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By Steven Van Tassell
It’s time to continue creating the first (and still the only) Dynasty Owner Fantasy Football Tiers 2021 and move on to the next position – running backs. The RB tiers are not going to be the same as the QB tiers since RBs and QBs are not the same position, nor are they treated the same way in the NFL in terms of usage and contracts. Almost every team plays multiple RBs and have several viable (or potentially viable) fantasy RBs, whereas only one QB starts every week and is worth using in your Dynasty Owner lineup on a weekly basis.
The RB tiers were not as easy to put together as the QB tiers. With so many more RBs than QBs, there were more players to include so while I wanted to limit the number of tiers since we had more than 10 QB tiers, it didn’t happen.
Unlike QBs, we’re not going to have an “Avoid” tier. There are just too many RBs who could or should be drafted that there’s no time to go through the players who shouldn’t be taken right now. All of the QBs to avoid were veterans with very large contracts who are productive, but not productive enough to use and take up a significant portion of your Dynasty Owner salary cap. There aren’t any RBs who fit that definition since few very RBs make over $10 million per year and those players are really, really good. No RBs make as much as those veteran QBs who aren’t recommended to have on your Dynasty Owner roster.
All 2021 projections come from Rotowire and are based on the Standard Dynasty Owner scoring system as outlined in the updated Dynasty Owner Constitution. Standard Dynasty Owner scoring gives you .1 points for every yard rushing or receiving, .1 point for every 2 yards passing, 1 point per reception, 6 points for a rushing, receiving or passing touchdown and 2 points for a successful 2-point conversion (rushing, receiving, or passing). Interceptions or fumbles lost cost you 3 points, while a fumble that is recovered by the player’s team is a loss of only 1 point. Bonus points are available for 100-199 yards rushing (2 points), 200 yards rushing or receiving (6 points), 300-399 yards passing (1 point) and 400 yards passing (4 points). There is also a 3 point bonus for clutch scoring, which is a score that results in a lead change in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter or overtime. Kickoff and punt return touchdowns are worth 6 points for the player and kickoff and punt returns are worth 1 point for every 40 yards.
Average Draft Position (ADP) listed is from 2021 Dynasty Owner start-up drafts and was accurate as of the afternoon of July 13th.
A Baker’s Dozen of Tiers
As stated in the QB tiers article, Dynasty Owner tiers are not the same as tiers for other fantasy football leagues or on other fantasy football websites. There are multiple factors to consider in Dynasty Owner including current salary, future salaries, 2021 projected stats and long-term potential. Dynasty Owners also need to have two Starting RBs and two Bench RBs every week. There is also a FLEX position in your Dynasty Owner Starting lineup that can be filled by a RB. As a result, more RBs will be used by Dynasty Owners on a weekly basis than in most fantasy leagues. That’s why we have more tiers and more players listed than in other tiers articles (and even in the Dynasty Owner QB tiers from last week). In fact, we have a baker’s dozen of RB tiers:
- Tier 1 – High Value Young, but Not Rookie RBs
- Tier 2 – High Value Rookie RBs
- Tier 3 – High Value RBs with One Year Left Until They Get Paid
- Tier 4 – High Production, High Salary Veterans
- Tier 5a – Mid-Range Salary, Multi-Year Contract Veterans
- Tier 5b – Mid-Range Salary, One Year Contract Veterans
- Tier 6 – Young, Cheap Players who Might Start
- Tier 7a – Low Cost Backups who Could Move from Bench to Starting Lineup
- Tier 7b – Higher Salary Backups who Could Move from Bench to Starting Lineup
- Tier 8a – Rookies Worth Owning and Playing in 2021
- Tier 8b – Rookies Worth Owning to Play in the Future
- Tier 9a – Good in 2020 and Under One Million in Salary for Only One More Year
- Tier 9b – Not so Good in 2020, but Still Under One Million in Salary for Only One More Year
- Tier 10a – Previously Valuable RBs on One-Year Contracts who Will Help Your Team
- Tier 10b – Previously Valuable RBs on One-Year Contracts who Might Help Your Team
- Tier 11 – Under One Million in Salary for Only One More Year with Potential
- Tier 12a – Low Production, Low Salary RBs with Multi-Year Contracts
- Tier 12b – Lower Production, Higher Salary RBs with Multi-Year Contracts
- Tier 13 – Rookie Dart Throws
Tier 1 – High Value Young, but Not Rookie RBs
These are the elite RBs for Dynasty Owners to have on their team. They have established themselves as the lead RB on their NFL team and should shoulder the load at RB for the next several years. Not only that, but they are doing it on a rookie contract that has at least two years remaining, so your Dynasty Owner team should be able to rely on them for two or three seasons until they get a new contract. In order from lowest (aka Best) Dynasty Dollars per Point (DD/PT) to highest, they are:
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Myles Gaskin, MIA | $651,694 | 2 | 224.4 | $2,904 |
| David Montgomery, CHI | $1,003,845 | 2 | 266.0 | $3,774 |
| James Robinson, JAC | $763,333 | 2 | 196.8 | $3,879 |
| Antonio Gibson, WAS | $1,233,159 | 3 | 271.0 | $4,550 |
| J.K. Dobbins, BAL | $1,432,359 | 3 | 269.7 | $5,311 |
| Miles Sanders, PHI | $1,337,544 | 2 | 247.9 | $5,395 |
| Cam Akers, LA | $1,543,258 | 3 | 277.2 | $5,567 |
| Jonathan Taylor, IND | $1,957,287 | 3 | 314.9 | $6,216 |
| D’Andre Swift, DET | $2,134,728 | 3 | 276.8 | $7,712 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC | $2,705,393 | 3 | 277.8 | $9,739 |
As a result, eight out of ten of them are going in the first three rounds of Dynasty Owner start-up drafts in 2021 (ADPs of 36.0 or less). The two players (Myles Gaskin and James Robinson) with the lowest salaries and projected to have the fewest Dynasty Owner fantasy points are the exceptions and they are probably the least secure in their hold on the lead RB job for their NFL team. However, they have two of the lowest DD/PT projections for 2021 since both of them have salaries of under $1 million, so they are projected to be among the most valuable players in Dynasty Owner.
For the most part, the value for these players goes down as their salaries increase. Most of them are projected to score roughly the same number of Dynasty Owner fantasy points. Interestingly, the player with the worst DD/PT (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) was drafted earlier than the rest of the players in this tier in 2020 Dynasty Owner drafts.
Tier 2 – High Value Rookie RBs
All of these RBs are just a step below Tier 1 simply because they are rookies and have yet to prove themselves in the NFL. Last year, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was drafted as early or earlier than some non-rookie RBs. He didn’t live up to the hype, finishing as RB21 after being drafted in the first round on average (ADP 9.2). To avoid repeating the same mistake, these four rookies get their own Tier.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Trey Sermon, SF | $1,218,233 | 4 | 189.8 | $6,419 |
| Najee Harris, PIT | $3,261,862 | 4 | 279.9 | $11,654 |
| Javonte Williams, DEN | $2,216,438 | 4 | 182.1 | $12,172 |
| Travis Etienne, JAC | $3,224,526 | 4 | 226.5 | $14,236 |
Najae Harris could be this year’s Edwards-Helaire as he was the first RB taken in the NFL draft and is projected to be the RB9 with 279.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points, but is being drafted in the upper half of the first round with an ADP of 3.7.
On the other hand, we have Trey Sermon who wasn’t drafted by San Francisco 49ers until the third round of the NFL draft, but is going in the fourth round of Dynasty Owner start-up drafts and has a projected DD/PT of over $5,000 less than Harris. His 2021 projected DD/PT of $6,419 is comparable to that of the consensus top pick in 2021 Dynasty Owner start-up drafts (Jonathan Taylor at $6,216 DD/PT).
Tier 3 – High Value RBs with One Year Left Until They Get Paid
Both of these RBs would be in Tier 1 if it weren’t for the fact that they both have only one year left on their very affordable rookie contracts and should get paid in 2022. They have similar salaries, projected Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 2021 and projected value, but the “1” in the Years column pushes them down a couple of tiers.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Chase Edmonds, ARI | $728,090 | 1 | 197.0 | $3,696 |
| Nick Chubb, CLE | $1,845,774 | 1 | 288.9 | $6,389 |
Both Edmonds and Chubb will get paid just like the RBs in the next tier (Tier 4) if they play well, or end up settling for significantly less if they don’t, like the RBs in Tier 10a.
Tier 4 – High Production, High Salary Veterans
Here are the seven highest paid RBs in the NFL. All of them have at least three years left on their contracts that cost their Dynasty Owners at least $12 million per season. While all of them are going to cost you a lot in salary, they should provide plenty of Dynasty Owner fantasy points in return for that salary (barring injury). Joe Mixon is projected to be RB17 and with the Dynasty Owner fewest points at 267.3, but he is also tied for the lowest salary here with Aaron Jones at $12 million. At the opposite end, Christian McCaffrey is projected to be the RB1 in terms of scoring with 371.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. He is also the highest paid RB at $16.016 million for the next five years.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Dalvin Cook, MIN | $12,600,000 | 5 | 334.3 | $37,691 |
| Christian McCaffrey, CAR | $16,015,875 | 5 | 371.3 | $43,135 |
| Aaron Jones, GB | $12,000,000 | 4 | 276.8 | $43,353 |
| Derrick Henry, TEN | $12,500,000 | 3 | 280.1 | $44,627 |
| Joe Mixon, CIN | $12,000,000 | 4 | 267.3 | $44,893 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | $15,000,000 | 6 | 319.7 | $46,919 |
| Alvin Kamara, NO | $15,000,000 | 5 | 319.7 | $46,919 |
In terms of DD/PT, they are all within $10,000 of each other. Dalvin Cook has the best projected 2021 DD/PT at $37,691, while Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara have identical projections of 319.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points for $15 million in salary ($46,919 DD/PT for 2021). The only difference between those two guys is that Elliott has one extra year on his contract.
Though it’s not listed here, you’re going to need to draft these guys early in order to get one of them. Three of them (McCaffrey, Cook and Kamara have first round average ADPs of 3.0, 5.0 and 10.3 respectively). Henry and Elliott have second round ADPs (16.3 for Henry and 19.1 for Elliott), while Jones and Mixon are pretty tied at the hip with identical salaries, near identical projections and the highest ADPs in this tier at 34.5 and 39.9 respectively.
Tier 5a – Mid-Range Salary, Multi-Year Contract Veterans
All of these players have better value than the veterans in Tier 4, but are just one tier lower because they aren’t projected to score as many Dynasty Owner fantasy points. Everyone in this tier has a salary of at least $2.5 million, but that’s a lot less than the Tier 4 RBs. Also, none are signed for longer than three years, so they won’t be a drain on your salary cap for seasons to come if an injury occurs. All five of them are projected as Top 25 scoring RBs in 2021, and could do better than that and be even more valuable.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Josh Jacobs, LV | $2,983,350 | 2 | 247.6 | $12,049 |
| Mike Davis, ATL | $2,750,000 | 2 | 207.0 | $13,285 |
| Austin Ekeler, LAC | $6,125,000 | 3 | 279.3 | $21,930 |
| Chris Carson, SEA | $5,212,500 | 2 | 223.6 | $23,312 |
| Kareem Hunt, CLE | $6,000,000 | 2 | 215.1 | $27,894 |
Tier 5b – Mid-Range Salary, One Year Contract Veterans
Another “b” tier with a set of RBs who are on mid-range, one-year deals of between $5 million and $8 million. All of them could be on the move after the 2021 season to greener pastures.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Saquon Barkley, NYG | $7,798,688 | 1 | 284.1 | $27,451 |
| David Johnson, HOU | $5,000,000 | 1 | 173.7 | $28,785 |
| Melvin Gordon, DEN | $8,000,000 | 1 | 170.8 | $46,838 |
While Saquon Barkley is several years younger and projected to score over 100.0 more Dynasty Owner fantasy points than either Johnson or Gordon, he’s also coming off an injury that cost him almost all of the 2020 season. He didn’t really fit into another Tier though due to salary (too low for Tier 4 and too much high for Tier 3), contract length (not multi-year for Tier 5a), so he’s here.
Tier 6 – Young, Cheap Players who Might Start
Here are a bunch of players who might be the starter for their NFL team when the 2021 season starts. There are at least two players listed for two of these teams, all of whom coincidentally play in the AFC East.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Devin Singletary, BUF | $974,500 | 2 | 177.5 | $5,490 |
| Damien Harris, NE | $907,784 | 2 | 143.2 | $6,339 |
| Zack Moss, BUF | $1,153,079 | 3 | 169.4 | $6,807 |
| Ty Johnson, NYJ | $672,976 | 2 | 80.3 | $8,381 |
| La’Mical Perine, NYJ | $1,010,086 | 3 | 94.5 | $10,689 |
| Tevin Coleman, NYJ | $1,100,000 | 1 | 101.3 | $10,859 |
The Buffalo combination of Devin Singletary and Zack Moss are both projected to score roughly the same number of Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 2021 and have similar value. Moss is slightly less valuable as he has a higher salary than Singletary. As a testament to how close they are viewed, their ADPs are virtually identical (Moss – 97.0 vs. Singletary – 97.3).
Damien Harris is listed here, due to Bill Belichick’s propensity to be unpredictable with his RB usage, even though he should be the likely starter in New England. Harris also is similar to the Buffalo tandem of Singletary and Moss in terms of salary, 2021 projections, 2021 value and 2021 start-up draft ADP (92.7) and he also has multiple years left on his rookie contract. If Harris didn’t go in this tier, a separate tier might have needed to be created for him.
There are three young, non-rookies competing to be the starter for the New York Jets. They are competing with rookie Michael Carter who appears later on in Tier 8a. Each is different as they have varying number of years left on their contracts and anticipated Dynasty Owner fantasy points for 2021. Ty Johnson is projected as the best value due to his $672,976 salary, even though he is supposed to score the fewest number of points of the trio.
Tier 7a – Low Cost Backups who Could Move from Bench to Starting Lineup
This tier is comprised of players who are clearly backups on their current NFL team and worthy of a spot on your Dynasty Owner Bench on a weekly basis. They are great handcuffs and Bench players right now, as well as worthy of being elevated to your Starting lineup if the RB ahead of them suffers an injury and can’t play for a week (or longer).
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Tony Pollard, DAL | $796,945 | 2 | 133.7 | $5,961 |
| Darrell Henderson, LA | $1,053,001 | 2 | 126.0 | $8,357 |
| A.J. Dillon, GB | $1,321,458 | 3 | 156.4 | $8,449 |
| Alexander Mattison, MIN | $867,793 | 2 | 100.9 | $8,601 |
| Darrynton Evans, TEN | $1,140,447 | 3 | 84.2 | $13,545 |
Except for Darrell Henderson, all of these RBs are behind highly paid starting RBs in Tier 4. In terms of value, they are roughly as valuable as RBs in earlier tiers, but in order to maximize their value, they need an injury to the starting RB ahead of them. They are all roughly being taken in the first twelve rounds of Dynasty Owner start-up drafts, except for Darrynton Evans who has an ADP of 209.1 and the highest DD/PT of the RBs in this tier.
Tier 7b – Higher Salary Backups who Could Move from Bench to Starting Lineup
This tier, which is comprised of only two RBs, is similar to a few QB tiers that had only two players. The higher salaries that these two backups command puts both of them just a little bit lower than the players in Tier 7a. Both of them will be on their NFL team for multiple years as even though Gus Edwards is on a one year deal, he recently signed a two-year extension to stay in Baltimore through the 2023 season.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Gus Edwards, BAL | $3,384,000 | 1 | 121.1 | $27,944 |
| Latavius Murray, NO | $3,600,000 | 2 | 118.9 | $30,278 |
Check out the similarities between Edwards and Murray. Their current salary, 2021 projected points and 2021 DD/PT are virtually identical. Edwards is five years younger than Murray (26 vs. 31), but even with the age difference, they have very similar ADPs right now (154.1 for Edwards and 157.4 for Murray).
Tier 8a – Rookies Worth Owning and Playing in 2021
There were quite a few rookie RBs drafted in the 2021 NFL draft. Due to his unique situation with the 49ers, Trey Sermon jumped into Tier 2, even though he was drafted in the 3rd round. These 4th or 5th round picks are listed as Tier 8a. All three are expected to play a significant role in 2021, but are not looking like the main guy (at least this season).
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Michael Carter, NYJ | $1,071,842 | 4 | 153.2 | $6,996 |
| Kenneth Gainwell, PHI | $953,882 | 4 | 126.6 | $7,535 |
| Chuba Hubbard, CAR | $1,048,294 | 4 | 111.4 | $9,410 |
Tier 8b – Rookies Worth Owning to Play in the Future
These RBs were also drafted in the middle (4th) to end (7th) of the 2021 NFL draft. While all of them are expected to play some this season, none should be counted on to help your Dynasty Owner team until later on in their careers.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Jermar Jefferson, DET | $889,581 | 4 | 76.4 | $11,644 |
| Kylin Hill, GB | $889,766 | 4 | 68.9 | $12,914 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | $1,057,264 | 4 | 81.6 | $12,957 |
| Demetric Felton, CLE | $910,285 | 4 | 66.3 | $13,730 |
| Khalil Herbert, CHI | $902,677 | 4 | 57.0 | $15,836 |
Each one sits behind another young, but more established RB (or two) which limits their potential for 2021, but when those established RBs are eligible for a big contract or an injury comes, these RBs might be in for more work.
Tier 9a – Good in 2020 and Under One Million in Salary for Only One More Year
These players all share three traits. They played well in 2020 and they have one year remaining on a contract that pays them less than $1 million.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Nyheim Hines, IND | $796,137 | 1 | 150.8 | $5,279 |
| Salvon Ahmed, MIA | $695,000 | 1 | 101.2 | $6,868 |
| Boston Scott, PHI | $920,000 | 1 | 108.7 | $8,464 |
| Jerick McKinnon, KC | $990,000 | 1 | 102.8 | $9,630 |
| Wayne Gallman, SF | $990,000 | 1 | 82.1 | $12,058 |
Tier 9b – Not so Good in 2020, but Still Under One Million in Salary for Only One More Year
Same contract duration and salary as Tier 9a for these three guys and they are in the same range in terms of projected 2021 DD/PT, it’s just they weren’t as productive in 2020, so they rank a little bit lower.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Justin Jackson, LAC | $570,000 | 1 | 69.1 | $8,249 |
| Royce Freeman, DEN | $985,005 | 1 | 85.4 | $11,534 |
| Jordan Wilkins, IND | $675,310 | 1 | 54.9 | $12,301 |
Tier 10a – Previously Valuable RBs on One-Year Contracts who Will Help Your Team
We have two RBs here who have been valuable in the past, but signed low-salary, one-year contracts this off-season. These guys are betting on themselves and are likely to be more expensive next year if their bet pays off and they have a good season in 2021.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| James Conner, ARI | $1,750,000 | 1 | 176.1 | $9,938 |
| Leonard Fournette, TB | $3,250,000 | 1 | 182.1 | $17,847 |
Fournette is almost twice as expensive as Conner and although both are projected to have roughly the same number of Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 2021, Fournette is being drafted about two rounds ahead of Conner (88.7 ADP for Fournette vs. 111.5 ADP for Conner) since he is the likely starter in Tampa Bay, while Conner is expected to share time with Chase Edmonds in Arizona. Both are a shade better than the players in the next tier (10b) due to past production and age (both are still only 26 years of age).
Tier 10b – Previously Valuable RBs on One-Year Contracts who Might Help Your Team
We have a much larger list of RBs here who have been valuable in the past, and have a one-year contract, so they might help your Dynasty Owner team in 2021. No guarantees here at this tier as everyone has a reason why they are on a one-year deal at this point in their careers.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Ronald Jones, TB | $1,767,977 | 1 | 178.4 | $9,910 |
| Giovani Bernard, TB | $1,212,500 | 1 | 104.7 | $11,581 |
| J.D. McKissic, WAS | $1,635,000 | 1 | 136.9 | $11,943 |
| Darrel Williams, KC | $1,600,000 | 1 | 112.6 | $14,210 |
| Raheem Mostert, SF | $2,900,000 | 1 | 186.4 | $15,558 |
| Kerryon Johnson, PHI | $1,625,923 | 1 | 84.5 | $19,242 |
| James White, NE | $2,462,500 | 1 | 116.5 | $21,137 |
| Matt Breida, BUF | $1,055,000 | 1 | 48.6 | $21,708 |
| Phillip Lindsay, HOU | $3,250,000 | 1 | 134.9 | $24,092 |
| Malcolm Brown, MIA | $1,750,000 | 1 | 61.6 | $28,409 |
| Marlon Mack, IND | $2,000,000 | 1 | 70.4 | $28,409 |
| Mark Ingram, HOU | $2,500,000 | 1 | 50.0 | $50,000 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL | $3,000,000 | 1 | 57.8 | $51,903 |
Several of these players are mostly third down RBs at this point (Giovani Bernard, J.D. McKissic, Darrel Williams and James White) who benefit from Dynasty Owner having a full point per reception (PPR) scoring system. Both Jones and Johnson are still young and in the final year of their rookie contract, but need to prove themselves.
Tier 11 – Under One Million in Salary for Only One More Year with Potential
Another step below the Tier 10a and 10b RBs are these six players who have salaries under $1 million for 2021, so Dynasty Owners can’t be blamed for taking a shot that they will produce more Dynasty Owner fantasy points than they are projected for in 2021. However, they are Practice Squad only unless something changes between now and the first week of the season.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Dare Ogunbowale, JAC | $850,000 | 1 | 41.2 | $20,631 |
| Kalen Ballage, PIT | $920,000 | 1 | 44.0 | $20,909 |
| Jaylen Samuels, PIT | $679,517 | 1 | 25.8 | $26,338 |
| Brian Hill, TEN | $990,000 | 1 | 37.3 | $26,542 |
| Corey Clement, NYG | $990,000 | 1 | 21.8 | $45,413 |
| Jordan Howard, PHI | $990,000 | 1 | 0.0 | N/A |
Tier 12a – Low Production, Low Salary RBs with Multi-Year Contracts
All of the players in this tier are projected to score less than 100.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 2021 and none has a salary of over $2 million per season. Unlike the RBs in Tiers 9a through 11, these guys all have two or three years left on their contracts.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Joshua Kelley, LAC | $1,018,835 | 3 | 87.4 | $11,657 |
| DeeJay Dallas, SEA | $947,350 | 3 | 65.3 | $14,508 |
| Anthony McFarland, PIT | $1,004,357 | 3 | 66.0 | $15,218 |
| Benny Snell, PIT | $805,517 | 2 | 40.6 | $19,840 |
| Samaje Perine, CIN | $1,650,000 | 2 | 80.3 | $20,548 |
| Ke’Shawn Vaughn, TB | $1,188,999 | 3 | 55.4 | $21,462 |
| Justice Hill, BAL | $815,414 | 2 | 31.5 | $25,886 |
| Mike Boone, DEN | $1,925,000 | 2 | 69.5 | $27,698 |
| Darwin Thompson, KC | $661,960 | 2 | 14.7 | $45,031 |
| Travis Homer, SEA | $665,704 | 2 | 14.3 | $46,553 |
| J.J. Taylor, NE | $695,000 | 2 | 8.7 | $79,885 |
Tier 12b – Lower Production, Higher Salary RBs with Multi-Year Contracts
Same as Tier 12a, but with salaries of more than $2 million per season for two years, except Tarik Cohen who just signed his three year, $5.75 million contract. Any of them could be the primary backup and produce better than anticipated, but it’ll cost Dynasty Owners a lot of salary to find out.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Jamaal Williams, DET | $3,000,000 | 2 | 129.8 | $23,112 |
| Sony Michel, NE | $2,406,674 | 2 | 99.2 | $24,261 |
| Rashaad Penny, SEA | $2,691,360 | 2 | 101.4 | $26,542 |
| Carlos Hyde, JAC | $2,250,000 | 2 | 74.6 | $30,161 |
| Devontae Booker, NYG | $2,750,000 | 2 | 88.1 | $31,215 |
| Kenyan Drake, LV | $5,500,000 | 2 | 148.0 | $37,162 |
| Tarik Cohen, CHI | $5,750,000 | 3 | 120.8 | $47,599 |
Tier 13 – Rookies Dart Throws
Most of these guys were drafted, but none are anticipated to make a splash in 2021 and some may not even survive training camp and make the roster for Week 1. Because of that and since all of them have three or four years on their contracts, they might end up taking up Practice Squad room on your team or need to be dropped and pay the 25% drop fee, which will range from around $600,000 to $1 million Dynasty Dollars.
| Player | Yearly Salary | Years | 2021 Projected Points | 2021 DD/PT |
| Jaret Patterson, WAS | $808,333 | 3 | 36.7 | $22,025 |
| Chris Evans, CIN | $913,222 | 4 | 37.2 | $24,549 |
| Gary Brightwell, NYG | $914,718 | 4 | 33.9 | $26,983 |
| Larry Rountree, LAC | $913,940 | 4 | 23.2 | $39,394 |
| Javian Hawkins, ATL | $810,000 | 3 | 19.4 | $41,753 |
| Kene Nwangwu, MIN | $1,058,200 | 4 | 23.2 | $45,612 |
| Pooka Williams, CIN | $808,333 | 3 | 10.3 | $78,479 |
| Jake Funk, LA | $897,057 | 4 | 8.7 | $103,110 |
| Gerrid Doaks, MIA | $894,025 | 4 | 3.5 | $255,436 |
| Caleb Huntley, ATL | $808,333 | 3 | 0.0 | N/A |
| Elijah Mitchell, SF | $915,892 | 4 | 0.0 | N/A |
Two players from Atlanta and Cincinnati made this list and it’s unlikely both make the roster and produce. Pick wisely if you draft one of them or pick them up off the Free Agent Auction. They could be the 2021 version of James Robinson, or the 2021 version of Eno Benjamin (Arizona’s 7th round draft pick in 2020 who spent all season as a healthy scratch).
Conclusion
There are so many RBs listed, and the fact is that there are ones who will end up being productive who aren’t listed even here. The article and video would be even longer if we listed or tried to talk about every RB who might end up helping your Dynasty Owner team in 2021. There’s going to be a lightly regarded player heading into 2021 who will finish as a Top 25 RB. That’s what happened last year with Mike Davis (RB12 in 2020, but ADP of 263.1 and only drafted in 7% of 2020 Dynasty Owner leagues) or J.D. McKissic (RB19 in 2020, but ADP of 236.7 and only drafted in 24% of 2020 Dynasty Owner leagues). We’d have to list every RB on a NFL roster right now to find all of those diamonds in the rough.
Two more sets of tiers to come for the receivers (WR and TE) for the final two weeks of July. Let me know what you think of these RB tiers on Twitter (@SteveVT33) or in the comments section on YouTube.
In addition to more tiers, Dynasty Owner has other great content to help you draft your dynasty. We can also provide guidance as you continue to tweak your roster after your rookie or start-up draft is over so you can win your league. My articles and videos to get you ready for your 2021 Dynasty Owner start-up league team are being released on Wednesdays. Keep an eye out for new articles from the rest of our team of Dynasty Owner writers as well. Matt Morrison – The Jerk (@Dynastyjerk) is doing a deep dive on individual teams that you can check out on Mondays, while Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl) looks at how to rebuild your Dynasty Owner roster on Fridays. All of the articles will be released at 1 PM (Eastern) with videos and podcast released at 3 PM (Eastern).
Please read all of their articles and follow all three of us plus Dynasty Owner (@Dynasty_Owner) on Twitter. Hopefully this article is helpful for everyone who has a 2021 start-up draft coming soon, and at least interesting for those of you who have already drafted or have an established team. Maybe it’ll give you and other Dynasty Owners some ideas for potential trades too. Thanks, and have a great day!
Steven Van Tassell is the Head of Content for Dynasty Owner
Follow us on Twitter: @SteveVT33 and @Dynasty_Owner