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Fantasy Football 2017 Cheat Sheet: Mobile Rankings for Last-Minute Drafters

Fantasy Football
September 3, 2017

The first full Sunday of NFL regular-season football is now officially one week away. Until then, a few leagues still need to get their drafts in before the season kicks off on Thursday night when the Kansas City Chiefs face the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium.

Time is of the essence for these fantasy players, including myself, as I’m in a league where there’s been so much debate about settings and money that our draft hasn’t even been scheduled.

Like others, we’re running out of time, so here’s a look at rankings for each fantasy position for last-minute drafters, alongside notes on players who may seem a bit high on the lists.

        

Quarterback

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay)

2. Tom Brady (New England)

3. Cam Newton (Carolina)

4. Drew Brees (New Orleans)

5. Matt Ryan (Atlanta)

6. Russell Wilson (Seattle)

7. Derek Carr (Oakland)

8. Kirk Cousins (Washington)

9. Marcus Mariota (Tennessee)

10. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia)

11. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)

12. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay)

13. Dak Prescott (Dallas)

During drafts, keep an eye out for players who did well in 2015 but regressed in 2016. They could be primed for bounce-back seasons if the circumstances are right.

Such might be the case with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who won the MVP in 2015 but struggled in 2016. His issues can be attributed to a mix of reasons, including an offensive line that struggled after left tackle Michael Oher suffered a concussion in Week 2, inconsistent wide receiver production and injuries, which clearly slowed him down.

But Newton has a world of talent, and the Panthers offense looks much improved with the addition of running back Christian McCaffrey, and that in turn may light up the whole unit.

Carolina has an easier schedule this year, and it won’t have to face any elite defenses (at least on paper). Newton should return close to his 2015 form and have a solid season.

       

Running Back

1A. David Johnson (Arizona)

1B. Le’Veon Bell (Pittsburgh)

3. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo)

4. Jordan Howard (Chicago)

5. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta)

6. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina)

7. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville)

8. DeMarco Murray (Tennessee)

9. Lamar Miller (Houston)

10. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers)

11. Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams)

12. Jay Ajayi (Miami)

13. Dalvin Cook (Minnesota)

14. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas)

15. Bilal Powell (New York Jets)

16. Frank Gore (Indianapolis)

17. Joe Mixon (Cincinnati)

18. Isaiah Crowell (Cleveland)

19. Mike Gillislee (New England)

20. Ty Montgomery (Green Bay)

21. Thomas Rawls (Seattle)

22. Marshawn Lynch (Oakland)

23. Carlos Hyde (San Francisco)

24. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City)

25. Ameer Abdullah (Detroit)

Take a look at Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey’s top five preseason plays this year:

If that is symbolic of the season McCaffrey has in Charlotte this year, then the Panthers offense is going to soar like it did in 2015. McCaffrey does a fantastic job of finding small lines and bursting through them for big plays. He can also take what seems like a no-win situation for negative yardage and turn it into a small gain.

His versatility is also a big plus, as he can run between the tackles, outside the tackles and play in the slot as a wide receiver.

While Jonathan Stewart is Carolina’s current starting running back, there should be plenty of opportunities for McCaffrey to see the field. Stewart and McCaffrey complement each other well, so on paper, this could be a monster year for McCaffrey. In point-per-reception leagues, McCaffrey could very well be a top-five fantasy producer.

        

Wide Receiver

1. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh)

2. Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants)

3. Julio Jones (Atlanta)

4. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay)

5. Michael Thomas (New Orleans)

6. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay)

7. A.J. Green (Cincinnati)

8. Terrelle Pryor (Washington)

9. Amari Cooper (Oakland)

10. Alshon Jeffery (Philadelphia)

11. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston)

12. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis)

13. Allen Robinson (Jacksonville)

14. Doug Baldwin (Seattle)

15. Demaryius Thomas (Denver)

16. Davante Adams (Green Bay)

17. Emmanuel Sanders (Denver)

18. Dez Bryant (Dallas)

19. Stefon Diggs (Minnesota)

20. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers)

21. Donte Moncrief (Indianapolis)

22. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona)

23. Kenny Britt (Cleveland)

24. Randall Cobb (Green Bay)

25. Tyrell Williams (Los Angeles Chargers)

26. Corey Davis (Tennessee)

27. Brandin Cooks (New England)

28. Jamison Crowder (Washington)

29. DeVante Parker (Miami)

30. Michael Crabtree (Oakland)

31. Rishard Matthews (Tennessee)

32. Jeremy Maclin (Baltimore)

33. Sammy Watkins (Los Angeles Rams)

34. Sterling Shepard (New York Giants)

35. Zay Jones (Buffalo)

36. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City)

37. Jarvis Landry (Miami)

Second-year New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas may seem a bit high at fifth ahead of veterans such as the Green Bay Packers’ Jordy Nelson and the Cincinnati Bengals’ A.J. Green, but he had a phenomenal rookie season last year and is on track to do even better this year.

Pro Football Focus ranked Thomas as the fifth-best wideout in the league in 2016. He caught 92 passes on 121 targets for a 76 percent catch rate. He also found the end zone nine times.

Impressively, he did this while sharing a bunch of targets with Brandin Cooks, who was traded to the New England Patriots, and Willie Snead, who is suspended for the first three games. Expect Thomas to assume an even bigger role next year.

        

Tight End

1. Rob Gronkowski (New England)

2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City)

3. Greg Olsen (Carolina)

4. Jordan Reed (Washington)

5. Jimmy Graham (Seattle)

6. Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota)

7. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia)

8. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers)

9. Martellus Bennett (Green Bay)

10. Tyler Eifert (Cincinnati)

11. Delanie Walker (Tennessee)

12. Jared Cook (Oakland)

13. Jack Doyle (Indianapolis)

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson led the league in red-zone targets last year with 29, but the player who finished second is a surprise.

That would be Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, who had 24, per Pro Football Reference. He was responsible for 32.4 percent of his team’s targets in the red zone, which was also second in the league.

Rudolph and wideout Stefon Diggs are clearly quarterback Sam Bradford‘s top two targets in Minnesota, and that shouldn’t change this year. If anything, the offense should be better with the addition of rookie running back Dalvin Cook.

That would bode well for Rudolph, as he should get a few more red-zone opportunities this year.

        

Kicker

1. Justin Tucker (Baltimore)

2. Stephen Gostkowski (New England)

3. Matt Bryant (Atlanta)

4. Dan Bailey (Dallas)

5. Matt Prater (Detroit)

6. Mason Crosby (Green Bay)

7. Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh)

8. Steven Hauschka (Buffalo)

9. Brandon McManus (Denver)

10. Caleb Sturgis (Philadelphia)

11. Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis)

12. Cairo Santos (Kansas City)

13. Aldrick Rosas (New York Giants)

The record holder for the longest field goal in NFL history is not former New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who hit a 63-yarder in 1970, or the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker, who crushed a 75-yarder messing around in the week leading up to last year’s Pro Bowl.

Rather, it’s Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater, who kicked a 64-yarder before halftime in a game against the Tennessee Titans in 2013. For good measure, he saw Tucker’s 75-yarder and raised him to 76.

Prater may not get the notoriety of other big-name kickers such as Tucker and the New England Patriots’ Stephen Gostkowski, but he’s got a big leg and the luxury of playing indoors at Ford Field for half the season. Expect Prater to have another good year.

              

Defense/Special Teams

1. Kansas City

2. Denver

3. Carolina

4. Minnesota

5. Houston

6. Seattle

7. Arizona

8. New England

9. New York Giants

10. Pittsburgh

11. Tennessee

12. Philadelphia

13. Baltimore

Yes, the Tennessee Titans gave up 378 points last season, which ranked a mediocre eighth out of 16 AFC teams last year. However, the Titans aren’t facing many daunting offenses this year (at least on paper). Therefore, they can take advantage of a softer schedule and improve off last season.

Take a look for yourself. How many offenses will be that challenging? Oakland, Seattle and Pittsburgh for sure, and Arizona is a fourth if its passing game can return to 2015 form. Other than that, the Indianapolis Colts are a big question mark until we see Andrew Luck return to the field, and there’s no other team that’s particularly daunting.

That leaves more than half the schedule where the Titans can hang with another team’s offense. If you’re one of those players who likes picking defenses at the very end of drafts, consider Tennessee, which should be available.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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