Overall rankings for 2021 PPR fantasy football leagues

Week 1 of the NFL preseason is officially a wrap, and we’ve had our first glances at some of the 2021 NFL draft class while some vets had the opportunity to knock off some rust. With these initial glances, we’re all, of course, taking mental notes to prepare for our fantasy football drafts.

Our rankings will be updated often as approach September 9th, when we’ll kick off the 2021 NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers facing off on Thursday Night Football. Be sure to check back as you work your way through fantasy football drafts.

2021 PPR Fantasy Football rankings: Overall

As you approach your 2021 fantasy football drafts, you’re likely developing some kind of game plan to dominate the draft early and find the very best values for a successful start. Part of that game plan should be to assess your league’s scoring settings to ensure you’re taking advantage of every opportunity to put some points on the board.

For those in non-PPR scoring leagues, it’s a pretty straightforward strategy — gain yardage and score touchdowns. However, for those that play in point-per-reception scoring formats, there can be a big edge gained by playing those who, even if they lack efficiency, have an opportunity for a high target volume.

Let’s take a look at 2020 fantasy football finishes, and how big a difference PPR scoring may have affected player productivity for fantasy football. At the running back position, Colts RB Nyheim Hines finished as the RB15 in PPR scoring formats while finishing as the RB24 in non-PPR formats. Washington (backup) RB, JD McKissic, finished as the RB17 while finishing as the RB34 in non-PPR scoring formats. Each of these backs had at least 14% of their team’s targets, so every ball caught allowed them to make up for points they didn’t score due to a lack of volume on the ground.

The same concept applies for wide receivers and tight ends. Those with a high target share are more easily able to make up for a lack of efficiency in fantasy football. Cooper Kupp, for example, finished as 2020’s WR26 in PPR scoring formats, while ranking as the WR34 in standard scoring. His 124 targets on the season helped to make up for the fact that he saw a career-low 10.5 yards per touch and 3 touchdowns.

With those notes in mind, here’s a look at my overall PPR fantasy football rankings for the 2021 NFL season. Keep these differences in scoring formats in mind as you draft, and be sure to consider the potential for a high target share while making your selections in PPR leagues.