With the NFL preseason wrapping up this weekend and the regular season on the horizon, it’s a good time to discuss some former Alabama Crimson Tide to draft in fantasy football.
As we know, there has been a ton of good offensive players drafted out of Alabama over the last 5-10 years that have or will make an impact in the NFL. Tennessee Titans superstar RB Derrick Henry is the first player to come to mind as he’s been the best running back in the league and in fantasy football, but there’s plenty of skill position talent to have on your radar.
Here, we’ll take a look at the average draft position (ADP) of the most notable players out of the Alabama Crimson Tide offenses of recent years for 2021 fantasy football leagues. Who is our favorite breakout, sleeper and bust for 2021 fantasy football?
ADP is provided courtesy of FantasyPros, which provides an aggregate average draft position for each player based on data from MyFantasyLeague.com, Fantasy Football Calculator, NFL Fantasy, Fantrax, Sleeper and RealTime Fantasy Sports.
Best player to draft: RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
The superstar running back will once again be drafted within the top-5 of many fantasy football drafts. Henry has been the best running back in the NFL for the last two years, rushing for a career-high 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns in Tennessee. The star running back had 12 games in 2020, where he scored double-digit fantasy points. He will be the easiest pick you’ll make in fantasy football and provide you with most points on a weekly basis.
Best sleeper: WR Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders
I wanted to list Calvin Ridley as a sleeper, but we saw what he could do as the Falcons’ top receiving option last season. Therefore, we are going to go with another speedy Alabama WR in Henry Ruggs III. Ruggs did not have the best rookie season, recording 26 receptions (43 targets) for 452 yards, and 2 touchdowns. But he enters this season as the Raiders’ best wide receiver with both Tyrell Williams and Nelson Agholor not returning to Las Vegas.
Ruggs has the game-breaking speed that can change a game and can give opposing defensive backs issues. The former first-round pick’s ADP is currently at 123 and would not be a bad option to grab in the mid-to-later rounds.
Best rookie: RB Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was the first Alabama player off the board this year, but Harris is the one more likely to make an impact. Harris will slot right in as the Steelers starting running back following the departure of James Conner. While Waddle will see significant work in Miami, he’s playing with a second-year quarterback and wide receivers can be hit-or-miss as rookies. Waddle has considerable upside, but Harris has the significantly higher floor while still maintaining a solid ceiling in his rookie season. He’ll see the ball a ton for a strong Steelers offense with a veteran quarterback. Harris has RB1 potential right out of the gate.
Biggest player to fade: RB Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Last season, Josh Jacobs rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the second-straight year. The former Crimson Tide running back had 1,065 rushing yards on 273 carries and a career-high 12 touchdowns. The 23-year-old running back was also a factor in the passing game with 33 receptions for 238 yards.
Heading into this season, Jacobs’ ADP is No. 36 overall, but that might be too high with the Raiders bringing in Kenyan Drake. Drake was the Cardinals’ feature back last season and can easily run for at least 1,000 yards. If Las Vegas wants to go with running back by committee, then we could see Jacobs’ fantasy production go down just a little bit.
Current average draft position (ADP)
Quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts, PHI: No. 97 overall, QB12
Mac Jones, NE: No. 245 overall, QB33
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA: No. 157, QB20
Running Backs
Damien Harris, NE: No. 77 overall, RB29
Derrick Henry, TEN: No. 4 overall, RB4
Kenyan Drake, LV: No. 103 overall, RB38
Josh Jacobs, LV: No. 36 overall, RB19
Mark Ingram, HOU: No. 228 overall, RB64
Najee Harris, PIT: No. 15 overall, RB11
Wide receivers
Calvin Ridley, ATL: No. 20 overall, WR6
DeVonta Smith, PHI: No. 75 overall, WR32
Henry Ruggs III, LV: No. 123 overall, WR52
Jaylen Waddle, MIA: No. 104 overall, WR43
Jerry Jeudy, DEN: No. 74, WR31
Julio Jones, TEN: No. 43 overall, WR17
Tight ends
Irv Smith Jr., MIN: No. 116 overall, TE12
OJ Howard, TB: No. 250 overall, TE29