The Top 250 Dynasty Football Rankings 5.0 – Week 6 Refresh
Rankings PSA: these #Dynasty250 rankings are designed for 2QB and superflex leagues, so if you play in single quarterback league, fade the QB’s.
What will stand out about my rankings is how low I am as compared to ADP on running backs. I’m a #zeroRB disciple and I play to have an elite contender every year, a combination that has me wary of ever holding expensive workhorse running backs when I can get much cheaper good-enough-options. The younger and more perceived job security and long term value that a running back has, the more I like to flip them. My priority is to make sure I always have X+1 blue chip wide receivers, where X = the max number of WR’s your league allows you to start each week. +1 allows you injury insurance and/or bye week help. I wouldn’t blame anyone who preferred X+2!
There’s no other position other than running back where you can stash a few players, almost for free (besides roster opportunity cost) and frequently have a must-start player within weeks due to running back carnage and churn. Sure, some weeks you’ll be at an RB disadvantage, sometimes even a large one, but if you build your team to have advantages at every other position you’ll have a more resilient and higher scoring team for multiple seasons.
| Rank | Name | Position | Comments |
| 1 | Odell Beckham | WR | |
| 2 | DeAndre Hopkins | WR | We thought last year proved Hopkins is “QB proof,” but what if Hoyer is actually pretty decent and Brock is just bad? |
| 3 | Andrew Luck | QB | Had a chance to watch him week five and he made a ton of “NFL throws” into tight windows down field, the kind of throws that distinguish you from most starters. |
| 4 | Russell Wilson | QB | |
| 5 | Cam Newton | QB | Dynasty owners would love to see him be a little more conservative as a rusher. |
| 6 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | It seems like there should be another gear. For example, we saw a missed deep throw to Jordy on SNF that used to be almost automatic. |
| 7 | Allen Robinson | WR | |
| 8 | Julio Jones | WR | |
| 9 | Mike Evans | WR | |
| 10 | Antonio Brown | WR | Have seen him go straight up for Allen Robinson twice this year. |
| 11 | Amari Cooper | WR | |
| 12 | Rob Gronkowski | TE | |
| 13 | Derek Carr | QB | Cue the final fantasy level up music. |
| 14 | Carson Wentz | QB | Still Pro Football Focus’ top graded QB. You can wait for more information to confirm he’s really a stud, but then it’ll be too late. |
| 15 | Brandin Cooks | WR | |
| 16 | Sammy Watkins | WR | Great time to buy him, but his 2016 value is undeniably shaky. |
| 17 | Stefon Diggs | WR | |
| 18 | Jameis Winston | QB | |
| 19 | Will Fuller | WR | |
| 20 | Alshon Jeffery | WR | |
| 21 | A.J. Green | WR | |
| 22 | Dez Bryant | WR | |
| 23 | Donte Moncrief | WR | |
| 24 | Jarvis Landry | WR | |
| 25 | Marcus Mariota | QB | Encouraging week in an otherwise very disappointing season. Won’t turn 23 until the end of the month, so I expect further progression, but can’t help but think of my initial comment on him from August where I noted that bust risk remains there. |
| 26 | Blake Bortles | QB | Has not taken the expected step forward. I would not blame owners who prefer to fade Mariota and Bortles further, but I still expect them to be useful starters for a long time. |
| 27 | DeVante Parker | WR | |
| 28 | Corey Coleman | WR | |
| 29 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | I believe you can cash out for a stud WR prospect and a second useful RB and I believe you should do that. |
| 30 | Le’Veon Bell | RB | See Elliot, Ezekiel. |
| 31 | David Johnson | RB | See Elliot, Ezekiel. |
| 32 | Todd Gurley | RB | Might have to hold for a bit and wait for him to regain some value. |
| 33 | Jordan Matthews | WR | |
| 34 | Sterling Shepard | WR | |
| 35 | T.Y. Hilton | WR | |
| 36 | Demaryius Thomas | WR | |
| 37 | Matthew Stafford | QB | Stafford is enjoying a career year at an age in which quarterbacks often peak. |
| 38 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | |
| 39 | Matt Ryan | QB | |
| 40 | Tom Brady | QB | |
| 41 | Willie Snead | WR | |
| 42 | Doug Baldwin | WR | |
| 43 | Keenan Allen | WR | |
| 44 | Jordan Reed | TE | |
| 45 | Kelvin Benjamin | WR | |
| 46 | Marvin Jones | WR | |
| 47 | Randall Cobb | WR | Big bounce-back week for Cobb to restore some confidence. |
| 48 | Lamar Miller | RB | |
| 49 | Melvin Gordon | RB | Gordon has excelled as a receiver and in pass blocking, but has once again struggled as a runner. For the modern, pass-happy NFL, that skill set keeps you on the field, but on a healthier team he might start to lose early down and short yardage touches. |
| 50 | Dak Prescott | QB | Romo’s return hurts his present value, but he’s been a very high-end game manager who protects the ball and can extend drives with his legs. |
| 51 | Andy Dalton | QB | |
| 52 | Philip Rivers | QB | |
| 53 | Drew Brees | QB | |
| 54 | Devonta Freeman | RB | |
| 55 | LeSean McCoy | RB | |
| 56 | Mark Ingram | RB | |
| 57 | Michael Crabtree | WR | Has been among the most efficient wide receivers in the NFL. No one has benefitted more from Carr’s ascension. |
| 58 | Allen Hurns | WR | I was willing to believe in him despite lack of draft pedigree, but he has been a modest disappointment so far. |
| 59 | Eric Decker | WR | |
| 60 | Martavis Bryant | WR | He’ll rise every time in my rankings as he inches closer to a return in 2017, but I wouldn’t blame anyone who is “out” after getting burned by Josh Gordon. |
| 61 | Jordy Nelson | WR | |
| 62 | Emmanuel Sanders | WR | |
| 63 | Brandon Marshall | WR | |
| 64 | Jamaal Charles | RB | |
| 65 | Zach Ertz | TE | |
| 66 | Travis Kelce | TE | |
| 67 | Theo Riddick | RB | A high-floor running back who has earned the trust of the coaching staff in more situations than just passing downs. |
| 68 | Terrelle Pryor | WR | Yep, he’s a thing. |
| 69 | Michael Thomas | WR | Like the two kids behind him better long-term, but Thomas can help you win now too. |
| 70 | Tyler Boyd | WR | Would target if I weren’t a contender; part of this ranking is due to his poor-to-modest present value. |
| 71 | Josh Doctson | WR | See Boyd, Tyler. |
| 72 | Ryan Tannehill | QB | I get the sense that dynasty owners are very down on Tannehill’s long-term prospects despite his career high 8.15 yards per attempt. Good time to buy, not because he’s special, but because he’s perceived to be a Cutler-esque bust, when he’s really too good not to start somewhere indefinitely. |
| 73 | Jared Goff | QB | |
| 74 | Doug Martin | RB | |
| 75 | Carlos Hyde | RB | |
| 76 | Eddie Lacy | RB | |
| 77 | Greg Olsen | TE | |
| 78 | Laquon Treadwell | WR | I’ve never liked Treadwell as much as his biggest fans, but not everyone can be OBJ. Patience. |
| 79 | Eli Manning | QB | The track record, durability and weapons make me inclined to chill out, but maybe this is what the beginning of the decline phase looks like. The yards per attempt still healthy. |
| 80 | Paxton Lynch | QB | As I’ll repeat with Siemian, the beat writers in Denver remain resolute that Lynch is Denver’s QB of the future. |
| 81 | Kevin White | WR | He will creep back up this list if/when he gets healthy. I don’t recommend playing it safe in dynasty; buy shares if you’re not a contender. |
| 82 | Jeremy Maclin | WR | |
| 83 | John Brown | WR | Hard to knock him too much for his week five dud with Stanton in, but it was a disappointment after his order-restoring week four. The overall resume is becoming clearer that he’s good-not-great, but the ageless Larry Fitzgerald continues to play well and suck up targets. |
| 84 | Jordan Howard | RB | The book on Howard was that he was something of a plodder. Well, Howard has held his own as a receiver and pass blocker, which gives him a chance to maintain his three down back status long term. |
| 85 | Julian Edelman | WR | |
| 86 | Larry Fitzgerald | WR | A league winner for contenders. |
| 87 | Derrick Henry | RB | I’m a fan of what he’s done in limited looks and see a potential three down back more than I did preseason, when he looked strictly like an early-down guy. |
| 88 | Tevin Coleman | RB | Coleman has excelled as a pass catcher, allowing him to maintain value despite playing with Freeman. |
| 89 | DeMarco Murray | RB | One of dynasty football’s most obvious sell-high opportunities based on unusually high usage, but there’s no doubt that Murray has earned his snaps. |
| 90 | Giovani Bernard | RB | |
| 91 | C.J. Anderson | RB | Volume dependent back is nothing special and is losing volume. |
| 92 | Jerick McKinnon | RB | Has not taken advantage of the opportunity, struggling to stand out as a runner, receiver or pass blocker. |
| 93 | Tyrell Williams | WR | Giant wide receiver has some serious WR1 vibes going with his size, production and opportunity. |
| 94 | Hunter Henry | TE | Most tight ends take some time to start producing. Henry has elite hands and has already earned Rivers’ trust. |
| 95 | Eric Ebron | TE | |
| 96 | Sam Bradford | QB | Like Stafford, Bradford is enjoying a career year at an age in which QB’s often peak. Red flag is his the health track record. |
| 97 | Joe Flacco | QB | |
| 98 | Kirk Cousins | QB | |
| 99 | Alex Smith | QB | Plenty of value tied to the circumstances, so if you fall out of the race sell asap. |
| 100 | Tyrod Taylor | QB | |
| 101 | Duke Johnson | RB | The hope is that he develops into Theo Riddick long-term, but you’d like to see more production now. |
| 102 | Travis Benjamin | WR | |
| 103 | Matt Forte | RB | |
| 104 | Tyler Eifert | TE | |
| 105 | Ameer Abdullah | RB | Too much talent around him to have a ton of confidence in the volume. Limited information on the foot injury. |
| 106 | Tyler Lockett | WR | |
| 107 | Latavius Murray | RB | The fantasy community killed Latavius, but credit where due – he has played well. Sounds like touches will continue to be spread out, though. |
| 108 | Teddy Bridgewater | QB | |
| 109 | Tony Romo | QB | |
| 110 | Carson Palmer | QB | |
| 111 | Jimmy Graham | TE | |
| 112 | Breshad Perriman | WR | Flashing just enough to keep me optimistic. The depth chart could clear up in a hurry as the Ravens have a lot of old / generic WR’s. |
| 113 | Sammie Coates | WR | We saw the good (deep ball speed and athleticism) and the bad (dropped the easiest TD catch ever) on Sunday, but can’t deny he’s a massive value gainer. |
| 114 | Ryan Mathews | RB | |
| 115 | T.J. Yeldon | RB | High draft pick has not done much to distinguish himself this year. |
| 116 | Tavon Austin | WR | |
| 117 | Isaiah Crowell | RB | I really hope you did or are looking to sell high on him. Still in a timeshare and has struggled in pass protection. |
| 118 | Cole Beasley | WR | Love Cole Beasley. His efficiency merits even more usage. Upside does not always come in the form of 22-year-olds. |
| 119 | Spencer Ware | RB | I’m drawn to players like Ware – talented nominal backups that can blossom into starters. |
| 120 | Delanie Walker | TE | |
| 121 | Martellus Bennett | TE | Is this guy going to have a monster season or is this guy going to have a monster season? |
| 122 | Kenneth Dixon | RB | Excited about his chances to be a second half league winner. |
| 123 | Leonte Carroo | WR | |
| 124 | Nelson Agholor | WR | Wentz continues to give him red zone looks, but he has not made plays yet. |
| 125 | DeSean Jackson | WR | |
| 126 | Christine Michael | RB | I’m selling in part because I think his usage has peaked, but also because he’s struggled as a receiver. |
| 127 | Matt Jones | RB | |
| 128 | Dorial Green-Beckham | WR | Remains a highly intriguing prospect due to size, speed, strength combination. Did you see him stiff arm that middle lineback week five!? |
| 129 | Brock Osweiler | QB | The contract helps, but if he plays this poorly that won’t stop the Texans from trying to upgrade. |
| 130 | Jimmy Garoppolo | QB | |
| 131 | Trevor Siemian | QB | The Broncos have some of the best beat writers in the NFL and they continue to say that Lynch is the future there, but Siemian has played well enough to get a shot elsewhere, methinks. |
| 132 | Michael Floyd | WR | Floyd got off to a poor start in ’15, too. |
| 133 | Tajae Sharpe | WR | Offseason hype has badly outpaced his production, but still he’s very young for a rookie; promise and opportunity still give him a chance to regain some stock quickly. |
| 134 | Jeremy Hill | RB | |
| 135 | Kenyan Drake | RB | |
| 136 | C.J. Prosise | RB | |
| 137 | Jay Ajayi | RB | Has been solid, but unspectacular in his audition. |
| 138 | Devontae Booker | RB | Inching closer to a timeshare. May be your last chance to buy cheaply. |
| 139 | Adrian Peterson | RB | I can’t imagine anyone is selling for this low, but I can’t recommend a buy when he could plausibly retire. His 2017 deal is very expensive, so he figures to get cut at which point he’ll need to decide whether to return for less $, go elsewhere or retire. |
| 140 | Ladarius Green | TE | |
| 141 | Tyler Ervin | RB | |
| 142 | Julius Thomas | TE | |
| 143 | Coby Fleener | TE | |
| 144 | Dwayne Washington | RB | |
| 145 | Thomas Rawls | RB | Hopefully you followed the “get the cheaper RB” principle and avoided. |
| 146 | Jonathan Stewart | RB | |
| 147 | Kyle Rudolph | TE | Rudolph has never played with a quarterback playing as well as Bradford is now. |
| 148 | Gary Barnidge | TE | |
| 149 | Jamison Crowder | WR | Crowder sucks! Crowder is awesome! Maybe he’s somewhere in between? |
| 150 | Quincy Enunwa | WR | |
| 151 | Chris Conley | WR | Has quietly developed nicely in year two. |
| 152 | Phillip Dorsett | WR | Has had his moments, but overall hasn’t taken advantage of Moncrief injury. |
| 153 | Dion Lewis | RB | |
| 154 | Chris Hogan | WR | |
| 155 | Mike Wallace | WR | |
| 156 | LeGarrette Blount | RB | |
| 157 | Chris Ivory | RB | |
| 158 | DeAndre Washington | RB | |
| 159 | Golden Tate | WR | |
| 160 | Rishard Matthews | WR | |
| 161 | Davante Adams | WR | |
| 162 | Arian Foster | RB | |
| 163 | Dwayne Allen | TE | |
| 164 | Frank Gore | RB | |
| 165 | Clive Walford | TE | |
| 166 | Austin Hooper | TE | |
| 167 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | TE | |
| 168 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | QB | |
| 169 | Malcolm Mitchell | WR | |
| 170 | Cordarrelle Patterson | WR | Guess who’s back? |
| 171 | Devin Funchess | WR | |
| 172 | Paul Perkins | RB | |
| 173 | Charles Sims | RB | Nice little buy opportunity if you can afford to stash him until after he comes off of IR (or for next year). |
| 174 | Alfred Morris | RB | Falling in love with his upside behind that offensive line should Zeke bust, get hurt or get suspended. |
| 175 | Jay Cutler | QB | |
| 176 | Brian Hoyer | QB | Has played pretty well in Chicago. |
| 177 | Kenny britt | WR | |
| 178 | Pharoh Cooper | WR | |
| 179 | Bilal Powell | RB | Still a nice handcuff to Forte. |
| 180 | Zach Miller | TE | |
| 181 | Torrey Smith | WR | Could benefit tremendously from the change to Kaep. |
| 182 | Josh Gordon | WR | ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |
| 183 | DeAngelo Williams | RB | |
| 184 | Jeremy Langford | RB | Hopefully you listened to basically entire fantasy community when they said this guy lacked skills. |
| 185 | Mike Glennon | QB | My favorite QB spec add for 2017. |
| 186 | Brett Hundley | QB | My favorite QB spec add for… 2019. |
| 187 | Colin Kaepernick | QB | Some upside here as a streaming option. I’d be selling for something that can help long term to a QB-needy team. |
| 188 | Cody Kessler | QB | Showed some modest promise. |
| 189 | Braxton Miller | WR | Even if you like Miller, the Texans offense can’t support a third WR option, can it? |
| 190 | Jaelen Strong | WR | |
| 191 | Pierre Garcon | WR | |
| 192 | Mohamed Sanu | WR | |
| 193 | Steve Smith | WR | |
| 194 | Dennis Pitta | TE | |
| 195 | James White | RB | 2016 has yielded more evidence that he’s a worthy passing down back in real life, though fantasy returns have been modest. |
| 196 | Darren Sproles | RB | I’d be selling after his next big game. |
| 197 | Maxx Williams | TE | |
| 198 | Tyler Higbee | TE | |
| 199 | Jason Witten | TE | |
| 200 | Charles Clay | TE | |
| 201 | Marqise Lee | WR | |
| 202 | Chris Thompson | RB | |
| 203 | Wendell Smallwood | RB | |
| 204 | Jalen Richard | RB | |
| 205 | Terrance West | RB | |
| 206 | Virgil Green | TE | |
| 207 | Rashad Jennings | RB | |
| 208 | Markus Wheaton | WR | A massive disappointment given opportunity afforded to him by Bryant suspension. |
| 209 | Kenny Stills | WR | |
| 210 | Victor Cruz | WR | |
| 211 | Shaun Draughn | RB | |
| 212 | Shane Vereen | RB | |
| 213 | Cameron Artis-Payne | RB | |
| 214 | Alex Collins | RB | |
| 215 | Antonio Gates | TE | Historically there’s a decline among tight ends at 31 and then a crater at 37. Gates is 36. |
| 216 | Terrance Williams | WR | |
| 217 | Andre Ellington | RB | With CJ1K out, Ellington is a very nice zero RB target for 2016. |
| 218 | James Starks | RB | |
| 219 | Jeremy Kerley | WR | |
| 220 | Josh McCown | QB | |
| 221 | Robert Griffin III | QB | |
| 222 | Adam Humphries | WR | |
| 223 | Brandon Lafell | WR | |
| 224 | Case Keenum | QB | Borrowed time QB tier |
| 225 | Jesse James | TE | Hasn’t really stood out consistently with Ladarius Green hurt. |
| 226 | Adam Thielen | WR | |
| 227 | Paul Richardson | WR | Has flashed this year, so I will continue to monitor him given 2nd round pedigree. |
| 228 | Devin Smith | WR | Good time to buy with the Jets receiving corps banged up, though unclear when he’ll return. |
| 229 | Danny Woodhead | RB | A sneaky stash in PPR leagues. |
| 230 | Jonathan Williams | RB | |
| 231 | Rob Kelley | RB | |
| 232 | Lance Dunbar | RB | Has struggled in his return from injury, but I’m intrigued by him as a pass-catching back still since he’s a 2017 FA. |
| 233 | Crockett Gillmore | TE | |
| 234 | Kamar Aiken | WR | |
| 235 | Javorius Allen | RB | |
| 236 | Vance McDonald | TE | |
| 237 | Vincent Jackson | WR | Toast. |
| 238 | Will Tye | TE | |
| 239 | Jack Doyle | TE | |
| 240 | Larry Donnell | TE | |
| 241 | Orleans Darkwa | RB | |
| 242 | Matt Asiata | RB | |
| 243 | Fozzy Whitaker | RB | |
| 244 | Josh Ferguson | RB | |
| 245 | Mike Gillislee | RB | |
| 246 | Terrell Watson | RB | |
| 247 | Darius Jackson | RB | |
| 248 | Tyreek Hill | WR | |
| 249 | Kenjon Barner | RB | |
| 250 | Zach Zenner | RB |
The Author
12 Comments
[…] TheDynastyGuru.com updates their rankings of the top 250 overall players for dynasty/keeper leagues. […]
Love that Tajae Sharpe moved down…I think it was a hype based ranking…run-first team and at best 3rd option.
I am very shocked Terrance West is only at 205 even in the zeroRB mentality.
A couple guys who I have started to buy on are Cameron Meredith (even before the breakout…guy is a SPARQ stud with very good to great hands) and CJ Fiedorowicz. Houston will be playing from behind a lot and Lamar has not looked that amazing, he offers a great target for a young QB and maybe some Kubiak rubbed off on him.
As an FSU fan never LOVED Ponder, and we all laughed here in Tallahassee when he went 1st round…but with this being a 2 QB ranking I believe he is close to sealing in when Kaepernick stumbles.
Also very surprised Trevone Boykin isn’t on this list as a Rookie backup who can run and has already gotten PT this year…backup to your #4 overall player…
Can I just hire you to gloss over my rankings in advance? I pretty much agree with everything you said, except I couldn’t care less about Ponder and Boykin is more of a strategic own for cautious Wilson owners than someone I would rank among the top 250 guys.
Meredith is a good old fashioned omission. West could be higher. CJ just didn’t register, because Houston hadn’t used their tight ends at all under Bill O’Brien until this year and so the time share tight end wasn’t someone I was looking at closely. I do like him for TE premium. PFF gives him a very healthy receiving grade.
Of course!!…I have been slacking on submitting to be a writer…I spend more time on this in almost exclusively free Dynasty Leagues than most spend on their actual jobs! LoL
Agreed on Ponder and Boykin for now…think Boykin may have some standalone however…
Robby, follow / message me on Twitter? I’ll follow back and DM you.
Will have to make a twitter account lol
Also it’s not a full PPRUSH it’s .25
And .75 PPREC
I like to reward rarity and with workhorse RBS getting scarcer and scarcer their value has increased and I wanted to reflect that.
I think bonus points for long runs and long catches as well as total yards is great too.
I just made 2 trades you would probably love as well:
Mariota
Hooper
NYG D/ST
1st rounder (top 4 at worst 5 at best 3)
For
Andrew Luck
Carlos Dunlap
ARI D/ST
In that deal I had Russ, Brady, Mariota and felt I needed a better QB for when Brady goes…I like Mariota but Luck is so elite I wanted to pay…I snuck the D/ST swap in there and that is huge for me….we start 2 D/ST so they are all spoken for…I already have the rams…I have 2 elite young units now.
Later that night I worked
Jerrick McKinnon
Jimmy Graham
2017 1st
2017 3rd
For
TY Hilton
Cameron Meredith
2017 2nd
2018 2nd
Needed an elite WR and I think I may have gotten 2….we go no waivers but ESPN still locks adds over the weekend and I added Meredith 2 weeks ago through post…once designations changed I could not add with ineligible players on IR…he got added and then EXPLODED…I had to make the move to get him in there. He asked Kelce originally and the ORIGINAL deal was Agholor, Ajayi, Fiedorowicz…but when it came down to it no one is willing to take risks and he wanted names…
Those 2nds are from a bottom half team and by taking TY I make the picks even higher 🙂
I am trying to get Allen Robinson as well right now, but that same owner has Emmanuel Sanders and is pushing him but wants a lot (Perriman and my remaining 1st is about where we are at) and with Sanders’ value peaked that deal will help my championship push, but Perriman is poised to explode…as early as this week.
Thanks for reading the rant, love the updated list…obviously with my league being 2 TE I have that position at a premium as well.
BTW I have no problem with the Rodgers ranking thus far…he is still the best all around QB in the NFL until we see a pronounced slip.
Did you see this? https://thedynastyguru.com/2016/10/13/tdg-is-seeking-new-writers-2/
I like A-Rob for Perriman and a 1st.
You lost me at ranking Rodgers #6…a ~33-year-old, mediocre fantasy starter.
Sorry to lose you so quickly!
The GOAT redraft ranker, John Paulsen of 4for4.com fame, has Rodgers 2nd overall rest of season. Rodgers has a lot of elite play left in him and he’s been very durable. There are reasons to be concerned, though.
Just moved $47 Tevin Coleman in exchange for $1 Jarvis Landry and $31 Brandon Cooks in a dynasty keeper (can keep up to 15 players each year) with fixed pricing forever.
#winning?
🙂
Oh my goodness… your league must be cranky about that one