1. Quarterbacks
2. Running Backs
Okay, no time to waste...
PART I: FOUR SUPERSTARS AND A BUNCH OF QUESTION MARKS
I don't think I need to get into Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham, Jr. -- do I?
Keep an eye on AB's minor quad injury throughout the preseason, and of course ODB's lingering ankle issue from last year. Even with minor injury concerns, we're talking about two of the top four fantasy receivers in the game. Generally speaking, these superstars need no introduction.
After The Big Four it gets hairy. Where do we go from there?
The standard, safer plays are A.J. Green and Keenan Allen. I can't really knock either player, but we know Allen has a frustrating history of injuries. When he is out there with Philip Rivers, they have some of the best chemistry in the league. As for the Bengals, they don't have much else outside of A.J. Andy Dalton understandably peppers him with targets. Michael Thomas is a very safe play, as well.
TIER 1 RANKINGS:
1. Antonio Brown
2. DeAndre Hopkins (absolutely love him with Deshaun Watson)
3. Julio Jones
4. Odell Beckham, Jr.
I personally love Davante Adams this year. He's been extremely reliable for me the past couple seasons, and of course Jordy Nelson is in Oakland now. Davante is now Aaron Rodgers' undisputed No. 1 receiver, and he's already a monster in the redzone. He's already established excellent chemistry with A-Rod, and now his role will naturally expand. This is an enticing fantasy situation.
Tyreek Hill is arguably the most electric player in the NFL, but we'll have to wait and see on his chemistry with Pat Mahomes. I probably would have had him 5th or 6th with Alex Smith calling the signals. I tend to prefer comfortable situations between QB and WR.
For example, people were high on Terrelle Pryor heading into last season, but he never meshed with Kirk Cousins in Washington. Eric Decker flopped in Tennessee and the same with Kenny Britt (Cleveland) and Kelvin Benjamin (Buffalo). We know Rivers and Allen have chemistry. Same with Dalton and Green; Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton.
Speaking of Hilton, if Luck can stay on the field, he's always a potential top-tier performer. New HC Frank Reich did a wonderful job in Philadelphia, so I expect the Colts to be lightyears better from a coaching standpoint. Chuck Pagano was a motivator and nothing more. Hilton is only risky because of Luck; on his own, he's a very dangerous wideout.
I'll be honest with you...I don't know what to think about Mike Evans. The conventional wisdom is that the Bucs are an absolute mess -- Dirk Koetter is extremely lucky to still have his job, Jameis Winston is a total disaster on-and-off the field and at this point, Ryan Fitzpatrick is one of the weakest back-up QBs in the game. This is not exactly an ideal situation for a WR1.
But we all know about Evans' pure talent. And he was SUCH a disappointment last year. He could bounce back purely on his own merits, but it's too risky a situation for my personal taste. Guess it depends on where he drops in your particular draft.
TIER 2 RANKINGS (PPR):
5. Keenan Allen
6. Michael Thomas
7. A.J. Green
8. Jarvis Landry (going to get peppered with intermediate throws by Taylor and/or Mayfield)
9. T.Y. Hilton
10. Brandin Cooks
11. Davante Adams
12. Tyreek Hill
13. Adam Thielen
14. Mike Evans
15. Marvin Jones
16. Larry Fitzgerald
17. Emmanuel Sanders
18. Amari Cooper
19. Stefon Diggs
20. Alshon Jeffery
21. Doug Baldwin
Gotta watch Baldwin's knee; but obviously, if healthy, he is Russell Wilson's go-to guy. Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson are both gone.
Diggs is a fantastic all-around receiver, but he has to split looks with Thielen.
Jones was a fantasy monster last season. I'm not sure everyone realized that. In one of my formats he finished 5th among WRs. He and Matthew Stafford have continually improved as a pass-catch duo.
TIER 2 RANKINGS (NON-PPR):
5. Keenan Allen
6. A.J. Green
7. Michael Thomas
8. T.Y. Hilton
9. Davante Adams
10. Marvin Jones
11. Tyreek Hill
12. Brandin Cooks
13. Mike Evans
14. Amari Cooper
15. Jarvis Landry
16. Stefon Diggs
17. Larry Fitzgerald
18. Alshon Jeffery
19. Adam Thielen
20. Emmanuel Sanders
21. Doug Baldwin
Cooks is in the tricky situation I mentioned earlier -- team change...does he get better, worse, or stay the same? It's even trickier when you go from Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels to Sean McVay. These are all elite football minds. The Rams probably NEED Cooks more than the Pats did. I expect him to be a bit more productive than he was in New England.
PART II: ONE HEADACHE AFTER ANOTHER
This is when you start smashing your head against the wall. Talk about a brain-busting section of the draft. So many of these rankings are too close to call...
Demaryius Thomas has never delivered when I needed him in the past, but Case Keenum is a major upgrade over the tumbling triumvirate of Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Keenum, Thomas and Sanders should form a productive fantasy trio.
Chris Hogan looks awfully good early in the season. Julian Edelman is suspended the first four games, and Jordan Matthews has already been released. Furthermore, Britt tweaked his hamstring, and Phillip Dorsett has never done much of anything. Hogan's a pretty safe play in the middle tiers.
Allen Robinson could bounce back, but injuries and incoming passes from Mitchell Trubisky are both concerns. There's upside here, though. Chicago should be fully committed to him.
Devin Funchess really clicked with Cam Newton after Benjamin was traded. Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey will garner plenty of targets, but Funchess is the undisputed WR1 in Carolina. These four players will account for virtually all of the Panthers' offensive production.
As far as vets go, we mostly know what to expect from Golden Tate, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder, DeSean Jackson and Randall Cobb.
TIER 3 RANKINGS (ALL FORMATS):
22. Allen Robinson
23. Devin Funchess
24. Chris Hogan
25. Golden Tate
26. Demaryius Thomas
27. Michael Crabtree
28. Kelvin Benjamin
29. JuJu Smith-Schuster
30. DeVante Parker
31. Sammy Watkins
32. Pierre Garcon
33. Robert Woods
34. Jordy Nelson
35. Marquise Goodwin
36. Jamison Crowder
37. Robby Anderson (look out for a possible suspension, at some point)
Chris Hogan looks awfully good early in the season. Julian Edelman is suspended the first four games, and Jordan Matthews has already been released. Furthermore, Britt tweaked his hamstring, and Phillip Dorsett has never done much of anything. Hogan's a pretty safe play in the middle tiers.
Allen Robinson could bounce back, but injuries and incoming passes from Mitchell Trubisky are both concerns. There's upside here, though. Chicago should be fully committed to him.
Devin Funchess really clicked with Cam Newton after Benjamin was traded. Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey will garner plenty of targets, but Funchess is the undisputed WR1 in Carolina. These four players will account for virtually all of the Panthers' offensive production.
As far as vets go, we mostly know what to expect from Golden Tate, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder, DeSean Jackson and Randall Cobb.
TIER 3 RANKINGS (ALL FORMATS):
22. Allen Robinson
23. Devin Funchess
24. Chris Hogan
25. Golden Tate
26. Demaryius Thomas
27. Michael Crabtree
28. Kelvin Benjamin
29. JuJu Smith-Schuster
30. DeVante Parker
31. Sammy Watkins
32. Pierre Garcon
33. Robert Woods
34. Jordy Nelson
35. Marquise Goodwin
36. Jamison Crowder
37. Robby Anderson (look out for a possible suspension, at some point)
It's a deep and interesting tier, is it not?
Jalen Ramsey says that Joe Flacco "sucks," but Crabtree will see plenty of targets, regardless. On the whole, Crabtree is a frustrating receiver because of drops and oft-questioned toughness, but he makes himself available in the redzone. He's not really much better or worse than anyone else in this tier. Worth a WR3/4 look, depending on how deep your league is.
Speaking of frustrating...yeah...DeVante Parker. Hype Train every single year. That train never seems to pick up much steam; but Landry is gone, so things should be a bit different. I usually stay away, but he'll have to be in the mix with guys like Crabtree, Watkins, Garcon and Nelson in uncertain territory.
Goodwin really clicked with Jimmy Garoppolo. Definitely keep that in mind.
Woods has always been significantly underrated as a pure receiver, but he'll have to share Goff's looks with Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Gurley out of the backfield.
Jalen Ramsey says that Joe Flacco "sucks," but Crabtree will see plenty of targets, regardless. On the whole, Crabtree is a frustrating receiver because of drops and oft-questioned toughness, but he makes himself available in the redzone. He's not really much better or worse than anyone else in this tier. Worth a WR3/4 look, depending on how deep your league is.
Speaking of frustrating...yeah...DeVante Parker. Hype Train every single year. That train never seems to pick up much steam; but Landry is gone, so things should be a bit different. I usually stay away, but he'll have to be in the mix with guys like Crabtree, Watkins, Garcon and Nelson in uncertain territory.
Goodwin really clicked with Jimmy Garoppolo. Definitely keep that in mind.
Woods has always been significantly underrated as a pure receiver, but he'll have to share Goff's looks with Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Gurley out of the backfield.
PART III: THE BEST OF THE REST
Not really sure what happened to Allen Hurns toward the end of his tenure in Jacksonville. Are Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook really that good? "The Allens" -- Hurns and Robinson -- formed one of top receiving duos for a short while. That seemingly dissipated out of thin air. Now Hurns makes for an interesting play with renewed optimism in Dallas. Dez Bryant is out of the picture, and Dak Prescott needs help. Hurns is a textbook flyer.
Marcus Mariota doesn't get much help in Tennessee. From a chemistry standpoint, Rishard Matthews is probably his go-to-guy, but he's been out of practice for "undisclosed reasons." Proceed at your own risk.
We'll see if Pat Shurmur and Saquon Barkley will open things up for Sterling Shepard. He's a good little player.
Corey Davis, Will Fuller and Josh Doctson are still young question marks. Davis seems to have a new injury every week; Fuller needs Deshaun Watson at 100% for all 16 games, and Doctson is in a mix with Richardson, Crowder and Jordan Reed. Don't forget about Chris Thompson out of the backfield, too.
Okay, let's wrap it up...
TIER 4 (ALL FORMATS):
38. Allen Hurns
39. Randall Cobb (especially with Jordy gone)
40. Sterling Shepard
41. Julian Edelman (suspended first four)
42. Keelan Cole (best of the Jags, in my opinion)
43. Danny Amendola (particularly in full-point PPR)
44. Corey Davis
45. Rishard Matthews
46. Nelson Agholor
47. Cooper Kupp (see Amendola's note)
48. Will Fuller
49. Josh Doctson
50. DeSean Jackson
Again, best of luck to all!! And during your prep, don't forget to check out my Quarterback and Running Back rankings, as well.
Marcus Mariota doesn't get much help in Tennessee. From a chemistry standpoint, Rishard Matthews is probably his go-to-guy, but he's been out of practice for "undisclosed reasons." Proceed at your own risk.
We'll see if Pat Shurmur and Saquon Barkley will open things up for Sterling Shepard. He's a good little player.
Corey Davis, Will Fuller and Josh Doctson are still young question marks. Davis seems to have a new injury every week; Fuller needs Deshaun Watson at 100% for all 16 games, and Doctson is in a mix with Richardson, Crowder and Jordan Reed. Don't forget about Chris Thompson out of the backfield, too.
Okay, let's wrap it up...
TIER 4 (ALL FORMATS):
38. Allen Hurns
39. Randall Cobb (especially with Jordy gone)
40. Sterling Shepard
41. Julian Edelman (suspended first four)
42. Keelan Cole (best of the Jags, in my opinion)
43. Danny Amendola (particularly in full-point PPR)
44. Corey Davis
45. Rishard Matthews
46. Nelson Agholor
47. Cooper Kupp (see Amendola's note)
48. Will Fuller
49. Josh Doctson
50. DeSean Jackson
Again, best of luck to all!! And during your prep, don't forget to check out my Quarterback and Running Back rankings, as well.
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