2018 Fantasy Football Rankings v6

Well it's been about a month since my last rankings update, and training camps are now underway, so I thought I'd get another update before anyone tears another ACL or Achilles during a conditioning drill (sorry, Charger fans). 

There hasn't been a ton of news since my last update, but DeMarco Murray retired, LeSean McCoy has some serious domestic drama/allegations, and Josh Gordon didn't up for the start of training camp.  I can't wait to see that last one unfold on Hard Knocks!

Before I get to my rankings, I thought it might be interesting to predict who will finish the season in the top-12 at each position.  You might be thinking "Isn't that what you're doing with your rankings?"  Well, sort of...but not quite.  These lists are going to differ slightly from my rankings because I'm throwing in guys who aren't on the radar to finish in the top-12 at their position.  This will provide you some insight into who I think has major upside and who might be prone to being a bust in 2018.

I'm still more or less going to stick by my rankings when it comes to doing my fantasy drafts, and I suggest you do the same.  But there's always a lot of turnover in the top-12 at each position when you look at end of season ranks, so I thought it'd be fun to put some predictions out there and see what turns out to be right when the season ends.  This will also serve as a taste of my big preseason article that I'll get out there in a couple of weeks, and I'll add some notes below each section.

Again, this is just a rough prediction of what the top-12 at each position could look like after the 2018 season (with some bold picks sprinkled in)...

QBs
Tom Brady
Cam Newton
Aaron Rodgers
Andrew Luck
Russell Wilson
Deshaun Watson
Matthew Stafford
Marcus Mariota
Philip Rivers
Jared Goff
Kirk Cousins
Matt Ryan

You'll notice right away that while I have Rodgers as my #1 QB in my rankings below, I'm not picking him to finish that way at the end of the year.  He certainly could, but it's also very possible he doesn't.  Alex Smith and Carson Wentz were both top-5 fantasy QBs last season, but I think there's a chance that neither is in 2018.  I'm not convinced Wentz will start Week 1, and if he misses a few games, he'll have a hard time cracking the top-12 by the end of the year.  It feels weird to have someone like Drew Brees outside of my top-12, but it's probably going to happen at some point.  Could it be this year?  Sure.  Could he finish in the top-5 this year?  Of course.

RBs
Ezekiel Elliott
David Johnson 
Le'Veon Bell
Saquon Barkley
Todd Gurley
Melvin Gordon 
Alvin Kamara
Derrius Guice
Dalvin Cook
Jay Ajayi 
Kareem Hunt
Sony Michel 

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go against the typical Bell/Gurley #1 overall and make Zeke my guy this year.  He's going to get so much work behind one of the best offensive lines in the league.  If he plays all 16 games, he has a legit shot at 2000 rushing yards this season.  Yes, really.  As you look at the rest of my list, you'll notice it's an extremely young top-12 with 3 guys from last year's draft class and 3 from this year's.  But hey, there were 4 rookies in the top-15 last year...and there might've been 5 if Dalvin Cook didn't miss nearly the whole season with a knee injury.  I don't see why half of the top-12 RBs couldn't be under the age of 23, do you?  You may also notice that 1/3 of my top-12 includes a running back from each NFC East team.  I mean, other than the Giants, the rest of the teams in the NFC East have really good offensive lines.  And the Giants have Saquon Barkley, sooooo yeah...I think it's a possibility. 

WRs
Odell Beckham, Jr.
Davante Adams
Antonio Brown
T.Y. Hilton
Doug Baldwin
Julio Jones
Stefon Diggs
DeAndre Hopkins
Chris Hogan
Randall Cobb
Michael Thomas
Sammy Watkins

I have less than half of last year's top-12 here, so I'm making some bold choices with this list.  But I don't think it's unrealistic to think that Chris Hogan has a big year with the lack of other WR options in New England.  I also think it's very possible that Stefon Diggs has a much better year than Adam Thielen, especially since he's in a contract year.  Remember when Randall Cobb was a top-10 WR in 2014?  That could happen again, right...?  Sammy Watkins actually had 8 touchdowns last year with the Rams on just 70 targets, and 6 of those scores were in the last 8 games of the regular season.  We'll find out soon if Mahomes is any good, but if Watkins stays healthy and gets 100+ targets, I don't see why he couldn't be a top-12 WR.

TEs
Zach Ertz
Rob Gronkowski
Jimmy Graham
Kyle Rudolph
Jordan Reed
Delanie Walker
Travis Kelce
Greg Olsen
Trey Burton
Antonio Gates
Hayden Hurst
Charles Clay

Gronk not the #1 TE?  Kelce outside of the top-5?!?  Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  The bottom half of my list gets a little wacky too.  I think Antonio Gates will come out of retirement right before the season starts and finish in the top-10.  I also like for Hayden Hurst to be this year's Evan Engram.  Speaking of Engram, you don't see him in this top-12.  I also didn't list everyone's favorite "sleeper" tight end George Kittle.  Well, my big preseason article may help explain those omissions and some of the others as well. 

Until then, let's do the rankings!

1. Ezekiel Elliott: He will get so much work this year. I felt the need to make him my #1 overall.

2. Le'Veon Bell

3. Todd Gurley

4. Alvin Kamara

5. David Johnson

6. Saquon Barkley

7. Antonio Brown: I know I'd take an RB in the top half of Round 1, so AB down 2 spots.

8. Odell Beckham, Jr.: Up one spot. A healthy OBJ could easily be the #1 fantasy WR.

9. DeAndre Hopkins

10. Julio Jones

11. Michael Thomas

12. Davante Adams: Moved him up to this WR tier, so 6 RBs and then 6 WRs in Round 1. 13. Rob Gronkowski 14. Leonard Fournette: His injury history concerns me, so he's down a RB tier. 15. Dalvin Cook 16. Kareem Hunt 17. Melvin Gordon 18. Devonta Freeman: Moved him up to this RB tier. As consistent as they come.   19. Keenan Allen  20. A.J. Green  21. T.Y. Hilton: Assuming Luck is 100% healthy, moved Hilton WAY up to this WR tier.   22. Mike Evans 23. Doug Baldwin  24. Zach Ertz: With Burton gone, I say Ertz hits 10+ TDs and could be the #1 fantasy TE. Up. 25. Jerick McKinnon   26. Joe Mixon  27. Christian McCaffery 28. Derrius Guice: Moved up to this RB tier. Maybe a homer pick. Maybe a right pick. We'll see. 29. Larry Fitzgerald: Virtual guarantee for 100+ targets and 1000 yards. Up. 30. Stefon Diggs: I'm going against the grain and swapping Thielen and Diggs in my rankings. 31. Amari Cooper: Up too. With Crabtree gone, he should get lot of targets (and fantasy points). 32. Adam Thielen 33. Jordan Howard 34. Alex Collins 35. Jay Ajayi  36. Travis Kelce 37. JuJu Smith-Schuster  38. Demaryius Thomas: For some reason, I still believe he could return to WR1 territory. Up. 39. Alshon Jeffery: Hasn't had more than 821 receiving yards since 2014. Down a WR tier. 40. Lamar Miller: Foreman may not be ready Week 1. Miller a boring but solid pick. Up.  41. Rashaad Penny 42. Marshawn Lynch: I get the feeling he scores double digit TDs with Gruden coaching. Up. 43. LeSean McCoy: Remember when Zeke was suspended without being charged? Me too. Down. 44. Ronald Jones: I really like his potential to be a workhorse for the Bucs. Up to this RB tier. 45. Brandin Cooks  46. Chris Hogan: Up to this WR tier. I think he has a big year, and he won't last much past top-50. 47. Michael Crabtree: He feels like a top-20 WR to me, so he's up slightly. 48. Tyreek Hill 49. Sony Michel 50. Kenyan Drake: Basically had a couple of good games last year. Felt a little high. Down. 51. Derrick Henry: He also has bust potential with Dion Lewis there. Down as well. 52. Mark Ingram 53. Dion Lewis 54. Royce Freeman: Moved him up a RB tier, but not sure he'll be the starter or not. We'll see...  55. Tevin Coleman 56. Golden Tate  57. Corey Davis 58. Marvin Jones: Tate is more consistent while Jones has the big games. Lowered Jones a bit. 59. Jarvis Landry 60. Allen Robinson 61. Aaron Rodgers: Rodgers and Watson down about 10 spots. I'm waiting on QB again this year. 62. Deshaun Watson 63. Tom Brady: Moved him and Russell up to this QB tier, but all of these QBs are relatively low. 64. Russell Wilson: If I get one of these 4 QBs though, it won't be in the first few rounds. 65. Jimmy Graham: Moved this big TE tier up about 10 spots. 66. Kyle Rudolph  67. Greg Olsen  68. Delanie Walker 69. Josh Gordon: In the news which is never good for him. Down a couple of WR tiers.  70. Devin Funchess: Moved him down here with Shepard/Parker (and now Gordon).  71. Sterling Shepard: Moved Shepard up to this tier. He's better with OBJ in the lineup. 72. DeVante Parker: He's up to this WR tier too. Finally time to break out...? 73. Marlon Mack 74. Rex Burkhead  75. Tarik Cohen: Moved him and C.J. Anderson up to this RB tier. 76. C.J. Anderson   77. Chris Thompson: He fell down to this tier. Guice could be true workhorse. 78. Kerryon Johnson 79. Jamaal Williams: Has a chance to run away with the job with the Jones suspension. Up. 80. Cam Newton 81. Andrew Luck: In his last 3 fully healthy seasons, he's been a top-5 fantasy QB. Up.  82. Carson Wentz: I have concerns about him being ready for Week 1. Down a QB tier. 83. Drew Brees 84. Evan Engram: Down. I have a feeling he regresses a lot with Saquon there. 85. Pierre Garcon 86. Allen Hurns  87. Randall Cobb 88. Will Fuller 89. Emmanuel Sanders 90. Kelvin Benjamin 91. Robert Woods 92. Robby Anderson 93. Aaron Jones: Starts the year with a two game suspension, but I'm not lowering him. 94. Nick Chubb 95. Isaiah Crowell: He felt too high. Down a RB tier. 96. Devontae Booker: Up to this RB tier. Don't sleep on him as the the Week 1 starter.  97. Jordan Reed: Moved him up about 30 spots.  Could be a top-5 TE if healthy. 98. Kirk Cousins: Moved down to this QB tier with Stafford/Rivers. 99. Matthew Stafford  100. Philip Rivers  101. Sammy Watkins 102. Julian Edelman 103. Rishard Matthews: In a contract year, and I think Mariota has more TDs this year. Up. 104. Marqise Lee 105. D.J. Moore 106. D'Onta Foreman 107. Frank Gore 108. Matt Breida: Call me crazy, but I think he'll get plenty of touches in a decent offense. Up. 109. Jamison Crowder  110. Cooper Kupp 111. Kenny Stills  112. Marquise Goodwin 113. Jordy Nelson: I move him slightly down in every rankings update... 114. Nelson Agholor 115. Josh Doctson  116. Mike Williams 117. Michael Gallup: Up a WR tier. Could be the #1 WR in Dallas. 118. Bilal Powell  119. Giovani Bernard 120. Carlos Hyde  121. Trey Burton 122. Jordan Matthews: Up a WR tier too. He could be useful even beyond the first 4 games. 123. Geronimo Allison: Cobb in a contract year which makes Allison a more attractive keeper. Up. 124. Kenny Golladay: Good keeper potential with Tate in a contract year. Up. 125. Calvin Ridley 126. Cameron Meredith: Down slightly in this WR tier. His health could be an issue Week 1. 127. Chris Carson: What if Penny's NOT the guy? Carson back into top-150. 128. Duke Johnson 129. Kenneth Dixon: Moved him and Clement up. Both should be more involved this year. 130. Corey Clement 131. Nyheim Hines: I think about Indy being down in games and him being involved a lot. Up. 132. Theo Riddick 133. Dez Bryant: Down two more WR tiers as he remains unsigned. 134. Tyler Lockett 135. Paul Richardson 136. Tyrell Williams: He felt a little high, assuming Mike Williams healthy now. Down. 137. Ryan Grant: Let's assume Luck is healthy & Grant is the #2 WR. Up. 138. Spencer Ware 139. Peyton Barber: Down a couple of RB tiers. Starting to feel more like a handcuff. 140. Jared Goff 141. Marcus Mariota 142. George Kittle 143. Charles Clay 144. Austin Seferian-Jenkins: Down a couple of spots in this last TE tier. 145. Chargers DEFENSE 146. Broncos DEFENSE 147. Jaguars DEFENSE 148. Ravens DEFENSE 149. Rams DEFENSE 150. Saints DEFENSE 151. Eagles DEFENSE 152. Vikings DEFENSE 153. Steelers DEFENSE 154. Lions DEFENSE: Removed the Seahawks. Detroit has a good early schedule. 155. Patriots DEFENSE 156. Titans DEFENSE: Replaced the Chiefs with the Titans. TEN@MIA Week 1. Watch List: QBs Jimmy Garoppolo: Down to the watch list with Mahomes. Patrick Mahomes: Because to be honest, someone will draft them way higher than I will anyway. Matt Ryan Alex Smith Ben Roethlisberger Dak Prescott Blake Bortles Mitchell Trubisky RBs Latavius Murray Chris Ivory Jordan Wilkins Ty Montgomery Doug Martin James White Jeremy Hill Kalen Ballage LeGarrette Blount Ameer Abdullah Charles Sims Austin Ekeler T.J. Yeldon WRs John Ross Mohamed Sanu Willie Snead John Brown Albert Wilson Ted Ginn Jaron Brown Kenny Britt Chester Rogers Deon Cain Chris Godwin Terrelle Pryor Quincy Enunwa Jermaine Kearse James Washington Dante Pettis Courtland Sutton Christian Kirk Anthony Miller Donte Moncrief Dede Westbrook Keelan Cole Keke Coutee: Added to the watch list. If he's the #3 WR, could shine if an injury to Nuke or Fuller. J'Mon Moore: He could beat out Allison for the #3 WR spot in Green Bay. Added to the list. TEs Hayden Hurst Mike Gesicki Tyler Eifert Benjamin Watson David Njoku Jack Doyle Eric Ebron O.J. Howard Cameron Brate Vance McDonald Antonio Gates Ricky Seals-Jones: I know I have too many TEs in my watch list, but what's one more?