The Top 250 Dynasty Football Rankings - Week 9 Refresh

This week’s #Dynasty250 refresh features a shake up of the top ten. We’re half way through the NFL season and it’s time to acknowledge that DeAndre Hopkins is not quarterback proof. Taking his place inside the top five are the next waive of stud wide receivers, Mike Evans and Amari Cooper, who have solidified themselves as bonafide WR 1’s.

Meanwhile, we have more clarity about the progression (and lack thereof) of young quarterback prospects such as Mariota, Carr, Winston and Bortles. There’s a perpetual deficit of worthy quarterbacks, particularly pocket passers, which is why I’m keen on buying up shares of Bortles. The masses seem to have labeled him “officially bad” as if all quarterbacks are graded on a binary scale of worthy or unworthy around week nine of their third NFL season. I’m still confident that he’s a long-term starter somewhere, plus he is #GarbageTimeKing for fantasy purposes.

In all, the 2016 draft class is shaping up to be quite poor. Many rookies that I had ranked aggressively like Tyler Boyd, (who I still like long term), deserve to be faded in favor of older, more productive players. His previous aggressive rankings factored in the possibility that he’d break out and provide some present value. Overall, this year is a win for dynasty owners who like to play it safe. We’ve seen productive first halves from aging-but-not-old wide receivers like Michael Crabtree and disappointing seasons from shiny new toys such as Kevin White, Breshad Perriman, Davante Parker… so basically every highly drafted sophomore wideout besides Cooper.

In this iteration I am slightly closer to consensus on the elite young running backs, but seriously folks… how many times do we have to see inexpensive backups turn into RB1’s or high-end RB2’s before the dynasty community stops paying full retail for the “proven, reliable, job-secure” workhorse back? You know the type, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, CJ Anderson, Thomas Rawls, etc. I get that going #ZeroRB in dynasty requires speculation, some luck and comfort with the unknown, but if you invest enough roster spots you’re all but guaranteed to have worthy starters without the risk of investing in a workhorse.

As always, this list is designed for 2QB and superflex leagues, so make sure you fade the crap out of the quarterbacks if you play in a single quarterback league.

Happy rankings. Questions, comments and criticisms are welcome. Please point out obvious omissions (e.g. I left off Meredith last time!).

Rank	Name	Position	Comments
1	Andrew Luck	QB	We’ll never doubt you again.
2	Odell Beckham	WR
3	Mike Evans	WR
4	Amari Cooper	WR	I had a nice comment about how the lack of touchdowns were flukey and then he goes off and finds the end zone. So now you’ll just have to trust me that I was a genius.
5	Julio Jones	WR
6	Aaron Rodgers	QB
7	Cam Newton	QB
8	Derek Carr	QB
9	Russell Wilson	QB	Wilson’s injuries are giving owners a look at what he might look like when he no longer runs. I’d expect a bounceback year with better health in ’17.
10	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Dynasty owners can take solace in the fact that Hopkins can’t possibly have worse quarterback play to work with in future seasons.
11	Brandin Cooks	WR
12	Jameis Winston	QB
13	Rob Gronkowski	TE
14	Marcus Mariota	QB
15	Allen Robinson	WR
16	Antonio Brown	WR
17	A.J. Green	WR
18	Carson Wentz	QB	The fantasy stardom isn’t here yet, but here you’re paying for a long-term starter to lock down the position with some upside.
19	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	I know I’m a broken record, but I’d rather sell for a stud WR and fish for the next free Jacquizz Rodgers.
20	Le’Veon Bell	RB	See Elliott, Ezekiel.
21	David Johnson	RB	See Elliott, Ezekiel.
22	Dez Bryant	WR
23	Alshon Jeffery	WR
24	Jarvis Landry	WR
25	Donte Moncrief	WR
26	Stefon Diggs	WR
27	Todd Gurley	RB	Hard to put a positive spin on his sophomore slump, but still has every down back skills (pass catching and blocking) to continue to get high usage indefinitely even if he’s merely good-not-great.
28	Dak Prescott	QB	Small sample comes with plenty of risk that he regresses, but you can’t win dynasty leagues without taking some chances.
29	Matthew Stafford	QB	Enjoying a career year at an age in which quarterbacks often peak.
30	Matt Ryan	QB
31	Corey Coleman	WR
32	Sammy Watkins	WR	In the offseason he will likely return to the top 20.
33	Lamar Miller	RB
34	T.Y. Hilton	WR
35	Blake Bortles	QB	Bortles is QB12 on the year with the 10th highest per game average. People seem to think he’s a joke, but tools and fantasy production remain strong.
36	Tom Brady	QB
37	Will Fuller	WR
38	Keenan Allen	WR	2016’s top dynasty buy opportunity for rebuilding teams; don’t eff this one up.
39	Michael Thomas	WR
40	Kelvin Benjamin	WR
41	Marvin Jones	WR	Marvin’s opportunity is currently greater than his talent, which in my book makes him a sell, particularly given his health history. Figures to lose value in the offseason.
42	Ben Roethlisberger	QB
43	Randall Cobb	WR	Rodgers to Cobb is heating back up, folks.
44	Jordan Reed	TE	Reed has publicly scoffed at the prospect of an early retirement due to the concussions.
45	Doug Baldwin	WR	He’s so efficient and good, but alas maybe the Seabags never air it out enough for him to be more than a WR2.
46	Andy Dalton	QB
47	Philip Rivers	QB
48	Drew Brees	QB
49	Martavis Bryant	WR	Without his… issues… he’d be a top 25 asset in my opinion.
50	Terrelle Pryor	WR
51	Jordan Matthews	WR
52	Sterling Shepard	WR
53	Willie Snead	WR
54	DeVante Parker	WR
55	Devonta Freeman	RB
56	Demaryius Thomas	WR
57	Melvin Gordon	RB	Gordon has excelled as a receiver and in pass blocking, but has once again struggled as a runner. His opportunity currently outpaces his talent, which makes him a big, fat “sell.”
58	Jay Ajayi	RB	If you own him and you’re not shopping him to see if someone is willing to overreact then we can’t be dynasty friends.
59	LeSean McCoy	RB
60	Josh Doctson	WR
61	Kirk Cousins	QB
62	Tyrod Taylor	QB	The question entering the season for me was whether he could prove he’s good enough to start in the next couple of years. I think the answer is now most likely yes, so he’s arrow up.
63	Ryan Tannehill	QB	Do not confuse mediocre (Tanny) with bad (Osweiler).
64	Jared Goff	QB
65	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.
66	Paxton Lynch	QB
67	Hunter Henry	TE	If you’re in a shallow league that starts one TE, I suppose you should fade, but looks like the next generation of differentiated studs.
68	Michael Crabtree	WR	If you can get a 2017 1st I’d cash out and thank Crabtree for his service.
69	Emmanuel Sanders	WR
70	Tevin Coleman	RB	Doing three down back things in Atlanta, but alas, plays with another three down back.
71	Theo Riddick	RB
72	Tyler Eifert	TE	Well, look who decided to rejoin the party!
73	Travis Kelce	TE
74	Greg Olsen	TE
75	DeMarco Murray	RB	Still time to cash out for a 2017 1st while he’s hot and healthy. Maybe you can get more.
76	Spencer Ware	RB	I don’t care who it is, but in five years when the Chiefs find a replacement for Ware, pay everything you have for them because this is getting scary (Holmes, Johnson, Charles and now Ware).
77	Jordan Howard	RB	Jack-of-all-trades reminds my Bears’ fan friend of Frank Gore and I like the comparison; three down skills.
78	Giovani Bernard	RB
79	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.
80	Laquon Treadwell	WR
81	Tyler Boyd	WR
82	Duke Johnson	RB	I’m a sucker for his profile as a high-floor back with upside for more.
83	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.
84	Devontae Booker	RB	How many Booker’s, Ware’s, Howard’s and Ajayi’s must pop up before dynasty owners scale back their pricing on “proven” lead backs?
85	Tyrell Williams	WR	I like him and he’s young, but with Keenan Allen returning next year he has more present value than future value in my opinion.
86	Ty Montgomery	WR	Not sure what his position is, but Jordy is old, Adams’ rookie deal expires after next season and he has diverse skills to stay on the field in multiple situations and with different personnel.
87	Jamison Crowder	WR
88	Brandon Marshall	WR
89	Jordy Nelson	WR	Cash out after his next big game and thank him for his services.
90	Larry Fitzgerald	WR
91	Carlos Hyde	RB
92	Mark Ingram	RB
93	Christine Michael	RB	I’m selling in part because I think his usage has peaked and because he’s struggled as a receiver.
94	Doug Martin	RB	Sell after his next big game.
95	Allen Hurns	WR	The touchdowns aren’t there and the efficiency has dropped, but Hurns is trending towards a respectable season. Doesn’t have prospect pedigree to fall back on in times of doubt.
96	Quincy Enunwa	WR
97	Julian Edelman	WR
98	Eric Ebron	TE
99	Joe Flacco	QB
100	Sam Bradford	QB
101	Alex Smith	QB
102	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	People hate this guy, but there was plenty to like. Has youth on his side.
103	John Brown	WR
104	Travis Benjamin	WR
105	Jeremy Maclin	WR
106	Matt Forte	RB
107	Ameer Abdullah	RB
108	Latavius Murray	RB
109	Carson Palmer	QB
110	Jimmy Graham	TE	Because there’s no time like the present.
111	Eric Decker	WR
112	Isaiah Crowell	RB
113	Eddie Lacy	RB
114	Delanie Walker	TE
115	Martellus Bennett	TE
116	Kenneth Dixon	RB	(Still) excited about his chances to be a second half league winner the way Booker could be in Denver.
117	Jerick McKinnon	RB
118	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.
119	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.
120	Davante Adams	WR
121	C.J. Prosise	RB	Has been productive as a pass catcher. One of my favorite pre-season RB prospects is ripe for the buying.
122	Jeremy Hill	RB
123	Tyler Lockett	WR
124	Cameron Meredith	WR	Meredith befuddled me as he came out of
125	Jamaal Charles	RB	Talk of a second knee surgery is no bueno, but I couldn’t resist but to buy low for next year in one of my leagues.
126	Adrian Peterson	RB
127	Zach Ertz	TE	After three straight years of steady improvement, Ertz has been bad this year but makes for a nice buy low.
128	Tony Romo	QB
129	DeSean Jackson	WR
130	Tavon Austin	WR
131	Cole Beasley	WR
132	Golden Tate	WR
133	Dion Lewis	RB
134	T.J. Yeldon	RB	High draft pick has not done much to distinguish himself this year.
135	Ryan Mathews	RB
136	Kenyan Drake	RB
137	Tyler Ervin	RB
138	Kyle Rudolph	TE
139	Ladarius Green	TE
140	Jonathan Stewart	RB
141	Jay Cutler	QB	No guarantees, but in QB-starved league it seems more likely than not that he gets more chances to start.
142	Cody Kessler	QB	Showed some modest promise.
143	C.J. Fiedorowicz	TE	I swear I didn’t mean to double up on C.J.’s (and yes, I’m buying this C.J.).
144	C.J. Anderson	RB	Should make for a sweet #ZeroRB next year assuming the price comes down to here.
145	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR
146	Coby Fleener	TE
147	Austin Hooper	TE
148	Mike Wallace	WR
149	Gary Barnidge	TE
150	Chris Hogan	WR
151	Brock Osweiler	QB
152	Trevor Siemian	QB	Performed admirably, but more suited for a backup role.
153	Colin Kaepernick	QB	A high-end QB stream option; he’s likely at peak value.
154	Matt Jones	RB
155	Terrance West	RB
156	Tyreek Hill	WR
157	Julius Thomas	TE
158	Thomas Rawls	RB
159	LeGarrette Blount	RB	Worth a look for your championship runs.
160	Jimmy Garoppolo	QB	Patience required and I likely overranked him previously. He will trend up, but very unlikely to help until 2018, if ever.
161	DeAndre Washington	RB
162	Leonte Carroo	WR
163	Nelson Agholor	WR
164	Phillip Dorsett	WR
165	Frank Gore	RB
166	Chris Conley	WR
167	Malcolm Mitchell	WR
168	Mike Glennon	QB	My favorite QB spec add for 2017.
169	Brett Hundley	QB	My favorite QB spec add for… 2019.
170	Wendell Smallwood	RB	If you’re looking for the next Booker and Dixon is unavailable it could be Smallwood or even Paul Perkins.
171	Paul Perkins	RB
172	Kenny britt	WR
173	J.J. Nelson	WR
174	Zach Miller	TE
175	Jack Doyle	TE	Nice receiving chops as a tight end.
176	Charles Sims	RB	Totally blew his chance this year, but should return as a useful #ZeroRB.
177	Clive Walford	TE	Has not gotten in on the Derek Carr level up party.
178	Dwayne Allen	TE
179	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE
180	Rishard Matthews	WR
181	Pharoh Cooper	WR
182	Bilal Powell	RB
183	Tajae Sharpe	WR
184	Dwayne Washington	RB
185	Alfred Morris	RB
186	Jalen Richard	RB
187	Rob Kelley	RB
188	Jeremy Langford	RB	Has gone from a do-not-touch in preseason to a trade target of mine for owners that believe he’s now worthless.
189	Jacquizz Rodgers	RB
190	Mike Gillislee	RB
191	Zach Zenner	RB
192	Chris Thompson	RB
193	DeAngelo Williams	RB
194	Chris Ivory	RB
195	Steve Smith	WR
196	Darren Sproles	RB
197	Braxton Miller	WR
198	Mohamed Sanu	WR
199	Brandon Lafell	WR
200	Cordarrelle Patterson	WR
201	Pierre Garcon	WR
202	Ryan Fitzpatrick	QB	Should be demoted to high-end NFL backup any week now.
203	Bryce Petty	QB	Should get his chance any week now.
204	James White	RB
205	Josh McCown	QB
206	Virgil Green	TE
207	Marqise Lee	WR
208	Charles Clay	TE
209	Dennis Pitta	TE
210	Adam Thielen	WR
211	Jesse James	TE
212	Adam Humphries	WR
213	Kadeem Carey	RB
214	Peyton Barber	RB
215	Rashad Jennings	RB
216	James Starks	RB
217	Kenny Stills	WR
218	Torrey Smith	WR
219	Matt Asiata	RB
220	Jaelen Strong	WR
221	Devin Funchess	WR
222	Jeff Janis	WR
223	Maxx Williams	TE
224	Tyler Higbee	TE
225	AJ McCarron	QB	A free agent after the 2017 season, McCarron is an interesting free stash to potentially luck into a starting quarterback down the road.
226	Shane Vereen	RB
227	Case Keenum	QB
228	Danny Woodhead	RB	A sneaky stash in PPR leagues.
229	Andre Ellington	RB	Hoping for that David Johnson injury to hit.
230	Kapri Bibbs	RB
231	Jonathan Williams	RB
232	Fozzy Whitaker	RB
233	Terrell Watson	RB
234	Antonio Gates	TE	Historically there’s a decline among tight ends at 31 and then a crater at 37. Gates is 36.
235	Robert Griffin III	QB
236	Seth Roberts	WR
237	Mike Davis	RB
238	Vance McDonald	TE
239	Victor Cruz	WR
240	Terrance Williams	WR
241	Cardale Jones	QB
242	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.
243	Tim Hightower	RB
244	Will Tye	TE
245	Larry Donnell	TE
246	Jason Witten	TE
247	Josh Gordon	WR
248	Antone Smith	RB
249	Brian Hoyer	QB	Could stick around in the Ryan Fitzpatrick mold as an interim starter for another year or two.
250	Kevin Hogan	QB

5 Comments

evo34

November 3, 2016 at 2:54 pm

I might suggest a by-position ranking format, since clearly you have strong views on loving QB/WR and hating RB in dynasty. Since such view are highly league structure-dependent, it would be nice to see players ranked/grouped by position rather than overall.
evo34

November 3, 2016 at 2:57 pm

” how many times do we have to see inexpensive backups turn into RB1’s or high-end RB2’s before the dynasty community stops paying full retail for the…”

If you play in a deep-bench dynasty league, you might only see this happen to a fantasy FA a couple times a year.
- Tom Trudeau
  
  November 3, 2016 at 3:58 pm
  
  Thank you for the feedback and checking out the rankings. The positional rankings can be inferred from the 250, so I’m not sure how useful an additional post would be breaking that out more explicitly. I thought about adding an additional column, but a fifth column squeezes the screen too much.
  
  Regarding my RB comment about acquiring cheap starters – I only play in deep dynasty leagues (13 – 14 teams, keep 28-30), so my frame of reference tends to be the deep leagues you’re referring to. The cheap adds may not necessarily happen on free agency. Last year just among rookies Duke Johnson, Ajayi and David Johnson were second round rookie picks, Jeremy Langford was a third round pick and Karlos Williams and Thomas Rawls were 4th round picks and/or undrafted. And then among non-FA’s Dion Lewis and Spencer Ware were waiver adds even in deep leagues, because people had Knile Davis and Chark West pegged as the handcuff to Charles.
  
  My strategy for dynasty is to beef up at non-RB positions, stash as many 2nd string RB’s as I can and then wait for the carnage, supplementing that with an occasional waiver add to get me through a week (like Antone Smith this week) or sometimes all season, like Ware last year.
  
  Meanwhile my opponents pay significant capital for starting RB’s, an advantage that is neutralized by my superior non-RB’s and neutered entirely when the injuries inevitably strike. It’s an effective strategy for redraft and it’s even more valuable in dynasty, because my advantage grows year over year as their high-priced RB’s depreciate in value. The moment my RB’s look like they’re “proven” workhorses, I trade them for a profit, rinse and repeat. (That’s how you end up with a WR core in a keep-30, 13 team league of DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, Kelvin Benjamin, Allen Robinson, Donte Moncrief, Corey Coleman, Willie Snead and Martavis Bryant.)
  
  Sorry for the Russian novel response, but I hope that provides more clarity regarding how and why I rank the way I do.
Kurt

November 4, 2016 at 10:09 am

On Ware and his eventual replacement – I think some Chiefs fan must have made a deal with the devil after watching Donnell Bennett and Tony Richardson lead their backfield for 3 years after Marcus Allen retired in ’97!

Best guess as to who starts at QB in Cleveland (or at least starts game 1) in 2017? Draft pick, one of the Vikings QBs, Romo, other? Picked up Coleman and am hoping they do SOMETHING!

Great work as always Tom!
- Tom Trudeau
  
  November 4, 2016 at 10:12 am
  
  Kessler has played well and deserves to start the rest of the year and try to prove to Cleveland’s FO that they don’t need to take a QB at 1.1 or 2.1 next year, but I’d guess they’ll use a top pick on a quarterback regardless.