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?

2018 Fantasy Football Rankings v5

The last time I updated my rankings, the Capitals were up 3 games to 1 in the Stanley Cup Final.  As you likely know, they got the job done in Game 5 and won the whole thing for the first time in franchise history.  I still kind of can't believe it.  It wasn't until the next day when I realized I haven't really experienced this as a fan before: the team I root for actually won a championship! 

OK.  So I rooted for Duke basketball in the 90s, and there were a couple of championships I was happy about then.  But this is very different.  I'm an adult now with adult things going on.  I couldn't really care less about Duke basketball anymore, but I'm a fan of the Redskins, Orioles, and the Caps.  Oh, and Tottenham, but that feels secondary compared to American sports.  I live in Mechanicsville, Virginia...not London, England.  But I spend a lot of my time watching those sports teams, mostly on tv, but once or twice a year in person if I can. 

Anyway, I was so excited for all of those guys, but especially Ovi.  The look on his face after the last game was priceless, and there was just so much joy on that ice.  I don't want the feeling to end for those guys.  And as I thought more about it, I realized it's a little strange to feel so happy about the achievements of other grown men - men I don't even know personally.  I didn't do anything but watch them play hockey.  But I've been watching them for years, and so many other Caps fans have shared in those heartbreaking losses and series collapses.  We didn't do anything but cheer them on, but it still feels good now that they've won it.  Congrats, boys!

There haven't been a ton of moves in the NFL since my last update, but that's not stopping me from updating my rankings.  Julian Edelman got hit with a 4 game suspension, so that was big news for a couple of days.  Guys like Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray still haven't signed anywhere, and the Chargers didn't re-sign Antonio Gates like a lot of people expected.  But there's still plenty of time for those things to happen.  I'm sure Gates wouldn't want to go through all of the offseason camp stuff anyway.  It wouldn't surprise me if they sign him in August and he's good to go Week 1.  But for now, he stays in my watch list.  And for now, Dez and DeMarco continue to slide down my big board. 

Lets see who else has moved around in my latest rankings!

1. Le'Veon Bell

2. Todd Gurley

3. Ezekiel Elliott

4. Alvin Kamara

5. Antonio Brown: Up one spot. It felt wrong not having him in the top-5.

6. David Johnson

7. Saquon Barkley

8. Leonard Fournette

9. DeAndre Hopkins: Down to this WR tier, leaving AB in a tier of his own.

10. Odell Beckham, Jr.: And moved these other WRs up into Round 1 too.

11. Michael Thomas

12. Julio Jones 13. Rob Gronkowski: Up a couple more spots with the Edelman suspension. Nearly back into Rd 1. 14. Dalvin Cook 15. Kareem Hunt 16. Melvin Gordon 17. Keenan Allen  18. Davante Adams 19. A.J. Green   20. Mike Evans 21. Doug Baldwin 22. Devonta Freeman      23. Jerick McKinnon    24. Christian McCaffery 25. Joe Mixon  26. LeSean McCoy: Moved to the bottom of this RB tier. His O-line is worse, and he's getting old. 27. T.Y. Hilton  28. Adam Thielen 29. Alshon Jeffery 30. Stefon Diggs 31. Jordan Howard: Down to this RB tier. Nagy sounds like he's going to use Cohen a LOT. 32. Jay Ajayi  33. Alex Collins 34. Derrius Guice: Moving up to this RB tier because he feels like he belongs in Round 3. 35. Zach Ertz: Ertz and Kelce slightly up too. I'm starting to really value the top-3 TEs. 36. Travis Kelce 37. Larry Fitzgerald 38. JuJu Smith-Schuster: Up to this WR tier. Why not? With Martavis gone, he could be special. 39. Amari Cooper 40. Kenyan Drake 41. Derrick Henry: Down a RB tier. New OC sees him and Lewis as "1A and 1B".  Not a good sign. 42. Rashaad Penny 43. Tyreek Hill: Down a WR tier. I don't trust him as much in a new offense with a new QB. 44. Demaryius Thomas 45. Brandin Cooks 46. Marvin Jones 47. Josh Gordon: I feel like Tyrod will get him the ball. Gordon seems to belong in the top-50. 48. Michael Crabtree 49. Aaron Rodgers: Fell about ten spots. QB is deep, and losing Jordy could hurt. 50. Deshaun Watson: Assuming he's fully healthy, I moved him a few spots above Russell Wilson. 51. Sony Michel 52. Lamar Miller: With D'Onta possibly ready for Week 1, I felt I had Miller too high.  53. Marshawn Lynch 54. Ronald Jones 55. Mark Ingram: Back up slightly. Could still be top-12 RB even with missing first 4 games. 56. Tevin Coleman    57. Dion Lewis: There should be plenty of touches for both RBs in this offense. Up. 58. Chris Hogan: Already had him high before Edelman's suspension, but now up a WR tier. 59. Golden Tate 60. Allen Robinson 61. Corey Davis 62. Jarvis Landry 63. Devin Funchess 64. Tom Brady: Moved him back up to the top of this QB tier. 65. Russell Wilson: And moved both him and Wentz down a few spots to this tier. 66. Carson Wentz 67. Marlon Mack 68. Royce Freeman: Up to this RB tier with Marlon Mack. Like Mack, he could be the starter. 69. Chris Thompson: Moved him up too. Should be healthy and have a big role like last year. 70. Allen Hurns: If he can stay healthy, he can replicate his 2015 season. WAY up for me. 71. DeVante Parker: I think I had him too low. Landry leaves a lot of targets in Miami. 72. Sterling Shepard: I also moved him up. Adam Rank has him as a top-12 WR! 73. Will Fuller  74. Pierre Garcon: He was decent last year when healthy. Up a couple of WR tiers. 75. Cam Newton: Swapped him with Kirk. If I draft Cam, I'll just draft another QB (Week 4 bye).  76. Drew Brees: Not a great fantasy year in 2017. Down a bit to this QB tier.  77. Kirk Cousins  78. Jimmy Graham: No sure thing he's a top-5 fantasy TE. Down to here with rest of these guys. 79. Kyle Rudolph  80. Delanie Walker: Moved him WAY back up to this TE tier...above Olsen even! 81. Greg Olsen  82. Evan Engram: Down two spots to the bottom of this TE tier. 83. Rex Burkhead: Up slightly to this RB tier.  84. Isaiah Crowell 85. Kerryon Johnson: Rookie running backs. So hot right now. Up to this RB tier.  86. Emmanuel Sanders 87. Randall Cobb 88. Robert Woods 89. Robby Anderson: A suspension is coming, but how many games will it be?  Down... 90. Kelvin Benjamin 91. Aaron Jones: Head coach making this backfield sound like a 3-headed monster.  Down. 92. Nick Chubb  93. C.J. Anderson 94. Tarik Cohen: Up to this RB tier. Sounds like he'll be very involved in Bear offense this year.  95. Jamaal Williams: Also down, but I have him and Aaron Jones in same RB tier for now. 96. Sammy Watkins 97. Jordy Nelson: Down another WR tier. I just don't trust him without Aaron Rodgers. 98. Marqise Lee 99. D.J. Moore: Up to this WR tier. Could be in a position to be #1 WR in Carolina right away.   100. Julian Edelman: Starting the year with a 4 game PED ban. Down but not out of top-100. 101. Matthew Stafford: Moved to the top of this QB tier. Feels like the safest top-10 QB pick.  102. Andrew Luck 103. Philip Rivers 104. D'Onta Foreman 105. Frank Gore: He felt a little high where I had him. Dolphins could struggle to score TDs. 106. DeMarco Murray: Still unsigned and out of my top-100. 107. Kenny Stills  108. Cooper Kupp 109. Rishard Matthews 110. Marquise Goodwin 111. Dez Bryant: He also falls out of my top-100 after going unsigned for so long. 112. Nelson Agholor 113. Jamison Crowder: Back up a little. Has been top-40 WR and averaged 100 targets last 2 years.  114. Mike Williams 115. Josh Doctson  116. Bilal Powell  117. Peyton Barber: As long as the Bucs don't sign a guy like DeMarco Murray, Barber up for me. 118. Devontae Booker  119. Carlos Hyde: Duke Johnson signed a contract extension. Hyde down even further. 120. Giovani Bernard: Down to the Bilal Powell RB tier. Bilal and Gio feel like similar values. 121. Jordan Reed: Up slightly. This feels like a good spot to take a chance on the injury-prone TE. 122. Trey Burton: Could be this year's Kelce/Ertz. Had to get him back up here, even with early bye. 123. Michael Gallup 124. Cameron Meredith 125. Calvin Ridley: Even in a keeper league, he felt too high in top-100. Julio/Sanu ahead of him. 126. Tyrell Williams 127. Matt Breida 128. Duke Johnson 129. Theo Riddick: SO many RBs in Detroit right now. Down a RB tier. 130. Paul Richardson 131. Kenny Golladay: Without a solid TE now, Golladay feels like option 3 or 4 in this offense. Up. 132. Geronimo Allison 133. Tyler Lockett 134. Jordan Matthews: Some of the worst hands in the NFL, but has Brady throwing to him. Up. 135. Kenneth Dixon 136. Corey Clement: Sproles re-signed and Clement down a RB tier. 137. Spencer Ware 138. Jared Goff: Moved him and Jimmy G down to this last QB tier. 139. Jimmy Garoppolo 140. Marcus Mariota: Got him and Mahomes into my top-150 and Matt Ryan/Alex Smith out of it.  141. Patrick Mahomes 142. Austin Seferian-Jenkins: Down to the last TE tier before the Ds. 143. George Kittle: Added him to this TE tier. Feels safer than a guy like Eifert. 144. Charles Clay: I know he's old, but who else will catch balls in Buffalo? Should get targets. Up. 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. Patriots DEFENSE 155. Chiefs DEFENSE 156. Seahawks DEFENSE Watch List: QBs Matt Ryan Alex Smith Ben Roethlisberger Dak Prescott Blake Bortles Derek Carr Jameis Winston: Bottom of the watch list. Will only draft him if also draft a QB with early bye. RBs Nyheim Hines: Down to the top of the watch list until this backfield gets sorted out. Jordan Wilkins Ty Montgomery Doug Martin Jalen Richard DeAndre Washington James White Jeremy Hill Kalen Ballage: Lots of hype around this rookie, so I added him to the watch list. LeGarrette Blount Ameer Abdullah Latavius Murray Samaje Perine Charles Sims Chris Carson C.J. Prosise Terrance West Chris Ivory James Conner Javorius Allen Austin Ekeler John Kelly Darren Sproles Elijhaa Penny T.J. Yeldon Joe Williams Alfred Morris Orleans Darkwa Eddie Lacy WRs Martavis Bryant: Too many question marks.  Down to the watch list. Mohamed Sanu: Will lose targets to Ridley. Down to the watch list. Albert Wilson: Added to the watch list. Could be #1 WR for Miami this year. Yes, really. John Ross Anthony Miller Kevin White Taylor Gabriel Chris Godwin DeSean Jackson Ted Ginn James Washington Christian Kirk J.J. Nelson Brice Butler Brandon Marshall Jaron Brown Terrelle Pryor Quincy Enunwa Jermaine Kearse Malcolm Mitchell Kenny Britt Jeremy Maclin Willie Snead John Brown Chester Rogers Ryan Grant Dontrelle Inman Dede Westbrook Keelan Cole Donte Moncrief D.J. Chark Eric Decker Travis Benjamin Mike Wallace Mack Hollins Kendall Wright Courtland Sutton Deon Cain Cole Beasley: The Cowboys lost over half of their targets from 2017. Beasley a sneaky late pick. TEs Tyler Eifert: His back issues concern me. Down to the watch list. Mike Gesicki: And while I like his potential, he also belongs in the watch list. At least for now... Hayden Hurst Antonio Gates Benjamin Watson Jack Doyle Eric Ebron Austin Hooper Rico Gathers Blake Jarwin: Not sure who the TE to own in Dallas is, so added Jarwin too (for now). David Njoku Luke Willson Nick Vannett Vance McDonald: Added to the list, assuming he gets more playing time than Jesse James... Clive Walford: A long shot to be a top-15 or so TE, but could be big target if Anderson misses time. O.J. Howard: I definitely have too many TEs on this list, but Howard and Brate should be here. Cameron Brate Jake Butt: He belongs at the END of a list...ya know?

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