Never Too Early 2018 Fantasy Football Rankings

The NFL playoffs start tomorrow, which means it's officially the offseason for a lot of teams.  But even though the Redskins and Ravens won't be playing football this month, I'm sure my wife and I will still watch some of the games.  And even though fantasy football is technically in the offseason, that doesn't mean we can't look toward next year, right?  Sure, there's a ton of time between now and fantasy drafts, but it's never too early to start thinking about next season.  In previous years, I followed the lead of most fantasy experts and called these my "Way Too Early" rankings, but I'm changing it to the "Never Too Early" rankings because that's the way I look at them.  I'm going to stick to the format where I break out each chunk of rankings like a round in a mock draft, and I'll have some comments to help explain my rankings of certain players after each group of 12.

You'll also notice that several of the players I highlighted in bold are rookies.  Most of the experts who put together early rankings don't have rookies on their lists.  I'm not sure why that is, but rookies are becoming more and more a part of the fantasy landscape.  This is especially true for running backs in recent years.  There were 3 rookies in the top-10 this season: Hunt, Kamara, and Fournette.  In 2016, there were also 3 in the top-10: Zeke, Gordon, and Howard.  In 2015, Gurley and David Johnson were both top-10 RBs.  Do you see what I'm getting at?  I have no idea what team will be drafting Saquan Barkley, but it'll probably be someone who needs him to be their starting running back right away, and that should put him in the top-10 to 15 RB discussion.  I also ranked Derrius Guice, Bryce Love, and other rookies a bit later based on where I think their value might be for next season. 

Of course a lot will change in the months to come, but this will be a good jumping off point for when I update my rankings in a couple of months.  You may also notice there are NO KICKERS in my rankings because my Yahoo! league finally voted to remove them.  I couldn't be happier to no longer waste time trying to figure out which kicker is going to make a handful of field goals instead of 5 extra points.  I encourage you to try to do the same for your league.  It's quite liberating. 

Anyway, let's get to the rankings, shall we?

Cheers,
Bart

1. Le'Veon Bell

2. Todd Gurley

3. Antonio Brown

4. Ezekiel Elliott

5. David Johnson

6. Alvin Kamara

7. DeAndre Hopkins

8. Kareem Hunt

9. Leonard Fournette

10. Melvin Gordon

11. Dalvin Cook

12. Odell Beckham, Jr. Last year, everyone had Le'Veon Bell and David Johnson as their top-2.  In 2018, I think the top-2 will clearly be Bell and Gurley, and I just happen to have Bell first.  Most will probably have Todd ahead of Le'Veon, but how likely is it that Gurley will be the #1 fantasy RB two years in a row?  Hint: not very.  After Bell/DJ in 2017 and now Bell/Gurley in 2018, Antonio Brown seems to be the clear choice at the #3 spot.  And as long as Big Ben is still the QB in Pittsburgh, no one is going to bat an eye if you decide to take AB at #1 overall.  As for OBJ at the end of the round, ranking him this highly depends on Eli staying in New York for me.  I'm assuming he will, and I'm also assuming that if the Giants draft a QB in the 1st round, that QB will have a year to learn/develop behind Manning. On a personal note, Kareem Hunt is one of my keepers for next year, and I'm pretty pumped about it.  Spencer Ware could be back in the mix, but he could just as easily find himself released and with a different team next season.  Either way, I'm not worried about Hunt's workload after he proved he could handle it in his rookie campaign. 13. Julio Jones

14. Michael Thomas

15. Davante Adams

16. A.J. Green

17. Keenan Allen

18. Mike Evans

19. Rob Gronkowski

20. LeSean McCoy

21. Mark Ingram

22. Jordan Howard

23. Tyreek Hill

24. Brandin Cooks Davante Adams is a player who I think I'll be higher on than a lot of experts in 2018.  Jordy is getting old, and the Packers just signed Davante to a big contract.  He finished as the #7 WR in 2016, and he was still in the top-12 in 2017 even though he missed the last two games due to a concussion.  With Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball his way again next season, he should have double-digit touchdowns for the third year in a row, and I think he'll eclipse the 1000 yard mark for the first time in his young career. My other keeper in my Yahoo! league is likely to be Jordan Howard for the second year in a row.  He's been a top-10 RB in each of his first two years in the league, and I don't see why that won't continue in 2018.  I'm looking forward to starting my draft with two solid RBs already on my team.

25. Saquon Barkley (R)

26. Carlos Hyde

27. Devonta Freeman

28. Lamar Miller

29. Christian McCaffery

30. Travis Kelce

31. Alshon Jeffery

32. Doug Baldwin

33. Adam Thielen

34. T.Y. Hilton

35. Jarvis Landry

36. Demaryius Thomas Last year I had a couple of rookie RBs in this round, but this year I have just the one in Saquan Barkley.  Of course he'll need to land in a decent spot to actually have some fantasy relevance in 2018, but that's the assumption if he's a first round draft pick.  In fact, if he's a top-10 pick, he'll end up somewhere like Cleveland, Tampa, or New York (Jets and Giants are both in the top-7).  He'd immediately start for any of those teams, and he'd likely start for Indy or Oakland if their old RBs retire.  There's also speculation that the 49ers let Hyde walk and trade up to get Barkley.  That might be the most interesting scenario of all, but we'll have to wait to see what happens. I have a feeling Jarvis Landry will sign a big contract with a different team in 2018, but he should stay in this 3rd round area regardless of his team.  In fact, if he gets an upgrade at the QB position, he might even jump into Round 2 for me.

37. Aaron Rodgers

38. Derrick Henry 39. Kenyan Drake

40. Joe Mixon

41. Jay Ajayi

42. Derrius Guice (R)

43. C.J. Anderson

44. Alex Collins

45. Jordy Nelson

46. Larry Fitzgerald

47. Zach Ertz

48. Evan Engram I highlighted several players at different positions in this round, starting with the first QB on my list.  In my preseason rankings last year, I had Aaron Rodgers in Round 2, but QB is getting deeper and deeper every year.  Also Rodgers has just the one top-5 finish now in his last 3 seasons, so I doubt I'll select him much higher than this, and I'll likely continue to wait on QB in my fantasy drafts. Right after Rodgers is Derrick Henry, who I think will finally be handed the keys to the car in 2018.  Henry averaged a full rushing yard per carry better than DeMarco Murray this year, and the timeshare became closer to 50/50.  Now entering his third season, the Titans have to hand over the lead back duties to Henry, right?!?  If they cut ties with DeMarco altogether, Derrick will need to move up even higher than this...maybe all the way into the first round. You'll notice I also highlighted "old dudes" Jordy Nelson and Larry Fitzgerald.  Again, neither are sexy picks in the top-50, but both could easily be WR2s in fantasy.  Fitz will be 35 and Jordy 33 at the start of the 2018 season, but we know what both are capable of (even in their old football age).  Keep in mind that Jordy had 6 TDs through 5 games in 2017 before Rodgers got hurt in Week 6.  As much as I like Davante Adams, I also still like Jordy.  And I think it'll be the latter who you'll be able to get at a big discount in fantasy drafts in the upcoming season.

49. Russell Wilson

50. Carson Wentz

51. Deshaun Watson

52. Tom Brady

53. DeMarco Murray

54. Marshawn Lynch

55. Frank Gore

56. Michael Crabtree

57. JuJu Smith-Schuster

58. Josh Gordon

59. Allen Robinson

60. Amari Cooper I know what I said about waiting on QB, but here's the thing: I had Deshaun Watson for a few magical weeks this past season in my Yahoo! league.  I know first hand how the guy can win weeks for you.  If he and Wentz are both back to full health for training camps/preseason games, I doubt I'll wait much past the 4th round to try to grab one of them.  This just feels like the time where there could be a mini run on QBs, and I kind of want one of the young guys here. Don't forget about the old running backs!  While both Lynch and Gore are highly questionable to even be in the league in 2018, both were top-20 RBs in 2017.  Like most people, I kind of expect both to retire.  If they don't though, it's hard not to rank them near the top-25 RBs. I included Josh Gordon and Allen Robinson in this WR tier, and I think both have super high upside.  We all know about the amazing 2013 season Gordon had, but that sure feels like an eternity ago.  He came back at the end of the 2017 season and flashed that playmaking ability we know he has, so it'll be interesting to see what he can do with the rest of his playing days.  As for Robinson, he was a top-5 fantasy WR in 2015, fell outside of the top-25 in 2016, then tore his ACL this past season after his first catch of the year.  His rookie contract is up, and he's now a free agent.  He's a former 2nd round draft pick with a great combination of size & speed, and he may even need to be higher than this depending on the quarterback throwing the ball to him next year.

61. Tevin Coleman

62. Isaiah Crowell

63. Jerick McKinnon

64. Duke Johnson

65. Samaje Perine

66. Bryce Love (R)

67. Dez Bryant

68. Stefon Diggs

69. Devin Funchess

70. Marvin Jones

71. Robert Woods

72. Josh Doctson I've highlighted a couple of running backs who I think I might be high on versus the experts in 2018.  Isaiah Crowell is a free agent, and I could easily see Cleveland letting him sign elsewhere.  Depending on his landing spot, he could thrive in an offense that actually gets to the red zone with some frequency.  The really interesting name for me here is Jerick McKinnon.  I think the Vikings will likely stick with Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray, so McKinnon could also find himself on a new team in 2018.  I think he could work his way into a feature role, and this could be too low if he ends up in a better fantasy situation. Maybe my Washington bias is showing a little with Doctson this high, but I think he could make a big leap next season and be the #1 WR our team needs.  Of course if it's not Kirk Cousins throwing the ball to him, I might have to drop him down a peg or two.

73. Cam Newton

74. Drew Brees

75. Chris Thompson

76. Dion Lewis

77. Rex Burkhead

78. Chris Carson

79. Hunter Henry

80. Kyle Rudolph

81. Golden Tate

82. Robby Anderson

83. Cooper Kupp

84. Jamison Crowder I've highlighted two Patriot RBs in this round because both are free agents.  While I expect the Patriots to re-sign Lewis or Burkhead, I don't necessarily expect them to re-sign both.  One of these guys will likely drop in my rankings if/when they end up leaving New England. Speaking of leaving, I fully expect for Antonio Gates to retire after this season, and Tyrell Williams could end up elsewhere in free agency.  That leaves 6'5" Hunter Henry as the big red zone target for Philip Rivers, and I think Henry could end up with double-digit touchdowns in Year 3.  If Gates is out of the picture, this is probably the lowest you'll see Hunter Henry in my rankings before Week 1 of the 2018 season.

85. Ty Montgomery

86. Bilal Powell

87. Theo Riddick

88. Latavius Murray

89. Giovani Bernard

90. Jonathan Stewart

91. DeVante Parker

92. Corey Davis

93. Will Fuller

94. Sammy Watkins

95. Kelvin Benjamin

96. Julian Edelman  This round includes a few veteran running backs who I think will still have value in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.  Ty Montgomery may be the biggest question mark of the bunch because he has shown that he might not have the durability needed for the running back position.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Packers switched him back to receiver and went with a combination of Williams and Jones in 2018.  In fact, I have Jones ranked just a few spots lower in the next round. Keep an eye on Sammy Watkins, who just might end up with his third team in less than a year this offseason.  His first couple of years in Buffalo were quite productive, and he has the talent to be a 1000 yard/10 TD receiver.  The wide receiver free agency market certainly is interesting this year.

97. Aaron Jones

98. Marlon Mack

99. Corey Clement

100. Andrew Luck

101. Kirk Cousins

102. Greg Olsen

103. Jordan Reed

104. Mike Williams

105. Sterling Shepard

106. Courtland Sutton (R)

107. James Washington (R)

108. Calvin Ridley (R) This round starts off with a handful of second year running backs who could have a big role on their teams in 2018.  I've already mentioned how I think Aaron Jones could easily take over lead back duties if Montgomery can't be the guy.  If Frank Gore retires, Marlon Mack will need to move way up my list if the Colts don't draft a running back highly in the 2018 draft.  I also fully expect LeGarrette Blount to be out of Philly, leaving Corey Clement to have a complementary role with Jay Ajayi.  Clement could prove to be more than just a quality handcuff, but rather a RB who has value on his own in a high-powered offense. Last year, I actually ranked rookie wideouts Mike Williams and Corey Davis in the 70s.  But seeing as how neither did much in their rookie seasons, it has me a little gun shy.  Now right around the 100 mark, I've ranked who I think will be the top-3 wideouts in this year's draft.  I also have Mike Williams here, who could find himself in a position to catch a lot of balls next year if Tyrell Williams ends up with a new team.

109. Orleans Darkwa

110. Jamaal Williams

111. Ronald Jones (R)

112. Damien Harris (R)

113. Pierre Garcon

114. Emmanuel Sanders

115. Nelson Agholor

116. Randall Cobb

117. Kenny Stills

118. Mike Wallace

119. Marqise Lee

120. Tyrell Williams I have a couple of RBs with question marks and a couple of rookies at the beginning of this round.  Orleans Darkwa is interesting to me because he had the game of his life in Week 17 in a win over the Redskins, and he's now a free agent.  Will the Giants bring him back?  Will they draft a RB?  Personally, I think New York might do both, and I think Darkwa still could find himself as the early-down RB for the Giants in 2018. Keep an eye on free-agents-to-be Marqise Lee and Tyrell Williams, both of whom could find themselves in positions to try to be a #1 or #2 WR somewhere else.

121. Jared Goff

122. Dak Prescott

123. Matthew Stafford

124. Jimmy Garoppolo

125. Philip Rivers

126. Ben Roethlisberger

127. Alex Smith

128. Marquise Goodwin

129. Donte Moncrief

130. Rishard Matthews

131. Terrelle Pryor

132. Paul Richardson It's weird to think that I might be too LOW on Jimmy G as my #13 QB, but that's the reality of his hype train.  The guy had a strong finish to 2017 with the 49ers, and a full season with Kyle Shanahan could mean a top-10 fantasy season.  I'll probably struggle with ranking him, but for now, he's in this huge chunk of QBs that are all difficult to separate from one another. I'm not super excited about the WRs in this round, but Terrelle Pyror and Paul Richardson are both free agents who could be with different teams next season.  So there's something to highlight I guess. On a quasi-interesting side note, I actually had 3 defenses during this round in my early edition of rankings last year.  Those defenses were the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Broncos.  Of the three, only the Seahawks finished as a top-10 fantasy defense in 2017 (and even then, just barely).  I think streaming defenses is the way to go, and I won't make the mistake of ranking a defense this highly again.  Everyone will jump on the Jags early, and I say let 'em.  I'll probably just get a defense with a good Week 1 matchup and go from there.

133. Ameer Abdullah

134. Doug Martin

135. Nick Chubb (R)

136. Rashaad Penny (R)

137. Royce Freeman (R)

138. Jalen Richard

139. Tarik Cohen

140. Wayne Gallman

141. Jimmy Graham

142. Delanie Walker

143. Jack Doyle

144. Austin Seferian-Jenkins Nick Chubb has been a beast at the University of Georgia, and his running style very well could translate into a powerful back in the NFL.  I might have him too low here at 135.  I also feel like this could be too low for Rashaad Penny, though I admittedly have never seen him play football.  He had 221 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on just 14 carries in the Armed Forces Bowl.  The guy had almost 2500 total yards in his senior season, and he found the endzone 25 times!  His former teammate Donnel Pumphrey also thrived in that same offense, got drafted in the 4th round last year, and didn't play a snap this season due to a torn hamstring that landed him on the IR.  So it's hard to make a comparison there.  Either way, I think Chubb and Penny both might move way up my board when I update my rankings after the draft.  Don't laugh at Austin Seferian-Jenkins rounding out my top-12 tight ends.  Seriously.  Stop laughing!  He got off to a hot start in 2017, but so did the Jets.  Both quickly cooled off, and ASJ ended up with a pretty mediocre season.  He's now a free agent though, and a change of scenery (and a better quarterback) could mean a much better finish in 2018.

145. Corey Coleman

146. Martavis Bryant

147. Jermaine Kearse

148. Dede Westbrook

149. Chris Hogan

150. Mohamed Sanu

151. Jeremy Maclin

152. D'Onta Foreman

153. Peyton Barber

154. Devontae Booker

155. James White

156. Danny Woodhead D'Onta Foreman is a guy I like a lot (and who I think the Texans like a lot too).  If he can get/stay healthy next year, he could take a big bite out of Lamar Miller's touches.  This will probably be too low for him if he looks good in training camp, but coming back from a torn Achilles can be tough.  I didn't really want to rank Peyton Barber, but it's hard not to based on the current running back situation in Tampa.  If the Bucs draft a RB in the first couple of rounds and keep Doug Martin though, Barber falls off my big board.  But until that happens, he'll likely continue to have an opportunity to get some carries in a decent offense.

157. Matt Ryan

158. Jameis Winston

159. Lamar Jackson (R)

160. Tyrod Taylor

161. Michael Gallup (R)

162. Anthony Miller (R)

163. Jaleel Scott (R)

164. Curtis Samuel

165. Chris Godwin

166. Malcolm Mitchell

167. Tyler Eifert

168. Eric Ebron Yeah I ranked Lamar Jackson in my top-180.  What of it?!?  I think it's very possible he gets drafted in the first couple of rounds and starts right away for a team like the Jets, Cardinals, or even the Bills if they move on from Tyrod.  It's also possible Jackson is a clear backup to start the 2018 season and drops out of my rankings altogether.  But if that second scenario happens, just keep in mind that Deshaun Watson was also a backup to start his rookie year...  Last year before free agency started, I assumed Ted Ginn would leave Carolina, and I highlighted Devin Funchess as a potential 3rd year WR breakout candidate.  That turned out to be a good call, and Funchess ended up higher in my rankings by the time the season rolled around.  I've already ranked a bunch of third year WRs before this round, but don't forget about Malcolm Mitchell when the 2018 season kicks off.  He had 400 yards and 4 TDs in his rookie year, and he caught 6 balls for 70 yards in the Super Bowl win over Atlanta.  He missed all of 2017 due to a knee injury, but if he's healthy to start next season and the Patriots decide to let a couple of guys go, Mitchell could find himself as the #3 or 4 option for Mr. Tom Brady. 169. Chargers DEFENSE 170. Jaguars DEFENSE 171. Ravens DEFENSE   172. Vikings DEFENSE 173. Rams DEFENSE   174. Steelers DEFENSE 175. Seahawks DEFENSE 176. Panthers DEFENSE   177. Chiefs DEFENSE  178. Eagles DEFENSE 179. Broncos DEFENSE 180. Patriots DEFENSE It's now after the 14th round of a 12-team league's draft, so here are the defenses.  My Yahoo! league doesn't even have this many rounds, so I'll need to move defenses up my rankings at some point.  But for now, here they are.  I had the Steelers D in the first half of the 2017 season and the Chargers D for the second half.  I like both a lot heading into next season, and I actually have the Chargers ahead of Jacksonville for my top spot.  When big players move in free agency and the schedules come out, that's when I'll be adjusting my defensive rankings.  You may see teams like the Lions, Cardinals, or even my Redskins sneak into the top-12 before September.  Who knows? I could add a few more players to give you a top-200 and a nice number, but I won't.  I'll leave it at 180, and I'll give you a few more players below at each position who I'll consider ranking later this year.  There will likely be many more to add to this list, but this is more than plenty for now:

QBs Derek Carr Marcus Mariota  Blake Bortles Eli Manning Andy Dalton DeShone Kizer Ryan Tannehill Case Keenum RBs DeAndre Washington Elijah McGuire Matt Forte Matt Breida Joe Williams Austin Ekeler C.J. Prosise Thomas Rawls Eddie Lacy Mike Davis Charles Sims LeGarrette Blount  Rob Kelley Adrian Peterson Spencer Ware Javorius Allen Kenneth Dixon T.J. Yeldon Chris Ivory James Connor Mike Gillislee Jeremy Hill Paul Perkins Alfred Morris Damien Williams Tion Green WRs Tyler Lockett  Jordan Matthews Kenny Golladay John Ross J.J. Nelson John Brown Willie Snead Cameron Meredith Dontrelle Inman Zay Jones Ted Ginn Brandon Marshall DeSean Jackson Kenny Britt Allen Hurns Keelan Cole Eric Decker Quincy Enunwa Travis Benjamin Mack Hollins TEs O.J. Howard Mark Andrews (R) Dallas Goedert (R) Charles Clay Austin Hooper Cameron Brate Jason Witten David Njoku Adam Shaheen Jake Butt