Fantasy football season is fast approaching. Your draft is right around the corner. But we’ve got you covered. Here are our rankings of the top 100 players. Happy drafting!
1. Todd Gurley, RB1, Rams
2. Le’Veon Bell, RB2, Steelers
The consensus top two backs in fantasy football are basically interchangeable. Both are going to get a ton of touches. Both are incredibly versatile. Gurley may not be able to reproduce his 19 touchdowns from a year ago, but Sean McVay’s promise that he can do even more as a receiver is enough to convince me he’s the top option. Bell, however, is a fantastic consolation prize.
3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB3, Cowboys
4. David Johnson, RB4, Cardinals
5. Antonio Brown, WR1, Steelers
6. Alvin Kamara, RB5, Saints
7. Saquon Barkley, RB6, Giants
Barkley is just a rookie, but in new Giants coach Pat Shurmur’s offense, he could be the best of this bunch. With running backs so top heavy, it’s hard to justify picking a first-round wideout, but Brown is as consistent as they come, especially in PPR formats. Kamara may not live up to his hype from last year, but he has the first month of the season to himself, with Mark Ingram suspended.
8. Melvin Gordon, RB7, Chargers
9. DeAndre Hopkins, WR2, Texans
10. Odell Beckham Jr., WR3, Giants
11. Julio Jones, WR4, Falcons
12. Keenan Allen, WR5, Chargers
We can’t fault you for going RB-RB to start your draft, given the dearth of running back talent after the first few rounds. But here, you have four superstar wideouts who, barring injury, should be surefire WR1’s. With Deshaun Watson under center, Hopkins could wind up the best receiver in fantasy. The same could be said for Allen, who will soak up many more targets with tight end Hunter Henry out for the season.
13. Leonard Fournette, RB8, Jaguars
14. Kareem Hunt, RB9, Chiefs
15. Dalvin Cook, RB10, Vikings
16, Michael Thomas, WR6, Saints
17. Davante Adams, WR7, Packers
18. Christian McCaffrey, RB11, Panthers
19. Mike Evans, WR8, Buccaneers
20. Jordan Howard, RB12, Bears
If you’ve managed to snag two running backs in the top 20. More power to you. The top three young backs in this second tier could all have monster seasons, but also carry some risk. Hunt led the league in rushing yards and yards after contract last season, but tailed off in the middle. Fournette has a chronic ankle issue. McCaffrey probably won’t be able to recreate his 113 targets from a year ago. Howard doesn’t offer much as a pass-catcher. But the ceiling for anyone in this tier is incredibly high.
21. A.J. Green, WR9, Bengals
22. Devonta Freeman, RB13, Falcons
23. Joe Mixon, RB14, Bengals
24. Adam Thielen, WR10, Vikings
25. Stefon Diggs, WR11, Vikings
Both Freeman and Mixon disappointed somewhat a season ago, but as the running back group thins out from here, they’re about as consistent as you’re going to find. Both still have a ton of talent and are very good pass-catchers, so the potential for huge points is there. Diggs should take a step forward this season and could surpass Thielen in terms of fantasy points, given his early relationship with Kirk Cousins, but Thielen’s consistency gives him a higher floor.
26. Travis Kelce, TE1, Chiefs
27. Rob Gronkowski, TE2, Patriots
Most fantasy sites will rank Gronkowski ahead of Kelce, and while that’s understandable, given Gronk’s touchdown upside, his health continues to be a lingering question. Kelce’s targets per game numbers have risen every season for the past four. It’s about time he surpasses Gronk in fantasy expectations.
28. Jerick McKinnon, RB15, 49ers
29. LeSean McCoy, RB16, Bills
This is the last stretch for top running back options, and still, both of these players carry significant risk. McKinnon is an unknown quantity in Kyle Shanahan’s offense and is already dealing with an injury. McCoy, meanwhile, remains under investigation for domestic abuse allegations and could be suspended at any time. Not to mention that he plays for an otherwise anemic offense in Buffalo.
30. T.Y. Hilton, WR12, Colts
31. Amari Cooper, WR13, Raiders
32. Larry Fitzgerald, WR14, Cardinals
33. Doug Baldwin, WR15, Seahawks
34. Allen Robinson, WR16, Bears
35. Jarvis Landry, WR17, Browns
36. Tyreek Hill, WR18, Chiefs
Hilton, Cooper, and Robinson are all candidates to bounce back from 2017 seasons in which they were either ineffective or injured. Hilton, especially, could find himself in much more fruitful fantasy circumstances, with the return of quarterback Andrew Luck. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, just continues to plug along into his late-30’s. He was WR4 last season, and while he won’t repeat that again, he might not be too far off.
37. Aaron Rodgers, QB1, Packers
Don’t be the guy who drafts a quarterback this high. But if you do, Rodgers is pretty darn good.
38. Alex Collins, RB17, Ravens
39. Golden Tate, WR19, Lions
40. Derrick Henry, RB18, Titans
41. Demaryius Thomas, WR20, Broncos
42. Lamar Miller, RB19, Texans
43. Jay Ajayi, RB20, Eagles
44. Kenyan Drake, RB21, Dolphins
45. Royce Freeman, RB22, Broncos
This stretch of running backs could win your league, or tank your season. Henry looked like a surefire RB1, before the Titans signed Dion Lewis. He’ll be touchdown-dependent, but could still get the ball quite a bit. Ajayi, Drake, and Freeman all have the potential to become RB1’s, but could also stand to lose carries to others in his own backfield. By now, you should probably have at least two running backs on your roster. It gets bleak from here.
46. Zach Ertz, TE3, Eagles
47. Alshon Jeffery, WR21, Eagles
48. Chris Hogan, WR22, Patriots
49. Russell Wilson, QB2, Seahawks
50. Tom Brady, QB3, Patriots
51. Juju Smith-Schuster, WR23, Steelers
52. Mark Ingram, RB23, Saints
53. Rex Burkhead, RB24, Patriots
54. Brandin Cooks, WR24, Rams
55. Josh Gordon, WR25, Browns
56. Dion Lewis, RB25, Titans
57. Corey Davis, WR26, Titans
A few of our favorite sleepers are lingering in this range. Corey Davis showed flashes at the end of last season that suggest he could be a top-flight receiver. The same could be said for Smith-Schuster and Hogan, who are both in line for bigger workloads in high-flying offenses. Ingram and Burkhead have a chance to be the best values in this group, given Ingram’s suspension status and Burkhead’s injury history. Both were among the top-10 running backs in the league last year on a per-game basis. Cooks and Gordon are both candidates to be overdrafted, relative to their likely usage.
58. Marvin Jones, WR27, Lions
59. Cam Newton, QB4, Panthers
60. Sammy Watkins, WR28, Chiefs
61. Kerryon Johnson, RB26, Lions
62. Tevin Coleman, RB27, Falcons
63. Deshaun Watson, QB5, Texans
If Watson can play to the same level he did a season ago, 63rd overall would be a steal. But after his ACL tear – and with plenty of tape out there now – it’s unlikely that he would keep up his ridiculous 2017 pace. Newton, on the other hand, has been an especially consistent fantasy scorer, even as his passing totals have dwindled in recent seasons.
64. Marquise Goodwin, WR29, 49ers
65. Evan Engram, TE4, Giants
66. Robert Woods, WR30, Rams
67. Sony Michel, RB29, Patriots
68. Drew Brees, QB6, Saints
69. Michael Crabtree, WR30, Ravens
70. Andrew Luck, QB7, Colts
71. Pierre Garcon, WR31, 49ers
72. Will Fuller, WR32, Texans
73. Emmanuel Sanders, WR33, Broncos
74. Cooper Kupp, WR34, Rams
Lots of good value to be had in this group, with a pair of Rams wideouts in Woods and Kupp that are almost certain to be underdrafted, due to the presence of Cooks. Both caught more passes for more yards than Sammy Watkins did a year ago. With Watson back, Fuller could be very underrated, given that he scored seven times in five weeks with Watson under center. If you believe in Jimmy Garoppolo, Goodwin or Garcon can be had for ridiculously cheap prices, given their likely usage.
75. Greg Olsen, TE5, Panthers
76. Ronald Jones, RB30, Buccaneers
77. Julian Edelman, WR35, Patriots
78. Jimmy Graham, TE6, Packers
79. Carson Wentz, QB8, Eagles
If Wentz is healthy for Week 1, he could outperform this expectations. But his injury also leaves open the possibility of exploiting some value out of his draft position. He was the No. 2 QB in the NFL before his ACL tear last season. Edelman is also coming back from injury, but he’s guaranteed to miss the first month of the season on suspension. If he comes back and immediately reestablishes himself as Brady’s go-to wideout, he would be a value this late.
80. Marshawn Lynch, RB31, Raiders
81. Jamison Crowder, WR36, Washington
82. Devin Funchess, WR37, Panthers
83. Kenny Stills, WR38, Dolphins
84. Randall Cobb, WR39, Packers
85. Kirk Cousins, QB9, Vikings
86. Marlon Mack, RB32, Colts
87. Duke Johnson, RB33, Browns
88. Tarik Cohen, RB34, Bears
89. Robby Anderson, WR40, Jets
90. Carlos Hyde, RB35, Browns
91. Kenny Golladay, WR41, Lions
92. Trey Burton, TE7, Bears
93. Delanie Walker, TE8, Titans
94. Kyle Rudolph, TE9, Vikings
95. Philip Rivers, QB10, Chargers
96. Jordy Nelson, WR42, Raiders
97. Sterling Shepard, WR43, Giants
98. Chris Carson, RB36, Seahawks
99. Mike Williams, WR44, Chargers
100. Chris Thompson, RB37, Washington
