Way Too Early 2015 Fantasy Football Rankings

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