2017 Fantasy Football: Positional Rankings
These are my updated ranking through August 11th. These contain everything including a Zeke suspension, Sammy Watkins trade, and Jordan Matthews trade. Understand these rankings are for redraft leagues only, and don't affect keeper or dynasty rankings at all. With Zeke missing the first six games, I can't see drafting him in the first round anymore. I have him ranked as a RB2 in all formats, and see him as a fourth round pick. With Watkins surprisingly traded to the Rams, his value drops significantly. Being tied to an unproven Jared Goff is much worse than Tyrod Taylor. I also feel like Buffalo wouldn't have trade him if Watkins wasn't still having injury issues or issues negotiating a future contract. This trade also lowers Robert Woods' value in Los Angeles.
In Buffalo, the remaining receivers include Jordan Matthews (from Philly), Anquan Boldin, and Zay Jones. With Watkins now gone, their values all increase. I like Boldin the most in Standard scoring because he will be the only red zone threat in town. Jordan Matthews will have good value as the reception receiver and will hold flex value in PPR formats. In Philadelphia, this has opened the door for Nelson Agholor to be the full time slot receiver. After seeing his poor season last year, I can't see him being anything more than an option in very deep leagues. Overall, the biggest losers for fantasy are Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, while the winners are all other Buffalo receivers and Nelson Agholor.
We start off here at Quarterback, which is without a doubt the deepest position in fantasy. Everyone has their different strategies of when to draft the position, but a vast majority of experts will wait at Quarterback. When you can wait until the tenth round and choose between Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, and Derek Carr, it’s tough to convince me to draft Aaron Rodgers in the third or fourth round.
However, everything depends on the format of your league and what rules are in place. If it’s a two Quarterback league, feel free to take a Quarterback when ever you would like. I’ve seen a 2 QB mock draft on ESPN, where experts who missed out on the best six players will go with Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady. Quarterbacks also hold more value when a passing touchdown is worth six points instead of four. If your Quarterback throws 30 touchdowns in this scoring format, it’s an additional 60 points for your season.
When you look at just the rankings, you’ll notice that there’s a lot more hype around younger Quarterbacks, and regression for older Quarterbacks (minus Tom Brady and Drew Brees). Perhaps the biggest indicators of this are Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers. Big Ben has sustained big injuries in both of his last two seasons, and has been terrible on the road as of late. Even though Rivers has played all 16 games since 2006, he has had many injuries to his receiver corps in the last two years and has thrown way too many interceptions. Even though these players aren’t hyped up, they can have great fantasy performances as long as you play the matchups correctly. Drafting them as your second QB, or pairing them with someone drafted a couple rounds earlier can pay huge dividends for you. Below are my Quarterback rankings for this upcoming fantasy football season.
Top 32 Quarterbacks for 2017
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
- Tom Brady, New England Patriots
- Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
- Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
- Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
- Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
- Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
- Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
- Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
- Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
- Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers
- Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
- Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills
- Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
- Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
- Eli Manning, New York Giants
- Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
- Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
- Brian Hoyer, San Francisco 49ers
- Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings
- Jay Cutler, Miami Dolphins
- Mike Glennon, Chicago Bears
- Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
- Trevor Siemian, Denver Broncos
- Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
- Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
- Cody Kessler, Cleveland Browns
- Tom Savage, Houston Texans
Running back is always a tough position to draft in fantasy because of the volatility of production and injuries. Just because a running back is being drafted in the first round, doesn’t mean he will return that value. In fact, many experts firmly believe that running backs should not be drafted until the later rounds of the draft. This allows fantasy players to load of wide receivers, and address Quarterback and tight end earlier than other owners. Just look at the top ten running backs for this season, only six of my top ten ranked running backs went in the first rounds of drafts last season. That doesn’t even necessarily mean that provided top 30 pick value, but that at their ceiling that is the value they should produce this season.
Now even amidst the strategies of waiting on running backs, I feel we have to continue to draft running backs highly. There are only a few running backs who are considered true bellcow backs, and they provide great fantasy value. Last season, the best wide receivers went first overall in drafts, but the outstanding production from Le’Veon Bell, David Johnson, and Ezekiel Elliott has shot them up to the top of draft boards. Because there are so few bellcow backs in the league, they are all being drafted in the first two or three rounds. Even though the position is the riskiest in fantasy, missing out on this kind of production can badly hurt your fantasy season because of the number of running back committees in the league.
Top 50 Running Backs for 2017 (Standard Scoring)
- David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
- Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
- LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills
- Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
- Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers
- Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears
- Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins
- DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans
- Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
- Marshawn Lynch, Oakland Raiders
- Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Lamar Miller, Houston Texans
- Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
- Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns
- Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
- Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
- Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
- Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
- Mike Gillislee, New England Patriots
- Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers
- Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs
- Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts
- Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
- LeGarrette Blount, Philadelphia Eagles
- Robert Kelley, Washington Redskins
- Eddie Lacy, Seattle Seahawks
- C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos
- Bilal Powell, New York Jets
- Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions
- Tevin Coleman, Atlanta Falcons
- Paul Perkins, New York Giants
- Terrance West, Baltimore Ravens
- Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Adrian Peterson, New Orleans Saints
- James White, New England Patriots
- Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions
- Danny Woodhead, Baltimore Ravens
- Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles
- Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
- Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals
- Jalen Richard, Oakland Raiders
- Matt Forte, New York Jets
- Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
- Samaje Perine, Washington Redskins
- Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks
- Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
- Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
- Jonathan Williams, Buffalo Bills
- James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers
Top 50 Running Backs for 2017 (PPR Scoring)
- Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
- David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
- LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills
- Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
- Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers
- DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans
- Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears
- Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins
- Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
- Lamar Miller, Houston Texans
- Marshawn Lynch, Oakland Raiders
- Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
- Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
- Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
- Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns
- Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
- Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers
- Bilal Powell, New York Jets
- Danny Woodhead, Baltimore Ravens
- Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs
- Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
- Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
- Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions
- Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions
- Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts
- Tevin Coleman, Atlanta Falcons
- Paul Perkins, New York Giants
- C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos
- Eddie Lacy, Seattle Seahawks
- Mike Gillislee, New England Patriots
- Terrance West, Baltimore Ravens
- Robert Kelley, Washington Redskins
- Duke Johnson Jr., Cleveland Browns
- Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles
- James White, New England Patriots
- LeGarrette Blount, Philadelphia Eagles
- Jalen Richard, Oakland Raiders
- Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
- C.J. Prosise, Seattle Seahawks
- Adrian Peterson, New Orleans Saints
- Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins
- Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
- Samaje Perine, Washington Redskins
- Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
- Matt Forte, New York Jets
- Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots
- Shane Vereen, New York Giants
Wide Receiver is often the most consistent position in fantasy from a production standpoint. The reason that players like Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and Odell Beckham Jr. have been first or second round picks in each of the last three seasons is because of their consistent high level of production. However, this doesn’t mean that wide receivers can’t always live up to expectations. I previously wrote an article shown here, that illustrates the issues regarding all receivers going in the third or fourth rounds of drafts, and what is holding them back from being a WR1. Receivers don’t always get the consistent touches that running backs get, so there can be a fairly low floor on a week to week basis. However, overall the numbers wide receivers are expected to produce are often very consistent. The biggest concerns in drafts are navigating injury history, poor Quarterback play, and ultimately finding the diamond in the rough.
The rankings below are for standard scoring, which traditionally favors running backs over receivers. This is because points are not allotted per touch, so the scoring is seriously dependent on touchdowns. Even though more and more teams are throwing inside the 10 yardline, teams ideally would like to run the ball in for six. This scoring system increases the value in big play threats and red zone threats, like Ted Ginn Jr., Donte Moncrief, and Eric Decker. It also lowers the fantasy value in receivers that catch a lot of passes but don’t have a high touchdown total, like Julian Edelman, Jarvis Landry, and Golden Tate. This is taken into account in the rankings below, and should part of your thought process on draft day.
Top 50 Wide Receivers 2017 (Standard Scoring)
- Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
- Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
- Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
- Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
- T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
- Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
- Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
- Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
- Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots
- Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks
- Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
- DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
- Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles
- Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders
- Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
- Terrelle Pryor Sr., Washington Redskins
- Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
- Golden Tate, Detroit Lions
- Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins
- Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
- Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos
- Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
- Pierre Garcon, San Francisco 49ers
- Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams
- Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
- Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins
- Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts
- Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
- Mike Wallace, Baltimore Ravens
- Brandon Marshall, New York Giants
- Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
- Anquan Boldin, Buffalo Bills
- Eric Decker, Tennessee Titans
- Jordan Matthews, Buffalo Bills
- Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears
- Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints
- Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
- Jeremy Maclin, Baltimore Ravens
- Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans
- DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Ted Ginn Jr. New Orleans Saints
- Zay Jones, Buffalo Bills
- Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
- Kenny Britt, Cleveland Browns
- Corey Coleman, Cleveland Browns
- Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
The rankings below are for PPR scoring, which traditionally favor receivers more than running backs. This is because any player who catches a pass automatically receives a point for the receptions, and a point per 10 yards. Even though this rule doesn’t only help out receivers, this position is the primary beneficiary. This will bump up the value of receivers who catch a lot of passes but aren’t big touchdown threats, like Julian Edelman, Jarvis Landry, and Golden Tate. However, this format also decreases the value of big play threats, like Ted Ginn Jr., Kenny Stills, and Marvin Jones. This is all important to take into consideration on draft day, and focus on understanding your league’s rules.
Top 50 Wide Receivers 2017 (PPR Scoring)
- Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
- Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
- A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
- Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
- T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
- Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
- Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
- Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
- Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks
- Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots
- Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins
- Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
- DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
- Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
- Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots
- Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos
- Golden Tate, Detroit Lions
- Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders
- Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles
- Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
- Terrelle Pryor Sr., Washington Redskins
- Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
- Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
- Pierre Garcon, San Francisco 49ers
- Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
- Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins
- Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts
- Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints
- Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Chargers
- Brandon Marshall, New York Giants
- Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
- Jeremy Maclin, Baltimore Ravens
- Jordan Matthews, Buffalo Bills
- Mike Wallace, Baltimore Ravens
- Anquan Boldin, Buffalo Bills
- Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers
- Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
- Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears
- Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans
- DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Eric Decker, Tennessee Titans
- Zay Jones, Buffalo Bills
- Kenny Britt, Cleveland Browns
- Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers
- Corey Coleman, Cleveland Browns
- Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
Tight End is always a tricky position to draft for fantasy players who aren’t positive what they’re doing. Despite having a strong class of consistent studs in the middle of drafts, players seem to either draft an injury-prone star in the beginning or wait until the last few rounds. The important thing to understand where you are drafting each tight end option. If you look at the top tight ends in Gronk and Jordan Reed, both are being drafted at their ceiling. The concern however is that Gronk hasn’t played a 16 game season since 2011, and Reed never has. This makes these players incredibly boom or bust options, but if they’re falling in drafts, it’s really tough not to pull the trigger.
However, a majority of fantasy experts in the industry don’t care to waste early picks on tight ends. Most of us seem to focus our first five or six rounds completely on running backs and wide receivers. This means we will likely miss out on the top six tight end options, and we’ll wait until the final rounds for the position. This shouldn’t be a concern though because many of these options aren’t being drafted at their ceiling. Just look at Kyle Rudolph, who was the number two tight end in PPR formats last season, and is now being drafted as the 7th or 8th tight end off the board. A lot of these sleeper options are being drafted somewhere in between their normal expectations and their floor, which means these options have lots of upside. Just think about Jack Doyle with no Dwayne Allen in Indy, or Eric Ebron with no more Anquan Boldin in Detroit. All of these options from TE9-TE15 have tremendous upside without having to use a high draft pick on them. This is why so many experts love to wait on the position.
But enough of all this strategy, it all depends how your draft board falls to you. Even though I like waiting at the position, if you love Rob Gronkowski, then take him (or trade for him after he gets injured a couple weeks in). Below are my rankings for Tight Ends in both Standard and PPR formats.
Top 25 Tight Ends 2017 (Standard and PPR Scoring)
- Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
- Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
- Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
- Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
- Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans
- Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks
- Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings
- Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals
- Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers
- Martellus Bennett, Green Bay Packers
- Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
- Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
- Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions
- Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans
- Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins, New York Jets
- Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
- Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints
- Jesse James, Pittsburgh Steelers
- O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Zach Miller, Chicago Bears
- Julius Thomas, Miami Dolphins
- Evan Engram, New York Giants
- David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Top 20 Defense/Special Teams Units 2017
- Denver Broncos
- Seattle Seahawks
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- Houston Texans
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New York Giants
- Arizona Cardinals
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Diego Chargers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Chicago Bears
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Oakland Raiders
- Buffalo Bills
- Green Bay Packers
2017 Fantasy Football: Kicker Rankings
- Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
- Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys
- Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
- Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons
- Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts
- Matt Prater, Detroit Lions
- Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers
- Cairo Santos, Kansas City Chiefs
- Will Lutz, New Orleans Saints
- Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders
- Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos
- Dustin Hopkins, Washington Redskins
- Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers
- Caleb Sturgis, Philadelphia Eagles
- Ryan Succop, Tennessee Titans
- Nick Novak, Houston Texans
- Josh Lambo, Los Angeles Chargers
- Steven Hauschka, Buffalo Bills
- Randy Bullock, Cincinnati Bengals
- Phil Dawson, Arizona Cardinals