2021 Dynasty 1QB Startup Mock Draft (PPR)

With dynasty startup drafts in full swing, it felt like a good opportunity to conduct one with some of dynasty football’s toughest competition across the spectrum. However, with free agency and the NFL Draft approaching quickly, rather than focus simply on where players were drafted, it would be better to dissect any patterns and trends from the exercise. No rookies were included here and the settings assumed a 1QB starting requirement with PPR scoring. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a full list of startup results.

The participants (in Round 1 order):

• Justin Edwards (@Justin_Redwards) - 4for4
• Andrew Fleischer (@afleischer) - 4for4
• Chris Allen (@ChrisAllenFFWX)- 4for4
• Pete Davidson (@Rotobahn) - 4for4
• Matt Price (@MattPriceFF) - Dynasty League Football
• George Kritikos (@RotoHack) - 4for4
• Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) - BallBlast Football and The Fantasy Footballers
• Brandon Niles (@2GuysBrandon) - 4for4
• Nathan Powell (@NPowellFF) - Dynasty League Football and The Dynasty Tradecast
• John Bosch (@JohnBoschFF) - Dynasty Wall Street and Dynasty Game Night Podcasts
• Izzy Elkaffas (@DTC_IzzyE) - Dynasty Trade Calculator
• Dan Sainio (@FFDynastyDan) - Rotoviz and The Dynasty Tradecast

MORE 2021 DYNASTY CONTENT: Player Profiles & Strategy | Rookie Rankings | Top 200 Overall Rankings: Superflex + Non-Superflex | NFL Mock Draft | NFL Draft Big Board | Rookie Mock Draft

MORE 2021 DYNASTY MOCK DRAFTS: Rookie Superflex (PPR) | Rookie 1QB (PPR)

The First Five Rounds

There were some interesting beginnings to the various startup strategies. One manager, Pete Davidson, went heavy on running back with four to start his draft, then pivoting to a wide receiver in Courtland Sutton. That approach isn’t uncommon as 18 running backs went in the first three rounds but just four went in the subsequent three rounds, showing a clear tier break for many and a hoarding mentality for those who value the position highly.

The flipside was Dan Sainio’s approach with four straight wide receivers and then Mark Andrews in Round 5. He paired two 2020 rookies in CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk with some prime contributors in Stefon Diggs and Allen Robinson. Only one manager, Brandon Niles, did not select a wide receiver early on, but he was the only manager to grab a quarterback and tight end inside the top 60 picks.

There isn’t a right way to start a dynasty draft but six participants grabbed a pair of running backs inside the top three rounds, and only two failed to pick a wide receiver in that range. Expect an early rush at running back and a near-even split between running back and wide receiver through the first two rounds. Outside of the top three or four, quarterback and tight end will largely be an afterthought in this range.

Favorite Pick: Tyler Lockett at 5.01

Riser to Watch: Laviska Shenault at 5.03

Faller to Lookout For: D.J. Moore at 2.10

Rounds 6-10

The pool gets more diversified here in terms of positions selected—11 of the 12 managers selected a quarterback by the end of Round 9, and all but one manager has rostered a tight end by the end of Round 10. I abstained at tight end, seeing more attractive options at other positions and watching several targets leave the board before I had a chance. The same was likely true for Pete Davidson at quarterback, as he went with Matthew Stafford in Round 12.

Wide receivers saw a tremendous amount of love here, making up 29 of the 60 selections in this range while there were only 14 running backs (21 went in the first 60 picks) chosen in this range. For those looking to forgo running back completely early, the pickings are clearly slim while the pivot away from wide receiver could work nicely for those loading up at other positions early on.

Favorite Pick: Darnell Mooney at 9.11

Riser to Watch: Parris Campbell at 10.10

Faller to Lookout For: Tyler Johnson at 9.08

Rounds 11-15

Tight end was extremely popular in this range with 12 chosen here—only 14 were selected in the first 10 rounds total. One manager, John Bosch, decided to select five straight tight ends in an unusual move, but he clearly saw a thinning out at the position at this stage in the draft. Speculative running backs also were popular here with 22 selected in this 60 pick range with 10 of the 12 managers picking at least two of them. This looks like a great range for that RB4/RB5 (and beyond) depth-building at a volatile position. It’s also a place I’d be pulling the trigger for a late-round quarterback strategy, or if I am pairing a younger option (Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow), with a solid veteran like Matthew Stafford or Ryan Tannehill.

Favorite Pick: Gerald Everett at 14.05

Riser to Watch: Gus Edwards at 15.05

Faller to Lookout For: Adam Trautman at 14.11

Rounds 16-20

While many startups will go anywhere from 24 to 35+ rounds, we capped this exercise at 20 rounds. A lot of the picks here were longshot players or roster-fillers. There were nine quarterbacks and 10 tight ends who went in these last 60 picks, showing how many will wait on depth at these positions compared to running back or wide receiver. This is also where shots on veterans who could provide some startable weeks are especially valuable. That’s why we had Golden Tate, Mike Davis, Latavius Murray and Rob Gronkowski all go in this range.

Favorite Pick: Salvon Ahmed at 20.06

Riser to Watch: Collin Johnson at 16.02

Faller to Lookout For: Jimmy Graham at 18.11