Welcome to our weekly set of rankings of our top-250 overall players for the rest of the season. I should note that I’m not personally a big fan of massive, position-combining lists and I think positional lists are more useful, however, take this and use it in whatever way you wish. Thanks to this widget from FantasyPros, you can break it down by position as well.
Notes:
- I feel like every week I have to talk about Ezekiel Elliott. As of right now, I don’t know what’s going to happen with his suspension, so until I hear the final word on what’s going on, I’m assuming he’s playing, which is why he’s so high in the rankings. Once we hear something more final on what’s happening with him, then his ranking will change accordingly (if necessary).
- DeMarco Murray just hasn’t really done much lately, certainly not what you’d expect out of an RB1, so he’s fallen a bit to RB2 status for now. He’s got the talent to do better and hopefully, he will, but outside of his Week 3 explosion, he’s bee more RB2 than RB1.
- Speaking of draft day busts, Jay Ajayi has just been bad. He’s always been a volume play, but he’s been getting volume and just not really taking advantage of it. He’s had some good games from a yardage standpoint, but he’s yet to score a touchdown this year, which is why he’s a low-end RB2 right now.
- Alvin Kamara has been awesome. He’s not getting many carries, but when he does get a handoff, he’s getting decent yardage while also being a major factor in the receiving game. I don’t know that we’ve seen a Saints running back this fantasy relevant as a receiver since Darren Sproles. Even in standard leagues, he’s a low-end RB2, but he’s got even more value in PPR leagues.
- I know that it kind of seemed like Mike Gillislee lost his job after fumbling, but I don’t think he’s going to just disappear. Certainly, Dion Lewis will see an increase in workload, which is why he’s risen in the rankings, but Gillislee will still get goalline touches I believe, which means he’s more likely to get a touchdown, and that’s where all the fantasy goodness is.
- Aaron Jones has very obviously worked his way into the starting role, relegating Ty Montgomery to a change-of-pace role. Jones has been impressive, which is why he’s worked his way up to a high-end flex/low-end RB2, and Montgomery has fallen into the world of backups with talent.
- Every time Alex Collins runs the ball, he looks impressive. I’ve been preaching the good gospel of Alex Collins since he was signed from the practice squad, and he’s been pretty solid. He’s got one of the top YPC averages in the league, he’s got impressive burst and he’s hard to bring down. The Ravens’ offense is still struggling a bit, but if Joe Flacco is out for any period of time, that could mean a more run-heavy offense, which would be good for Collins’ fantasy value.
- Despite the fact that the Eagles’ offense has been so prolific this year, Alshon Jeffery has been pretty average. For better or for worse, Carson Wentz really spreads the ball around, which has limited Jeffery’s value. However, it’s increased Nelson Agholor’s value, as he is starting to look like the first-round draft pick he was supposed to be. He’s not going to keep scoring touchdowns at the rate he currently is, but he’s pretty involved in that offense, and I don’t know that there’s that big of a difference between his and Jeffery’s fantasy value.
- Dontrelle Inman went from being the fifth or sixth receiving option on the Chargers to probably being the best receiving option on the Bears once he was traded. I don’t think he’s going to set the world on fire, but he’s fast and big and makes for a good target for Mitchell Trubisky. He’s worth a speculative add in deeper leagues and could see his value increase as he gets more familiar with the offense.
- Sammy Watkins has typically been drawing each defense’s top corner, and on top of that, he hasn’t really been targeted much, meaning that he’s just got no fantasy value at all for now. Hopefully, he’ll get more involved soon, but it’s been rough lately.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster has been far more involved in the Steelers’ offense, and now that Martavis Bryant is really on the outs with the team, Smith-Schuster makes for an interesting guy. He’s got a lot of talent and if he gets the targets, he could be valuable. Number-two wide receivers have had value in Todd Haley’s offense before, and Smith-Schuster could have value the rest of the year.
2017 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings