My updated top 200 players for fantasy drafts can also be found in my latest cheat sheet if you would like an easy to follow guide for your drafts. In today’s update, I’ll go through the risers and fallers since my original top 200 from the beginning of August.
Scroll past my rankings to the bottom of the page to see notes on various risers and fallers over the past month of the preseason.
These rankings are based on PPR scoring.
Rank | Player | Team | Position |
1 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | RB |
2 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | RB |
3 | Alvin Kamara | NO | RB |
4 | David Johnson | ARI | RB |
5 | DeAndre Hopkins | HOU | WR |
6 | Davante Adams | GB | WR |
7 | Julio Jones | ATL | WR |
8 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | RB |
9 | James Conner | PIT | RB |
10 | Michael Thomas | NO | WR |
11 | Tyreek Hill | KC | WR |
12 | Odell Beckham Jr. | CLE | WR |
13 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT | WR |
14 | Nick Chubb | CLE | RB |
15 | Travis Kelce | KC | TE |
16 | Joe Mixon | CIN | RB |
17 | Le’Veon Bell | NYJ | RB |
18 | Todd Gurley | LAR | RB |
19 | Mike Evans | TB | WR |
20 | Aaron Jones | GB | RB |
21 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | RB |
22 | Keenan Allen | LAC | WR |
23 | Amari Cooper | DAL | WR |
24 | Damien Williams | KC | RB |
25 | Kerryon Johnson | DET | RB |
26 | Adam Thielen | MIN | WR |
27 | Stefon Diggs | MIN | WR |
28 | Brandin Cooks | LAR | WR |
29 | George Kittle | SF | TE |
30 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | RB |
31 | Julian Edelman | NE | WR |
32 | Josh Jacobs | OAK | RB |
33 | Antonio Brown | OAK | WR |
34 | Robert Woods | LAR | WR |
35 | Zach Ertz | PHI | TE |
36 | Patrick Mahomes | KC | QB |
37 | Kenny Golladay | DET | WR |
38 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | WR |
39 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | RB |
40 | Chris Carson | SEA | RB |
41 | Chris Godwin | TB | WR |
42 | T.Y. Hilton | IND | WR |
43 | Alshon Jeffery | PHI | WR |
44 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | RB |
45 | Mark Ingram | BAL | RB |
46 | Sony Michel | NE | RB |
47 | Cooper Kupp | LAR | WR |
48 | Calvin Ridley | ATL | WR |
49 | D.J. Moore | CAR | WR |
50 | Marlon Mack | IND | RB |
51 | David Montgomery | CHI | RB |
52 | Phillip Lindsay | DEN | RB |
53 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | WR |
54 | Allen Robinson | CHI | WR |
55 | Mike Williams | LAC | WR |
56 | James White | NE | RB |
57 | Derrick Henry | TEN | RB |
58 | Tevin Coleman | SF | RB |
59 | Duke Johnson | HOU | RB |
60 | Jarvis Landry | CLE | WR |
61 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | RB |
62 | Marvin Jones | DET | WR |
63 | Miles Sanders | PHI | RB |
64 | Will Fuller | HOU | WR |
65 | Christian Kirk | ARI | WR |
66 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | RB |
67 | Latavius Murray | NO | RB |
68 | Curtis Samuel | CAR | WR |
69 | Josh Gordon | NE | WR |
70 | Evan Engram | NYG | TE |
71 | O.J. Howard | TB | TE |
72 | Hunter Henry | LAC | TE |
73 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | QB |
74 | Deshaun Watson | HOU | QB |
75 | Matt Ryan | ATL | QB |
76 | A.J. Green | CIN | WR |
77 | Rashaad Penny | SEA | RB |
78 | Robby Anderson | NYJ | WR |
79 | Sterling Shepard | NYG | WR |
80 | Dede Westbrook | JAC | WR |
81 | Sammy Watkins | KC | WR |
82 | Larry Fitzgerald | ARI | WR |
83 | Dante Pettis | SF | WR |
84 | Corey Davis | TEN | WR |
85 | Keke Coutee | HOU | WR |
86 | Geronimo Allison | GB | WR |
87 | Anthony Miller | CHI | WR |
88 | Jared Cook | NO | TE |
89 | Darrell Henderson | LAR | RB |
90 | Jordan Howard | PHI | RB |
91 | James Washington | PIT | WR |
92 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | GB | WR |
93 | Baker Mayfield | CLE | QB |
94 | Russell Wilson | SEA | QB |
95 | Cam Newton | CAR | QB |
96 | Kyler Murray | ARI | QB |
97 | Royce Freeman | DEN | RB |
98 | Matt Breida | SF | RB |
99 | Darwin Thompson | KC | RB |
100 | Vance McDonald | PIT | TE |
101 | David Njoku | CLE | TE |
102 | Justice Hill | BAL | RB |
103 | Courtland Sutton | DEN | WR |
104 | N’Keal Harry | NE | WR |
105 | Kalen Ballage | MIA | RB |
106 | Ito Smith | ATL | RB |
107 | Damien Harris | NE | RB |
108 | DeSean Jackson | PHI | WR |
109 | Devin Funchess | IND | WR |
110 | Carson Wentz | PHI | QB |
111 | Austin Hooper | ATL | TE |
112 | Michael Gallup | DAL | WR |
113 | DaeSean Hamilton | DEN | WR |
114 | Donte Moncrief | PIT | WR |
115 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | QB |
116 | Drew Brees | NO | QB |
117 | Eric Ebron | IND | TE |
118 | Trey Burton | CHI | TE |
119 | Ronald Jones II | TB | RB |
120 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | RB |
121 | John Brown | BUF | WR |
122 | Kenny Stills | MIA | WR |
123 | Jamison Crowder | NYJ | WR |
124 | Jared Goff | LAR | QB |
125 | Derrius Guice | WAS | RB |
126 | Tony Pollard | DAL | RB |
127 | D.K. Metcalf | SEA | WR |
128 | Tyrell Williams | OAK | WR |
129 | Adrian Peterson | WAS | RB |
130 | Justin Jackson | LAC | RB |
131 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | QB |
132 | Mitch Trubisky | CHI | QB |
133 | Jameis Winston | TB | QB |
134 | Emmanuel Sanders | DEN | WR |
135 | Mohamed Sanu | ATL | WR |
136 | Golden Tate | NYG | WR |
137 | Dak Prescott | DAL | QB |
138 | Peyton Barber | TB | RB |
139 | Jaylen Samuels | PIT | RB |
140 | Jamaal Williams | GB | RB |
141 | Alexander Mattison | MIN | RB |
142 | Devin Singletary | BUF | RB |
143 | Albert Wilson | MIA | WR |
144 | Nyheim Hines | IND | RB |
145 | Dion Lewis | TEN | RB |
146 | Malcolm Brown | LAR | RB |
147 | Robert Foster | BUF | WR |
148 | Devante Parker | MIA | WR |
149 | Marquise Goodwin | SF | WR |
150 | Quincy Enunwa | NYJ | WR |
151 | Parris Campbell | IND | WR |
152 | Andy Isabella | ARI | WR |
153 | Chase Edmonds | ARI | RB |
154 | Mike Davis | CHI | RB |
155 | Delanie Walker | TEN | TE |
156 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | TE |
157 | Greg Olsen | CAR | TE |
158 | Adam Humphries | TEN | WR |
159 | Darrel Williams | KC | RB |
160 | C.J. Anderson | DET | RB |
161 | Ryquell Armstead | JAC | RB |
162 | Carlos Hyde | KC | RB |
163 | Marqise Lee | JAC | WR |
164 | Tre’Quan Smith | NO | WR |
165 | Deebo Samuel | SF | WR |
166 | David Moore | SEA | WR |
167 | Marquise Brown | BAL | WR |
168 | Taylor Gabriel | CHI | WR |
169 | Josh Allen | BUF | QB |
170 | Kirk Cousins | MIN | QB |
171 | Tom Brady | NE | QB |
172 | A.J. Brown | TEN | WR |
173 | Zay Jones | BUF | WR |
174 | Mecole Hardman | KC | WR |
175 | Dexter Williams | GB | RB |
176 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | RB |
177 | Jimmy Graham | GB | TE |
178 | Mark Andrews | BAL | TE |
179 | Noah Fant | DEN | TE |
180 | Jack Doyle | IND | TE |
181 | Jordan Reed | WAS | TE |
182 | T.J. Hockenson | DET | TE |
183 | Diontae Johnson | PIT | WR |
184 | Rashard Higgins | CLE | WR |
185 | Nelson Agholor | PHI | WR |
186 | Randall Cobb | DAL | WR |
187 | John Ross | CIN | WR |
188 | Ted Ginn | NO | WR |
189 | Philip Rivers | LAC | QB |
190 | Jimmy Garoppolo | SF | QB |
191 | Chris Thompson | WAS | RB |
192 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | RB |
193 | Gus Edwards | BAL | RB |
194 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | TE |
195 | Damarea Crockett | HOU | RB |
196 | Karan Higdon | HOU | RB |
197 | Ty Montgomery | NYJ | RB |
198 | Trey Quinn | WAS | WR |
199 | Chris Herndon IV | NYJ | TE |
200 | Jalen Hurd | SF | WR |
Notes
- Put a big asterisk next to Ezekiel Elliott‘s ranking. You could take him off your board if you want and I wouldn’t fault you. The closer we get to the season, the closer it seems that he will miss some time. Part of me thinks the two sides are bluffing, but any missed time certainly drops him further in draft rankings.
- Nick Chubb only jumps four spots, but it is a significant four spots, as he jumps up into the early second round at 14 overall. The trade of Duke Johnson leaves a huge void in the backfield that will be filled by Chubb for the first eight weeks at the least.
- At number 19, Mike Evans marks the end of the clear top options in the first two rounds. If you can come out of your draft with two of the top 19, you should feel very happy with almost any combination. I love Aaron Jones, but you can get him later than 20th overall in most drafts. After Evans, there’s a significant dropoff.
- After the Andrew Luck retirement, T.Y. Hilton drops from 23 overall to 42, Marlon Mack drops from 33 overall to 50, and the secondary options (Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle) in the offense take even bigger hits. Hilton and Mack can still be usable options with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, however, so if they plummet in your drafts, don’t be afraid to take them at a value.
- Josh Gordon ends up at 69 overall in my updated rankings. I’m not as high on him as some, with concerns over the run-heavy nature of the Patriots offense, and the number of targets that Julian Edelman and James White will soak up. And yet, it is hard to deny his playmaking upside, an element that the Patriots desperately need. Tom Brady was better last year with Gordon on the field and may look to him often.
- Matt Breida is a sleeper that is piquing everyone’s interest as of late, as the San Francisco backfield is thinned out a bit with the likely IR trip in store for Jerick McKinnon. With only Tevin Coleman to compete with, Breida should see a solid workload from the start. Just know that in a league full of sharp drafters, there will likely be many other owners waiting to pounce on Breida at his current value. You may want to pick him a round earlier than you would like in order to secure his services.
- I’m a fan of virtually all of the later round rookie running backs, with Miles Sanders, Darrell Henderson, Darwin Thompson, Justice Hill, and Damien Harris all providing interesting upside at their respective draft positions. Henderson is slipping after a lackluster preseason, making him finally on the board when I would consider picking him. Regardless of his performance, he stands to benefit if Todd Gurley struggles with health. Thompson is flying up draft boards, sadly becoming to rich for me to take in most drafts. Hill and Harris are two running backs that I have been drafting often, as I like their value as complementary pieces in extremely run-heavy offenses, with upside for more. Overall, try to stay disciplined and take the values here. We probably don’t know which one of these players will break out, so target the values.
- I probably should have Donte Moncrief higher than James Washington, as Moncrief looks locked into the number two role, while most of Washington’s preseason production has come with the backups. I still can’t help think that there is some untapped upside with Washington, however, but I would be happy taking either of these Steelers wide receivers to stash on my bench while waiting on their roles to solidify.
- Overall, there are a lot of later running backs that I find myself wanting to draft, while the wide receiver position thins out a bit quicker. You may be better off filling your bench with the dependable backup receivers first while mixing in the upside running backs as the values present themselves. It feels important this year to have a general strategy for your bench, so keep in mind how many of each position you would like. As always, I am using my bench almost exclusively for running backs and wide receivers, while using waivers as my backup quarterback and tight end.
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire)
Keeper question for you…
I’ve got Hopkins, McC, Conner, and Chubb penciled in as my first four keepers. I can keep one more, either Mixon or Kittle.
Mixon would be my fourth RB and would be bench depth or trade bait given that we can only start three at a time. But I’ve learned over the years you can never have too many good RB’s.
Or do I keep Kittle? This would have the added benefit of allowing me to keep my team name Kittles ‘n Bits.
Does Carlos Hyde rise based on the new situation?