If you’ve followed my journey through life, you’ll know I love a lot of things. Chihuahuas, Star Wars, Iron Maiden, Magic: the Gathering, a small stuffed cow named Mr. Cow, and fantasy football. So when I found a website that would let me at least write about some of those things (I’m still waiting on Chihuahuas), it’s time to break down one of those barriers. So for the first time in That Hashtag Show history, let’s talk about some fake sports.

Normally every fantasy football season I do a big effort of writing up player profiles on the top 150 plus players. I do rankings. I project point totals. The full gamut of nerdy stats. So this year, I’m changing it up a bit. I know most people are going to skip this opening section to just get to the rankings. Magic: the Gathering articles are similar to this, you just gotta get to the decklists. This year, we’re going to give you all the rankings that you want. Rankings. And you’re also going to get what players I like, and the ones that I dislike at their costs. I don’t believe in “never drafting” certain players. Like Ted DiBiase said, “everyone has a price”.

So you’re going to get a paragraph or two about the top 150 players or so. If you like Christian McCaffrey, draft him. If you want to take Michael Thomas in the top 4 picks, go for it! I might not do that, but also, I’m just some schmuck on the internet. These are my personal PPR (points per reception) rankings, use them to guide your decisions, but that decision is yours. Because it’s your fantasy football team. So let’s get to it.

The Top 150 PPR Players

UPDATED: September 2nd

  1. Christian McCaffrey RB Carolina Panthers
  2. Saquon Barkley RB New York Giants
  3. Ezekiel Elliot RB Dallas Cowboys
  4. Alvin Kamara RB New Orleans Saints
  5. Michael Thomas WR New Orleans Saints
  6. Derrick Henry RB Tennessee Titans
  7. Dalvin Cook RB Minnesota Vikings
  8. Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB Kansas City Chiefs
  9. Joe Mixon RB Cincinnati Bengals
  10. Julio Jones WR Atlanta Falcons
  11. Davante Adams WR Green Bay Packers
  12. Tyreek Hill WR Kansas City Chiefs
  13. Josh Jacobs RB Las Vegas Raiders
  14. Austin Ekeler RB Los Angeles Chargers
  15. Kenyan Drake RB Arizona Cardinals
  16. DeAndre Hopkins WR Arizona Cardinals
  17. Chris Godwin WR Tampa Bay Buccs
  18. Miles Sanders RB Philadelphia Eagles
  19. Allen Robinson WR Chicago Bears
  20. Travis Kelce TE Kansas City Chiefs
  21. George Kittle TE San Francisco 49’ers
  22. Nick Chubb RB Cleveland Browns
  23. Aaron Jones RB Green Bay Packers
  24. Kenny Golladay WR Detroit Lions
  25. Adam Thielen WR Minnesota Vikings
  26. Cooper Kupp WR Los Angeles Rams
  27. Odell Beckham Jr. WR Cleveland Browns
  28. Todd Gurley RB Atlanta Falcons
  29. Robert Woods WR Los Angeles Rams
  30. Calvin Ridley WR Atlanta Falcons
  31. Mark Andrews TE Baltimore Ravens
  32. D.J. Moore WR Carolina Panthers
  33. Chris Carson RB Seattle Seahawks
  34. James Conner RB Pittsburgh Steelers
  35. Patrick Mahomes QB Kansas City Chiefs
  36. Lamar Jackson QB Baltimore Ravens
  37. Mike Evans WR Tampa Bay Buccs
  38. Juju Smith-Schuster WR Pittsburgh Steelers
  39. Amari Cooper WR Dallas Cowboys
  40. Le’Veon Bell RB New York Jets
  41. Tyler Lockett WR Seattle Seahawks
  42. D.K. Metcalf WR Seattle Seahawks
  43. Zach Ertz TE Philadelphia Eagles
  44. A.J. Brown WR Tennessee Titans
  45. D.J. Chark WR Jacksonville Jaguars
  46. Terry McLaurin WR Washington Team
  47. Jonathan Taylor RB Indianapolis Colts
  48. David Johnson RB Houston Texans
  49. Keenan Allen WR Los Angeles Chargers
  50. DeVante Parker WR Miami Dolphins
  51. Darren Waller TE Las Vegas Raiders
  52. A.J. Green WR Cincinnati Bengals
  53. T.Y. Hilton WR Indianapolis Colts
  54. Dak Prescott QB Dallas Cowboys
  55. Mark Ingram II RB Baltimore Ravens
  56. Melvin Gordon RB Denver Broncos
  57. Ronald Jones RB Tampa Bay Buccs
  58. Russell Wilson QB Seattle Seahawks
  59. Deshaun Watson QB Houston Texans
  60. Courtland Sutton WR Denver Broncos
  61. Brandin Cooks WR Houston Texans
  62. Josh Allen QB Buffalo Bills
  63. Stefon Diggs WR Buffalo Bills
  64. Marquise Brown WR Baltimore Ravens
  65. Tyler Boyd WR Cincinnati Bengals
  66. Kareem Hunt RB Cleveland Browns
  67. Diontae Johnson WR Pittsburgh Steelers
  68. David Montgomery RB Chicago Bears
  69. Will Fuller WR Houston Texans
  70. Raheem Mostert RB San Francisco 49’ers
  71. Marvin Jones WR Detroit Lions
  72. J.K. Dobbins RB Baltimore Ravens
  73. Tyler Higbee TE Los Angeles Rams
  74. Hayden Hurst TE Atlanta Falcons
  75. D’Andre Swift RB Detroit Lions
  76. Kyler Murray QB Arizona Cardinals
  77. Tarik Cohen RB Chicago Bears
  78. James White RB New England Patriots
  79. Evan Engram TE New York Giants
  80. Carson Wentz QB Philadelphia Eagles
  81. Julian Edelman WR New England Patriots
  82. Michael Gallup WR Dallas Cowboys
  83. Matt Ryan QB Atlanta Falcons
  84. Jarvis Landry WR Cleveland Browns
  85. Christian Kirk WR Arizona Cardinals
  86. Anthony Miller WR Chicago Bears
  87. Devin Singletary RB Buffalo Bills
  88. Jerry Jeudy WR Denver Broncos
  89. Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay Packers
  90. Cam Newton QB New England Patriots
  91. Jamison Crowder WR New York Jets
  92. Henry Ruggs III WR Las Vegas Raiders
  93. Jordan Howard RB Miami Dolphins
  94. Sterling Shepard WR New York Giants
  95. John Brown WR Buffalo Bills
  96. Matthew Stafford QB Detroit Lions
  97. Cam Akers RB Los Angeles Rams
  98. Drew Brees QB New Orleans Saints
  99. Phillip Lindsay RB Denver Broncos
  100. Zack Moss RB Buffalo Bills
  101. Darius Slayton WR New York Giants
  102. Jonnu Smith TE Tennessee Titans
  103. Matt Brieda RB Miami Dolphins
  104. Marlon Mack RB Indianapolis Colts
  105. Austin Hooper TE Cleveland Browns
  106. Hunter Henry TE Los Angeles Chargers
  107. Latavius Murray RB New Orleans Saints
  108. Jalen Reagor WR Philadelphia Eagles
  109. Rob Gronkowski TE Tampa Bay Buccs
  110. Kerryon Johnson RB Detroit Lions
  111. Golden Tate WR New York Giants
  112. Tevin Coleman RB San Francisco 49’ers
  113. Emmanuel Sanders WR New Orleans Saints
  114. Noah Fant TE Denver Broncos
  115. Duke Johnson RB Houston Texans
  116. Tom Brady QB Tampa Bay Buccs
  117. CeeDee Lamb WR Dallas Cowboys
  118. Joe Burrow QB Cincinnati Bengals
  119. DeSean Jackson WR Philadelphia Eagles
  120. Mike Williams WR Los Angeles Chargers
  121. Alexander Mattison RB Minnesota Vikings
  122. Ryquell Armstead RB Jacksonville Jaguars
  123. Boston Scott RB Philadelphia Eagles
  124. Ryan Tannenhill QB Tennessee Titans
  125. Darrell Henderson RB Los Angeles Rams
  126. Mike Gesicki TE Miami Dolphins
  127. Preston Williams WR Miami Dolphins
  128. Ben Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh Steelers
  129. Blake Jarwin TE Dallas Cowboys
  130. Jared Goff QB Los Angeles Rams
  131. Jack Doyle TE Indianapolis Colts
  132. Jared Cook TE New Orleans Saints
  133. Tony Pollard RB Dallas Cowboys
  134. T.J. Hockenson TE Detroit Lions
  135. Nyheim Hines RB Indianapolis Colts
  136. Justin Jefferson WR Minnesota Vikings
  137. Robby Anderson WR Carolina Panthers
  138. Kirk Cousins QB Minnesota Vikings
  139. Antonio Gibson RB Washington Team
  140. N’Keal Harry WR New England Patriots
  141. Deebo Samuel WR San Francisco 49’ers
  142. Ke’Shawn Vaughn RB Tampa Bay Buccs
  143. Mecole Hardman WR Kansas City Chiefs
  144. Breshad Perriman WR New York Jets
  145. Daniel Jones QB New York Giants
  146. Dallas Goedert TE Philadelphia Eagles
  147. Chase Edmonds RB Arizona Cardinals
  148. Curtis Samuel WR Carolina Panthers
  149. Sammy Watkins WR Kansas City Chiefs
  150. Gardner Minshew II QB Jacksonville Jaguars

Leonard Fournette is currently out of my rankings because he’s a free agent, but the absolute earliest I would take him is probably round 10 while he isn’t signed to a team. I’d be comfortable after round 12, but he isn’t likely to last until then. Guys that switch teams after training camp are really unlikely to be any huge fantasy factor. If he signs with the Patriots or Buccaneers, he doesn’t even really help those teams that much due to the other mouths to feed or the backfield mates.

The Top 10: Or 9 Running Backs And Michael Thomas

Football
Grant Halverson/Getty
  • Christian McCaffrey RB Carolina Panthers
  • Saquon Barkley RB New York Giants
  • Alvin Kamara RB New Orleans Saints
  • Ezekiel Elliot RB Dallas Cowboys
  • Michael Thomas WR New Orleans Saints
  • Derrick Henry RB Tennessee Titans
  • Joe Mixon RB Cincinnati Bengals
  • Kenyan Drake RB Arizona Cardinals
  • Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB Kansas City Chiefs
  • Julio Jones WR Atlanta Falcons

Here’s the top 10. No surprise, that running backs dominate the proceedings. Michael Thomas is a freak of nature and should get somewhere in the range of 160-170 targets again. Derrick Henry should normally get a downgrade in PPR formats, but he doesn’t because he’s the most consistent non-CMC player. He’s going to get the carries unless he gets injured. Kenyan Drake showed that he was a stud in this offense last year, when he likely carried many to fantasy championships. Basically if you have the number one overall pick, there’s no contest, take CMC. Any pick after that is really up to your personal preference.

UPDATE: Dalvin Cook has been moved out of the top 10 due to his contract situation, he has all the talent in the world, but I’m off him for the time being.

Why Catches Are So Important For the RB’s

Kamara, Mixon, CEH, and Drake have the chops and the offenses to jump into that top spot because of usage in the passing game. That’s the key to any of the non-Henry RB’s. You want lots of usage on the ground and catches/targets in the passing game. This year, I don’t really have a pick that I hate taking, but the player in this top 10 that I least want is definitely Dalvin Cook.

His usage was up there with the best of them, but I don’t like all the off the field drama. He held out of camp, he wants a contract, and he’s got a slight injury history. You can’t project out injuries, and anyone carrying a football 200+ times running into the brick wall, is more likely to get injured, but he’s one pick that I might be avoiding. Although his usage is fantastic.

Ranks 11-20 In PPR: The Wide Receivers Come To Play

Football
Getty Images
  • Davante Adams WR Green Bay Packers
  • Dalvin Cook RB Minnesota Vikings
  • Tyreek Hill WR Kansas City Chiefs
  • DeAndre Hopkins WR Arizona Cardinals
  • Chris Godwin WR Tampa Bay Buccs
  • Miles Sanders RB Philadelphia Eagles
  • Allen Robinson WR Chicago Bears
  • Aaron Jones RB Green Bay Packers
  • Travis Kelce TE Kansas City Chiefs
  • George Kittle TE San Francisco 49’ers

Here’s the point in the draft where you want to grab your wide receivers or tight ends. There are some great values in this spot especially if the first round of your draft is as running back heavy as my top 10. Julio Jones has had over 1300 yards the past four seasons. Tyreek Hill has the potential to score 30 points any given week. Chris Godwin is going to get all the underneath targets from Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. He’s going to be that security blanket for Brady.

I’m avoiding DeAndre Hopkins at his current cost due to a couple reasons. Wide receivers switching teams is normally a recipe for disappointment. Switching teams in the middle of a pandemic without preseason games and training camp is even more troubling. Hopkins has the talent and the target share to break out, but I’d rather go with the safety of Adams, Julio, and Hill over him.

Jones and Sanders are the last of the RB1 players (top 10-ish players at the position). Sanders could be a top 5 back if Doug Pederson gets his head out of his ass and lets him touch the ball more. Jones is in a position for touchdown regression, but the Green Bay offense is more run happy these days.

An Aside On Kittle and Kelce

George Kittle and Travis Kelce are far and away the best tight ends. They command target shares in the same range as high-end wide receivers. So if they were being treated as WR’s for fantasy purposes, I’d have them in that low end-WR1 (top 10-ish) range. Drafting them means that you lose out on some prospective value at the RB/WR position, but that means you have one of the best options at the position. You don’t have to worry about them except for bye weeks or an injury. If you draft towards the top picks, then they are great options to pair with a WR at that 19/20 turn. But just be wary of how your roster might turn out.

Ranks 21-30: My Favorite Tier Of Players

Football
Credit: Joe Camporeale
  • Josh Jacobs RB Las Vegas Raiders
  • Austin Ekeler RB Los Angeles Chargers
  • Kenny Golladay WR Detroit Lions
  • Adam Thielen WR Minnesota Vikings
  • Cooper Kupp WR Los Angeles Rams
  • Odell Beckham Jr. WR Cleveland Browns
  • Todd Gurley RB Atlanta Falcons
  • Robert Woods WR Los Angeles Rams
  • Calvin Ridley WR Atlanta Falcons
  • Mark Andrews TE Baltimore Ravens

Starting off this tier of players is the enigma Josh Jacobs. His role last year with the Raiders was pretty solid. He didn’t catch too many passes, and the Raiders added tons of pass-catchers this year. So he might just be in the Nick Chubb/Jonathan Taylor/Derrick Henry tier of guys who only get rushing attempts. Jacobs could break through and show how decent of a pass-catcher he is, but I’m not banking on it. He’s better suited to be the second RB on your roster.

Austin Ekeler is sort of in the same camp, but on a much different offense than the Chargers had last year. He’s still going to catch passes, but I’m downgrading this Chargers team across the board. They threw almost 600 passes last year, and with Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert, they’re going to throw even less. Ekeler also has regression coming in the TD department, but he’s going to get enough volume to be a great second RB on your team. Gurley is someone who people are avoiding because of knee “injuries”. The ailment he’s been playing with, he’s had since college. Going to the Falcons might be the best landing spot for him, he’s one of my targets in drafts for the second RB slot.

The WR’s and Mark Andrews In This Tier

Golladay, Thielen, Kupp, Beckham, Woods, and Ridley are all great guys to target. If you go RB heavy in the first two rounds, these guys all have the ability to jump up into that top 12 for the WR position. I love Calvin Ridley where he’s going in drafts and if you can snag him as your WR2 (13-20th-ish), then consider yourself to be a lucky ducky. Robert Woods had 3 total touchdowns last year. In his Rams career, he’s averaged between 5 and 6 each season. He was in the WR17-ish rank last year depending on scoring, so if you add a couple TD’s his way, he makes for a super safe play.

Cooper Kupp was the WR2 overall before the Rams bye week last year. After that bye week he wasn’t the same player. He could have been playing through an injury or it could be due to a philosophy change in the Rams offense. They started running more 2 tight end playsets after the bye. That meant that Cooper Kupp was off the field around 30% of the time. As Jared Goff’s unquestioned top target, I like Kupp to rebound this year. He’s just as safe as Woods is.

Mark Andrews is the last guy that I want to talk about in this tier. He has the ability and the offense to vault into that top tier. The Ravens are going to throw the ball more this season. Hayden Hurst is no longer on the team, and he could account for 120 targets in this offense as the main passing down option. I like him at his current price, but it’s been slowly rising as the preseason goes on.

Ranks 31-40: A Smattering Of RB’s And The Top QB’s

football
Doug Benc/AP/Shutterstock
  • Nick Chubb RB Cleveland Browns
  • Patrick Mahomes QB Kansas City Chiefs
  • Lamar Jackson QB Baltimore Ravens
  • Mike Evans WR Tampa Bay Buccs
  • Juju Smith-Schuster WR Pittsburgh Steelers
  • D.J. Moore WR Carolina Panthers
  • James Conner RB Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Amari Cooper WR Dallas Cowboys
  • Leonard Fournette RB Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Le’Veon Bell RB New York Jets

So I’ll split this section up into a discussion about drafting a QB this early, and the rest of the players in this tier. Lamar Jackson was an absolute cheat code last year. He was far and away the best rushing QB we’ve ever seen and he only scored 5 times. Based on opportunity and other metrics, he should have scored 13 TD’s last year. So that might be coming for him. He’s going to pass the ball more, because the Ravens couldn’t get more efficient at rushing the ball if they tried from last year.

Jackson isn’t a big bruiser like Cam Newton, that’s not to say he’s small, but the writing is on the wall for other similarly sized rushing QB’s. He’s not going to be able to take hits like that without getting injured. If you really like drafting the best players at the position, then go for Jackson, but his cost is too high for me right now.

Mahomes was injured last year. So he wasn’t at his best, but when he’s on the field, he’s dynamite. You’re going to get, depending on your league settings, between 20 and 30 points every week from him. He makes magical plays, but the difference between Mahomes and Jackson and the third best QB, whoever it may be, isn’t going to be that large. You’re going for safety here. I’d rather have the upside of some of the players around him, but if he slips past that ADP (average draft position) then pounce.

The Best Of The Rest And Some Safe Plays

This is the last of the tier of players where you don’t really have question marks. Players like D.J. Moore are going to be the top dogs on their teams. Moore has question marks about TD scoring because the Panthers offense isn’t slated to be amazing, but he did well last year with terrible QB play. He’s the last of the WR1-2 guys that I’d feel safe taking. Schuster has question marks with Ben Roethlisberger’s health and how his arm is going to look after a horrific elbow injury. He’s moving back to the slot, which bodes well for his production, but it’s still a question mark.

Evans finished as a WR1 last year but he didn’t finish that mark very often during the season. He had huge boom games, but the majority of the time he didn’t give you very good numbers. He finished as a WR2 on the week just 38% of the time. Tom Brady at this point in his career isn’t going to chuck it up into coverage like Jameis Winston was doing last year. He’s a perfect WR2 for your team, because you don’t need safety out of him, but drafting him in the top 10 at the position is a folly.

Bell and Fournette are boring and safe options for your team. Don’t expect top 10 numbers and you’ll be happy. I’ll finish up with Amari Cooper. Cooper doesn’t get the target share in his offense like the other top WR’s in the league. At this point he’s like a poor man’s Tyreek Hill, he has a couple big games mixed in with some real stinkers. That’s the definition of a WR2 to me. I’m not drafting him at his current cost.

Ranks 41-50: The Last Of The Safe WR2’s And RB2’s

football
Courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals
  • Tyler Lockett WR Seattle Seahawks
  • David Montgomery RB Chicago Bears
  • D.K. Metcalf WR Seattle Seahawks
  • Chris Carson RB Seattle Seahawks
  • Zach Ertz TE Philadelphia Eagles
  • A.J. Green WR Cincinnati Bengals
  • A.J. Brown WR Tennessee Titans
  • D.J. Chark WR Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Terry McLaurin WR Washington Team
  • Jonathan Taylor RB Indianapolis Colts

I’ll start off with this. D.K. Metcalf has the ability to be a top 10 wideout. Russell Wilson loves targeting him in the red zone, he was in the top 5 in the NFL with red zone targets. If the Seahawks ever decide to throw the ball more, Lockett and Metcalf are both going to be huge values going at this spot. Lockett is the safer of the two, but he had a tremendous season going last year up until his injury. That was a scary one, but he’s over it now, and he should be good to go.

A.J. Green, A.J. Brown, D.J. Chark, and Terry McLaurin all are solid WR2 players. Green is going later than most of them, so he can be had as a WR3/FLEX for your team. A.J. Brown was a great player last year on stupid efficiency. If he gets more targets, then that regression of efficiency shouldn’t matter.

The Last Of The RB2’s

David Montgomery, Chris Carson, and Jonathan Taylor are players that I absolutely LOVE. Taylor has to tussle with Marlon Mack, but he should win the job behind the best offensive line in the league. Montgomery is the only guy in the Bears backfield, but that situation all depends on how that offense runs. Carson has a hip injury that didn’t require surgery, but at this point in training camp, he’s good to go. That injury could flare up, he could fumble more, or Pete Carroll changes his mind about the love affair he has for Carson. If not, Carson is a mega-value going here.

Ranks 51-60: Some Question Marks

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times
  • Keenan Allen WR Los Angeles Chargers
  • DeVante Parker WR Miami Dolphins
  • Darren Waller TE Las Vegas Raiders
  • Courtland Sutton WR Denver Broncos
  • Dak Prescott QB Dallas Cowboys
  • Melvin Gordon RB Denver Broncos
  • Ronald Jones RB Tampa Bay Buccs
  • Russell Wilson QB Seattle Seahawks
  • Deshaun Watson QB Houston Texans
  • David Johnson RB Houston Texans

We’ve had some great years with Keenan Allen, but I’m not sure this year he’s going to be the rock solid player he’s been. The Chargers are losing 100 plus passes this year. Tyrod Taylor has never been the type of QB to pepper people with targets in the red zone. So while Allen might be a solid WR3 with potential based on volume alone for a WR2 finish, I’m not banking on it.

Parker, Sutton, and Waller were fantastic last year. Ryan Fitzpatrick is projected to be the starter in Miami and his DGAF attitude is probably going to buoy Parker’s value again. Sutton has some competition, but he figures to be the number one target in Denver. Waller Baller is one of my targets at TE due to touchdown regression. He only scored 3 times last year. The Raiders are going to need someone over the middle, and he’s it.

Three QB’s And Some Hopeful Studs

Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, and Deshaun Watson are all pretty interchangeable as the top 5 QB’s. They all will be solid, but don’t take them too early in drafts just because you need a QB. You can wait. Please wait.

Finally, Gordon, Jones, and Johnson are all RB’s with plenty of potential. Gordon is going to share carries with Phillip Lindsay, but he’s probably going to be the A to Lindsay’s B. Jones has all the potential in the world, but Bruce Arians is a wild card, it looks like he’s going to be the man though. Johnson is the last one. He was a first round pick last year. He played well before injuring his back. Could that back injury flare up again? Is he going to average more than like 3.5 YPC (yards per carry)? I’m not sure, but he’s the man in Houston, so he should get all the carries. I’m not comfortable with him as an RB2, but he can fill that spot.

Ranks 61-80: My Favorite Target In All The Land

Football
Courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts
  • Mark Ingram II RB Baltimore Ravens
  • Brandin Cooks WR Houston Texans
  • Josh Allen QB Buffalo Bills
  • Marquise Brown WR Baltimore Ravens
  • Tyler Boyd WR Cincinnati Bengals
  • Kareem Hunt RB Cleveland Browns
  • Will Fuller WR Houston Texans
  • Raheem Mostert RB San Francisco 49’ers
  • Marvin Jones WR Detroit Lions
  • J.K. Dobbins RB Baltimore Ravens
  • T.Y. Hilton WR Indianapolis Colts
  • Tyler Higbee TE Los Angeles Rams
  • Hayden Hurst TE Atlanta Falcons
  • D’Andre Swift RB Detroit Lions
  • Kyler Murray QB Arizona Cardinals
  • James White RB New England Patriots
  • Stefon Diggs WR Buffalo Bills
  • Evan Engram TE New York Giants
  • Carson Wentz QB Philadelphia Eagles
  • Julian Edelman WR New England Patriots

We’re going to pick up the pace with these next sections of players. I’ll start with my targets from this group: Cooks, Brown, Hunt, Dobbins, Hilton, Higbee, Hurst, and Wentz. Cooks is a stud and should be the beneficiary of a lot of the targets that Hopkins vacated. Brown could be the next Tyreek Hill. Hunt is one injury to Nick Chubb from being a top 5 RB. Higbee was the best TE over the last 5 weeks of the previous season.

Dobbins could take over for Mark Ingram and step into the best rushing attack in the league. Hilton is being pushed down boards because of injury, but Phillip Rivers chucks it downfield. Hurst is my favorite target in all of drafts. He’s a physical specimen that should take up many of the targets that made Austin Hooper into a baller. Wentz is my later QB target that could be in the top 5.

Kyler Murray is likely to go in the top 4 QB’s, but he shouldn’t. He was not better than Gardner Minshew last year, and I doubt that improves that much.

Ranks 81-100: Where Your Bench Is Going To Be Safe Or Sorry

Dustin Bradford/Scripps Media Inc.
  • Michael Gallup WR Dallas Cowboys
  • Matt Ryan QB Atlanta Falcons
  • Jarvis Landry WR Cleveland Browns
  • Christian Kirk WR Arizona Cardinals
  • Devin Singletary RB Buffalo Bills
  • Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay Packers
  • Cam Newton QB New England Patriots
  • Tarik Cohen RB Chicago Bears
  • Diontae Johnson WR Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Jamison Crowder WR New York Jets
  • Henry Ruggs III WR Las Vegas Raiders
  • Jordan Howard RB Miami Dolphins
  • Sterling Shepard WR New York Giants
  • John Brown WR Buffalo Bills
  • Matthew Stafford QB Detroit Lions
  • Cam Akers RB Los Angeles Rams
  • Drew Brees QB New Orleans Saints
  • Phillip Lindsay RB Denver Broncos
  • Darius Slayton WR New York Giants
  • Jonnu Smith TE Tennessee Titans

This tier of players is where you start getting into “my guys” territory. You have your starting lineup filled out, or mostly filled out. So what do you need? High upside guys for your bench? Sure, they’re here. Boring AF, safe guys? We got those. Did you wait on QB and just want someone who’s not going to lose you your week? Those are here. What about my second favorite TE sleeper? Jonnu Smith reporting for duty.

Take your pick with this group because at this point, you could have gold on your hands with Gallup, Johnson, Ruggs, Akers, or Lindsay. Melvin Gordon isn’t the most durable of dudes on the Broncos, and Lindsay has shown us what he can do. People are sleeping on what Jordan Howard has done in his career also. He cannot catch passes to save his life, but he’s a smart runner that the Dolphins signed in free agency before Brieda came to town. If that offensive line is even remotely competent, he can surge into the top 25 at the position.

The Cheat Code Section

Diontae Johnson really depends on how Big Ben comes back from his injury. A lot of my WR corps are probably going to look like: Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett/D.K. Metcalf, and Johnson. Take two stud RB’s and reap the benefits of the WR2 market looking deeper than ever.

Cam Newton could be the steal at QB that we all want. Rushing attempts plus Bill Belichick could unlock the (only 31 years old) QB. QBs like Matt Stafford, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers are not flashy, but Rodgers has finished as a top 10 QB every year that he hasn’t been injured. Stafford was on a roll last year before his injury, so who knows. Best part about these guys is that everyone fades them, so you can just drop them if the Saints decide to exclusively run the ball or if Matt LeFleur just benches Aaron Rodgers. Nothing would surprise me with that moron of a coach.

Ranks 101-120: Your Backup’s Backup And The Fun TE Tier

  • Jalen Reagor WR Philadelphia Eagles
  • Anthony Miller WR Chicago Bears
  • Matt Brieda RB Miami Dolphins
  • Marlon Mack RB Indianapolis Colts
  • Austin Hooper TE Cleveland Browns
  • Hunter Henry TE Los Angeles Chargers
  • Latavius Murray RB New Orleans Saints
  • Jerry Jeudy WR Denver Broncos
  • Rob Gronkowski TE Tampa Bay Buccs
  • Kerryon Johnson RB Detroit Lions
  • Golden Tate WR New York Giants
  • Tevin Coleman RB San Francisco 49’ers
  • Emmanuel Sanders WR New Orleans Saints
  • Noah Fant TE Denver Broncos
  • Duke Johnson RB Houston Texans
  • Tom Brady QB Tampa Bay Buccs
  • CeeDee Lamb WR Dallas Cowboys
  • Mike Williams WR Los Angeles Chargers
  • Alexander Mattison RB Minnesota Vikings
  • Ryan Tannenhill QB Tennessee Titans

We’re getting to “cross your fingers and hope” territory. Guys like Golden Tate, Emmanuel Sanders, and Mike Williams are sure to be safe plays, but likely won’t be lightning rods for upside. You have dudes like Anthony Miller, Noah Fant, Jalen Reagor, and CeeDee Lamb in good situations to succeed, but they have either lots of competition, or are rookies. I like Miller as someone who can jump into that WR2 territory with some luck and more consistent play. Reagor is the one that could completely erupt from this territory because Philly’s WR depth chart is thin and getting thinner.

Lotto Tickets And A Gronk

Lamb is going to compete for targets, but Dallas’s offense is really damn good. Fant finished last year strong but competes for a touches in a crowded passing tree in Denver. Outside of those guys, you’ve got lottery tickets here. Mattison, Coleman, Johnson, Murray, Mack, and Johnson could all be good backs to own. Some need an injury to the guys they’re behind or sharing a backfield with, but this is the season to have backups. 2020 is going to be wild.

Lastly for this tier, I have no idea what Rob Gronkowski is going to do in Tampa Bay. He’s not likely to have that classic Gronk season, but he could be usable. He’s likely to go too early for my blood though, based on name value.

Ranks 121-150: The Worst Of The Best Of The Rest

  • Darrell Henderson RB Los Angeles Rams
  • Mike Gesicki TE Miami Dolphins
  • Preston Williams WR Miami Dolphins
  • Ben Roethlisberger QB Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Blake Jarwin TE Dallas Cowboys
  • Joe Burrow QB Cincinnati Bengals
  • Jared Goff QB Los Angeles Rams
  • Jack Doyle TE Indianapolis Colts
  • Jared Cook TE New Orleans Saints
  • Tony Pollard RB Dallas Cowboys
  • T.J. Hockenson TE Detroit Lions
  • Nyheim Hines RB Indianapolis Colts
  • Justin Jefferson WR Minnesota Vikings
  • Robby Anderson WR Carolina Panthers
  • Kirk Cousins QB Minnesota Vikings
  • Zack Moss RB Buffalo Bills
  • Antonio Gibson RB Washington Team
  • N’Keal Harry WR New England Patriots
  • Deebo Samuel WR San Francisco 49’ers
  • Boston Scott RB Philadelphia Eagles
  • Ke’Shawn Vaughn RB Tampa Bay Buccs
  • Mecole Hardman WR Kansas City Chiefs
  • Breshad Perriman WR New York Jets
  • Daniel Jones QB New York Giants
  • Dallas Goedert TE Philadelphia Eagles
  • Chase Edmonds RB Arizona Cardinals
  • Curtis Samuel WR Carolina Panthers
  • Sammy Watkins WR Kansas City Chiefs
  • Gardner Minshew II QB Jacksonville Jaguars
  • DeSean Jackson WR Philadelphia Eagles

Because WordPress Sucks, I Have To Put A Header Right Here, But I’m Gonna Talk About How Much I Love Blake Jarwin

This is the end folks. You’ve come through almost 5000 words of me rambling about fantasy football. So if you’ve read this far, enjoy me talking about Blake Jarwin. The Cowboys have around 160 targets to spread around with the departure of Jason Witten and Randall Cobb. CeeDee Lamb is going to pick some of those up, but that means Blake Jarwin is the only TE with experience left on the roster. Getting someone at TE who has the ability to have 100 targets thrown his way from Dak Prescott at this stage in the draft, is highway robbery.

Another guy that benefits from the circumstances of his team is Mike Gesicki. The Dolphins are losing pass catchers left and right due to injury or opt-outs. That means Ryan Fitzpatrick, like with Davante Parker, is going to have to DGAF to another receiver. Gesicki is perfect for that, and he might get to that 80-90 target range, which is also a steal here.

Outside of those two TE’s, it’s about getting backups or high upside plays like Tony Pollard, Zack Moss, Chase Edmonds, or Vaughn on the Buccs. With word that Jones might be the man with the plan in Tampa Bay, Vaughn could just be on waiver wire speed dial instead of draftable.

But The Actual Rankings Are In A Different Castle

I like doing that to scare my home-league mates. I write up rankings and player profiles, only to spring on them that I could possibly be lying about the rankings for my own benefit. That’s never been the case though. Like a Doctor, or a Firefighter, or some other way more badass and helpful job, I have a Hippocratic Oath. If you have a question about fantasy sports, I’m inclined to help you. If you’re in the same league as me, I’m inclined to help you. Now if you draft Calvin Ridley before I do, I’m for sure going to curse your name to the heavens, but I’ll still help you.

I like winning. But I like seeing other people win more. It’s some weird thing in my psyche where if I help someone else win a fantasy title, that feels better than just me sitting in my room at 3:24am doing research for my own title. So to all my friends, family, or any random people that click on this looking for fantasy advice in some other sphere, I hope you win. If you have any question about this article, you can ask me on Twitter, or get some sick Magic: the Gathering content and tweets @HunterBolding. I’ll try to keep this updated as the preseason goes on, but these are probably my final ranks that I’m going to use in drafts that I’m in.

For (hopefully) more on Fantasy Football, or any other general pop culture, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.