2021 Redraft PPR Fantasy Football Mock Draft | Round 2
How will teams complement their first-round selections?
11) Saquon Barkley (RB7 – New York Giants) | First-round pick: Diggs
Saquon Barkley in Round 2? Believe it or not, it’s happening more and more often. Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe in Barkley and that he is as good as it gets when on the field. But the key phrase there was “when on the field.” We don’t even know when he will be on the field again. Recent reports have been positive, but the window is Week 1 or even Week 3. That’s not an insignificant statement, and if it is three weeks, that could be up to 60 fantasy points out the window.
Barkley is by no means a safe pick in PPR leagues, but he could be a massive value if he makes it back by Week 1 and stays healthy. In games played, Barkley averaged 20.8 ppg while posting RB2 or better numbers in 81% of games, including 21 of 31 games with 17 or more PPR points.
12) Calvin Ridley (WR4 – Atlanta Falcons) | First-round pick: Jones
Calvin Ridley has WR1 potential in 2021. No, I don’t just mean top 10; I mean the WR1 overall. In the seven games without Julio Jones in the lineup last year, Ridley was on pace for 329 PPR points and 1,749 yards. He averaged 7.14 receptions on 11.29 targets for 109.9 yards and 16.9 PPR points. I have Ridley projected for nearly 150 targets and 1,475 yards in 2021. Yeah, he’s about to blow up.
13) Austin Ekeler (RB8 – Los Angeles Chargers) | First-round pick: Kelce
Starting Kelce and Austin Ekeler is a dream scenario for someone in the back half of PPR drafts. I have said it all offseason, and I’ll say it again. Ekeler is the best second-round pick you can make in PPR fantasy leagues. In 2019, Ekeler was the RB4 while averaging 19.3 opportunities per game and posted a career-high 1,550 total yards and 11 touchdowns.
While 2020 did not go the way he wanted (torn hamstring) in the stretches he played, Ekeler was sensational, averaging 20.1 opportunities, 108 total yards, and 0.3 TDs per game along with 16.5 ppg. The Chargers are arguably the most improved team heading into 2021. The addition of Joe Lombardi as the new OC could have Ekeler in a Kamara-type role. My projections have Ekeler coming out as the RB6 in PPR scoring and within a touchdown of Elliott at RB5. Needless to say, I loved this pick.
14) Jonathan Taylor (RB9 – Indianapolis Colts) | First-round pick: Taylor
As one of the staunchest Jonathan Taylor believers, this one hurts but also speaks to why it is critical to stay on top of the news. The recent injury to QB Carson Wentz has the Colts’ offense in a very precarious place. He has already undergone surgery, and the clock is ticking on his 5-12 week recovery. But that’s not all. Quenton Nelson underwent the exact same surgery, and he is the best guard in the NFL.
Take away Wentz, and the Colts are looking at Jacob Eason or potentially rookie Sam Ehlinger as its starting QB. Eason has not played a meaningful snap since December 2019 against Boise State. Ehlinger, meanwhile, never exactly brought Texans back regardless of what he said after the Sugar Bowl.
There is no question at all — Taylor is special. In Weeks 13-17, he was the RB1 in fantasy with 125.3 points, racking up 651 rushing yards and 8 total touchdowns.
The Colts open their season with a brutal schedule that is only magnified with a backup QB and a gaping hole in the interior OL. For as much as I love Taylor and his skill set, there are safer picks. Still, his reduced ADP makes him much more palpable, especially in the second round.
15) DeAndre Hopkins (WR5 – Arizona Cardinals) | First-round pick: Elliott
Volume is critical in fantasy, and PPR formats only further drive home this point. Did you know that Hopkins has seen 150+ targets in six straight seasons and has finished as a top-five receiver in five of them? Since 2017, Hopkins has averaged an absurd 165 targets and 1,332 yards. Averaging 18 points per game and 1.82 points per target in 2020, Hopkins could have an even better season in Year 2 with Arizona’s offense.
16) Justin Jefferson (WR6 – Minnesota Vikings) | First-round pick: Adams
As I briefly touched on, you can use tons of strategies in PPR mock drafts to see what works for you. In this draft, we have someone going with the Zero-RB approach — and spoiler alert — it is hard to find a single fault with the results. Not only do they land Adams at the 1.05, but pairing him with Justin Jefferson at 2.06 is an unfathomable upside.
The former LSU standout finished 2020 with 1,400 receiving yards — a total that set rookie records in both the Super Bowl era and Vikings’ franchise history. Jefferson led all rookies last season with 88 receptions and tied for the second-most touchdowns with 7.
He did what no other WR in the game’s history had done by turning 125 or fewer targets into 1,400 yards. Averaging 87.5 yards per game, Jefferson crossed the century mark seven times. Averaging 17.1 ppg, he ended the year as the WR6 in fantasy. Furthermore, he recorded top-24 (WR2) or better performances in eight of his games.
17) A.J. Brown (WR7 – Tennessee Titans) | First-round pick: Henry
I am sure someone is looking up the correlation and calling drafting an RB and WR off the same team in a PPR fantasy football mock draft an -EV move. But if they’re both arguably top-five in their position, does it really matter? Don’t fade good players. A.J. Brown fits that mold.
On just 106 targets in 2020, Brown was the WR12 with 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns. Amongst receivers who saw at least 50 targets, Brown had the fourth-highest points per target at 2.3 and was seventh in points per reception at 3.48. Since the NFL merger (1970), Brown is fifth all-time in receiving TDs by a receiver in their first two seasons (19).
Sure, he won’t see 160 targets like he could have before Julio Jones came to town. But defenses now have to guard both players somehow. Everyone knew the ball was going to Brown and couldn’t stop him. How will they manage to do that when he is sharing the field with one of the best of his generation?
18) Nick Chubb (RB10 – Cleveland Browns) | First-round pick: Kamara
After a run of WRs, Nick Chubb slides to the back half of Round 2. He’s a phenomenal value to pair with Kamara. Amongst running backs who have played 15+ games since 2018, Chubb is third in yards (3,557), sixth in touchdowns (28), and fourth in yards per game (80.8). He averaged 17.3 ppg and 1.01 points per opportunity, even with Kareem Hunt on the roster in 2020.
Throw in the fact he plays behind arguably the best offensive line in football, and Chubb might push 1,600 total yards in 2021. The only knock against him is the lack of targets, which penalizes him in PPR formats and fantasy mock drafts.
19) DK Metcalf (WR8 – Seattle Seahawks) | First-round pick: Cook
In his second year, DK Metcalf ended as the WR7 with 271.3 fantasy points (17 ppg) and was a WR2 or better in 50% of his games. In just two years, Metcalf has 2,203 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. For perspective, Metcalf is one of just nine WRs since 2000 to record 2,200+ yards in his first two seasons. In seven of his first eight games, he had at least 6 targets and 90 yards, with four games in that stretch of over 100 yards.
Metcalf is not a foolproof pick. When he has his “boom” games, he wins you weeks. But there have been several “bust” games sprinkled along the way. I expect to see Metcalf continue developing and cross the 1,300-yard threshold with 10 TDs in 2021.
20) Keenan Allen (WR9 – Los Angeles Chargers) | First-round pick: McCaffrey
Finishing Round 2 of this PPR fantasy mock draft is arguably the most underrated WR of all, Keenan Allen. McCaffrey has you in a great spot already; pairing him with Allen is about as good as you could ask for after waiting 18 picks. This is not settling. This is winning.
The veteran wideout has at least 97 catches in each of the last four seasons. In 2020, Allen had 992 receiving yards and tied a career-high with 8 touchdowns in 14 games. In his 13 games with Justin Herbert under center, Allen averaged 10.6 targets, 7.4 receptions, 73.4 yards, 0.6 TDs, and 18.6 fantasy ppg. Even with a new OC in town, Allen remains a 100-catch, 10-touchdown upside WR.