September is finally upon us! You know what that means! NFL, and more importantly Fantasy Football is back! I don’t rate players quite the same as a normal site. I don’t think it’s wise to draft a RB like LeVean Bell or Zac Stacy with a high pick. Either player could end up in a RB by committee. I would much rather draft a player like Jimmy Graham or Calvin Johnson who are one of a kind at their position over anything but the very best RB’s. The site doesn’t have much traffic at this point. If I had posted this any earlier I would have only been giving away information to the players in my league.
Top 25
1. LeSean McCoy RB, PHI
2. Adrian Peterson RB, MIN
3. Peyton Manning QB, DEN
4. Calvin Johnson WR, DET
5. Jimmy Graham TE, NO
6. Aaron Rodgers QB, GB
7. Drew Brees QB, NO
8. Matt Forte RB, CHI
9. Marshawn Lynch RB, Sea
10. AJ Green WR, CIN
11. Eddie Lacy RB, GB
12. Jamal Charles RB, KC
13. Arian Foster RB, HOU
14. Demaryius Thomas WR, DEN
15. DeMarco Murray RB DAL
16. Brandon Marshall WR, CHI
17. Dez Bryant WR, DAL
18. Julio Jones WR, ATL
19. Giovani Bernard RB, CIN
20. Julius Thomas WR, DEN
21. Antonio Brown WR, PIT
22. Jordy Nelson WR, GB
23. Alshon Jeffery WR, DEN
24. Monte Ball RB, DEN
25. Andrew Luck QB, IND
Top 20 QB’s
1. Peyton Manning DEN – Peyton should be the best QB and highest point scorer again this season. I would only take the 2 top RB’s over him.
2. Aaron Rodgers GB – Just as steady as Manning but doesn’t give the crazy upside that Peyton and the Broncos should have.
3. Drew Brees NO – Brees is easily the 3rd best QB in the draft and a far better pick than a RB that could end up in a committee.
4. Andrew Luck IND – Luck will end up being the next Big Time QB in this league. This could be the year he becomes a top Fantasy QB. He just does crack the top 25 this year.
5. Nick Foles PHI – The Eagles run a fast paced, college style offense. That is great for fantasy owners. If Foles stays healthy he should be one of the biggest fantasy steals this year.
6. Matthew Stafford Det – High risk, high reward player in a new system. How well Stafford picks up the system could be the key.
7. Philip Rivers SD – One of the most underrated Fantasy players this year. Rivers always seems to be available on waivers but always seems to end up rated in the top 10.
8. Tom Brady NE – Lack of weapons on offense will probably lead to the downfall of Brady as an elite fantasy QB.
9. Matt Ryan ATL- Ryan should see a return to fantasy prominence with a healthy Julio Jones. Matty Ice is underrated because of the Falcons poor 2013 campaign.
10. Russell Wilson SEA – Not a fantasy star. This Super Bowl Champion is sure to put up steady points and not hurt you many weeks.
11. Colin Kaepernick SF – The 49ers offense could be much improved this season. They need it to be. Kaep will be the key. His fantasy owners may be in for a good year.
12. Cam Newton CAR – Newton is an overrated fantasy option this season. He is injured to start the season. He also has new group of WR’s and O-Line he hasn’t worked with. The start of the season could be rough at the very least.
13. Jay Cutler CHI – Cutler and the Bears offense should have a nice season. Cutler is being underrated and should be a quality backup at the least.
14. Ben Roethlisberger PIT – Big Ben is usually a pretty solid back up option in fantasy. This year should be no different.
15. Carson Palmer ARI – The Cardinals offense could be more dynamic this year. Palmer should be a viable back up.
16. Tony Romo DAL – Romo will probably continue to make mistakes but put up a ton of yards making him a decent back up. His back and lack of talent around him are issues.
17. Robert Griffin III WSH – I don’t think much of RGIII or Washington’s chances this year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kirk Cousins play at some point this season. He does still have some upside if they let him run.
18. Andy Dalton CIN – Dalton just signed a big contract with the Bengals. I’m not sure a big year will follow. He has always been an inconsistent fantasy play. I don’t see that changing.
19. Johnny Manziel CLE – He should play at some point. When he does, wouldn’t it be cool to have him?
20. Ryan Tannehill MIA – The last spot was a tough decision between Tannehill, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning and Josh McCown. Point is you probably shouldn’t draft a QB this late because there will be comparable players on waivers.
Top 25 RB’s
1. LeSean McCoy PHI – You can’t go wrong with McCoy or Peterson. Shady gets the nod due to his receiving and playing for the explosive Eagles offense.
2. Adrian Peterson MIN – The best RB and most consistent fantasy player in the league today. Should go top 2.
3. Matt Forte CHI – I’m not quite as high on Forte as most but he is coming off a huge year and is safer than most RB’s with a 1st Round Grade.
4. Marshawn Lynch SEA – There are questions about Lynch’s motivation after a hold out and talk of retirement. That shouldn’t be an issue that Beat Mode is suited up and ready to go.
5. Eddie Lacy GB – Lacy should be a workhorse and get the goal line carries. There aren’t too many backs like that in the league anymore.
6. Jamal Charles KC – I think Charles is one of the more overrated Fantasy options this season. I don’t think the Chiefs will be as good as they were last season. He’s always an injury risk and KC is always looking to take carries from him. That said he is worth a top 10 pick or near it.
7. Arian Foster HOU – Foster should have a bounce back year and see most of the workload in Houston if he can stay healthy.
8. DeMarco Murray DAL – When Dallas wants to run the ball they usually do it well. Problem is they don’t like to run it. Murray also should get the majority of the carries making him one of the safer RB options.
9. Giovanni Bernard CIN – Bernard is bit underrated in my mind. He will get the majority of the workload on what should be a good defense and run oriented Bengals team.
10. – Montee Ball DEN – Denver is known for their passing game but someone’s gonna have to take all those goal line carries.
11. Le’Veon Bell PIT- With LaGarrett Blount and dynamic rookie Dri Archer on the Steelers roster Bell could find himself stuck in a committee. I especially worry about Blount taking the goal line carries. Bell is the best of the potential committee options.
12. Reggie Bush DET – Bush will be a in a committee with Joique Bell and will not see many of the goal line carries. His explosiveness in the passing game still makes him a better fantasy option at RB than most.
13. Alfred Morris WAS – It’s hard to love Morris. He should get a lot of carries but the Washington offense may struggle this year. He still makes for a decent starting RB option.
14. Ben Tate CLE – Tate could be a real sleeper in fantasy drafts but he is rated about right as a middle of pack starting RB. He should get the bulk of the carries in Cleveland. The question is how many carries will that be?
15. Doug Martin TB – I think Doug Martin is absolutely the most overrated player I’ve seen in mock drafts. He is coming off injury and needs to prove he can carry the load to justify a high pick. It’s not that I hate him. I just think he’s more a top 35 type player than top 10.
16. Zac Stacy STL – I’m not sure why there is so much hype for Stacy. With Bradford being out for the year I wonder that even more. The Rams have other RB’s on the roster that will likely get carries and will be playing from behind a lot.
17. Frank Gore SF – Gore is still a solid starter. His age and Rookie RB Carlos Hyde downgrade his value a bit. This could easily be a Pro Bowl year or the end of the line for Gore.
18. Ryan Matthews SD – Matthews is always a risk in fantasy due to injuries. When he’s healthy he is a viable starting option. He will likely be stuck in a committee with Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown. If Matthews were a durable every down back he’d be a top 20 fantasy player instead of barely being a top 20 RB.
19. CJ Spiller BUF – Spiller is explosive but will share the workload with Fred Jackson. Neither Spiller or Jackson are ideal goal line runners. That should further worry fantasy owners that Buffalo may try to find one.
20. Ray Rice BAL – Rice will be suspended the first 2 games of the season. He should still rebound and have a decent fantasy season. He has put himself though a lot and should be motivated once he hits the field. I would suggest also drafting Ravens RB’s Bernard Pierce who will be starting in Rice’s absence and could just steal the job. Rice should end up being a steal where he is going in drafts.
21. Toby Gerhart JAX – Gerhart could end up being major steal in the mid rounds. He is likely to see a heavy workload in Jacksonville. That may not mean a good fantasy season. Gerhart has never been a full time starter and is an injury concern. I can see Jordan Toddman winning the job at some point during the season.
22. Rashad Jennings NYG – Jennings will start the season as New York’s starter but rookie Andre Williams will be breathing down his neck. The Giants RB’s may not score many points anyway.
23. Andre Ellington ARI – Ellington will be the starter in Arizona but is far from a proven starting RB in fantasy. He is definitely worth a mid-round pick and could be a pleasant surprise.
24. Joique Bell DET – Detroit has the RB committee that I am most comfortable with. Both RB’s have defined roles and should have big games and score consistently for the Lions big play offense.
25. Bishop Sankey TEN – Every year there are quite a few rookies that make a huge impact in fantasy. Sankey isn’t going into the season as a starter but he is the rookie most likely to make that impact this season.
Sleepers – Chris Ivory NYJ, Maurice Jones-Drew OAK, Carlos Hyde SF, Andre Williams NYG, Knowshon Moreno MIA
Note about RB’s – I don’t consider RB’s in a heavy committee as true starting fantasy options. If you have a RB on New England or New Orleans you’ll likely end up being burned. There are a lot of quality RB’s that I didn’t rank due to this. Those RB’s include; Shane Vereen NE, Pierre Thomas NO, Stevan Ridley NE, Mark Ingram NO, Fred Jackson Buff, Chris Johnson NYJ, DeAngelo Williams CAR, Jonathan Stewart CAR. Those are all quality football players that could be huge fantasy options in another situation.
Top 30 WR’s
1. Calvin Johnson DET – One of the best fantasy WR’s of all-time if not the best.
2. AJ Green CIN – Outside of Johnson the best WR in the NFL. AJ is sure to put up huge numbers as long as he’s healthy.
3. Demaryius Thomas DEN – Demaryius is also a sure thing playing with Manning and the Broncos. He should go ahead of many RB’s rated ahead of him.
4. Brandon Marshall CHI – There is a bit of a drop off from Demaryius to Marshall. Marhsall is still a very solid 2nd Round pick and a better pick than a lot of the RB’s rated ahead him.
5. Dez Bryant DAL – Dallas should be in for a tough year. That shouldn’t deter Bryant’s fantasy owners. Dallas will likely still put up a lot of yards in the passing game playing from behind.
6. Julio Jones ATL – Julio looks as explosive as ever coming back from injury. There is a pretty sizable drop off in talent after Jones. He is what I consider that last true top flight WR available.
7. Antonio Brown PIT – Brown is a solid 3rd Round pick and one of the safer WR options available. He will also pick up points in the return game.
8. Jordy Nelson GB – Nelson is a bit of an injury concern which keeps him from being an elite fantasy option. Playing with Aaron Rodgers he should put up plenty of points and is worthy of a 3rd Round pick.
9. Alshon Jeffery CHI – Jeffery looked like the next big thing last season. He needs to prove it was more than just a one hit wonder. I think he will.
10. Keenan Allen SD – Chargers players seem to be very underrated in fantasy drafts. Allen should put up big numbers with Philip Rivers in San Diego.
11. Randall Cobb GB – Cobb is an explosive player but will not get the catches needed to be a true top WR. Cobb is an excellent 2nd WR if you are lucky enough to get him as that.
12. Vincent Jackson TB – Jackson’s size still makes him a solid red zone threat. He should have a better year with QB Josh McCown.
13. Roddy White ATL – I believe the Falcons and White will have a bounce back year. He is a solid #2 option at WR.
14. Victor Cruz NYG – Much like the Cowboys the Giants could be playing from behind a lot. Cruz should see a lot of action either way.
15. Larry Fitzgerald ARI- Still a decent #2 WR but not nearly what he once was. He is on the decline and could end up as the #2 WR on his own team behind Michael Floyd which would not be good for his fantasy owners.
16. Andre Johnson HOU – Much like Fitzgerald you’re really picking what Johnson once was more than what he is. He could also end up the #2 WR on his team behind DeAndre Hopkins. Houston should be one of the most conservative offenses in the league which hurts his stock.
17. DeSean Jackson WAS – I don’t really like anyone on Washington as a Fantasy option but Jackson is their best WR. He will probably have a few games where he scores a ton of points because of 2 or 3 big plays and a lot where he hardly scores.
18. Pierre Garcon WAS – Garcon will probably be more consistent than Jackson. If Washington struggles it could mean a lot of late game catches for their possession receiver Garcon.
19. Michael Floyd ARI – Floyd could be headed for a breakout year on what should be a decent offense in Arizona. He would be one of the steals of the draft if he does.
20. Julian Edelman NE – Someone has to catch the football in New England and Edelman has become Tom Brady’s most consistent option over the years.
21. Jeremy Maclin PHI – Maclin looks to be back and 100%. Even if he’s 85% he should be the top receiving threat for a very good Eagles passing game.
22. T.Y. Hilton IND – The Colts offense should take a huge step forward with budding Superstar QB Andrew Luck. Hilton should be the main beneficiary.
23. Cordarrelle Patterson MIN – Cordarrelle could be one of the biggest mid round sleepers. He is one of the most explosive players in the league. If he can become a consistent offensive player he should put up huge fantasy points. He’s more of a return man at this point.
24. Emmanuel Sanders DEN – Sanders should be able to put near the production Eric Decker put up last season for Denver. That would be a great thing for his fantasy owners.
25. Reggie Wayne IND – Wayne should be a decent 2nd WR/FLEX option as he returns from knee surgery. Much like Hilton he will benefit from Luck’s development.
26. Golden Tate DET – Tate should see plenty of single coverage opposite Calvin Johnson. Detroit should put up tons of passing yards leaving plenty for Tate.
27. Percy Harvin SEA – I would be very weary of drafting Harvin at all. He is just hurt too much for me to use a high pick on. He is healthy right now so he will surely be drafted. If he plays even 10 games he’s a huge steal.
28. Marques Colston NO – Colston has declined but should still put up decent production in New Orleans. It wouldn’t surprise me to see another WR in New Orleans emerge as a fantasy beast but Colston is the safest pick of their WR corps.
29. Wes Welker DEN – Welker should be a solid fantasy player but goes into the season injured with a concussion. He is a risky pick but should put up big numbers when healthy. I would call him a sleeper if he were healthy but he’s probably rated correctly going in the later rounds. He should be no worse than a solid FLEX play when he’s on the field.
30. Torrey Smith BAL – Smith a bit overrated in most mock drafts I have seen. He’s not a true #1 WR. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Steve Smith be the more productive WR there. I’ll give Torrey the nod because he’s been there before.
Sleepers – Terrance Williams DAL, Cecil Shorts JAX, DeAndre Hopkins HOU, Anquan Boldin BAL, Sammy Watkins BUF, Riley Cooper PHI, Steve Smith BAL, Mike Evans TB, Jarrett Boykin GB, Brandin Cooks NO, Marqise Lee JAX, Allen Robinson JAX, Kenny Stills NO, Kelvin Benjamin CAR
Top 15 TE’s
1. Jimmy Graham NO – Clearly the best TE in the league and worthy of a 1st Round pick. Getting Graham gives you a huge advantage because he will outscore your opponents TE by around 7 PPG on average.
2. Julius Thomas DEN – Julius is without a doubt the 2nd best TE heading into the season. He is a much safer pick than Gronk and should put up consistent points playing in Denver. I wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up the #1 rated TE.
3. Rob Gronkowski NE – Gronk is back but is he healthy? He won’t even be cleared to play until Week 1. He is a gamble for sure but I do expect him play. If you get 10 games out of him he will be well worth a 3rd Round pick. I didn’t rank him in the Top 25 but he would have been in the top 30. That’s how much I think of the value of the TE position.
4. Vernon Davis SF – Davis is easily the next best TE but not nearly as consistent as the top 3. Davis has as much talent as anyone ranked higher than him. It’s more his desire and the offense he plays in that make him 4th.
5. Jordan Cameron CLE – Cameron was one of the bigger fantasy surprises last season. He won’t sneak up on anyone this season but should be one of the better fantasy options at TE again.
6. Jason Witten DAL – Witten is clearly on the decline but still has fantasy value. He doesn’t get in the End Zone much anymore but should still be good enough not hurt you at TE.
7. Kyle Rudolph MIN – Minnesota’s passing game should be quietly improved this year with either Cassell or Bridgewater under Center. Rudolph should benefit from that. I can see him scoring between 6-8 TD’s which would make him a valuable fantasy TE.
8. Greg Olson CAR – Olsen should remain an above average fantasy TE. Carolina’s offense may struggle but Olson should be the one guy who still has a rapport with QB Cam Newton.
9. Zach Ertz PHI – Ertz is probably the biggest sleeper in this TE class. He may not even be a starter to open the season but he should see plenty of targets in Philly’s wide open offense. He is the best receiving TE on the team.
10. Antonio Gates SD – Gates has fallen off the fantasy map in drafts. I’m not sure why. He is hurt but he’s always hurt. He should give you what he normally does. He may only play in the half the games but he should have 5 catches in the games he plays in and score in half of them.
11. Coby Fleener IND – Fleener is underrated in most fantasy drafts. He should get plenty of opportunities to score this season.
12. Dennis Pitta BAL – Pitta is probably the most overrated TE in this year. He is coming off a serious injury and has never proven himself to be a top flight TE. Baltimore isn’t exactly an explosive offense either. There is upside but Pitta has yet to be anyone to get excited about having on your team.
13. Martellus Bennett CHI – Bennett has quietly had a nice NFL career. He has never been a huge fantasy player but this could be his best year. He figures to see plenty of red zone opportunities playing next to the stacked WR corps of Marshall and Jeffrey.
14. Eric Ebron DET – Detroit took Ebron in the 1st Round for a reason. They have big plans for him. He may not make a big impact to start the season but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended the season in the top 10. Ebron is a late round sleeper.
15. Ladarius Green SD – For the games Gates is sure to miss, Green should fill in nicely. He has plenty of upside to become a top flight TE with or without Gates. Don’t expect a consistent contributor in Green but you should know when he’s going to play. Drafting Gates and Green late would be a good strategy.
Top 10 D/ST
1. Seattle – It’s not even close. Seattle is worth overdrafting depending on how your league does it’s scoring.
2. San Francisco – The 49ers have lost a lot on defense but still look like the #2 D/ST. They still have a lot of play makers and a great scheme.
3. Cincinnati – Geno Atkins should be back and he is the best player on their D. They were ranked high last season and figure to be better.
4. Denver – Denver is likely to have some poor fantasy games defensively. They also should be playing with the lead most of the time and rack up sacks and turnovers with the pass rush generated by Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.
5. Carolina – The Panthers defense still looks strong but they lack play makers on offense and could end up in a lot of ball control low scoring games. Defenses don’t score many fantasy points in games like that.
6. Arizona – Arizona has suffered injuries to possibly their 2 best defensive players. They should still be solid with the players they are returning and new additions.
7. Houston – The Texans have one of the most underrated defenses this year. They were excellent on defense 2 years ago and added Jadeveon Clowney who should create a devastating pass rush with JJ Watt.
8. Buffalo – The Bills also have an underrated defense. They have one of the best D-Line’s in the league. They also have a game managing style of offense so they may not be playing from way behind very much.
9. Tampa Bay – The Bucs have a young up and coming defense led by All Pro OLB LaVonte David. Their offense could make their job difficult at times but they have playmakers on defense.
10. Kansas City – I don’t think the Chiefs will be as good as they were last year. They should still generate a solid pass rush with Tamba Hali and Justin Houston.
Kickers – You shouldn’t draft a kicker until your last or 1st to last pick. As long as you get a top 12 kicker you should be fine.
