2018 Fantasy Football Rankings v2

Free agency saw a lot of players switching teams, so I thought I'd go ahead and get a rankings update done ahead of the draft (which starts a week from tonight).  If you read my initial rankings back in January, you'll recall I highlighted certain players who I thought might move around during the winter.  Jerick McKinnon was someone I thought could end up with a different team, and he now finds himself in a great situation in San Francisco.  Most people expected Jarvis Landry to find a new team too, but that team is the Browns (womp, womp).  Jordy Nelson and Doug Martin are now Raiders.  Michael Crabtree isn't.  Allen Robinson is a Bear, Sammy Watkins a Chief, and Brandin Cooks a Ram.  Kirk Cousins is a Viking, and Alex Smith is the new QB for my Washington R-Words.

You get the idea...new faces in new places.

But now the focus has shifted to the draft, which means the rookies I have ranked below will certainly move around after the dust settles in Texas.  This is my best guess for now though.  I've made notes next to guys who have moved since my last rankings update, which was over 3 months ago.  By "moved" I mean either actual team change in the NFL and/or more than a spot or two from my last rankings.

Let's get to it!

1. Le'Veon Bell

2. Todd Gurley

3. Antonio Brown

4. Ezekiel Elliott

5. Alvin Kamara

6. DeAndre Hopkins

7. David Johnson

8. Dalvin Cook: With McKinnon gone and Cousins to Minnesota, I moved Cook a bit higher.

9. Leonard Fournette

10. Kareem Hunt

11. Melvin Gordon

12. Saquon Barkley (R): Up to the first round. I'm thinking he goes #5, 6, or 7 in the draft. 13. Odell Beckham, Jr. 14. Michael Thomas 15. Julio Jones 16. Davante Adams 17. A.J. Green   18. Keenan Allen  19. Mike Evans 20. Rob Gronkowski  21. LeSean McCoy  22. Mark Ingram 23. Devonta Freeman             24. Doug Baldwin: Graham and Richardson gone, so Baldwin up a WR tier. 25. Alshon Jeffery: Alshon too. I like for him to improve in Year 2 with Wentz. 26. Christian McCaffery: Jonathan Stewart is out of the picture, so Christian is up a RB tier. 27. Jordan Howard: New coach Nagy loves him some Tarik Cohen, so Howard down a RB tier. 28. Jerick McKinnon: Signed a big deal with 49ers after they let Hyde go. WAY up!   29. T.Y. Hilton  30. Tyreek Hill: Down with Sammy Watkins now in KC and Alex Smith gone. 31. Adam Thielen 32. Demaryius Thomas: Up slightly with Keenum now his QB.  He is an upgrade. 33. Jay Ajayi  34. Derrick Henry: DeMarco is gone, but Dion Lewis is there now. Up slightly, but not a ton.  35. Joe Mixon   36. Carlos Hyde: Down a few spots after signing with the Browns. 37. Aaron Rodgers 38. Travis Kelce: Will he still be a top-3 TE with Alex Smith gone? Maybe. Maybe not. Down. 39. Derrius Guice (R) 40. Amari Cooper: Moved him up with Jordy replacing Crabtree.  Cooper in for a big year.   41. Stefon Diggs: He's up too with Cousins a Viking. Might even be more valuable than Thielen. 42. Michael Crabtree: Call me crazy, but I actually moved him up with the move to Baltimore. 43. Brandin Cooks: Tom Brady to Jared Goff is a big drop off, so he's down to this WR tier.  44. Allen Robinson: Now with the Bears and up to this WR tier. I like his potential.  45. Alex Collins     46. Lamar Miller: He's down because this feels like it could be more of a RBBC in '18. 47. Zach Ertz 48. Evan Engram 49. Russell Wilson    50. Deshaun Watson  51. Carson Wentz   52. Marvin Jones: He was way too low in my initial rankings, and this still might be too low. 53. Jarvis Landry: Now in Cleveland, so obviously down a little.  54. Larry Fitzgerald: Bradford is his QB Week 1, but what about Week 2 when Sam's hurt? Down. 55. JuJu Smith-Schuster 56. Josh Gordon 57. Marlon Mack: He's way up with Gore gone, but he'll drop if the Colts draft a RB highly. 58. Kenyan Drake: Speaking of Gore, he'll get touches in Miami, so Drake down slightly. 59. Tevin Coleman  60. C.J. Anderson: Denver released him, and he's down until further notice... 61. Dion Lewis: Now in Tennessee and slightly up with that great O-line. 62. Rex Burkhead: And with Lewis gone, I have to think Burkhead gets more touches. Up too. 63. Sony Michel (R): Lots of buzz around him. More than Chubb even. Had to be in top-100.  64. Devin Funchess 65. Jordy Nelson: Packers released him...Now with Oakland, so stock down.  66. Corey Davis: Remember that TD catch against the Pats in the playoffs? Me too. Up. 67. Tom Brady: I liked him more when he had receivers. Down to the top of this QB tier. 68. Drew Brees 69. Cam Newton    70. Greg Olsen: Moved him and new Packer Jimmy Graham up a TE tier of their own. 71. Jimmy Graham 72. Chris Carson 73. Aaron Jones: He feels like the most likely to win the starting job in Green Bay. Up. 74. Chris Thompson 75. Duke Johnson: Hyde is a better pass catcher than Crowell was. Duke down to this RB tier. 76. Golden Tate  77. Julian Edelman: Up a little with Cooks gone, but he needs to get healthy. 78. Dez Bryant: He's down a WR tier until we find out where he lands...  79. Will Fuller: Remember how many TDs Watson threw to him when healthy?  UP!   80. Kirk Cousins: Up a few spots now that he's in Minnesota.  Has really good WRs and RBs.  81. Kyle Rudolph  82. Hunter Henry: He'll move up if Gates retires, but for now he stays here with Rudolph.    83. Robby Anderson 84. Kelvin Benjamin: Up to the top of this WR tier. He feels like he could be a #1 WR again. 85. Robert Woods: I liked him with Watkins gone, now not as much with Cooks there. Down. 86. Emmanuel Sanders: Like I said, Keenum is an upgrade, so Sanders up. 87. Sterling Shepard: Brandon Marshall is gone. He's the clear #2 guy. Up. 88. DeVante Parker: Jarvis Landry gone, so he's up a little. Parker should get more looks. 89. Ronald Jones (R): This all depends on the draft, but I wanted to get him into my top-100.  90. Nick Chubb (R): Him too. 91. Isaiah Crowell: Signed with the Jets, so he's down a bit. I have him ahead of Powell though. 92. Samaje Perine: I'm not convinced he can be a workhorse, and Thompson will be back. Down.  93. Giovani Bernard 94. Marshawn Lynch: The Raiders signing Doug Martin feels telling. Down.   95. Frank Gore: Indy released him...signed with the Dolphins. Yawn...and down.  96. DeMarco Murray: One of the last RBs to sign somewhere, so down 40 spots (for now). 97. Pierre Garcon: Assuming he can stay healthy, I felt I had him too low.  98. Randall Cobb: With Jordy gone, I felt Cobb belonged in the top-100. 99. Sammy Watkins: His fantasy value is TBD with the Chiefs. He barely stays in top-100 for now. 100. Cooper Kupp: Down. He's tough to justify as WR3 in top-100, but he'll round it out. 101. Andrew Luck 102. Jared Goff: Moved him and Garoppolo up here with Luck. 103. Jimmy Garoppolo 104. Jordan Reed  105. Tarik Cohen: New coach loves him some Tarik...UP! 106. Corey Clement 107. D'Onta Foreman: Up a few RB tiers, as I expect him to be more in the mix this year. 108. Jamaal Williams 109. James White: Up with Lewis gone. The RBs left in NE are him, Burkhead, and now J. Hill. 110. Calvin Ridley (R) 111. Courtland Sutton (R) 112. James Washington (R) 113. Bilal Powell: WAY down with Crowell in town. 114. Theo Riddick: Down with the Lions signing Blount. Too many RBs in the kitchen.  115. Jonathan Stewart: Released by the Panthers. Signed with the Giants. Down a RB tier. 116. Allen Hurns: Signed with Dallas and WAY up from the watch list with Dez gone.  117. Nelson Agholor   118. Marqise Lee  119. Josh Doctson: With Richardson there, I'm not sure of Docston's breakout. Down.  120. Mike Williams: I assumed Tyrell Williams would be gone, but he's not. Down a little. 121. Jamison Crowder: Not sure if he'll be a favorite of Alex Smith or not. Down for now. 122. Kenny Stills  123. Matthew Stafford   124. Dak Prescott 125. Peyton Barber: He's way up (for now), but I feel like the Bucs will draft a RB in Round 1. 126. Devontae Booker: Same goes for Booker. Barkley seems like a nice spot here for Denver.  127. LeGarrette Blount: Signed a one year deal with Detroit. WAY up from the watch list. 128. Marquise Goodwin 129. Chris Hogan: Up a little with Brandin Cooks gone. 130. Dede Westbrook: Up a little with A-Rob gone. 131. Mohamed Sanu: Up a little with Gabriel gone. 132. Jordan Matthews: Signed with the Patriots. Easily in top-150. 133. Rishard Matthews  134. Philip Rivers  135. Tyrod Taylor: Moved up to this QB tier. I think he'll do just fine in Cleveland. 136. Alex Smith 137. Austin Seferian-Jenkins: Signed with the Jags (who cut Marcedes Lewis). ASJ above Walker.  138. Delanie Walker  139. Ameer Abdullah: Down with the Lions signing Blount. Very little confidence here.  140. Orleans Darkwa: Same with Giants signing Stewart. Not sure what comes of Darkwa.  141. Doug Martin: The Bucs cut him. The Raiders signed him. Down a RB tier.  142. Ty Montgomery: He felt way too high.  Not sure of his role in 2018. 143. Latavius Murray: Assuming Cook fully healthy, Latavius shouldn't be much of a factor. Down. 144. Matt Breida: With Hyde gone, I felt he needed to be in the top-150. 145. Martavis Bryant 146. Tyrell Williams: Will he get traded...? Down a little to the top of this WR tier.  147. Mike Wallace: Now an Eagle and down slightly. No longer the #1 WR option. 148. Jaron Brown: This was a sneaky free agent signing.  He could be Russell's #2 receiver. 149. Geronimo Allison: He cracked the top-150 with Jordy gone. 150. Brice Butler: Good money is on him being the #2 WR in Arizona, so he's in the top-180. 151. Terrelle Pryor: Now a Jet...DOWN! 152. Paul Richardson: Down a little with the move to DC. Might be the #3 or 4 option there. 153. Cameron Meredith: He signed with New Orleans and belongs in the top-180. 154. Tyler Lockett: And he's back up here with Richardson gone. 155. Trey Burton: The Bears gave him a big contract, and he should get way more looks now. Up. 156. Tyler Eifert 157. T.J. Yeldon: Into the top-180 with Ivory now out of the picture. 158. Rashaad Penny (R): Moved a bunch of these rookie RBs down to this tier.   159. Royce Freeman (R)  160. Kerryon Johnson (R): And added him to the group. He's graded ahead of Nick Chubb by many. 161. Damien Harris (R) 162. Ben Roethlisberger: Moved Big Ben down to this QB tier. 163. Matt Ryan 164. Jameis Winston  165. Malcolm Mitchell 166. Michael Gallup (R)   167. D.J. Moore (R): Lots of buzz around him. Added to this last tier with the rookie wideouts. 168. Anthony Miller (R) 169. Chargers DEFENSE 170. Ravens DEFENSE 171. Rams DEFENSE 172. Jaguars DEFENSE 173. Broncos DEFENSE: Way up with the schedule release. 174. Eagles DEFENSE: Them too... 175. Vikings DEFENSE: Down after the schedule release. 176. Steelers DEFENSE 177. Seahawks DEFENSE 178. Saints DEFENSE: Crack the top-12 D units, mainly due to their schedule. 179. Chiefs DEFENSE 180. Patriots DEFENSE ...and here's my Watch List: QBs Lamar Jackson (R): Down to the watch list. It's yet to be seen if he'll have an instant impact. Derek Carr Marcus Mariota  Case Keenum Blake Bortles Eli Manning Andy Dalton Ryan Tannehill Mitch Trubisky Patrick Mahomes RBs Jalen Richard: Doug Martin is now a Raider, and Richard is now to the watch list with DeAndre. DeAndre Washington Wayne Gallman: Down to the watch list with the Giants signing Jonathan Stewart. Elijah McGuire Jeremy Hill: Patriots signed him to a one year deal. Fantasy value TBD... Joe Williams Austin Ekeler C.J. Prosise Eddie Lacy Mike Davis Charles Sims Rob Kelley Adrian Peterson Spencer Ware Javorius Allen Kenneth Dixon Chris Ivory: Signed a two year deal with the Bills.  Meh. James Connor Thomas Rawls Mike Gillislee Paul Perkins Alfred Morris Damien Williams Tion Green Bryce Love (R): Way down to the watch list. Haven't seen him highly in mocks. John Kelly (R) Danny Woodhead (RETIRED but still in watch list in case he changes his mind) WRs Corey Coleman: Browns got loaded at WR. Coleman down to the watch list. Curtis Samuel: With the Panthers signing Torrey Smith, Samuel down to the watch list. Jeremy Maclin: Baltimore released him, and he's down to the watch list. Chris Godwin: Down to the watch list. J.J. Nelson Kenny Golladay John Ross John Brown: Signed with the Ravens. Stays in watch list for now. Ryan Grant: Signed with the Colts after failing a physical with the Ravens... Willie Snead Kevin White: Who is the #2 WR in Chicago? Him or Taylor Gabriel? Dontrelle Inman Ted Ginn Brandon Marshall DeSean Jackson Kenny Britt Keelan Cole Eric Decker Quincy Enunwa Travis Benjamin Mack Hollins Kendall Wright: Signed with the Vikings and could have an impact. Added to watch list. Jaleel Scott (R): Down to the watch list with these other rookies. Christian Kirk (R): Added a few more rookies to the watch list... D.J. Chark (R) Deon Cain (R) Dante Pettis (R) Antonio Callaway (R) Danny Amendola: Signed with the Dolphins, who lost Landry to free agency. Added to watch list. Albert Wilson: Now a Dolphin as well...might have more value than Amendola. Donte Moncrief: Now in Jacksonville in a crowded receiving corps.  Down to the watch list. Jermaine Kearse: There's talk of the Jets cutting him, and they got Pryor. Down to watch list. TEs Jack Doyle: With Ebron now a Colt, I worry there's value for both. O.J. Howard Eric Ebron: Moved to watch list. Like I said, I can't see him and Doyle having a ton of value. Mark Andrews (R) Dallas Goedert (R) Mike Gesicki (R): Added another rookie to the watch list, but I doubt any will have Year 1 value. Hayden Hurst (R): Same with him, but we'll see who drafts him... Charles Clay Austin Hooper Cameron Brate Jason Witten David Njoku Jake Butt George Kittle: Added him to the watch list. Benjamin Watson: Back to New Orleans and on the watch list.