The List – Week 4: Ranking The Top 200 Fantasy Football Players ROS

 

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Every Tuesday of the regular season, I will be updating my rest of season rankings for PPR leagues, in hopes of helping you with roster construction and trade negotiations. These are not Week 4 matchup rankings, which I will release every Wednesday. The List is created with the rest of the season in mind.

 

Player Notes

 

• Apologies to Alvin Kamara and his owners for dropping him five spots in my rankings after the Drew Brees injury. I should have never doubted his talents, as he showed in Seattle in Week 3 that he is one of the toughest runners to bring down in the NFL. But really, the ten targets, nine catches, and 92 yards receiving are what caught my eye. The Saints upped Kamara’s snap count in response to the Brees injury, which is music to fantasy owners’ ears as well. Kamara rises back to number three overall.
• I jumped Christian McCaffrey back above Ezekiel Elliott after new quarterback Kyle Allen showed competence in his first start. McCaffrey’s usage is blowing Zeke out of the water, so as long as the offense doesn’t crumble around him, McCaffrey looks like the top player to own.
• Saquon Barkley will miss 4-8 weeks with a high ankle sprain, and it seems like most estimates are on the higher side. His ranking is a placeholder right now, as a four-week injury would certainly change his rest of season outlook compared to an eight-week injury. If anyone was going to recover quickly, it would be Saquon, though if the Giants are out of contention around his return, they could be cautious bringing him back.
• Wayne Gallman makes his debut 2019 appearance on the list at number 97. While he should be rostered and may even be startable if Daniel Jones is the real deal, I am hesitant about his prospects going forward. Barkley is barely human, and no doubt made this running game look light years better than it really is. If you are a Barkley owner, don’t feel obligated to add Gallman if there is a superior waiver option available.
• Mike Evans decided to get all of his positive regression out of the way in one game, torching the Giants defense for 190 yards and three touchdowns on 15 targets. Evans went from early-season bust to the WR9 in PPR leagues in one week, a perfect example of not overreacting to early-season small samples, especially at the wide receiver position. Let your studs play every week, and their numbers will tend to even out to where we expected. It sure doesn’t hurt to have a matchup against the Giants non-existant secondary, however.
• The only reason Austin Ekeler isn’t higher than 15 is the potential for a Melvin Gordon return. If not for that, he would be up next to David Johnson in PPR leagues.
• Cooper Kupp has seen nine or more targets in all three games, surpassed 100 yards receiving in the last two games, and scored two touchdowns last week against the Browns. He is all the way back from injury and looks dominant. He combines the rare floor of a PPR slot receiver with the red zone role of a bigger wide receiver. With Todd Gurley not producing like his former self, this offense runs through Kupp right now, and he jumps Adam Thielen in the rankings as a result.
• I really tried to hold out as long as I could, but Derrick Henry jumps a substantial amount in my rankings this week. It’s mainly by default, as the running back position is a bit of a mess with committees and injuries everywhere. But Henry is getting the bulk of the carries every week, is a good bet for a touchdown, and is getting slightly more work in the passing game. I don’t have to like it, but he’s a valuable running back and deserves to be ranked in the top 30.
• Tyler Lockett jumps 12 spots to number 32 overall, as his volume has rebounded after a two target Week 1. Russell Wilson won’t need to throw 50 times every week, but with the defense and running game looking shakier than we expected, there may be more games of high passing volume than we originally anticipated.
• Damien Williams and Sony Michel both fall down my ranks, due to injury and ineffectiveness respectively. Both suddenly seem to be in crowded backfields as well. While I docked them in my rankings, I’m still willing to hold both, as they play in two of the leagues best offenses, making them upside running backs that could be buy-low candidates.
• Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard both looked great in Week 3, and jump up my ranks with the infusion of excitement from Daniel Jones. I’m not ready to trust Jones every week going forward, as I expect some struggles in the future. But this is certainly better than Eli Manning running the show and provides some big-play potential that this offense was sorely lacking. Golden Tate suddenly looks more appealing as well as he nears the end of his four-game suspension.
• The Packers emerge from a brutal three-game stretch of defenses to open the season, squaring off against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football. This will be a big test for Aaron Rodgers and the passing game. If they exploit an Eagles defense that allowed Case Keenum to pass for 380 yards and three touchdowns in week one, I’ll hold Rodgers and Davante Adams where they are in my rankings. If we see more run-heavy, ball-control offense, however, it may be time to re-calibrate our expectations for what kind of offense this is. I’ve given Rodgers the benefit of the doubt so far, but we need to see that big game upside in order to hold him near the top of the quarterback rankings. I’m less worried about Adams, but he could fall a few spots with talented receivers breathing down his neck.
• The Chiefs running backs went through some change this week, as Darrel Williams looks like the handcuff as opposed to Darwin Thompson. Grab Williams from waivers if you can, and if Damien Williams misses again you potentially have the lead back in the league’s most explosive offense.
• Nelson Agholor is an excellent option for the foreseeable future, but there is only so high he can rise up the ranks. When Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson return, his value will all but disappear. That could happen in just a matter of a week or two.
• Tight end risers include Darren Waller (target monster), Austin Hooper (criminally underrated), and Greg Olsen (start him while he’s healthy). Waiting on tight end is paying off this year, as all three look dependable going forward.
• Kenny Stills seems to be surpassing Keke Coutee on the Texans receiver depth chart and is a big-play threat to keep an eye on. The Texans receivers seem due, and the big plays aren’t going to go to their anonymous tight ends most weeks. I’ve got my eye on all of their receivers.

 

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)