I say this every year at the beginning of this article, and I'll say it again:
These are NOT my rankings.
My preseason/draft rankings have things like injury risk, coaching changes, RB committees, and a ton of other things built into them. What I've put together below are my predictions for who could finish the season in the top-12 at each position in a best case scenario with fully healthy seasons (at least for these guys).
The position lists below provide some insight into who I think has major upside, and in the case of the TE position maybe just a boring veteran who will end up in the top-12 because he'll play 17 games and just be solid. When it comes to doing my own fantasy drafts, I still more or less stick to my rankings. But these predictions are fun, and sometimes I highlight these guys on my big board and maybe take them a round or so earlier than his ADP. Bold picks are sprinkled throughout. Let's get to it!
QB
Kyler Murray
Patrick Mahomes
Lamar Jackson
Russell Wilson
Patrick Mahomes
Lamar Jackson
Russell Wilson
Justin Fields
Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Josh Allen
Matthew Stafford
Dak Prescott
Derek Carr
Aaron Rodgers
Kirk Cousins
I have Mahomes ahead of Murray in my preseason rankings, but I feel strongly that Kyler could easily be the #1 fantasy QB this year. And when you look at the rest of my guys here, there's a lot of chalk except for a couple of boring guys at the end (Carr/Cousins) and Justin Fields. As long as Chicago makes Fields the starter within the first couple of weeks, I really think he'll be a top-10 fantasy quarterback. You could say the same for Trey Lance, but I get the feeling Jimmy G will have a longer leash. I want to see Fields in the second half on Sunday night against the Rams and for him to never look back.
RB
Dalvin Cook
Ezekiel Elliott
Christian McCaffrey
Derrick Henry
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Gus Edwards
Jonathan Taylor
Nick Chubb
Austin Ekeler
AJ Dillon
Chris Carson
Sony Michel
So I have a lot of wild cards here. Gus Edwards isn't that crazy as a top-12 fantasy RB after the Dobbins injury, but of course no one is drafting him as such...so it's a little crazy. Sony Michel is definitely crazy on this list, but what if he fills that Cam Akers role and gets double digit touchdowns? The same could be said for AJ Dillon, but I think he'd need Aaron Jones to miss some time in order to crack the top-12 RB list. But anything is possible, and when you look at the top-12 RBs at the end of every season, you need to think a little outside of the box.
WR
Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill
Calvin Ridley
Davante Adams
A.J. Brown
Justin Jefferson
DeAndre Hopkins
Stefon Diggs
Robert Woods
Jerry Jeudy
Chris Godwin
Will Fuller
D.J. Moore
So a couple of guys who likely shouldn't be on this list: Jerry Jeudy and Will Fuller. But with Bridgewater now the QB in Denver, Jeudy will start getting more accurate passes his way. That might be all he needs to breakout in his second year in the league. As for Fuller, he needs to say healthy for a full season and have Tua take the next step (or have Deshaun Watson come to South Beach). Either way, it's obviously a long shot but a healthy Will Fuller could be a top-12 fantasy WR.
TE
Darren Waller
Travis Kelce
Kyle Pitts
Mark Andrews
Austin Hooper
George Kittle
Tyler Higbee
Noah Fant
T.J. Hockenson
Jonnu Smith
Cole Kmet
Gerald Everett
Austin Hooper is seriously flying under the radar this year. He's only in his second season with the Browns, and he missed time last year due to an appendectomy. If he plays a full season, he could end up with 100 targets and easily be a top-10 fantasy TE (maybe even top-5!). As for Cole Kmet, this is banking on Jimmy Graham falling off and maybe Justin Fields using him as a safety net. The talent is there, I just think he needs some more opportunity in this offense.
With the season kicking off Thursday, that's probably a wrap for the preseason articles. I'll keep updating my draft rankings up until close to kickoff of the Bucs/Cowboys game, and I'll post my Week 1 rankings tomorrow!
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