Last year I actually did this in January, so I kind of feel like a slacker. Then again, I also feel a little more sane for not rushing to do these rankings before the actual NFL season was even over. There is a lot of uncertainty around rankings done in February. But one thing is for sure: it's never too early to get a jump on next season. For reference, I'll also list some key dates to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Now: Draft Combine. I'm not going to waste too much time talking about this. I'll definitely do a rankings update when the draft rolls around, but it's too early to put much stock in this pageant show.
March 10: Free agency begins. Last year I said to look for guys like Ben Tate and Rashad Jennings to potentially find themselves in position for feature roles. That's exactly what happened in the start of 2014, although neither finished that way. Still, free agency is definitely something worth paying attention to. Personally, I'm very interested to see what happens with RGIII in Washington. But there are much bigger story lines from a fantasy perspective. While I don't
think DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson will end up with anyone other than the Cowboys and Vikings (respectively), it could happen. And there are other RBs like Mark Ingram and CJ Spiller who I think WILL be elsewhere. In fact, I'd put money on Spiller landing with the Jags some time next month. It's hard to imagine a team letting talent like Dez Bryant or Demaryius Thomas just walk out the door. But it sure seems like Randall Cobb or Jeremy Maclin could end up donning different uniforms in 2015. And just think what that would do for the value of Davante Adams and Jordan Mathews...
 |
| It might not matter where Amari lands in order to produce. |
April 30: NFL Draft starts in Chicago. You probably won't hear anything else from me until this point in time. But like I said, I'll do another post-draft article once we see where all of the collegiate position players land. I have a handful of rookies in my rankings right now, but that's also assuming they end up in decent fantasy situations (and not buried in the depth chart). For some guys that might not matter, but for most it will...
So here's my initial list for the 2015 fantasy football season. A lot will change between now and August (or whenever you do your fantasy draft). A lot might even change in the next 2 or 3 months. But this is a start. I have several names that didn't quite make the top-168. They might make the cut when things start really taking shape. But that's a long time from now. As usual, you'll find defenses and kickers at the very bottom of the list, but I'll end up moving the defenses around slightly (the kickers will stay at the tail end though). I just didn't want to get that detailed yet.
But enough talk. Here's my first edition of the 2015 rankings!
Cheers,
Bart
| 1. Eddie
Lacy |
| 2. Jamaal Charles |
| 3. DeMarco Murray |
| 4. Le'Veon Bell |
| 5. Marshawn Lynch |
| 6. LeSean McCoy |
| 7. Adrian Peterson |
| 8. Rob Gronkowski |
| 9. Jimmy Graham |
| 10. Aaron Rodgers |
| 11. Andrew Luck |
| 12. Matt Forte |
| 13. Arian Foster |
| 14. Jeremy Hill |
| 15. CJ Anderson |
| 16. Antonio Brown |
| 17. Demaryius Thomas |
| 18. Calvin Johnson |
| 19. Jordy Nelson |
| 20. Dez Bryant |
| 21. Odell Beckham, Jr. |
| 22. Julio Jones |
| 23. AJ Green |
| 24. Randall Cobb |
| 25. Emmanuel Sanders |
| 26. TY Hilton |
| 27. Peyton Manning |
| 28. Drew Brees |
| 29. Julius Thomas |
| 30. Lamar Miller |
| 31. Joique Bell |
| 32. Mark Ingram |
| 33. Alfred Morris |
| 34. Justin Forsett |
| 35. Russell Wilson |
| 36. Alshon Jeffery |
| 37. Kelvin Benjamin |
| 38. Mike Evans |
| 39. DeAndre Hopkins |
| 40. Jeremy Maclin |
| 41. Brandon Marshall |
| 42. Sammy Watkins |
| 43. Carlos Hyde |
| 44. Latavius Murray |
| 45. Isaiah Crowell |
| 46. Tre Mason |
| 47. Melvin Gordon (R) |
| 48. Jonathan Stewart |
| 49. Andre Ellington |
| 50. Ryan Mathews |
| 51. Andre Williams |
| 52. Chris Ivory |
| 53. Bishop Sankey |
| 54. Tom Brady |
| 55. Matt Ryan |
| 56. Cam Newton |
| 57. Greg Olsen |
| 58. Travis Kelce |
| 59. Julian Edelman |
| 60. DeSean Jackson |
| 61. Amari Cooper (R) |
| 62. Golden Tate |
| 63. Torrey Smith |
| 64. Jordan Matthews |
| 65. Roddy White |
| 66. Keenan Allen |
| 67. Mike Wallace |
| 68. Brandin Cooks |
| 69. Doug Martin |
| 70. Frank Gore |
| 71. Fred Jackson |
| 72. Devonta Freeman |
| 73. Giovani Bernard |
| 74. CJ Spiller |
| 75. Ahmad Bradshaw |
| 76. Rashad Jennings |
| 77. Denard Robinson |
| 78. Dwayne Allen |
| 79. Martellus Bennett |
| 80. Antonio Gates |
| 81. Eric Decker |
| 82. Vincent Jackson |
| 83. Michael Floyd |
| 84. Allen Robinson |
| 85. Jarvis Landry |
| 86. Martavis Bryant |
| 87. Matthew Stafford |
| 88. Ben Roethlisberger |
| 89. Philip Rivers |
| 90. Tony Romo |
| 91. Ryan Tannehill |
| 92. Dan Herron |
| 93. Todd Gurley (R) |
| 94. Shane Vereen |
| 95. Darren Sproles |
| 96. LeGarrette Blount |
| 97. Terrance West |
| 98. Charles Sims |
| 99. Branden Oliver |
| 100. Knile Davis |
| 101. Brandon LaFell |
| 102. Donte Moncrief |
| 103. Kenny Stills |
| 104. Charles Johnson |
| 105. DaVante Parker (R) |
| 106. Terrance Williams |
| 107. Larry Fitzgerald |
| 108. Andre Johnson |
| 109. Victor Cruz |
| 110. Stevan Ridley |
| 111. Steven Jackson |
| 112. Lorenzo Taliaferro |
| 113. Christine Michael |
| 114. Montee Ball |
| 115. Reggie Bush |
| 116. Jordan Cameron |
| 117. Jordan Reed |
| 118. Delanie Walker |
| 119. Zach Ertz |
| 120. Nick Foles |
| 121. Jay Cutler |
| 122. Eli Manning |
| 123. Davante Adams |
| 124. Doug Baldwin |
| 125. John Brown |
| 126. Cody Latimer |
| 127. Percy Harvin |
| 128. Pierre Garcon |
| 129. Kendall Wright |
| 130. Michael Crabtree |
| 131. Anquan Boldin |
| 132. Steve Smith |
| 133. Colin Kaepernick |
| 134. Teddy Bridgewater |
| 135. Joe Flacco |
| 136. Marcus Mariota |
| 137. Charles Clay |
| 138. Kyle Rudolph |
| 139. Jason Witten |
| 140. Pierre Thomas |
| 141. Danny Woodhead |
| 142. Darren McFadden |
| 143. Chris Johnson |
| 144. DeAngelo Williams |
| 145. Seahawks DEFENSE |
| 146. Patriots DEFENSE |
| 147. Cardinals DEFENSE |
| 148. Bills DEFENSE |
| 149. Ravens DEFENSE |
| 150. Texans DEFENSE |
| 151. 49ers DEFENSE |
| 152. Rams DEFENSE |
| 153. Broncos DEFENSE |
| 154. Panthers DEFENSE |
| 155. Bengals DEFENSE |
| 156. Dolphins DEFENSE |
| 157. Stephen
Gostkowski |
| 158. Justin Tucker |
| 159. Steven Hauschka |
| 160. Cody Parkey |
| 161. Adam Vinatieri |
| 162. Mason Crosby |
| 163. Dan Bailey |
| 164. Matt Bryant |
| 165. Shaun Suisham |
| 166. Blair Walsh |
| 167. Dan Carpenter |
| 168. Connor Barth |
|
|
