2018 Fantasy Football Rankings v4

The last time I updated my rankings, it was right after the NFL draft and the Caps/Penguins series was just underway.  Here we are now in June and the Caps are actually in the Stanley Cup Final!

Not a lot has changed in the NFL in the last month or so though.  There have only been a couple of quasi-meaningful free agent signings: C.J. Anderson to the Panthers and Brandon Marshall to the Seahawks.  There are a couple of signings that haven't happened yet that could have bigger fantasy impacts, including guys like Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray.  Mark Ingram got hit with a 4 game ban for PEDs, so that was a story for a minute or two.  OTAs got underway, and Hunter Henry tore his ACL.  To me, that's a big injury for fantasy because I had him as a top-5 TE.  Of course now everyone is wondering if the Chargers will re-sign Antonio Gates, who could probably end up as a TE1 if he's back with his old team.  To me, this just demonstrates how bleak the tight end landscape is.  I don't feel all that confident about anyone outside of the top 3 or 4 guys now.  So if I don't get one of them, I'll be waiting a while on the position.

Speaking of certain positions like TEs (and QBs), I've lowered a few because I don't like drafting players at those positions with early bye weeks.  While I like Cam Newton to be a top-10 fantasy QB this year, I don't like his early bye.  When your starting QB has a Week 4 bye, it means you're basically forced to draft 2 QBs.  If you don't, you'll be scrambling to pick someone up after just a couple of weeks, and I don't like that scenario.  If you're into drafting two QBs anyway, then Cam's a good pick.  I just usually don't go that route.  The same goes for tight ends.  Greg Olsen and Jordan Reed both have Week 4 byes, and Trey Burton is off in Week 5.  I'm not saying that none of those guys will be top-10 fantasy TEs this year, but who knows?  Maybe none of them will be. 

Either way, I don't like having to snag a backup tight end that early.  It means you'll have to waive some rookie you don't want to give up on just yet...OR you may need to waive Reed or Burton because they get off to a slow start anyway.  Let's be honest though.  If you draft Jordan Reed as your tight end, you'd better draft a second tight end.  I've lowered some of those guys accordingly, and I even moved Trey Burton down to my watch list.  That's not to say you shouldn't draft him, but I probably won't.  I'll likely have Jordan Howard as one of my keepers, and I really don't want more than one Bear on my roster (and then both of them to have an early bye week).  Remember: these are my rankings.  Deal with it.  :)

The other big change in my rankings is going from a top-180 to a top-156.  My 12-team league eliminated kickers this year (YESSSSS!!!!), so we now have two keepers and an 11 round draft...so 13x12 = 156.  Don't worry.  I'll still have a ton of guys in my watch list below the top-156, and I'll be moving people in and out of my main rankings as we get closer to the preseason.  If you have a question about a guy outside of the top-156, shoot it over in the comments.  Unless it's a kicker.  In which case, keep it to yourself.

Let's get to the rankings, shall we?

1. Le'Veon Bell

2. Todd Gurley

3. Ezekiel Elliott

4. Alvin Kamara

5. David Johnson

6. Antonio Brown: Decided to move him down here with Hopkins and have all RBs in top-5.

7. DeAndre Hopkins

8. Saquon Barkley: Swapped him with Dalvin Cook. Hard not to buy into his hype.

9. Leonard Fournette

10. Dalvin Cook

11. Kareem Hunt

12. Melvin Gordon 13. Odell Beckham, Jr. 14. Michael Thomas 15. Julio Jones 16. Keenan Allen: Hunter Henry ACL tear has me moving him up a couple of spots.  17. Rob Gronkowski: Also slightly up with Hunter Henry's injury. It's ugly after top-5 or so TEs... 18. Davante Adams 19. A.J. Green   20. Mike Evans 21. Doug Baldwin: Up to the bottom of this tier. Should be a top-10 WR this season. 22. LeSean McCoy 23. Devonta Freeman            24. Jerick McKinnon 25. Jordan Howard 26. Christian McCaffery: Down just two spots with the Panthers signing C.J. Anderson. 27. Joe Mixon: Up to the bottom of this RB tier. Bengals O-line improved. 28. T.Y. Hilton  29. Adam Thielen 30. Alshon Jeffery: He felt a little high in Round 2. Down to this WR tier. 31. Stefon Diggs: In a contract year and now with Cousins throwing to him. Up a couple of spots. 32. Jay Ajayi  33. Alex Collins: Dixon will be in the mix, but Collins proved he can be the guy. Up.  34. Derrick Henry   35. Aaron Rodgers 36. Amari Cooper 37. Larry Fitzgerald: I know he's old, but he still feels like he belongs up here in this WR tier. 38. Tyreek Hill: I'll be keeping K. Hunt and don't trust Mahomes just yet. Down to this WR tier. 39. Zach Ertz 40. Travis Kelce: Likewise with Kelce. Moved Ertz above him.  Wentz >>> Mahomes. 41. Kenyan Drake 42. Derrius Guice: Up near the top of this RB tier. Feels like he'll be the workhorse.  43. Rashaad Penny: Also moved him WAY up assuming he'll be the lead back in Seattle.  44. Lamar Miller 45. Marvin Jones 46. Demaryius Thomas: I always end up a little too high on Demaryius. Down a couple of WR tiers. 47. JuJu Smith-Schuster 48. Brandin Cooks 49. Michael Crabtree  50. Sony Michel: Too good and in too good of an offense to not be in top-50. Up. 51. Ronald Jones: Will move down if the Bucs sign AP or DeMarco Murray, but they haven't yet... 52. Marshawn Lynch: Not sure why Doug Martin scared me, but I had Marshawn WAY too low. 53. Tevin Coleman   54. Mark Ingram: A 4 game ban for PEDs and a Week 6 bye. Yikes. Down. 55. Russell Wilson  56. Deshaun Watson  57. Carson Wentz 58. Jimmy Graham 59. Golden Tate 60. Josh Gordon: Swapped him with Landry. Gordon with more upside.  61. Corey Davis 62. Allen Robinson: Assuming I'll keep Jordan Howard, I'm lowering A-Rob.  63. Devin Funchess 64. Jarvis Landry 65. Dion Lewis: Felt I had him and Aaron Jones a little high.  Moved both down a few spots. 66. Aaron Jones  67. Marlon Mack: By the time real games start, I'm not so sure he's the starter. Down. 68. Tom Brady: Moved him and Brees down to a tier of their own. 69. Drew Brees 70. Chris Hogan: Moved him above Edelman. Hogan in a contract year, and Edelman injury prone. 71. Will Fuller  72. Robby Anderson: Coming off a great season. UP, though a suspension could be looming... 73. Julian Edelman 74. Royce Freeman: Down a RB tier because I think Booker could win the job. 75. Jamaal Williams: Needed to be in top-100. Could end up with most FPs in GB's backfield. 76. Chris Thompson: Down slightly. Seems like Guice could be the real deal. 77. Kirk Cousins  78. Cam Newton: While I like Cam's receiving options now, I don't like the Week 4 bye.  Down. 79. Evan Engram: Felt like he needed to be down a little more with OBJ back this year. 80. Kyle Rudolph: Moved ahead of Greg Olsen. I really hate the Week 4 bye for a TE... 81. Greg Olsen: Once I realized he had the Week 4 bye, I moved him down to this TE tier. 82. Emmanuel Sanders 83. Randall Cobb: With Jordy out of the picture, Cobb felt too low in the 90s. Up. 84. Kelvin Benjamin 85. Robert Woods 86. DeVante Parker 87. Sterling Shepard  88. Jordy Nelson: Moved him down to this WR tier. Getting old and in a new system.  89. Isaiah Crowell 90. C.J. Anderson: Down slightly, but the JStew role in Carolina isn't terrible...  91. Nick Chubb: Put him in my top-100 and Hyde just outside of it.   92. Rex Burkhead: I felt I dropped him too low. Should still have big role in the offense. 93. DeMarco Murray 94. Frank Gore  95. Sammy Watkins 96. Pierre Garcon 97. Dez Bryant: The longer he's without a team, the more he drops in my rankings... 98. Allen Hurns: Felt he needed to be higher, as he's the likely #1 target for Dak/Dallas...  99. Marqise Lee: Lots of WRs in Jacksonville, but he feels like the #1 guy. 100. Calvin Ridley: Top-70 felt a little high. Down a couple of WR tiers. 101. Andrew Luck 102. Philip Rivers: After careful consideration, I swapped him and Stafford with Goff/Jimmy G. 103. Matthew Stafford 104. Carlos Hyde: Down to this RB tier, but this feels so low for him... 105. Tarik Cohen 106. D'Onta Foreman 107. Giovani Bernard: Down a RB tier. Mixon likely to handle a bigger workload this year. 108. Cooper Kupp: Down a WR tier. Watkins gone, but Gurley/Cooks/Woods options first. 109. Kenny Stills: He felt too low, so he's up a WR tier.   110. Rishard Matthews: Him too. 111. Nelson Agholor 112. Josh Doctson 113. Mike Williams   114. Marquise Goodwin: Him three. 115. Kerryon Johnson 116. Bilal Powell 117. Devontae Booker 118. Theo Riddick 119. Jared Goff 120. Jimmy Garoppolo 121. Jamison Crowder: Down a WR tier. It's uncertain as to who Alex Smith will throw to most. 122. Cameron Meredith: He just felt like he belonged up in this WR tier. 123. D.J. Moore: Not feeling confident about rookie WRs just yet. Down to this tier with Gallup. 124. Michael Gallup 125. Tyrell Williams: Up slightly with Hunter Henry out for the season. Big red zone target...   126. Matt Breida: McKinnon won't be a 3 down back, and Breida could get a lot of touches. Up. 127. Duke Johnson: Moved down after the Browns drafted Chubb, but he still felt too high. Down. 128. Peyton Barber: Up to this RB tier. As long as Bucs don't sign someone else, he'll have big role.  129. Corey Clement: Eagles re-signed Sproles, so Clement down a couple of RB tiers. 130. Delanie Walker  131. Jordan Reed: The dreaded Week 4 bye, and he'll probably be hurt by then anyway. Down. 132. Austin Seferian-Jenkins 133. Paul Richardson: He could actually be the #1 WR in Washington. Up.  134. Geronimo Allison 135. Martavis Bryant 136. Mohamed Sanu: Up to this WR tier. Boring pick that will be a solid FLEX. 137. Tyler Lockett   138. Nyheim Hines  139. Kenneth Dixon: Should compete with Collins for touches, as long as he stays active.  140. Spencer Ware: Moved into top-156. Handcuff for Hunt (who I'll keep)...also contract year. 141. Tyler Eifert 142. Mike Gesicki  143. Matt Ryan 144. Alex Smith 145. Chargers DEFENSE 146. Broncos DEFENSE 147. Jaguars DEFENSE 148. Ravens DEFENSE 149. Rams DEFENSE 150. Saints DEFENSE: I keep moving them up, but I hope to get one of my top-3 Ds. 151. Eagles DEFENSE 152. Vikings DEFENSE 153. Steelers DEFENSE 154. Patriots DEFENSE 155. Chiefs DEFENSE 156. Seahawks DEFENSE Watch List: QBs Jameis Winston Derek Carr Ben Roethlisberger Patrick Mahomes Dak Prescott Sam Darnold Marcus Mariota Case Keenum Eli Manning Blake Bortles Mitch Trubisky Andy Dalton RBs Jordan Wilkins: Mike Clay thinks Wilkins will lead the Colt backfield in touches, so added here. LeGarrette Blount: Patricia may use him as goal line back, but lots of RBs in Detroit. Down. Latavius Murray: As long as Dalvin is healthy for Week 1, he's a pure handcuff.  Down. Doug Martin: Down to the watch list until we see his usage in Raider offense. Ty Montgomery: All the way down to the watch list until further notice. Samaje Perine: With the hype around Guice gaining steam, Perine felt like he belonged down here. Chris Carson: Same with Penny and Carson. He just feels like an afterthought for fantasy. C.J. Prosise Jonathan Stewart James White Jeremy Hill Jalen Richard DeAndre Washington Joe Williams Eddie Lacy Charles Sims Orleans Darkwa Terrance West Javorius Allen Chris Ivory James Conner Alfred Morris Damien Williams Austin Ekeler John Kelly Darren Sproles: He's not done just yet...added to the watch list. Elijhaa Penny: If you draft DJ, probably want Penny as the handcuff. Added to watch list. Ameer Abdullah: Down to the watch list. I feel like he'll be out of the mix in Detroit. T.J. Yeldon: Basically just a handcuff if Fournette gets hurt. Down to the watch list. WRs Kenny Golladay Chris Godwin DeSean Jackson James Washington: Will he fit in right away in Pittsburgh? Felt like he belonged down here. Christian Kirk: He also doesn't feel like a top-150 guy just yet... J.J. Nelson Brice Butler: Moved down to watch list too. Not sure I want a Cardinal WR other than Fitz. Brandon Marshall: Signed with the Seahawks. One year deal. Stays in watch list for now. Jaron Brown: Down to the watch list with the Seahawks signing Marshall. Terrelle Pryor: Down to the watch list. I can't trust him after last season. Quincy Enunwa Dante Pettis: He belonged down to the watch list. No sure thing he'll even be a starter. Jordan Matthews: Removed from my top-150 til he shows me something. Malcolm Mitchell Corey Coleman Jeremy Maclin Willie Snead John Brown Kevin White Taylor Gabriel John Ross Chester Rogers: I don't see why he couldn't be the #2 WR in Indy. Added to the watch list. Ryan Grant Dontrelle Inman Ted Ginn Kenny Britt Dede Westbrook: Down to the watch list. Too many WRs in JAX, including D.J. Chark now. Keelan Cole D.J. Chark Eric Decker Jermaine Kearse Travis Benjamin Mike Wallace: Lots of mouths to feed in Philly. Will be inconsistent. Down to watch list. Mack Hollins Kendall Wright Donte Moncrief Jaleel Scott Anthony Miller Courtland Sutton Deon Cain TEs Rico Gathers: With Witten out of the picture and Dallas with not great WRs, Gathers added. Antonio Gates: Move well into top-180 if the Chargers re-sign him. For now, the watch list. Trey Burton: Down to the watch list. Week 5 bye kind of stinks & I'll likely keep J. Howard. Benjamin Watson Jack Doyle Eric Ebron Charles Clay Austin Hooper George Kittle David Njoku Luke Wilson: Could be the #1 TE in Detroit. Added to the list. Nick Vannett: Also a deep sleeper, who could replace some of Graham's lost production. Jake Butt Hayden Hurst Mark Andrews

2018 Fantasy Football Rankings v3

I watched a little more than half of the first round of the NFL draft, but my wife and I couldn't stay awake to see the Ravens make their pick.  We tried, but Baltimore kept trading back!  We woke up the next morning and realized not only did Baltimore take a tight end with their first pick, but they also traded up to get Philly's first rounder...where they drafted Lamar Jackson.  Woa!  Ozzie Newsome changing it up in what is to be his last draft with the Ravens.  You think of Baltimore usually drafting defense in Round 1, but they went with a couple of picks for their offense.  I thought Jackson might go to a team like Arizona or Miami and potentially start right away, but now I'm thinking he won't be the starter until 2019 at the earliest, so he's off my watch list.  I also removed any Giant RBs not named Saquon from my top-180.  Thanks for the clarity at that position, New York!  It really helps me with my rankings.  :)

As for my Redskins, I guess I was OK with them drafting Payne, but I wanted Derwin James there.  I really did.  I also wanted the Caps to not fall apart in the third period and blow a 2-0 lead in Game 1, but we can't always get what we want.  At least they bounced back and took Game 2 though.  It's shaping up to be a great series, as always.

But back to the NFL draft and how it impacted my rankings....

There are plenty of other guys to talk about, and I'll mostly focus on the RBs and WRs.  I won't waste much time talking about QBs.  I was kind of shocked the Browns took Baker Mayfield at #1, but I guess I shouldn't be shocked by anything that organization does.  Poor Tyrod.  I removed him from my rankings, and I don't even have either QB on my watch list.  No thanks.  As for the rest of my rankings, they've shaken up quite a bit.

Let's get right to them, shall we?

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

9. Leonard Fournette

10. Saquon Barkley: I thought he'd fall to the 5-7 range, but the Giants took him at #2. Up two spots.

11. Kareem Hunt

12. Melvin Gordon 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 25. Alshon Jeffery 26. Christian McCaffery 27. Jordan Howard 28. Jerick McKinnon 29. T.Y. Hilton  30. Tyreek Hill 31. Adam Thielen 32. Demaryius Thomas 33. Jay Ajayi  34. Derrick Henry 35. Joe Mixon   36. Aaron Rodgers 37. Travis Kelce 38. Zach Ertz: Moved him up here with Kelce. Could see him ending up as #1 fantasy TE. 39. Amari Cooper 40. Stefon Diggs 41. Larry Fitzgerald: I think Rosen to Fitzgerald could be magic. Up.  42. JuJu Smith-Schuster: He's up a WR tier with Martavis getting traded to the Raiders. 43. Marvin Jones: He belongs up here too... 44. Michael Crabtree 45. Brandin Cooks 46. Allen Robinson 47. Kenyan Drake 48. Lamar Miller 49. Alex Collins 50. Marlon Mack 51. Derrius Guice: Once thought to be a 1st rounder, ended up with my Redskins in Rd 2. Down.  52. Tevin Coleman  53. Ronald Jones: Will presumably be the workhorse back for Tampa. WAY Up. 54. Dion Lewis 55. Aaron Jones: The Packers didn't draft a RB, so he's up to this tier. 56. Russell Wilson   57. Deshaun Watson   58. Carson Wentz  59. Tom Brady: Moved these three QBs back up to make this one giant QB tier. 60. Cam Newton: And bumped Cam above Brees. He has some receivers to throw to now. 61. Drew Brees    62. Evan Engram: Down a few spots. Saquon likely to get more TDs in the red zone. 63. Greg Olsen: Moved him and Graham up a few spots ahead of some RBs and WRs. 64. Jimmy Graham 65. Golden Tate 66. Corey Davis 67. Jarvis Landry: He and Gordon down a WR tier with this Baker Mayfield nonsense.   68. Josh Gordon   69. Devin Funchess: Down slightly with the Panthers drafting D.J. Moore in the first round. 70. Calvin Ridley: Atlanta is a great spot for him to perform in Year 1. Up.   71. Rashaad Penny: Seattle took him in the first round for a reason.  Way up from #158. 72. Sony Michel: The Patriots took him in Round 1. Their RB usage drives me nuts. Slightly down. 73. Chris Thompson  74. C.J. Anderson: Still unsigned. Down even more... 75. Royce Freeman: And with C.J. out of the picture, Denver is a great spot for Royce. Up. 76. Will Fuller 77. Julian Edelman 78. Dez Bryant 79. Jordy Nelson: Down slightly with the arrival of Martavis. 80. Kirk Cousins  81. Kyle Rudolph  82. Hunter Henry 83. Robby Anderson 84. Kelvin Benjamin 85. Robert Woods 86. Emmanuel Sanders 87. Sterling Shepard 88. DeVante Parker 89. Isaiah Crowell 90. Marshawn Lynch 91. Carlos Hyde: Had him in my top-40 til the Browns drafted Chubb.  Now WAY down. 92. DeMarco Murray 93. Frank Gore 94. Giovani Bernard 95. Sammy Watkins 96. Pierre Garcon 97. D.J. Moore: Cracks my top-100 after the Panthers selected him in the first round. 98. Randall Cobb 99. Chris Hogan: Needed to be up a couple of WR tiers with Cooks gone. 100. Cooper Kupp 101. Andrew Luck 102. Jared Goff 103. Jimmy Garoppolo 104. Jordan Reed  105. Nick Chubb: Should battle with Carlos Hyde for reps. Down slightly for now. 106. Tarik Cohen 107. Jamaal Williams 108. Rex Burkhead: I had him all the way up at #62, but way down after the Pats drafted Michel. 109. Corey Clement 110. D'Onta Foreman 111. Allen Hurns 112. Nelson Agholor   113. Marqise Lee  114. Josh Doctson 115. Mike Williams 116. Jamison Crowder 117. Bilal Powell 118. Theo Riddick 119. Duke Johnson: What will be his role with Chubb and Hyde presumably ahead of him? Down.  120. Kerryon Johnson: The Lions took him at #43, but they have so many RBs. Cautiously up. 121. Philip Rivers: I know this feels high, but he's a top-12 fantasy QB like every year. Up. 122. Matthew Stafford   123. Michael Gallup: The Cowboys drafted him in Round 3. I like the pick. Up.   124. Marquise Goodwin 125. James Washington: A 2nd round pick by Pittsburgh.  He also belongs up the list. 126. Rishard Matthews  127. Kenny Stills: Down to this WR tier. Inconsistent.  128. Jordan Matthews 129. Devontae Booker: I'm just going to assume Royce Freeman is better.  Booker down. 130. LeGarrette Blount 131. Samaje Perine: WAY down with the Redskins drafting Guice in Round 2. 132. Doug Martin 133. Latavius Murray 134. Austin Seferian-Jenkins 135. Delanie Walker  136. Cameron Meredith: With Snead gone, I felt he needed to be higher. 137. Jaron Brown: Now in Seattle, I have a feeling he's in for another career year. Up. 138. Geronimo Allison: Could be the #2 WR with Rodgers throwing to him. Up. 139. Christian Kirk: Went 2nd round to the Cardinals and into my top-150. 140. Matt Breida 141. Nyheim Hines: I could see this little rookie being the third down back in Indy. 142. Ty Montgomery 143. Chris Carson: Was in my top-100 until the Seahawks took Rashaad Penny in Round 1. Down. 144. Peyton Barber: The Bucs drafted a RB early. Barber back down. 145. Tyrell Williams 146. Mike Wallace  147. Paul Richardson 148. Martavis Bryant: Who knows what he'll do in Oakland. Down slightly. 149. Dede Westbrook: Down with the Jags drafting a WR so high. 150. Terrelle Pryor 151. Brice Butler 152. Tyler Lockett 153. T.J. Yeldon 154. Ameer Abdullah: Kerryon Johnson, Blount, and Riddick likely all ahead of him. Down. 155. Trey Burton 156. Tyler Eifert 157. Mike Gesicki: Drafted in the 2nd round by the Dolphins. Good spot to be a top-15 TE. 158. Matt Ryan 159. Alex Smith: Not sure he belonged anywhere near top-10 QBs in a new system. Down. 160. Jameis Winston  161. Derek Carr: Moved into top-180. Got Martavis to add to Amari and Jordy. 162. Dak Prescott: No Dez. No Witten. Way down. 163. Ben Roethlisberger 164. Patrick Mahomes: Added him and Sam Darnold up here too. Why not in a keeper league? 165. Sam Darnold 166. Dante Pettis: Drafted in Round 2 by the 49ers. This one is interesting to me, so he's up here. 167. Willie Snead: Added to top-180. Should fill the Maclin role in Baltimore. 168. Mohamed Sanu: Down slightly with the Falcons taking Ridley in the first round. 169. Chargers DEFENSE: Derwin James was a steal at #17. They remain my #1 fantasy defense. 170. Broncos DEFENSE: I love their schedule, and Bradley Chubb was a great addition. Up!  171. Jaguars DEFENSE 172. Ravens DEFENSE 173. Rams DEFENSE 174. Eagles DEFENSE 175. Vikings DEFENSE 176. Saints DEFENSE: Traded up in 1st Rd for defense. They're a sleeper top-10 D this year. Up. 177. Seahawks DEFENSE 178. Steelers DEFENSE 179. Chiefs DEFENSE 180. Patriots DEFENSE ...and here's my Watch List: QBs Marcus Mariota  Case Keenum Eli Manning Blake Bortles Mitch Trubisky Andy Dalton RBs Jonathan Stewart: The Giants drafted Saquon, so JStew becomes irrelevant.  Down. James White: Down to the watch list with the Pats drafting Sony Michel. Jeremy Hill Jalen Richard DeAndre Washington Joe Williams Austin Ekeler C.J. Prosise Eddie Lacy: Still a free agent... Charles Sims: Still a free agent... Orleans Darkwa: Still a free agent. Down to watch list. Maybe he'll sign elsewhere... Rob Kelley Adrian Peterson Spencer Ware Javorius Allen Kenneth Dixon Terrance West: Added to the watch list (also currently a free agent). Chris Ivory James Connor Mike Gillislee Alfred Morris: Still a free agent... Damien Williams Tion Green Elijah McGuire Thomas Rawls John Kelly: Drafted late by the Chargers. Stays here for now, but probably should be removed. Danny Woodhead (RETIRED but still in watch list in case he changes his mind) WRs Malcolm Mitchell: Down to the watch list with the Pats signing Jordan Matthews. Corey Coleman Jeremy Maclin: Baltimore released him...still a free agent. Chris Godwin DeSean Jackson J.J. Nelson Kenny Golladay John Ross John Brown Kevin White Taylor Gabriel: Added to the watch list because he could be the #2 WR in Chicago. Ryan Grant Dontrelle Inman: Still a free agent... Ted Ginn Brandon Marshall: Giants released him...still a free agent. Kenny Britt Keelan Cole Eric Decker: Still a free agent... Quincy Enunwa Travis Benjamin Mack Hollins Kendall Wright Danny Amendola Albert Wilson Donte Moncrief Jermaine Kearse Jaleel Scott: Drafted by Baltimore in the 4th round. Kind of interesting. D.J. Chark: Drafted early by the Jags, but they have a lot of WRs, so he'll stay down here. Anthony Miller: Drafted by the Bears in Round 2. Doubt he'll have value right away. Down. Courtland Sutton: Denver doesn't feel like a great landing spot with fantasy for Year 1. Down. Deon Cain: Drafted by the Colts pretty late. He'll stay in the watch list for now. TEs O.J. Howard Jack Doyle Eric Ebron Hayden Hurst: Flacco loves throwing to his TEs, but they also drafted Mark Andrews... Mark Andrews: So I'm leaving both in the watch list for now. Charles Clay Austin Hooper Cameron Brate David Njoku Jake Butt George Kittle Benjamin Watson

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.