Fantasy Football Rankings 2021: Top 8 rookie quarterbacks for dynasty leagues
By Drew DeLuca
Breaking down the top 8 rookie quarterbacks for fantasy football entering the 2021 season for dynasty leagues and otherwise as managers look for new blood.
With no official in-person NFL Combine this offseason, it becomes trickier to evaluate rookie talent. More than ever, we’re reliant on second-hand reports from media, school and team sources, which can certainly allow some prospects to garner an overly optimistic sheen. And that can be especially true for fantasy football managers.
Film grinders and fans, rejoice! After a year in which conferences like the Big Ten played abbreviated schedules, and smaller schools played none at all, the data from the 2020 NCAA football season is riddled with asterisks, especially with few to no inter-conference games allowed.
Scouting reports become more important than ever while 2019 data and statistics don’t become nearly as irrelevant as they would otherwise (sorry, Chuba Hubbard haters). With that in mind, after limited film study and exhaustive research compiled from many industry experts, we’ve compiled our initial read on the 2021 NFL Draft class.
We start with the quarterback position, and begin with a list who didn’t make the cut, but have generated buzz at one point or another this offseason. Even though few of these prospects will likely pan out as studs in dynasty fantasy football, we offer our Top Ten for those in deep leagues that feature 2 QB or Superflex formats.
Dynasty Fantasy Football rookie quarterback rankings: Honorable Mentions
Shane Buechele departed the University of Texas for SMU, where he led the Mustangs to a 7-3 record under the tutelage of Sonny Dykes. Sam Ehlinger took over as the leader of the huddle for the Longhorns, likewise leading his team to a 7-3 mark and finishing in the top 25. Both appear in the bottom half of the top ten of many industry expert rankings, but few if any scouts view either as a likely future NFL starter.
In the same neck of the woods, Zach Smith left Baylor for Tulsa, then guided the Hurricane to the AAC Championship Game after an undefeated regular season in conference play before losing by a field goal to Cincinnati. Smith impressed many with his leadership and mechanics, but is a bit of a project in the eyes of some scouts who left less than impressed with his ability to read and break down defenses.
Another transfer to watch is the athletically gifted Feleipe Franks, who once committed to Florida as the nation’s fifth-ranked quarterback prospect. A definite project at this point, Franks left for Arkansas after an ankle injury prematurely ended his 2019 season.
Some scouts are enamored by the athleticism displayed by Notre Dame’s Ian Book, but harbor arm strength concerns. Others are high on Stanford’s Davis Mills, a former five-star recruit who was recently highlighted by Pro Football Focus as one of the eight biggest sleepers in the 2021 draft class on the strength of his insanely quick release on short and intermediate throws.
With an eye on next year, as Lousville’s Malik Cunningham, the speedy 6-4 son of former NFL star Randall Cunningham, and Brock Purdy, a consensus former top-five quarterback from this class, have opted to return for the 2021 college football season. Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan also qualifies.
And just missing the top eight players is K.J. Costello, most recently of Mississippi State after starting his career at Stanford. He has sound mechanics and a nice build with the ability to throw from multiple arm angles. If he develops as a player under pressure, he could become a starting NFL quarterback.