Some updated thoughts after the first few preseason games:
- My top 4 is probably Richardson, Martin, Blackmon, and Luck in that order. Luck is the best prospect in the draft and the best pick if you are thinking extremely long term or if you play in a format that places a premium on QB scoring, but his value suffers because of the position he plays. It is easy to find a serviceable FF QB, whereas teams often struggle to acquire the same caliber of player at WR or RB. Richardson and Martin should have huge redraft value if healthy. They have all the tools to be top 10 backs this year.
- My next 4 guys would be Griffin, Wright, Wilson, and Floyd. No big surprises there. Wilson has a lot of upside and I would caution against downgrading Floyd based on his slow start. The buzz all along was that they would bring him up to speed slowly.
- Some guys rising up my board: Robert Turbin, Dwayne Allen, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, TJ Graham. They all look like they belong at this level. Alshon Jeffery has had some nice moments. I think he can be a starter for Chicago, but I still wonder if he runs well enough to be a #1 some day. My guess right now would be no, but he has moved up in my estimation.
- I remain relatively down on Isaiah Pead, Ronnie Hillman, and Stephen Hill. I also wonder if I didn't overrate Coby Fleener. It is hard to predict what kind of value he will have. Allen has looked like a solid player and perhaps a better fit for the pro game. Fleener has better big play skills though.
- I'm trying not to go overboard with preseason darlings like Alfred Morris, Rod Streater, and Daryl Richardson. They are worth a roster spot in deep leagues, but I wouldn't take them over many of the prospects selected in the top 100 of the draft. It is a long way to go from being an unheralded draft prospect to a regular NFL contributor. By the same token, I wouldn't be panicking about guys like Michael Floyd, Bernard Pierce, AJ Jenkins, and LaMichael James just because they have been quiet so far. Usually there's a good reason why a player was/wasn't a high pick, and you have to keep that in mind when trying to gauge the value of prospects who have yet to play a meaningful game.