2018 Preseason Team Rankings

#1

With less than a month until the NFL season begins, it’s due time for our annual preseason rankings post!
It’s a time to look at your roster before cut days and the rosters of your fellow league mates. It’s an annual chance to rank Alex outside of the playoffs again, for Chasen to be disappointed, for me to rank Mike more highly than the rest, for Ian A’s team to be ranked all over the place because of crazy potential, and for everyone to set the bar for Paul’s team to beat.

It’s also a fun time for our neighborhood stats guy Jon to compare and contrast rankings through the years and with the actual results at the end of the season.

I encourage each of you to submit your preseason rankings - whether it’s just #1-10 or with write ups for each team. It’s a chance to give your friends a “read 'em and weep” of your own!

How do you think the 2018 season is going to finish? Submit your ranks and let us know.

#2
  1. Melton. This guy is fresh off the ‘ship for a reason. He’s got a lot of starters at RB with Gordon, McKinnon, Cook, and Ingram (and Powell?) so he’s well prepared for the eventual injury bug there. Kirk Cousins and Rodgers are great QBs to have, but the WR pool looks thin. Benjamin, Hill, and Juju are starters, but behind that it’s meh. Two great TEs help round out this team. DEF could be a liability, but this is always unpredictable (Saints D was great at the end of 2017?!, who would’ve thunk).
  2. Cook. I’m biased, but think this is where I go. Returning top RBs in Collins, Kareem Hunt and Jordan Howard along with some what-ifs with Barber, Montgomery, Foreman, Booker and handcuffs give this team a good RB base. With top WRs Brown and Beckham at it again, Landry expecting more downfield action in CLE to build on record-breaking seasons in MIA, Lee coming up the chart in JAC at #1 or 2, and Ridley and Kupp as solid young guys, the floor for this group is pretty high. TE could be dicey, but it always is for those without Gronk/Kelce/Olsen. QB looks good except for Week 4, but what’s one regular season game in a 16 week season.
  3. Charbonnet. The repeating champ on a global journey. He’s living a life of spontaneity like LeSean and Le’veon who could miss part of “le season” as holdouts and investigations take their course. Without these guys, this team drops further as there’s only 3 WR slots for Julio, Michael Thomas, Cooks, Cobb, and Hilton to share while the RBs that would replace them have a high bar to live up to. Dak and Ryan are enough to get him back to the playoffs, but after that, who knows.
  4. Amunrud. Guice’s injury helps him out as he holds Rob Kelley, and this team needs that help at RB with a lot of guys in committees. There’s just too much talent at WR and QB to put this guy lower. If all that talents delivers like the experts think, this could be a banner year. Solid players at TE, and options at DEF make them a contender.
  5. Alex. Too many TEs on this team, and the WRs are better than they look – Crabtree, Hogan, Thielen and Tate could all conceivably start and score TDs from time to time. David Johnson and CMC are great RBs to have as teams start throwing to their RBs more. And obviously we’re set at QB here.
  6. Hart. I like the cut of this team’s jib. Kamara and Henry will do some work this season as key parts of ground based offenses. Tyrod gets no respect, and he’ll try to make the most of his time in CLE throwing to Landry and Gordon. WR is iffy, but he’s got Hopkins-powered-by-Watson, Agholor and Garcon to start, and young Ross, Godwin, and Washington ready in the wings. Old Greg is still here too along with a tough Vikings D.
  7. Miyake. Boy, I hope this team goes further to make the playoffs. Saquan Barkley is ready to play for this team alongside standout TE Engram. Coleman should help out as an RB2, we have some guys capable of big (or bad) weeks in Big Ben and Jameis, and the WRs should be able to field a starting three (Digs, Hurns, Jeffrey) plus some depth if Callaway and Golladay can repeat preseason success. Don’t forget that Jags DEF!
  8. Rogers. We got some WRs here y’all. Edelman, Fitzgerald, Baldwin, Sanders, and Jones could all start. The Bills young guys have potential, as does DeSean if he overtakes Sanders. Great stable of starting QBs, with Foles/Wentz off a Super Bowl W and Bortles off his best season yet at the way to the AFC championship. KAN made room for Mahomes to start after hitting the playoffs repeatedly in the last few years, so he’s got to be ready to ball out. TE looks good with Njoku and Brate. So why 8? Well, who starts at the all important RB slot besides Fournette? Guys at the low end of the depth chart need to climb for this team to make the playoffs.
  9. Stock. Without Deshaun, this team would be last. Gurley starts at RB with somebody’s handcuff. Mike Evans and Adams have to anchor the WRs, since an aging Nelson, an unproven Williams, and newbie Kirk aren’t sure things. TE is okay, as at least one of these guys will pan out (don’t drop the wrong one Mike).
  10. Ventura. I was tempted to put him at 9 since he has Drake and Elliot to start at RB, but with Allen the only top-tier WR here it was a tough decision. Brees and Rivers have some more in the tank and with this many kickers nobody is safe.
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#3

Preseason Ranking:

  1. Melton
  2. Mike
  3. Ian A
  4. Ian C
  5. Jon
  6. Chasen
  7. Alex
  8. Paul
  9. Garrett
  10. Ventura

Team Write-Up / Notes:

@Alex
The 2nd QB Store (I’d say Ian A is the QB store at this point) is going to be a bubble team this year. My predictions have them just out of the playoffs, but Alex has found himself in the fantasy postseason 3 out of THE JACKMAN’s 4 years, so I wouldn’t sleep on this team. While I’m down on Mariota after these last few years, Goff has performed better than I thought. Garroppolo is a fantasy darling this year. Props to Alex for holding on to Jimmy G all of these years. Tom Brady’s ok I guess too. In RB news: can David Johnson stay healthy? How about Chris Thompson? RB health is huge for this team. If DJ can stay on the field and McCaffrey stays steady, this team will see some wins. I don’t know if Thielen can be better than he was last year. I loved watching him with Case Keenum, but I think we’ve seen his ceiling. No other WRs really inspire confidence. Tate will be steady, but the WR X factor for this team is Hogan. No more Cooks or Amendola, Edlemen out for a short bit… could Hogan be a fantasy stud?

@awmelman
Will Andrew repeat? I think he has the tools to do so. I’m on the Aaron Rodgers for MVP pre-season hype train. If Cousins is your backup QB, you’re good in that category. Ingram may be out to start the year, but Gordon and Cook will start and McKinnon is getting a ton of hype for his potential role in Shanahan’s offense. Tyreek has been a fantasy stud, but the other WRs are the questions here. With Juju and Will Fuller (feat. D. Watson), there is a stupid amount of upside for points out of the WR spot. I think Crowder has a great year with Alex Smith too. Lastly, Jimmy Graham in GB could be a TD machine.

@ventura
Team Zeke had a great season during Elliot’s rookie year, but not sure where the team has been going since then. Rivers and Brees are quality QBs, but the RB question marks after Zeke are real. Kenyan Drake? Sony Michel? I’m not sure how much of them we see this season. I like Michel long term, but it’s hard to predict what his 2018 will look like. As for WRs, we have the extremely talented, but oft injured Keenan Allen. After that, we have Robert Woods who I’m curious to see this year in the Rams offense. Woods along with Kupp and Cooks I believe will have up and down games depending on the game plan each week. After that we have… Dede? Devante? Lot of question marks. But at least our ol’ kicker store picked up the only rookie kicker in the draft, so they’ll probably win it all from that.

@chasenrogers
There are some great parts to this roster, but when I consider it with some others in the league, I fear it may be a team stuck in the middle. Obviously we have a stud QB in Wentz and one of the best QB dynasty assess in Mahomes. RB has always been a spot Chasen has lacked depth in. If Fournette can stay healthy, he’s a great RB1, but one of the X factors here will be recent first round pick Royce Freeman. Can he not only win the job that Elway thinks he can in Denver, but also produce some big numbers? I hear that Denver passing attack is going to be the next big thing :wink: . The WRs are decent, but it looks like this team is hoping one of these good players can be something great in 2018. Doug Baldwin (possibly hurt), Marvin Jones, Sanders in a contract year, Edleman (suspended), and Funchess all could be worth starting at some point maybe, but it’s hard to tell. Also some guy named Fitz is on this team. Does he have enough gas in the tank to bring this team over the top?

@gbhart
When the team with DeAndre Hopkins and Alvin Kamara is this low, something has to be up. Part of this rating has to do with being abroad – you’ve got to put time into your team and the league to make progress, and that’s been hard for this squad over the years. While RBs should be good with Kamara and either Henry or Penny, QB is a bit of a mess right now with Tyrod being the best fantasy option to start the season – even though at this point he doesn’t have job security like Andy Dalton does. Even still I’d take Tyord over Dalton any day of the week (see long Slack thread). As for the WRs, Hopkins is a locked in stud (especially with Watson throwing), but the other spots are totally up for grabs with long-shots. Could be James Washington or DJ Chark as rookies. Could be Nelson Agholar. May Taywan Taylor becomes the WR to own in Tennessee… but that seems like a longer shot than Agholar being a top 30 WR. At least in the FLEX spot Duke Johnson should be consistent and Blount could be a TD vulture, but it all leads to a lot of “what ifs.”

@ianamunrud
The team that never has a weakness and is always loaded with potential. I have no doubts this team will be in the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. QBs are in great condition – 5 starters led by the possible fantasy stud of Andrew Luck in his return. The RBs are, again in 2018, a bit of a mystery. Steady guys like Miller and Lynch are paired with high-upside guys like Ajayi and Mixon. Ian added another hopeful in Ronald Jones in the first round of this years’ draft who should have a clearer path to playing time than most other rookie RBs. Hyde is the biggest mystery in the RB department. As for WR, it’s pick your poison kind of talent. AJ Green is expected to be #1, and after him you have so much potential talent in Cooper, Davis, Thomas, Watkins, and Shepard in addition to Allen Robinson and Cameron Meredith returning from injury with new opportunities on new teams. One would imagine at least two of those names will show up regularly in the starting lineup. We can’t forget that the ultimate in do-or-die fantasy potential is dormant right now in Josh Gordon. Scary stuff again for the 2018 edition of this squad.

@IanC
A solid squad that could be bogged down by what we’ve seen historically with league members that travel. It will mean misses on the waiver wire and maybe even missed players with injuries on gameday resulting in poor scores. As far as the actual team goes, QBs are steady, albeit not looking to be studly in 2018. The RBs are really interesting with Le’Veon Bell’s continued contract questions with the Steelers – this could be a good year for him, but it’s another irregular pre-season for him. Other regular starters include Freeman and McCoy the latter who may be the only viable offensive option for his NFL team which could either lead to great volume and great numbers or teams focusing their defensive efforts on him. WRs should be fine, particularly in spots 1 and 2, but spot 3 will be an interesting consideration with Cooks on his new team, Hilton getting back with Andrew Luck, and maybe even Randall Cobb now that Jordy Nelson is out of Green Bay. The team has a lot of upside, but as the league continues to be competitive, that inability to prepare on a Sunday morning may affect a handful of weeks and greatly impact this team’s success.

@jonathan
A regular contender in the league, this squad is starting to take on a new identity as players change both fantasy and NFL teams. There is a chance Alex Smith starts more games than Cam for this squad, but both are projected to be viable fantasy starters. Kareem Hunt is a stud RB1 lock, but the other spot has interesting players in Howard, Collins, Montgomery, and Booker – all players with potentials of being in committees. Obviously the WR1 and WR2 spots are on lock like they are every year with Brown and Beckham Jr. The 3rd slot will likely be Landry or Kupp (good guys to have in a third slot). Ridley could even be a contributor year one and was a good first round pick in this year’s rookie draft.

@mikeastock
This team is terrifying. I’ve been saying Mike has a good team for years and his team is BETTER this year than it’s ever been before. I won’t be surprised if this team runs away from the league this year, BUT I have them second because of a personal tradition I hold involving our very own Mr. Hugh.

I don’t even need to a do a write-up for this team. Just check the Projected Starters:
QB: Watson (or Wilson, which is great)
RB1: Gurley
RB2: Dion Lewis, Tarik Cohen, Burkhead (Guice)
WR1: Evans
WR 2: D. Adams
WR3: J. Nelson, M. Williams, M. Goodwin, C. Kirk
FLEX: see above plus CJ Anderson, Gore, Decker

I don’t want to play this team.

@PaulDawg
This team is going to improve this year, but hear you me: if this team finishes bottom 3 this year, I expect a top half finish in 2019. You heard it here first. This team is the epitome of fantasy patience in our league. After some tough years, they’ve found some good young receivers to build around and have been able to acquire some quality picks in the draft. However, this team has, in my opinion, the second worst QB situation this year and the worst in terms of dynasty. Jaimes will be suspended to start the season and this is going to be a big year for that young QB to show what he is capable of in the NFL.
As for the RBs, this team struck gold by getting last place last year because Saquon Barkley is the most hyped RB coming out of college since this dynasty league’s initiation. RB2 could be a tough spot this year (I’d love to see Elijah McGuire come back from injury and be the guy in NYJ). Expect this team to maybe grab another stud RB via the draft or find a sleeper/wildcard play on the waiver wire. As for WRs, I’m impressed to see Diggs and Jeffrey on this roster as both players have risen in dynasty value in the past year. If Barkley, Diggs, and Jeffrey play to potential, this team would probably need to find one more top-15 player for RB2/WR3 to find themselves in the playoffs this year. Expect to them to trend up through the rankings in 2018 and 2019!

#4

Paul’s Sure-fire Accurate Super Power Rankings Preseason Predictions:

  1. Cook
  2. Charbonnet
  3. Amunrud
  4. Alex
  5. Melton
  6. Miyake
  7. Rogers
  8. Stock
  9. Hart
  10. Ventura

@jonathan
I can’t get enough of the OBJ/Antonio Brown combo. In any other league you’re lucky if you land one of these players. I’m expecting a massive year for the Giants with their receiving corps looking healthy again, and OBJ will be back in action burning people with his sick flow. Also, Charcandrick frickin WESTTT!!! Best trade I ever made, worst case of “you don’t know what you got until it’s gone”. Expect him to jump the depth chart. I don’t know why the kook-KC-coaches never gave him the starting job back when Jamaal went down. I’m not much of a fan of the Newtnado at QB as of lately, but Cook’s team is solid enough in every other position to make it to the top.

@IanC
Oof. Honestly I’m tired of ranking this team so highly, but how can I not? Dak Attack, Screamin’ Freeman, Brandon ‘Baby" Cooks, and Big Butt? Come on! What a team! To be honest, I think Screamin’ Freeman’s best has come and gone, but he’s still got enough juice to produce good numbers. And then there’s Le’Veon. Can’t go wrong there. Expect this team to remain at the top for a few seasons to come barring a slew of major injuries.

@ianamunrud
Look who’s back, back again, tell a friend - dun dun dun. Andrew Lucky Duck is back in bla- err, blue. I like O.J. Simp- err, Howard at TE, the Texans D/ST, but I’m a little worried about the RB’s. Ajayi will be solid, but I think this year will be hit or miss for the others. I anticipate a “hit”, however. Maybe this year he’ll trade Stafford back to me. I think his receivers will put the team on their backs and ride to a solid third. #MakeDezGreatAgain! And Josh Gordon!!! Let this be the year Flash makes a massive impact.

@Alex
Brady baby! And Grappollo. Solid at QB, I’m expecting Brady to have another fantastic year, and paired with Gronk, he’ll lead the QB’s this year. The year Brady starts to slide is the year Belichick smiles for the first time, and it’s not this year. Also - NICK CHUUUUBBBB!!! Let’s gooooooo. Can’t wait to see that Chubb slinkin’ down the field into the end zone. I am a little concerned about this RB situation. I think it’ll suffer a little bit this year, but the WR’s will pick up the slack. As long as the Vikings are still feelin’ Thielen (please no, Diggs baby Diggs), Alex will coast to the playoffs. Also, he has a player named Equanimeous…so hot rah nah.

@Melton
I’ve been waiting for Aaron Rogers to make his return to previous form, and I think it could be this year. If Rogers blows up like we all know he can, expect this team to jump. Honestly I could have listed Melton between 2 & 5. However, I think his receivers will be spotty and require him gamble on setting his starters, and I’m not a huge fan of the TE situation. Expect another strong showing this year overall. Also who the heck is Mason Rudolph? I guess teams are just taking anyone off the streets these days.

@PaulDawg
Well well well. Haters have put me out of playoff contention but look where I’m at in these rankings. I’m giving myself a humble 6, but look for this team to climb the ladder into the top 3. Saquon Barkley is going to put on a clinic for the other NFL RB’s, and Stefon Diggs will still do a dance after every reception over 5 yards. TE’s are ready to rumble, and Big Ben has still got a couple years left as the premier QB in the NFL. He’ll be ready to fly once he clears concussion protocol. Keelan Cole is a cool as J. Cole and is the sleeper of the century. If Bortles wasn’t at the helm he’d be WR1 status (okay maybe WR2). Also Jags and Eagles D/St ready to pick-6 their way to the highest scoring players week after week.

@chasenrogers
Bring Edelbro back!!! There’s enough room for two super bros on one team! Make the Patriots frat again! If Edelbro rekindles his bromance with Brady, this team will jump up a few spots. I’m hoping Leonard Fournette makes a big showing, and I anticipate Fitzy and Sanders got more to give. Give the people’s champion the championship! Carson Wentz is the epitomy of the populous team!

@mikeastock
TBH I know nothing about anyone on this team except Gurley man, Jordy, and Marquis Goodwin, so I slotted Mike at 8th. If Jordy produces in his new home, I think this team could easily make the top 6. Props for still holding onto Brandon McManus.

@gbhart
You got heart, kid. And DeAndre Hopkins and Ol’ Greg. This team, like many others, could perform far beyond expectations. Should he set his line up every week, he could make it further up the list. The Vikings D/St is the only defense that could be better than the Jags, so Hart’s got that going for him. I kind of hope the Taiwan kid makes it to playoffs and takes the Jackman so he can use the earnings to take Jasmine out to a nice meal.

@ventura
Still rockin’ Philip Rivers. I love this team. I truly do. I was going to rank them higher, but I’m not a big fan of the WR’s or RB’s on this team, with the obvious exception of Kanye Drake. If Ventura plays the waivers well, he’ll jump up a few spots and do enough damage to dash some playoff hopes. Likewise, if Brees puts up the numbers we know he’s capable of and Zeke shows up in fine form, the same thing will happen. If it all comes together, then maybe he’ll make playoffs and talk trash on all of us who rated him so low. But this is fantasy, and it’s rare that the stars align. But let’s talk about Keke - do you love me? Are you riding? Say you’ll never ever leave from beside me. As long as Keke is on this team, Ventura will be just fine.

#5

Every year we come up with teams we think will make the playoffs and teams we think won’t make the cut. As I’ve been known to do in the past, I like to take a look back at my previous year’s rankings and laugh at myself for getting it so horribly, horribly wrong. In 2017, I projected these rankings:

  1. @IanC
  2. @ianamunrud
  3. @jonathan
  4. @gbhart
  5. @mikeastock
  6. @Alex
  7. @ventura
  8. @chasenrogers
  9. @PaulDawg
  10. @awmelman

Whoooo doggy. Sorry meltman, apparently I didn’t think you had a shot at the title, boy did you prove me wrong. I was fairly accurate with my self-ranking, I improved a spot from my prediction, while whiffing on @ianamunrud’s rank too. Well, on to bigger and better numbers, with 2018 being a new year and a new flawed prediction! Oh, disclaimer, this is purely based on memory and gut feelings, I have no in-depth roster review to back up my claims. Take that for what you will.

  1. @ianamunrud This roster is too dang talented, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, it’s possible Andrew Luck really is back, which would be a huge boon for a team that’s struggled with consistent QB play the last 2 or so years. Amunrud is going to have to bank on some Browns success to increase depth at WR, but if there’s one thing we always say about the Browns it’s that they’re consistent! (I mean, not necessarily in a good way, but consistent none-the-less)

  2. @jonathan A solid team and well managed. I’m not enthused about his QB position, but he has outright studs elsewhere that easily make up the difference. As with every season, I expect this team to be right there in contention for the trophy.

  3. @awmelman I like the cut of this guy’s jib. I think his years in the basement have only given him the strength and depth needed to finally bust out into an annual contender. One thing to keep an eye on is Rodgers health (something that’s been an issue every season lately it seems) as well as his bubble players (and there are quite a few of them.) Honestly, I think Melton and my next team could swap places and I wouldn’t hate it, but Melton’s coming off a championship season so he get’s the bump for now.

  4. @Alex Yep. It’s me. Your friendly neighborhood playoff contender. After starting the Jackman with back to back finals appearances, I’ve had a rough go of things. Well. My team just likes to barely sneak into the playoffs is all. This year though, I’m feeling more confident. Depth in areas previously shallow, and lots of young talent coming into their prime (I’m looking at you Jimmy G and Goff) will hopefully pay off with increased consistency. This team can both set league records in most points and least points, so here’s hoping this year shows a bit more in the most points column. David Johnson is back, and considering it was a hand injury and not legs I expect him to be back out the gate full go. McCaffrey is also going to get a bump in usage in his second year, and the WR corp is more reliable than it seems even if it isn’t headlined by a league star.

  5. @IanC This ranking is almost purely a travel penalty ranking. The team of the player abroad has notoriously struggled in this league, and I don’t expect this team to buck the curve too much. It’s still loaded with talent, and most weeks will probably get by without any needed last minute adjustments, but on those weeks where a key injury happens minutes before game time, not being awake at the time of kickoff could be the difference between a win and a loss.

  6. @chasenrogers Carson Wentz may not be his 2017 form right out the gate, and that could possibly cost him a few games (let’s be real, Patrick Mahomes and Blake Bortles are unlikely to play at a comparable level to Wentz in his prime ability). Then again, I’m still not sold on 2017 Wentz being the norm and not an outlier. Kid has huge potential and has shown an ability to sling it like the best of them, but then again Joe Flacco has 2012 in his resume, so I’m always wary of single year performances. This roster is getting older at the WR position which tends to mean more frequent injuries so hopefully those don’t cause too much concern for an otherwise fun team and a loveable coach.

  7. @PaulDawg I really want this team to be in the playoffs this year, I just don’t see it happening with everyone else ahead of him. Barkley looks to be a stud, but he also plays for the Giants which is a modest concern. Defenses could be good, but I have a feeling defenses across the board are going to struggle this year with new rule implementations (the helmet rule in particular) and that could be a big concern for a team that regularly got WR2 numbers from his D/ST last year.

  8. @mikeastock Some concerns at RB (Guice injury) and WR, coupled with an inconsistent QB situation, I have my doubts about this team. This team is going to ruin someone’s playoff hopes, but I don’t anticipate it doing that more than once.

  9. @ventura I, uh, shoot I need to look at this teams roster. Oh yes, the perennial wrong QB for the wrong week situation that Ventura has regularly found himself in. With an increased emphasis on defense and running in New Orleans, will that have a significant impact on Brees performance? Rivers is definitely getting up there in age, and his receiving corp seems to not want to stay healthy. Injuries could be the story that sidelines this team yet again.

  10. @gbhart A combination of abroad penalty and inconsistent roster performance, I have a tendency to rank this team lower than I think their true ability would deserve. I would gladly admit to being wrong this year and hopefully Garrett can rub it in my face when he smacks us all down and takes the trophy (not that he would, don’t know if the guy has a mean-spirited bone in his body).

#6

Alright Y’all! It’s ranking time suckers! So I took the day off today and of course I’m insane and love doing all the numbers. So the following rankings are based off of ESPN 2018 positional rankings. I went off of how everyone’s players are ranked and then did my grades based off of it. NOTE: The starting lineup got weighted .75 and then depth weighted .25. I’ve overestimated the need for depth in the past and underestimated studs. This way I corrected for that. I say “starting 3 RB” because often that flex position is used for RB. Also Kicker and D/ST are thrown together and will have less for me to talk about. I’ll only highlight a little there and also the lowest I would rate there is 7.0 since that position will rarely lose you games. Just 2 positions to steal points here and there. Without any further ado here are my rankings!

1st: @ianamunrud: Guys…I may hate putting myself here more than you hate seeing it. Honestly I wasn’t going to. But I can’t fight the numbers:

OVERALL RATING: 8.9

QBs 8.5: With comeback Luck and Matt Stafford highlighting, this team has strong QBs along with decent depth of Trubisky, Carr, and possibly Rosen.

RBs 8.5: This team has 2 RB2s with a high ceiling and a low floor in Mixon and Ajayi. Very boom or bust, so they’re hoping for a big boom. And then behind them are 4 RB3s in rookie Jones Eleven, lynch, miller, and hyde. A ton of depth here with high ceilings and lowish floors. Just needs 2-3 of the 6 to hit in order to stay up top.

WRs 9.5: Stud AJ Green is the lone WR1 here, but he’s backed up by 4 WR2s in Robinson, Demaryius, Josh Gordon (if he’s back in time) and Amari Cooper. A lot of potential threats here and again, tons of depth. A great top 5 and then Dez as a FA still and Watkins on a new team will perhaps see the rookie flashes of eliteness.

TEs 8.5: Kelce is dominant, but has had some injuries in the past. If he goes down to injury, OJ Howard HAS to step up big in his sophomore year. He was supposed to be a rare rookie stand out TE and wasn’t. But then again, TEs tend to need a year to get adjusted to the NFL. If Kelce is healthy all year, watch out.

D/ST + K 9.5: Greg the Leg was averaging double digits and a texans D/ST with their starters back (along with Panthers D/ST to back up) could be huge here.

2nd: @IanC: As you’ll see this team is ridiculous. Their starting line up is out of control. If they have either of their QBs play like we know they can in the past, thennnn this team is gonna win it all. I know we’ve all been talking a lot about overseas factor, but this owner is motivated enough to where i think it will only ever have a minor effect on his lineup with having to not risk it with injured players.

OVERALL RATING: 8.7

QBs 5.0: Ryan and Dak both regressed last year. Will dak be able to bounce back from a sophomore slump without witten and dez (gained gallup though)? Will Matt Ryan be able to return to MVP glory or was that just the brilliance of Kyle Shanahan? This is a big issue. But with that said, the rest of his team is good enough to where it really doesn’t matter much.

RBs 9.5: Holy cow guys. Arguably the best RB in bell, Freeman, and McCoy (depending on legal issues) make up the best starting three RBs in our league. Now…if they go down with injury…his depth is not great. He needs Kerryon Johnson to step up big, Perine to shine with the absence of guice, or Carson to fend off Penny.

WRs 10.0: This is the only 10 I gave out. 3 WR1s earns that rating. Julio, Michael Thomas, and T.Y. are scaryyyyy. I don’t want to see any of those guys in my opposition’s line-up. If one or two go down then he has Cooks and Cobb to step in and help out, but if he loses more to injuries, thennn he is banking on rookies and out of prime vets to help him through. With that said, it would take his starting three all getting injured for a long time for this team to struggle at this position.

TEs 9.5: Ertz and Reed. He has two elite options here. If both go down at the same time, then he’s hoping his young TE can kick (Jake) Butt. Having 2 elite options earns this team a high rating although Jordan Reed’s concussion history would scare any fantasy owner.

D/ST + K 9.5: 2 top ten D/ST in ravens and chargers allow him to flex his way through matchups. Should be able to steal a lot of points at that position.

3rd: @jonathan has a star studded team. This team will win or lose based on how his stars play. He has a few players with ridiculously high ceilings which increases the value of his team.

OVERALL RATING: 8.3

QBs 7.5: Cam has to step up here. We know he can, he’s had multiple top ten seasons, but he HAS to step up for this team. If he doesn’t, barring a miracle elite Mayfield rookie season (many rumors about browns redshirting him) he needs Alex Smith to repeat the magic of last year, but with a new team. A lot of ifs here land this team a modest 7.5 rating at this position.

RBs 8.0: Last year’s darling Kareem Hunt is a huge factor on whether this team wins or loses. That guy is electric, but can also be shut down. Boom or bust for him, and well behind him is very consistent low ceiling Howard and “future in his hands” Collins. He’s got a solid starting three RBs, however if they go down with injuries…he’s banking on big upswings for Montgomery and Booker, and Foreman to steal the job from Lamar Miller.

WRs 8.5: 2 of the best 3 WRs…OBJ and Brown, jeez man. Give us a chance. Those are two of the guys that can win games for teams and well, he has both of them in at the same time. Behind them is Landry banking on the browns being able to turn around offensive woes, Kupp being able to follow up a strong rookie showing in an elite offense, and marquise lee being able to make use of all his targets in Jax. This team is solid at this position for sure.

TEs 8.0: I think Doyle will play well that’s why he’s here. Well, that and depth in having ASJ to help if doyle can’t get it done. He doesn’t have ridiculous upside here, but is set to perform well enough.

D/ST + K 9.5: Rams and Bryant are both able to steal points here. Watchout for all those rams FA acquisitions. ooph

4th: @awmelman The returning champ is returning with a solid team. He’s a bit too reliant upon Booms in his WR position otherwise he would be higher on this list. If his depth outplays expectations then this team will be a threat to win it all again.

OVERALL RANKING: 8.1

QBs 9.5: Yeah. Ummm. Aaron Rodgers? “Does not suck.” Oh and if he goes down, a purple Cousins is ready to come in and help out. 2 top ten options here and he can play matchups well and get over 20 points many weeks. This guy is set here. If both those two guys go down with injury though, he’s reliant upon keenum showing the brilliance of last year in a new city.

RBs 8.0: One of the best starting three combos in the league with Dalvin Cook, Gordon, and McKinnon (with Shanny calling his plays) followed with some terrible depth…Mark ingram is expected to have a big drop this season with Kamara being so electric last year. Then he has powell as a handcuff back, and umm Ballage? Andrew is banking on his RB starters not getting injured.

WRs 6.5: Boom or Bust Hill with a young gun mahomes has to carry this team at this position. Behind him is JuJu and Fuller having to have big years to make this starting lineup scary. A bunch of boom or bust players are his starters. He’s got similar options as his depth here, so i guess he can just pick his booms from the busts all the way to first place again.

TEs 9.5: Again, similar to Ian C, he’s got 2 elite options in Walker and Graham. Watch out.

D/ST + K: 7.0: No projected top 10 kicker or D/ST earns him lowest possible grade in this position.

5th: @Alex: Here we go, the patriots are here at 5th. Okay well that’s not entirely fair, he has branched out a bit, and has depth from other teams to help here, but again he’s still banking on the patriots being as elite as always, which is not a bad bet at all…

OVERALL RANKING: 7.9

QBs 8.5: Tom Brady, if he doesn’t ever age, will be elite as usual here. If his age finally catches up to him and he struggle then he has darling JIMMY GOATROPPOLO to help him. I think the rams defense improving is only going to make them go heavier on the run limiting Goff’s ceiling and Mariota I am still not sold on. However, 1 elite option, 1 upswinging darling, and 2 qbs that won’t lose him games have this team in a solid spot at this position.

RBs 6.5: DJ is back baby. And boy does this team need that. Christian McCaff is solid too, but other than those 2 starters next up is Christ Thompson relying on passing game to be a big feature for him to make a big step up to repeat last year’s numbers. After that he’s relying on Chubb to earn a big enough role in that committee with duke johnson and carlos hyde. I’m not banking on that this season. And then he has Carson back up Kenneth Dixon and ekeler to help out. I just see very little depth here. He’s got 2 great starters and then not much other than that.

WRs 6.0: This team has 4 good WRs (Thielen, Golden, Hogan, Crabtree) with no great WR. Other than those 4 he has Sanu who could possibly help a little and then…well…no one. Absolutely no one of immediate impact in 2018. He needs to get lucky to get the depth he needs or avoid needing it by avoiding injuries in order for this position to not be a hamper to his season.

TEs 9.5: GRONK. oh and if Gronk gets hurt as he’s been known to do…he’s got Rudolph coming in hot. This team has 2 elite options in a position where you can steal points from other teams. No worries here.

D/ST + K 9.0: Pats D/ST should be solid and so should his kicker Gost. He’s got chances to steal points here. Only negative thing i can say is if one struggles it’s probable that the other is struggling too.

6th: @mikeastock not much to separate 6th and 7th here so the playoff race should be solid, but mike get’s himself the last spot here. Another team similar to jon’s that relies on studs to take him to victory but with less depth and well, not as good studs.

OVERALL RANKING: 7.5

QBs 9.0: Wilson and Watson are two elite options here. Should be able to play matchups and get solid points throughout the season. If they both go down he’s banking on a huge rookie year from Josh Allen (cue Alex hating on him). Should be solid here.

RBs 6.5: Guys…some moron traded him gurley. Gurley is elitttte can win games for him…and boy does he need it because he doesn’t have anyother RB1s…or any RB2s to compliment him. If Gurley gets injured this team is screwed. Burkhead, Lewis, and Cohen will need to have huge years/huge luck to help this team at this position. It’s basically Gurley or nothing for this team here. Needs RB help BAD.

WRs 7.0: Has two elite options here in Evans and Adams. Should both be able to win games for him…and well, again, he needs his. Behind those two are goodwin (could be great with jimmy), old man raider nelson, and rishard matthews. A bunch of complimentary guys, none of them are the go to guys in those offenses i think. Mike would have to be lucky with roster picks if evans and/or adams get injured.

TEs 7.0: Clay could maybe do something, and well ebron could be good. But neither are elite options and well, this team could potentially struggle in this position without a go to guy.

D/ST + K 8.0: Broncos D/ST and Broncos kicker…negative: look at Alex’s write up: Positives…well they’re solid but not elite.

7th: @chasenrogers just missing out on playoffs here, but he’s just .1 overall ranking behind stock. So he’s right in it.

OVERALL RANKING: 7.4

QBs 8.0: Wentz if he returns to form will be elite. Mahomes is expected to have a big year too. They were high on him, traded up for him, sat on him for a year and boom. Big expectations here. And if Wentz goes down maybe Foles steps up big again. Oh and Bortles is a boom or bust guy this year. This team should be solid here, has a lot of hope at this position.

RBs 5.5: Ooph. Fournette is solid, even if this owner hates his personality. Then he’s banking on rookie Royce Freeman to steal that starting spot in Denver and fly with it. Otherwise, he’s got 3-4 back ups that he’s hoping can get a big enough of a role to help out if he needs it. This team has good enough WRs to only need 2 RBs each week. So he could be fine here, just needs fournette to be healthy and royce to live up to the early hype.

WRs 8.0: Fitz, Baldwin, and Marvin Jones makes a starting 3 WR2s. He just need a big week here and there from them to make it all work out. Then behind them are funchess, sanders, and edelman (after his suspension) waiting to make contributions for this team in a position loaded with depth here. Should be solid.

TEs 7.5: Njoku looks GOOD in hardknocks. DAYUMMM. A lot of hype surrounding this guy and well then there is brate and cook too as solid options. This team should be good, just hoping for one of his three guys to separate themselves as a TE1 option.

D/ST + K 8.0: Saints D/ST looked good last year. Will that be the case again? Chasen is hoping for it and well if it doesn’t work out the cardinals shouldn’t be too bad. Should be able to get enough points each week to get this team by.

8th: @gbhart coming in with some huge holes in his roster, but also some sweet spots. QB, WR is week, but RBs and TEs look pretty solid for this team.

OVERALL RANKING: 7.0

QBs 4.0: This team is just hoping that the Tyrod Taylor is gonna be as good as the editing on hardknocks is making him look. But Right now Taylor is projected outside the top 20 QBs this season, as is dalton, as is possible week 1 starter rookie Darnold. He could surprise people, but well, if this team kills it at this position, it’ll be a surprise

RBs 9.0: Kamara is legit y’all, able to win a lot of games, and well Henry by himself should be solid too. Penny may be out during preseason, but he’s expected to be THE GUY in seattle and is expected back in time for week 1. Behind those three solid starters are crowell with a new team as the jets’ starter, duke johnson who should have the passing down role in cleveland and then blount who can always find his way in the endzone. This team should be pretty good at this position.

WRs 4.5: Hopkins is legit! And well other than him and possibly garcon having a solid year with jimmy if he can stay healthy, this team has no depth. Agholor isn’t too exciting neither are ross, or godwin. This team could very well have a rough year at this position. Just needs a solid week from hopkins every single week.

TEs 8.0: Olsen is legit, this team just needs him healthy to have no problem at this position. With very few elite options out there Olsen can put up huge numbers.

D/ST + K: 9.5: Vikings and Tucker are ELITE in their positions. Garrett should be able to steal a lot of points here.

9th: Hey @PaulDawg I didn’t put you last! I know you thrive from the hate so well here it is. Other than elite D/ST options, Saquon, Roethlisberger, Diggs, Jeffery, and Engram…this team has no one. And I don’t think those guys are gonna be good and consistent enough to make up the difference. This team will only win by being the wild card, which is lucky because their owner thrives on that. Just watch Paul Wildcard himself to victory here and make me look silly.

OVERALL RANKING: 6.6

QBs 5.5: Roethlisberger could be good here but also he could be hurt. This team needs big ben to show up and to show up big. Other than that, I’m low on winston this season, he needs to come back from a rough year last season. This team could possibly struggle here.

RBs 5.0: Saquon or nothing. He’s gotta live up to the hype big time because to back him this team has coleman, mack, and white. Not a thrilling group of RBs and well, one of those guys is gonna have to start each week because saquon can’t take both starting spots.

WRs 6.0: Diggs and Jeffery are good, no denying that. But they both have to have epic years because they have boom or bust stills, golladay, or hurns to back them up. Not much to be stoked on here back up wise. This team is banking on their 2 studs.

TEs 7.0: ENGRAM is a beast. It’s true y’all. No denying it. This team is hoping he stays healthy and kills it again this year because they’re banking on young bloods to come to his support if engram gets injured.

D/ST + K: 9.5: The projected number 1 and number 2 D/ST gives this team an incredibly good chance at stealing loads of points here. Should be a bright point all year.

10th: @ventura is coming up with the number one overall draft pick for 2019 in these rankings…Brees/Rivers, Zeke, Kenyan Drake, Keenan Allen are bright spots here. He needs them to shine super duper bright in order to overcome the holes in his roster.

OVERALL RANKING: 6.1

QBs 6.5: I don’t think Brees or Rivers finishes in the top ten. I think they finish just outside of it. This team is gonna have to pick the correct QB each week to find success in this spot.

RBs 7.5: Zeke is SOLID. Should have another dominant season, but unless drake makes use of that starting gig in miami, this team is gonna be needing a solid rookie season from Patriot Michel. Other than those three his chances at finding success at this position is looking bleak. Jamaal williams might be able to get it done in GB, but i’m not banking on it and then riddick and stewart should be not great this season. This team is banking on his three starters to stay healthy.

WRs 4.5: Keenan Allen neeeeeeeds to be healthy for this team. And well, I don’t think that will happen. He scares me. Robert Woods could be solid again, but well now he has cooks to steal targets from. Devante Parker has the chance to be great but well, when do we give up? He just has not achieved his potential thus far. Other than those three guys, he has no one to back up.

TEs 5.0: No guy in the top 20 here. He needs to get lucky or hit the waivers to address this issue going forward.

D/ST + K 7.0: well, he has a lot of kickers…but no top 5 guys and thats kind of my cut off for stealing points guys. Steelers and Seahawks D/STs don’t look like top 10 d/sts this year, so here he is at the lowest possible 7.0