Fantasy Football 2021: Ranking top five rookie RBs for dynasty and redraft leagues
Fantasy expert Jacob Gibbs provides an in-depth analytical breakdown for the exciting 2021 rookie class of RBs.
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The running backs from the 2021 NFL Draft didn't garner the hype that some of the loaded classes of previous seasons have, but favorable landing spots could lead to a surprising number of Fantasy viable rookie producers at the RB position. Three running backs were selected inside the top 35, and five went inside the top 100. Those five stand heads and shoulders above the rest of the class in terms of expected Fantasy production in 2021.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made Alabama star Najee Harris the first running back selected with the 24th overall pick. Harris is expected to immediately walk into a Fantasy-relevant role and could end up handling one of the heaviest RB workloads in the league if he is up for the challenge as a rookie. The Jaguars followed Harris' selection up by using the very next pick on Travis Etienne out of Clemson.
SportsLine's Fantasy analyst Jacob Gibbs believes that data from Etienne's time at Clemson points towards him being one of the most advanced pass-catching RB prospects to come out of the draft in a very long time. "In 2020, Etienne averaged 13.46 yards after the catch per reception -- that is such a silly number that it is hard to even believe," says Gibbs. "The next-closest mark among players with at least 40 catches over the past five seasons belongs to Saquon Barkley, who averaged 11.54 YAC per reception."
With the third pick in the second round, the Denver Broncos added tackle breaker aficionado Javonte Williams out of North Carolina. Williams split his backfield in college, but that criticism hardly seems fair due to the fact that Williams' competition was another supremely talented back in Michael Carter. Both Williams and Carter put in historically efficient numbers in 2020 and have been two of the most electric yard-after-contact creators at the college level over the past three seasons.
While Williams has an established veteran presence to compete for touches with at the NFL level, Carter was drafted to a New York Jets offense that has no clear-cut starter at the RB position. Carter's fourth-round draft equity is clearly outweighed by William's second-round capital, but both showed signs of greatness at North Carolina, and both have the potential to be Fantasy-relevant players if given the opportunity as rookies.
Drafted just nine spots ahead of Carter was Trey Sermon out of Ohio State. Most expected Sermon to be the fifth or sixth back selected, but Kyle Shanahan was willing to reach to add Sermon's keen sense of vision and spatial awareness to a San Francisco zone blocking scheme that seems perfect for accentuating his strengths. Gibbs illustrates how the advanced analytics back that notion up, but the question remains -- does Sermon have what it takes to ever occupy a three-down role at the NFL level?
Gibbs addresses that question and provides an in-depth analytical breakdown for each of the top RBs in the 2021 class. He has one of these rookies ranked inside of his top 15 at the position for season-long leagues, and he ranked five inside his top 30 for Dynasty formats. Read on for his full rankings and analysis of the 2021 rookie RB class.
Which five rookie RBs should you be prioritizing in season-long and dynasty drafts? And which one is already a top-15 Fantasy RB? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Jacob Gibbs' top-five rookie RBs, plus get the entire 2021 Fantasy Football Draft Bible, all from an analytics-driven expert who crushed the 2020 season!
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