyler Murray, who is next with 1,363. Even against RBs, Jackson is elite. His 73.7 yards per game is 10th most over the last two seasons.
Jackson is a better passer than given credit. Though his touchdowns did regress from 2019 (36), he still completed 64.4% of his 376 attempts for 2,757 yards and 26 touchdowns while averaging 22.8 ppg. The Ravens may never be a pass-first offense, but Jackson does not need to throw 30 times a game to return value on this superflex dynasty pick.
7) Saquon Barkley (RB2 – New York Giants)
There is a case to be made here for Dalvin Cook, given Barkley’s ACL tear. Still, all signs point to Barkley being on track for opening weekend.
He just needs to stay healthy. Barkley dominated his rookie season for over 2,000 total yards and 15 touchdowns. He missed three games in 2019 but still cranked out an RB10 performance. In 71% of his games, Barkley has scored 16+ PPR points, which is the kind of floor you can not find elsewhere.
8) Dalvin Cook (RB3 – Minnesota Vikings)
When he is on the field, Dalvin Cook is arguably the best running back in the NFL. Last year, he played in 14 games and ended the season with over 1,900 total yards and tied for second in rushing touchdowns (16). Outside of Week 12 (RB27), Cook never finished lower than RB17 with nine games as an RB1, including six top-four performances.
Over the last two seasons, Cook has played in 28 of 32 possible games and averaged 1,346 rushing yards and 440 receiving yards per season while scoring 30 touchdowns overall. He was the RB6 in 2019 with 20.9 ppg and 0.93 points per opportunity. In 2020, Cook was the RB2 in PPR (24.1 ppg and 0.92 pts/opp). Over the past two years, no RB has scored more fantasy points than the Minnesota back (630.2).
9) Justin Herbert (QB6 – Los Angeles Chargers)
You rarely see a rookie QB have a season similar to what Justin Herbert had in 2020. He is just one of five first-round QBs to finish as a QB1 as a rookie since 2010. The Oregon product finished sixth in passing yards (4,336), 10th in touchdown passes (31), 12th in passer rating (98.3), with only 10 interceptions in his rookie season.
Herbert might be in an even better situation in 2021. The OL saw massive upgrades, and Joe Lombardi was hired as the new offensive coordinator. Herbert is one of the superstars in the NFL and is more than worthy of a top-10 pick in this Dynasty Superflex Mock Draft.
10) Tyreek Hill (WR1 – Kansas City Chiefs)
Tyreek Hill finished as the WR2 in total (328.9) and average fantasy points (21.9) in 2020. He scored 15 touchdowns, saw 135 targets, and rattled off 1,276 yards. The Chiefs offense will not slow down anytime soon, and Hill will continue to burn secondaries as Mahomes’ favorite target.
I don’t think there is another receiver in fantasy who has the ceiling of Hill but also presents a stable and consistent floor that can be relied on week in and week out.