A week ago, I was genuinely excited to watch Washington's first preseason game. But excitement quickly led to anxiety when Derrius Guice left the game due to a leg injury. At the time, I could see him with trainers saying "it's my knee". Oh boy. The next day we learned he tore his ACL and will have to wait another season to play in a real NFL game. To me, this serves as a reminder of several things:
1. The NFL should get rid of preseason games (or at least cut the amount of them in half).
2. No matter how much you like or dislike your fantasy team after your draft, a real life injury (or ten of them) are going to impact your squad over the course of the season.
3. The waiver wire is your friend.
4. The football gods want Dan Snyder to change the name of the team, and this is some sort of sick punishment.
5. Obviously #4 is (mostly) a joke. I mean, I think the team should change the name, but whatever. I don't own the team or run the NFL. The real reminder in all of this is that Derrius Guice is an actual human being.
And don't let the internet fool you. For every tweet at this young man saying "You suck!" or "You ruined my fantasy team!!", there are 10 more that are positive and wishing him the best. So don't assume everyone is a troll just because a few make the most noise. I tend to believe the vast majority of people who pay attention to football would feel bad for Guice and hope he gets back on the field next year. I even saw plenty of tweets that were apparently from other NFC East fans genuinely feeling bad for the guy. And that's the reaction you
should have.
Don't be that guy who enjoys someone getting injured on your opponent's fantasy team (or real life team for that matter). Don't be that guy who gets pissed off when the guy on
your fantasy team has a season-ending injury.
DO be that guy who gives your buddy a hard time when he drafts Guice in the 5th Round this year after thinking "Oh man! I'm getting a steal here!!!". Absolutely do
that. But just be a decent human being, OK? An NFL player tearing his ACL might have an impact to your fantasy team this year. But you know what? You didn't tear your ACL. Or at least I assume you didn't. You know what? If you tore your ACL in a fit of rage after watching one of your fantasy players tear his ACL, I'm probably going to make fun of
you. But I'm not enjoying that NFL player getting injured. Not even a little bit.
OK. I'm off my soapbox now.
My last rankings update was just three weeks ago, but I wanted to get one more out there before Week 1 of the season. Yes, this will be the last one. My draft is in just two weeks, and I'm sure plenty of other people have already drafted or
will draft in the next couple of weeks. A lot might change between now and the time of your draft, as I'm sure there will be injuries (especially in those third preseason games next week). So keep an eye on injury updates leading up to your fantasy draft because I'm not planning to update these rankings again.
This time around I thought I'd separate my rankings into chunks of 12 so you can see each group as a
round in a 12 team league. You'll also then notice how I've separated tiers of RBs and WRs into these chunks, while sprinkling in the QBs and TEs. And of course, the defenses are at THE END. Hopefully this will be a good final cheat sheet if you haven't drafted yet. I've even provided some draft notes after each round to give you an idea of my draft strategy in a standard league.
And with that, let's get to my last preseason rankings before the 2018 season begins. I'll see you in Week 1!
Cheers,
Bart
| 1. Ezekiel Elliott |
| 2. Le'Veon Bell |
| 3. Todd Gurley |
| 4. Alvin Kamara |
| 5. David Johnson |
| 6. Saquon Barkley |
| 7. Antonio Brown |
| 8. Odell Beckham, Jr. |
| 9. DeAndre Hopkins |
| 10. Julio Jones |
| 11. Michael Thomas |
12. Davante Adams
No changes to my top-12. Grab one of my top-6 RBs or top-6 WRs in Round 1.
| 13. Rob Gronkowski |
| 14. Leonard Fournette |
| 15. Dalvin Cook |
| 16. Kareem Hunt |
| 17. Melvin Gordon |
| 18. Devonta Freeman |
| 19. Christian McCaffery: Moved up to this RB tier, where I feel like he belongs. |
| 20. Keenan Allen |
| 21. T.Y. Hilton |
| 22. A.J. Green |
| 23. Mike Evans |
24. Doug Baldwin
I'd consider Gronk in Round 2. Otherwise, if you drafted a RB in Round 1, take a WR here. If you drafted a WR in Round 1, take a RB here.
| 25. Joe Mixon |
| 26. Jordan Howard: With Guice done for the year, moved Howard back up to fill this spot. |
| 27. LeSean McCoy: No suspension yet, so I've moved him back up to this RB tier (for now). |
| 28. Stefon Diggs |
| 29. Larry Fitzgerald |
| 30. Amari Cooper |
| 31. Adam Thielen |
| 32. Alex Collins |
| 33. Marshawn Lynch: Dude looks fresh in the preseason, and Gruden will run. Up. |
| 34. Lamar Miller: Also up slightly to this RB tier. Foreman likely to start the year on the PUP list. |
| 35. Jay Ajayi |
36. Royce Freeman: WAY up. He has a good chance to be the lead back in a good offense.
Depending on where your pick is in this round, grab a RB or WR. Personally, I'd probably go RB because I feel like WR is way deeper.
| 37. Zach Ertz: Decided he wasn't quite worth a 2nd/3rd round pick. Down. |
38. Travis Kelce
39. Chris Hogan: Moved up to this WR tier. I believe in his WR1 potential. |
| 40. JuJu Smith-Schuster |
| 41. Demaryius Thomas |
| 42. Brandin Cooks: Up slightly to this WR tier. Dude got paid for a reason. Will get targets. |
| 43. Jerick McKinnon: His injury only adds to questions about being a #1 RB. Down. |
| 44. Kenyan Drake: Moved him and Henry back up a RB tier, but not crazy about either. |
| 45. Derrick Henry: This entire RB tier (of 3 guys) is full of question marks... |
| 46. Tyreek Hill |
| 47. Golden Tate: Consistent. Jim Bob Cooter likes to throw. Up a WR tier. |
48. Michael Crabtree
Something tells me Kelce and Ertz won't last until Round 4, but if they do, I'd absolutely draft one of them here. Otherwise, I'm getting another WR because I likely took another RB in Round 3.
| 49. Aaron Rodgers: Decided to move him up slightly to be in a QB tier of his own. |
| 50. Rex Burkhead: With Michel missing the preseason with an injury, Burkhead up to this RB tier. |
| 51. Ronald Jones: Struggling with pass pro in camp, so he's down a RB tier. |
| 52. Sony Michel: Down slightly in this RB tier. Tough for a rookie to miss so much time early on. |
| 53. Dion Lewis |
| 54. Tevin Coleman |
| 55. Mark Ingram |
| 56. Corey Davis |
| 57. Marvin Jones |
| 58. Jarvis Landry |
| 59. Allen Robinson |
60. Alshon Jeffery: The shoulder is a concern. Might start season on the PUP list. Down.
I'll be honest. I don't feel great about these tiers of RBs & WRs, and I have a feeling a lot of these guys might move around for me in the next couple of weeks. That's kind of why I moved Aaron Rodgers up to this round. At least he feels like a sure thing. Someone else will likely take Rodgers in the first 3 rounds though, so don't expect him to fall this far in your draft. Personally, I'm planning to wait a while on QB. You're probably looking to fill your FLEX spot in this round, so another RB or WR is likely the pick. However, this round also has several guys who are probably going to start the year injured or suspended, so you might just be drafting a top reserve in Round 5. Don't worry, you can still find a FLEX guy in the next few rounds if you decide you want to take a guy like Mark Ingram or Alshon Jeffery here.
| 61. Deshaun Watson |
| 62. Tom Brady |
| 63. Russell Wilson |
| 64. Jimmy Graham |
| 65. Kyle Rudolph |
| 66. Greg Olsen |
| 67. Delanie Walker |
| 68. Jamaal Williams: Up to this mini RB tier. Has a good chance to be lead back for the Packers. |
| 69. Rashaad Penny: Injured his hand, and Carson sounds like the starter anyway. Down. |
| 70. Devin Funchess |
| 71. Josh Gordon |
72. Sammy Watkins: Possibly being irrational, but I moved him up a couple of WR tiers.
My first QB tier after Rodgers. Again, I doubt any of these signal callers will last this long. Once people start filling their roster with RBs and WRs in the first 3 or 4 rounds, they immediately start considering a quarterback. So these three will be gone before Round 6. But people also start considering this group of tight ends after their roster starts to feel more complete. If any of these TEs are there in this round, I'll likely grab one of them.
| 73. Tarik Cohen |
| 74. Chris Thompson: With Guice done for the year :( , Thompson's value goes up. |
| 75. Isaiah Crowell: Back up a handful of spots because I think he'll be the lead back for the Jets. |
| 76. Cam Newton |
| 77. Andrew Luck |
| 78. Carson Wentz |
| 79. Drew Brees |
| 80. Marquise Goodwin: Looking good in camp. Moved him into Garcon's spot/tier. |
| 81. Randall Cobb |
| 82. Will Fuller: Up a WR tier. I don't want to wait too long on his huge potential. |
| 83. Sterling Shepard: Down a WR tier. He's just going way later in drafts. Can probably wait. |
84. Allen Hurns
If I don't have a QB by now, I'll try to snag one here in Round 7. All of these guys could easily be top-5 fantasy quarterbacks, which is why I like to wait on this position. If for some reason they're all gone, I'll scoop up one of these WRs with high upside.
| 85. Marlon Mack: Already hurt in preseason and down a RB tier. |
| 86. Aaron Jones: Up a bit to form this RB tier with Mack/others. |
| 87. Kerryon Johnson |
| 88. Chris Carson: Up a few RB tiers. Looks to be the Week 1 starter. |
| 89. C.J. Anderson: Down a RB tier, but still could have good role in offense. |
| 90. Kelvin Benjamin |
| 91. DeVante Parker: A broken finger could cause him to miss a couple of games. Down. |
| 92. Robert Woods |
| 93. Pierre Garcon: Jimmy G seems to favor Goodwin. Garcon down a WR tier. |
| 94. Robby Anderson |
| 95. Emmanuel Sanders |
96. Jordan Reed: He's up slightly to be in a risky TE tier of his own.
At this point in the draft I'm stocking up on backup RBs and WRs. Any one of these guys could be a good FLEX play as early as Week 1 (except for the case of Aaron Jones...Week 3). If I've had a couple of beers, I might get crazy and reach for the rarely-healthy Jordan Reed.
| 97. Kirk Cousins |
| 98. Matthew Stafford |
| 99. Philip Rivers |
| 100. Julian Edelman |
| 101. D.J. Moore |
| 102. Jamison Crowder: Moved him up a WR tier. Could be go-to guy for Alex Smith. |
| 103. Marqise Lee |
| 104. Nelson Agholor: The injury to Alshon could provide him more opportunities. Up. |
| 105. Evan Engram: Down even more. I think he could finish outside of the top-10 TEs. |
| 106. Carlos Hyde: Moved him up and Chubb down. Hyde is the starter. |
| 107. Bilal Powell: Up a RB tier with Elijah McGuire likely to miss a few games. |
108. Devontae Booker: Down a bit to this RB tier. I'm starting to think Royce will be the guy.
Round 9 is more of the same as with Round 8. If for some reason I don't have a QB at this point in the draft, I feel comfortable with one of these guys. Every one of them find themselves in the top-10 more often than not. The rest of this group is kind of all over the place, so I'll just listen to my gut at this point in the draft.
| 109. Cooper Kupp |
| 110. Kenny Stills |
| 111. Mike Williams |
| 112. Rishard Matthews: Hasn't been healthy in camp. Down. |
| 113. Josh Doctson |
| 114. Michael Gallup |
| 115. Peyton Barber: Up a couple of RB tiers. Sounds like he could be the Week 1 starter. |
| 116. Rob Kelley: Looking like the lead back with Guice out and Perine now with an ankle injury. |
| 117. Nick Chubb: Too many RBs in Cleveland. Down a couple of RB tiers. |
| 118. Giovani Bernard |
| 119. Matt Breida |
120. Trey Burton
I'd say by Round 10 I will have had enough beers to try to draft someone who was already drafted a couple of rounds earlier. This is usually the time I try to stick to my rankings because in the back of my mind, I know there's a reason I ranked Peyton Barber and Rob Kelley this highly. Oh right. They'll probably both be starting running backs who get goal line carries Week 1.
| 121. Tyler Lockett: Baldwin ailing. Lockett in a contract year. Targets to go around. Up a WR tier. |
| 122. Kenny Golladay |
| 123. Jordy Nelson: Another rankings update and Jordy down another WR tier. |
| 124. John Ross: Got him into the rankings with Brandon LaFell released. HIGH upside. |
| 125. Ryan Grant: Up even more with the injury to Cain. Grant likely to be Luck's #2 WR. |
| 126. Paul Richardson |
| 127. Geronimo Allison |
| 128. Calvin Ridley |
| 129. Duke Johnson |
| 130. Kenneth Dixon |
| 131. Corey Clement |
132. D'Onta Foreman: Likely to begin season on the PUP, so down a couple of RB tiers.
I know what you're thinking..."It's Round 11. My team is basically complete. I should be drafting a defense, right?" Yeah, maybe. Someone will have already drafted the Jags like three rounds ago, and then someone else panicked and drafted the Rams when it got to be their turn again. Relax. You still have 30 defenses to choose from. If you really like the Chargers D (like I do), go ahead and take them a round or two "early". But I'll probably wait until the last round for defense and instead grab what could be a lottery ticket in this round. I'm sticking with depth and likely picking another WR in Round 11.
| 133. Dez Bryant |
| 134. Eric Decker: Replaced Jordan Matthews (IR) with him, but he's down a WR tier. |
| 135. Tyrell Williams |
| 136. John Brown: If healthy, he provides a nice deep threat for Flacco. Added to top-156. |
| 137. Mike Wallace: Added here, but only really viable if Alshon starts the year on the PUP. |
| 138. Cameron Meredith: Dealing with some injuries in camp. Down. |
| 139. Frank Gore: Not sure I still believe in the old man. Down to the last RB tier. |
| 140. Jordan Wilkins: With Hines struggling and Mack injured, Wilkins becomes interesting. |
| 141. Jared Goff |
| 142. Marcus Mariota |
| 143. Charles Clay |
144. George Kittle
What's up, Round 12? Do I really want any of these guys? Not really. But I have to make a pick, so I throw a dart and listen to my gut once again. Which, at this point, is probably full of nachos.
| 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 |
| 155. Patriots DEFENSE |
| 156. Titans DEFENSE |
Did you make it to the last round without drafting a defense? If so, give yourself a pat on the back. There are likely still about 20 to choose from, and I guarantee one of these 12 is still available. And don't worry that the Lions weren't a top-10 fantasy defense last year...wait...they WERE a top-10 fantasy defense last year?!? And they're at home facing the Jets in Week 1?!? Sign me up!
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That's it for the preseason rankings, but here are some more guys to consider on my Watch List: |
QBs
Jimmy Garoppolo
Patrick Mahomes
Matt Ryan
Alex Smith
Ben Roethlisberger
Dak Prescott |
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RBs
Samaje Perine
Ty Montgomery
Spencer Ware: Down to the watch list. Hopefully just a handcuff for Hunt.
Latavius Murray
Nyheim Hines: Not looking great so far. Down to the watch list.
James White
Jeremy Hill
Theo Riddick: Down to the watch list. Too many RBs in Detroit, man!
LeGarrette Blount
Ameer Abdullah
Chris Ivory
Doug Martin
T.J. Yeldon
Kalen Ballage
Charles Sims
Austin Ekeler
Alfred Morris: With half of their RBs already banged up, the 49ers signed him. Added to the list.
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| WRs |
Chris Godwin
Mohamed Sanu
Kenny Britt
Cordarrelle Patterson: Looking good with Brady now throwing to him. Added to the watch list.
Phillip Dorsett: Added him back too. Might need to rank another Pats WR. Just not sure who yet.
Willie Snead
Danny Amendola: Back on the watch list, as he could (sorta) replace Landry in this offense.
Albert Wilson
Ted Ginn
Jaron Brown
Chester Rogers
James Washington
Anthony Miller
Donte Moncrief
Keelan Cole
J'Mon Moore
Corey Coleman: Added back to the watch list with the move to Buffalo.
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| TEs |
Austin Seferian-Jenkins: I only wanted 12 TEs in my top-156, so he's down to the watch list.
Hayden Hurst
Mike Gesicki
Tyler Eifert
David Njoku
Benjamin Watson
Jack Doyle
O.J. Howard
Cameron Brate
Ricky Seals-Jones
Antonio Gates
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