Sigmond Bloom's top 75 PPR fantasy players (1 Viewer)

[Bracie Smathers]

The free article page has got a few good ones.

Any ranking by Bloom is interesting so here is his top 75 PPR fantasy players ranked prior to free agency.

At the end of his intro he says he wants feedback so go to the link and check out the full list. I'm only posting his top-ten PPR fantasy players but he does want feedback so go check out the full list and tell him what you think.

http://subscribers.footballguys.com/apps/article.php?article=bloomdynastytop75

...A Note on Feedback: I took that cutoff of 75 very seriously and would love to hear about players you think should have been included, or otherwise rankings that appear out of whack. Forcing myself to articulate the why can sometimes give me the clarity to realize I'm wrong and feedback certainly helps refine rankings. @SigmundBloom or Bloom at Footballguys dot Com

1. Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE - Injury prone? More like touchdown prone. Created separation between him and Jimmy Graham this year. Still only 25 (really).

2. Odell Beckham Jr, WR, NYG - I might be overreacting, but not putting him here might be underreacting to the next generational talent at wide receiver.

3. Julio Jones, WR, ATL - Jones got a little banged up this year, but by the end of it he was taking over games in a Calvin Johnson-esque way.

4. Dez Bryant, WR, DAL - Bryant reached cruising altitude this year and should be among the best in the league for a long time. Penchant for multi-TD games.

5. Antonio Brown, WR, PIT - Has sustained consistency at wide receiver that was previously unheard of. Wouldn’t argue too hard against putting him as WR1.

6. AJ Green, WR, CIN - Saddled with the worst QB of the wide receivers in the elite tier so at the bottom.

7. Le’Veon Bell, RB, PIT - Candle burns at both ends for RB, but Bell looks poised for a long reign of dominance in PPR leagues. Won’t talk you out of him #1 overall.

8. Calvin Johnson, WR, DET - He’s still the Megatron we know and love but injuries last two years, turning 30, and Stafford might never be as good as we hoped he would be.

9. Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN - A future without Peyton could imperil his status as an elite FF WR1, and it’s coming soon.

10. Mike Evans, WR, TB - Has the skills to pay the fantasy bills and could get a big upgrade at QB long-term. Seems to be QB proof anyway.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Love Bloom rankings but I have some feedback with a couple of the names.

Feedback for any ranking tends to be negative and I don't like to hear outrageous complaints so I want to make it clear that I really am not complaining but I do question a few names and I'll say why.

For instance Bloom has Pittsburgh Steeler WR Martavis Bryant as the 35th overall fantasy player.

35. Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT - Bryant’s size/speed combination was breathtaking at times. Markus Wheaton is still a nice player, but Bryant is ticketed for lots of high FF value targets in Pittsburgh opposite Antonio Brown.

Bryant is tall and has a thin/weak frame that did not allow him to get off the line easily so the Steelers had to run stacked sets where they would place Bryant behind another WR to shield him from the bump and to allow him to get off the LOS cleanly. I saw that as pretty much only a one-trick pony deep route guy.

Martavis might start bulking up and he might start running more of the route tree but I don't know if he really deserve to be ranked this high right now. So I will question that one.

This one I also question a little bit.

41. Cody Latimer, WR, DEN - Just like the other Denver receivers, the post-Peyton era looms, but I’m still a believer in Latimer’s stellar talent to come to the surface soon, and for a long time.

Sig has been transparent in his love of Cody Latimer. OK, that is fine and Bloom properly note that the Peyton era will soon near an end. I look at what Latimer has done and I don't really see anything yet and Sig notes that Peyton will soon be gone that means Osweiler might soon be the QB for Denver. If Brock is Denver's QB then I tend to think projections would drop across the board for the Denver receivers. I have to question this high of a ranking for Cody Latimer.

 

[psychobillies]

Did I miss Julius Thomas, or is that intentional?

 

[thriftyrocker]

I was surprised Julius Thomas wasn't even listed. I get all the negatives on him, but still feel he has top 75 value and would prefer him to Dwayne Allen who is listed. If he and Peyton are back, you have a TE1 and more time to sell.

The most interesting part of dynasty rankings at the moment seems to be picking your favorites at WR. Choosing your poison between Latimer, Adams, Moncrief, Robinson, etc. will make or break a startup.

 

[ctrlaltdefeat]

Blooms picks are usually pretty suspect. Last years list had some terrible choices as well. Probably should review last years list before putting any stock in this one.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

39. Josh Gordon, WR, CLE - Yes, Josh Gordon. He can rival some of the wide receivers in the top 10 on this list and he turns 24 this year. You could be left with magic beans in a year, but we also know that Gordon can be a stairway to FF heaven.

No thanks.

53. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO - I’m not convinced Cooks will ever be clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order in New Orleans. I wasn’t blown away by his rookie performance, but I would guess many have him a lot higher.

I'm one of the many that would put him higher. He already was "clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order" before he got hurt.

 

[thriftyrocker]

In comparison to Jan DLF ADP

1. Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE +7
2. Odell Beckham Jr, WR, NYG 0
3. Julio Jones, WR, ATL +1
4. Dez Bryant, WR, DAL -3
5. Antonio Brown, WR, PIT -2
6. AJ Green, WR, CIN 0
7. Le’Veon Bell, RB, PIT 0
8. Calvin Johnson, WR, DET +3
9. Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN -4
10. Mike Evans, WR, TB -1
11. Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI +2
12. Eddie Lacy, RB, GB +6
13. Demarco Murray, RB, DAL +7
14. Jimmy Graham, TE, NO +2
15. LeSean McCoy, RB, PHI 0
16. Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF -4
17. TY Hilton, WR, IND +5
18. Randall Cobb, WR, GB -4
19. Jordy Nelson, WR, GB -2
20. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU -1
21. Jamaal Charles, RB, KC +3
22. Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN +6
23. Matt Forte, RB, CHI +9
24. Arian Foster, RB, HOU +33
25. Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN +67
26. CJ Anderson, RB, DEN +20
27. Andrew Luck, QB, IND -17
28. Keenan Allen, WR, SD -1
29. Michael Floyd, WR, ARI +1
30. Brandon Marshall, WR, CHI +14
31. Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB -10
32. Travis Kelce, TE, KC +13
33. Carlos Hyde, RB, SF +1
34. Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR -5
35. Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT +21
36. Julian Edelman, WR, NE +34
37. DeSean Jackson, WR, WAS +18
38. Torrey Smith, WR, BAL +13
39. Josh Gordon, WR, CLE (DLF data is pre-suspension)
40. Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA +14
41. Cody Latimer, WR, DEN +24
42. Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI -17
43. Donte Moncrief, WR, IND -4
44. Lamar Miller, RB, MIA -4
45. Andre Ellington, RB, ARI -2
46. Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN -13
47. Christine Michael, RB, SEA +15
48. Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE +4
49. Alfred Morris, RB, WAS +4
50. Cam Newton, QB, CAR 0
51. Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN -13
52. Golden Tate, WR, DET -10
53. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO -27
54. Allen Robinson, WR, JAX -23
55. Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA -6
56. Tre Mason, RB, STL -8
57. Doug Martin, RB, TB +11
58. Jeremy Maclin, WR, PHI -23
59. Eric Decker, WR, NYJ +1
60. Kenny Stills, WR, NO +19
61. Davante Adams, WR, GB -25
62. Russell Wilson, QB, SEA -21
63. Jordan Cameron, TE, FA +14
64. Percy Harvin, WR, NYJ -17
65. Victor Cruz, WR, NYG +23
66. Michael Crabtree, WR, FA +1
67. Matt Ryan, QB, ATL +11
68. Drew Brees, QB, NO +12
69. Tom Brady, QB, NE +53
70. Dwayne Allen, TE, IND +38
71. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, MIN -13
72. Mark Ingram, RB, FA -13
73. Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR +33
74. Latavius Murray, RB, OAK -1
75. Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL +6

 

[psychobillies]

Blooms picks are usually pretty suspect. Last years list had some terrible choices as well. Probably should review last years list before putting any stock in this one.

Or you can post the the parts you disagree with and why. Usually makes for better discussion.

 

[Banger]

I don't disagree with Beckham there but kind of surprised.

 

[Skoo]

Even in PPR Le'Veon should be ranked a lot higher than 7, imo.

 

[Concept Coop]

The most interesting part of dynasty rankings at the moment seems to be picking your favorites at WR. Choosing your poison between Latimer, Adams, Moncrief, Robinson, etc. will make or break a startup.

I think RB will be the separator this year. The WR field is so stacked--the names you mention are being drafted as WR3s--often behind relatively young options at WR1/2.

At RB, however, everyone after Bell comes with question marks. Accurately projecting the Hill/Gio split or the decline of Shady, Charles, Forte, for example, seems absolutely vital. This very strong class with help things, but all rookies come with questions.

Being right on Tre Mason--to pick one name--feels a lot more important than being right on Allen Robinson or Davante Adams.

Just my take, of course. I just see the riches at WR as providing some margin for error.

 

[Concept Coop]

Even in PPR Le'Veon should be ranked a lot higher than 7, imo.

Especially in PPR.

 

[Concept Coop]

53. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO - I’m not convinced Cooks will ever be clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order in New Orleans. I wasn’t blown away by his rookie performance, but I would guess many have him a lot higher.

I'm one of the many that would put him higher. He already was "clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order" before he got hurt.

Cooks was on pace for 80+ receptions. Aslo, as one of the outside guys, I'd expect Stills to have more competition than he did late last season.

 

[Banger]

I would like to hear from Bloom why McKinnon isn't on the list. I have him in the same tier as Hyde...yes, I know I am higher on him than most, but having Freeman at 75 and McKinnon not on the list seems questionable. It seems Blooms whole bet on Freeman is the Shanahan offense, which I understand, but I don't think he fits that style very well at all and didn't show very well last year.

McKinnon on the other hand showed explosive potential and put up very good numbers (better than Hyde btw) while still learning the position.

probably because Peterson is on the list.

 

[Billy Ball Thorton]

Easy for me to sit here and say, without providing my own, but in general he's way off on many of these IMO.

Real time value wise he's way way off.

CJ Anderson over Luck is a joke. Michael Floyd being 30th best overall. He's barely 30 WR

 

[Concept Coop]

CJ Anderson over Luck is a joke.

Oof. I missed that one.

 

[thriftyrocker]

At RB, however, everyone after Bell comes with question marks. Accurately projecting the Hill/Gio split or the decline of Shady, Charles, Forte, for example, seems absolutely vital. This very strong class with help things, but all rookies come with questions.

There's a simple solution to that: don't draft any of them. Personally there is little reason to worry about drafting Mason or McKinnon because they provide so little difference in expected production over players available five rounds later. A "long term RB2" is a low value offset, at least IMO. A botched RB pick only hurts you if the alternative provides elite production.

RB has always been a minefield. My point is, I think, that the difference is now that there are so many young WRs valued highly that WR has become equally volatile. At least half of the Moncrief, Allen Robinson, etc. players will become low value assets by the end of the year. In the "race to fill the flex" as Spiegele puts it, the WR3 is a very important commodity.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

can't really see taking any of those WRs or Gronk above Le'Veon Bell. I mean I can, but it's probably a mistake.

EDIT: the OP in the thread didn't mention these were dynasty rankings. that changes a lot. I can see WRs going early and often since they are more likely to sustain their value for a longer period of time than a RB.

 

[Concept Coop]

There's a simple solution to that: don't draft any of them. Personally there is little reason to worry about drafting Mason or McKinnon because they provide so little difference in expected production over players available five rounds later. A "long term RB2" is a low value offset, at least IMO. A botched RB pick only hurts you if the alternative provides elite production.

RB has always been a minefield. My point is, I think, that the difference is now that there are so many young WRs valued highly that WR has become equally volatile. At least half of the Moncrief, Allen Robinson, etc. players will become low value assets by the end of the year. In the "race to fill the flex" as Spiegele puts it, the WR3 is a very important commodity.

I agree that the young WR3 field is a lot of fun right now. I agree that many of them will look like Terrance Williams this time next year. But Tre Mason could be a top 5 dynasty back this time next season. The crop is simply too crowded and talented to say the same about the WRs taken in that range. Especially when names like Fitz, Andre, and Roddy don't even make top 75 lists. I'd much rather stick them in my flex, should I strike out on Allen Robinson, than Blount in my RB2 spot, should I strike out on Mason. Young WR3's with potential are simply too available for me to call them make or break, with the RB and TE field so up in the air. I personally think Ebron vs. Eifert will make or break more startups this seasont than Robinson vs. Adams, even.

Again, JMO, and there are many ways to skin a cat.

 

[Biabreakable]

I will echo a couple of the players already brought up.

Julius Thomas - I would take him ahead of Cameron Jordan or Duane Allen. I think both he and Manning will still be in Denver next season though. Maybe I am wrong about one of those two things.

Brandin Cooks - Cook's had 69 targets in the 10 games he played as a rookie. His catch rate was fantastic at 77% If you calculated his targets to 16 games that would be 110 targets and at his catch rate that would be 85 receptions. Cooks also got frequent opportunities to run the ball. I just don't really see how Bryant and many of the WR ranked ahead of Cooks should be.

I think CJ Spiller should be on this list. But I might be alone in that opinion.

 

[Tau837]

 

[Concept Coop]

Did I miss Julius Thomas, or is that intentional?

Even if Manning called it quits today--how many TEs do we take ahead of Thomas? He's still a young mismatch and the best redzone option on the team.

 

[Shutout]

I'll give a pass on Andrew Luck because Bloom DID disclose his reasoning for deflating the QB value.

With that being said, this is a dynasty discussion and I can't think of a better combo of youth/proven/situation/safe than Luck. Even deflated, he has to be inside the top 20 overall.

Cooks is too low. Kelvin Benjamin (of whom I was not convinced and listened when people said clearly boom/bust) is too low. The guy has fantasy value, period.

Josh Gordon is on this list and Julius Thomas is not. What can you say? Even if Thomas goes to JAX, here's what I know...in dynasty leagues, he is the only of the two that will play next year and the chances of Gordon playing after that have to be less than 85% based on his pattern.

I'd hijack the thread if I say nary a bad word about everyone's love bud Beckham, but I can't see placing him #2 overall dynasty.

Antonio Brown deserves to be higher.

I'll stop picking nits but I think the list is not very refined at this point. Far too easy to lump Foster, Forte, Peterson, etc together in a big lump and call them the same at this point. THey are not. Far from it. Need to do some work, Bloom, and seriously factor in their TRUE impact. That's part of your job.

 

[thriftyrocker]

But Tre Mason could be a top 5 dynasty back this time next season.

I don't see it but again I didn't see Jeremy Hill being in the conversation either and here he is. I don't think I dislike Mason as I took him a few times (or McKinnon or Ingram or Martin or Lat Murray), I just see him as limited and in a mediocre situation.

I personally think Ebron vs. Eifert will make or break more startups this seasont than Robinson vs. Adams, even.

That's a good point. I think there is an assumption (and has been for the past few years) that there are no elite TEs but the ones we know. If a 2nd or 3rd tier TE breaks out (include Ertz, Green, Amaro, Rudolph, Fleener too) then that could change a lot.

But it has to be something huge, not just a couple good games.

than Blount in my RB2 spot,

Spiller, Mathews, Forsett, Jennings, there's a lot of RBs with RB1 upside who aren't in Bloom 75 that provide strong counterpoints to the Fitz/Roddy/Andre examples.

 

[Concept Coop]

Spiller, Mathews, Forsett, Jennings, there's a lot of RBs with RB1 upside who aren't in Bloom 75 that provide strong counterpoints to the Fitz/Roddy/Andre examples.

Very solid names. Good point.

Not trying to pry or extend a debate. I just looked up the names and thought it was worth pointing out:

According to DLF rankings:

WR12: Evans/Hopkins

WR24: G.Tate

WR36: Landry (ahead of Edelman, M. Bryant, Crabtree)

WR48: Andre (one behind VJax, ahead of Latimer, Roddy, Quick)

WR60: Wheaton (around Sanu, Shorts, Tavon)

This before Cooper, White, Parker, Funchess, DGB, Coates, Strong and Smith push some of these names down.

It's going to take a lot to "out WR" your opponents in startups this off-season.

 

[simey]

The free article page has got a few good ones.

Any ranking by Bloom is interesting so here is his top 75 PPR fantasy players ranked prior to free agency.

At the end of his intro he says he wants feedback so go to the link and check out the full list. I'm only posting his top-ten PPR fantasy players but he does want feedback so go check out the full list and tell him what you think.

http://subscribers.footballguys.com/apps/article.php?article=bloomdynastytop75

...A Note on Feedback: I took that cutoff of 75 very seriously and would love to hear about players you think should have been included, or otherwise rankings that appear out of whack. Forcing myself to articulate the why can sometimes give me the clarity to realize I'm wrong and feedback certainly helps refine rankings. @SigmundBloom or Bloom at Footballguys dot Com

4. Dez Bryant, WR, DAL - Bryant reached cruising altitude this year and should be among the best in the league for a long time. Penchant for multi-TD games.

5. Antonio Brown, WR, PIT - Has sustained consistency at wide receiver that was previously unheard of. Wouldn’t argue too hard against putting him as WR1.

Antonio had 129 receptions last year compared to Dez's 88 receptions. Antonio had 1,698 receiving yards compared to Dez's 1,320. Antonio had 13 receiving TDs and 1 passing TD compared to Dez's 16 TDs. Antonio had 182 targets compared to Dez's 138 targets. The only category Dez led Antonio in was touchdowns, and that was only by 2. I owned both of these guys last year in a standard league, and I noticed that Dez was very reliant on touchdowns to have a good fantasy week a lot of the time (not always). Antonio had a good fantasy week consistently, regardless of if he scored or not. In PPR, Antonio had to have been $$ every week. They are both still young by football years, and they both have older QBs throwing to them. I see in most rankings Dez put above Antonio, and I just wonder why.

 

[Soulfly3]

53. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO - I’m not convinced Cooks will ever be clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order in New Orleans. I wasn’t blown away by his rookie performance, but I would guess many have him a lot higher.

I'm one of the many that would put him higher. He already was "clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order" before he got hurt.

Cooks was on pace for 80+ receptions. Aslo, as one of the outside guys, I'd expect Stills to have more competition than he did late last season.

yup.

my biggest beef of the list. far too low, imo

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

Antonio had 129 receptions last year compared to Dez's 88 receptions. Antonio had 1,698 receiving yards compared to Dez's 1,320. Antonio had 13 receiving TDs and 1 passing TD compared to Dez's 16 TDs. Antonio had 182 targets compared to Dez's 138 targets. The only category Dez led Antonio in was touchdowns, and that was only by 2. I owned both of these guys last year in a standard league, and I noticed that Dez was very reliant on touchdowns to have a good fantasy week a lot of the time (not always). Antonio had a good fantasy week consistently, regardless of if he scored or not. In PPR, Antonio had to have been $$ every week. They are both still young by football years, and they both have older QBs throwing to them. I see in most rankings Dez put above Antonio, and I just wonder why.

Antonio's stat line was jaw-dropping, sure, but you said it yourself - it took him 182 targets to get there. One hundred and eighty-two. That figure puts him in the top 10 season totals in the history of the NFL. Dez's total was a full 25% fewer. It's basically like Brown got 4 free games' worth of passes thrown to him this season.

If you think 180-odd targets a season is sustainable for the rest of his prime, then sure, Brown ought to be ranked higher than Dez. But I'm not sure I'd go out on that limb.

 

[simey]

Antonio had 129 receptions last year compared to Dez's 88 receptions. Antonio had 1,698 receiving yards compared to Dez's 1,320. Antonio had 13 receiving TDs and 1 passing TD compared to Dez's 16 TDs. Antonio had 182 targets compared to Dez's 138 targets. The only category Dez led Antonio in was touchdowns, and that was only by 2. I owned both of these guys last year in a standard league, and I noticed that Dez was very reliant on touchdowns to have a good fantasy week a lot of the time (not always). Antonio had a good fantasy week consistently, regardless of if he scored or not. In PPR, Antonio had to have been $$ every week. They are both still young by football years, and they both have older QBs throwing to them. I see in most rankings Dez put above Antonio, and I just wonder why.

Antonio's stat line was jaw-dropping, sure, but you said it yourself - it took him 182 targets to get there. One hundred and eighty-two. That figure puts him in the top 10 season totals in the history of the NFL. Dez's total was a full 25% fewer. It's basically like Brown got 4 free games' worth of passes thrown to him this season.

If you think 180-odd targets a season is sustainable for the rest of his prime, then sure, Brown ought to be ranked higher than Dez. But I'm not sure I'd go out on that limb.

I doubt 180+ targets is sustainable for the rest of Antonio's prime, but I do think that Antonio will continue to get more receptions than Dez, and Bloom's rankings are for PPR. I think Dez is more likely to have huge games, but I also think he is more likely to have dud games. I could be wrong, and things can change fast in the NFL. Anyway, I'm not saying Dez doesn't belong in his slot, but I think Antonio is just as valuable.

 

[Bri]

Even in PPR Le'Veon should be ranked a lot higher than 7, imo.

Especially in PPR.

As we shifted to having WRs score more and away from the RB stud theory....I still like a RB first and would probably go Bell over any of these WRs.

I'm not sure if that makes me wise from FF experience or dopey for not jumping on the trend, but still gotta go with what ya know.

I think Bell will get me as many huge weeks as those guys and his "off" weeks will be stronger than there's will be.

 

[Bri]

Antonio had 129 receptions last year compared to Dez's 88 receptions. Antonio had 1,698 receiving yards compared to Dez's 1,320. Antonio had 13 receiving TDs and 1 passing TD compared to Dez's 16 TDs. Antonio had 182 targets compared to Dez's 138 targets. The only category Dez led Antonio in was touchdowns, and that was only by 2. I owned both of these guys last year in a standard league, and I noticed that Dez was very reliant on touchdowns to have a good fantasy week a lot of the time (not always). Antonio had a good fantasy week consistently, regardless of if he scored or not. In PPR, Antonio had to have been $$ every week. They are both still young by football years, and they both have older QBs throwing to them. I see in most rankings Dez put above Antonio, and I just wonder why.

Antonio's stat line was jaw-dropping, sure, but you said it yourself - it took him 182 targets to get there. One hundred and eighty-two. That figure puts him in the top 10 season totals in the history of the NFL. Dez's total was a full 25% fewer. It's basically like Brown got 4 free games' worth of passes thrown to him this season.

If you think 180-odd targets a season is sustainable for the rest of his prime, then sure, Brown ought to be ranked higher than Dez. But I'm not sure I'd go out on that limb.

I think Antonio has become so dependable it's routine for Big Ben-and this is exactly what I'd want to see develop in a QB/WR

Jason Garrett's offense has always given this vibe where you're yelling at the TV to include someone and then there it is. I'm not sure if he thinks a D will forget about Witten or Dez but it's as if he plans on that and then goes for the knockout punch. I would guess there's several games where Dez doesn't get a pass for a quarter or it's a mere little nothing pass and then the following quarter he has 4-5 targets.

I guess this style O limits him, but the end results are pretty awesome

 

[Biabreakable]

Antonio had 129 receptions last year compared to Dez's 88 receptions. Antonio had 1,698 receiving yards compared to Dez's 1,320. Antonio had 13 receiving TDs and 1 passing TD compared to Dez's 16 TDs. Antonio had 182 targets compared to Dez's 138 targets. The only category Dez led Antonio in was touchdowns, and that was only by 2. I owned both of these guys last year in a standard league, and I noticed that Dez was very reliant on touchdowns to have a good fantasy week a lot of the time (not always). Antonio had a good fantasy week consistently, regardless of if he scored or not. In PPR, Antonio had to have been $$ every week. They are both still young by football years, and they both have older QBs throwing to them. I see in most rankings Dez put above Antonio, and I just wonder why.

Antonio's stat line was jaw-dropping, sure, but you said it yourself - it took him 182 targets to get there. One hundred and eighty-two. That figure puts him in the top 10 season totals in the history of the NFL. Dez's total was a full 25% fewer. It's basically like Brown got 4 free games' worth of passes thrown to him this season.

If you think 180-odd targets a season is sustainable for the rest of his prime, then sure, Brown ought to be ranked higher than Dez. But I'm not sure I'd go out on that limb.

I doubt 180+ targets is sustainable for the rest of Antonio's prime, but I do think that Antonio will continue to get more receptions than Dez, and Bloom's rankings are for PPR. I think Dez is more likely to have huge games, but I also think he is more likely to have dud games. I could be wrong, and things can change fast in the NFL. Anyway, I'm not saying Dez doesn't belong in his slot, but I think Antonio is just as valuable.

180 targets is a lot for any WR. Brown had 167 targets in 2013. The two seasons prior to that Brown only started 10 and 3 games where he had 106 and 124 targets respectively. I think it is more likely Brown continues to see 150+ targets a season for the next 3 seasons (27 to 30 years old) which puts Brown in some rare company.

The Steelers in 2014 also used more hurry up no huddle in their offese which I think led in part to an increase in total offensive plays. The Steelers had 1068 offensive plays in 2014 (6th most) compared to the previous 3 seasons where they had 1023, 1023 and 1015 total plays. I expect the Steelers to continue at a 1050+ total plays for next season, perhaps in 2016 as well.

Brown offers a combination of consistency, youth and a solid situation around him to continue being a top 5 WR. There are actually more question marks around Green, Dez, DT, Beckham, Jones at this time than there are about Brown.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Love Bloom rankings but I have some feedback with a couple of the names.

Feedback for any ranking tends to be negative and I don't like to hear outrageous complaints so I want to make it clear that I really am not complaining but I do question a few names and I'll say why.

For instance Bloom has Pittsburgh Steeler WR Martavis Bryant as the 35th overall fantasy player.

35. Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT - Bryant’s size/speed combination was breathtaking at times. Markus Wheaton is still a nice player, but Bryant is ticketed for lots of high FF value targets in Pittsburgh opposite Antonio Brown.

Bryant is tall and has a thin/weak frame that did not allow him to get off the line easily so the Steelers had to run stacked sets where they would place Bryant behind another WR to shield him from the bump and to allow him to get off the LOS cleanly. I saw that as pretty much only a one-trick pony deep route guy.

Martavis might start bulking up and he might start running more of the route tree but I don't know if he really deserve to be ranked this high right now. So I will question that one.

This one I also question a little bit.

41. Cody Latimer, WR, DEN - Just like the other Denver receivers, the post-Peyton era looms, but I’m still a believer in Latimer’s stellar talent to come to the surface soon, and for a long time.

Sig has been transparent in his love of Cody Latimer. OK, that is fine and Bloom properly note that the Peyton era will soon near an end. I look at what Latimer has done and I don't really see anything yet and Sig notes that Peyton will soon be gone that means Osweiler might soon be the QB for Denver. If Brock is Denver's QB then I tend to think projections would drop across the board for the Denver receivers. I have to question this high of a ranking for Cody Latimer.

On Bryant it's simply how well his talent was converted to fantasy production in part-time duty and what that indicates about his long term ceiling. He was one of the least accomplished of the '14 WR class, so his ability to make an early impact on the level of a WR2/WR3 bodes well.

I am still enamored with Latimer's talent, but you're right that I could be overrating him because of the fall coming for the Denver offense.

Behind all of this is the steep dropoff in dynasty commodities somewhere in the 20s. A lot of the next tier members and order will come down to personal evaluations.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Did I miss Julius Thomas, or is that intentional?

I am worried about the bottom dropping out when he's not in Denver. Has only really been healthy for 1.5ish seasons out of 4 and I don't see him as the kind of receiving talent that demands targets. He's one of the players with the biggest gap between production and talent and the prospect of changing teams will expose that. I think he'll get a chilly reception in FA, which could actually work out for him in FF terms because Denver could end up retaining him on something like a 1 yr/3M deal

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

39. Josh Gordon, WR, CLE - Yes, Josh Gordon. He can rival some of the wide receivers in the top 10 on this list and he turns 24 this year. You could be left with magic beans in a year, but we also know that Gordon can be a stairway to FF heaven.

No thanks.

53. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO - I’m not convinced Cooks will ever be clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order in New Orleans. I wasn’t blown away by his rookie performance, but I would guess many have him a lot higher.

I'm one of the many that would put him higher. He already was "clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order" before he got hurt.

stills came into 2014 hurt, wouldn't read too much into the target shares early in the season. A lot of Cooks targets came in the Darren Sproles role, and he wasn't especially dynamic or productive with them. Also, the top targeted WR in NO is still limited to mid WR2 upside at best bc of the nature of their passing attack.

Gordon is a high-risk/high-reward play, but if he retakes the field in 2016 and looks at all like 2013-2014, he'll be back in the WR1 tier. He turns 24 in April. The payoff if he gets back on the field could be massive because we haven't even seen the best of Gordon yet. Also his last offense seems very minor for something that costs a player a year.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Did I miss Julius Thomas, or is that intentional?

I am worried about the bottom dropping out when he's not in Denver. Has only really been healthy for 1.5ish seasons out of 4 and I don't see him as the kind of receiving talent that demands targets. He's one of the players with the biggest gap between production and talent and the prospect of changing teams will expose that. I think he'll get a chilly reception in FA, which could actually work out for him in FF terms because Denver could end up retaining him on something like a 1 yr/3M deal

With teams like the Raiders, Jets and Browns having massive cap space and needs at the poisition, I wouldn't be surprised to seem him get a bigger payday than that - but I agree with your general premise.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Even in PPR Le'Veon should be ranked a lot higher than 7, imo.

im not going to argue with Bell #1. It's just a longevity issue with RB, but that's kind of arbitrary when you are ranking players in the elite tier

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

I would like to hear from Bloom why McKinnon isn't on the list. I have him in the same tier as Hyde...yes, I know I am higher on him than most, but having Freeman at 75 and McKinnon not on the list seems questionable. It seems Blooms whole bet on Freeman is the Shanahan offense, which I understand, but I don't think he fits that style very well at all and didn't show very well last year.

McKinnon on the other hand showed explosive potential and put up very good numbers (better than Hyde btw) while still learning the position.

didn't seem to be a quality receiver and MIN has shown that they will augment him (replace at GL?) even if they let Peterson go. And if they let Peterson go/trade him, then they could also draft another back. McKinnon's performance didn't look to me like more than a RBBC back with occasional big plays.

That being said, the last few in the top 75 were very close and I won't argue with McKinnon over Freeman

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

I will echo a couple of the players already brought up.

Julius Thomas - I would take him ahead of Cameron Jordan or Duane Allen. I think both he and Manning will still be in Denver next season though. Maybe I am wrong about one of those two things.

Brandin Cooks - Cook's had 69 targets in the 10 games he played as a rookie. His catch rate was fantastic at 77% If you calculated his targets to 16 games that would be 110 targets and at his catch rate that would be 85 receptions. Cooks also got frequent opportunities to run the ball. I just don't really see how Bryant and many of the WR ranked ahead of Cooks should be.

I think CJ Spiller should be on this list. But I might be alone in that opinion.

I really like Spiller's raw talent but FA is such an unknown. If he lands with Jets, he'll be back on this list with a bullet.

 

[Bojang0301]

Did I miss Julius Thomas, or is that intentional?

I am worried about the bottom dropping out when he's not in Denver. Has only really been healthy for 1.5ish seasons out of 4 and I don't see him as the kind of receiving talent that demands targets. He's one of the players with the biggest gap between production and talent and the prospect of changing teams will expose that. I think he'll get a chilly reception in FA, which could actually work out for him in FF terms because Denver could end up retaining him on something like a 1 yr/3M deal

With teams like the Raiders, Jets and Browns having massive cap space and needs at the poisition, I wouldn't be surprised to seem him get a bigger payday than that - but I agree with your general premise.

I think the Jets will be alright with Amaro. I agree that Thomas won't be signing a low cost/low year contract. Raiders are probably most likely but I imagine their first, second and third focus is going to be Suh.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

I'll give a pass on Andrew Luck because Bloom DID disclose his reasoning for deflating the QB value.

With that being said, this is a dynasty discussion and I can't think of a better combo of youth/proven/situation/safe than Luck. Even deflated, he has to be inside the top 20 overall.

Cooks is too low. Kelvin Benjamin (of whom I was not convinced and listened when people said clearly boom/bust) is too low. The guy has fantasy value, period.

Josh Gordon is on this list and Julius Thomas is not. What can you say? Even if Thomas goes to JAX, here's what I know...in dynasty leagues, he is the only of the two that will play next year and the chances of Gordon playing after that have to be less than 85% based on his pattern.

I'd hijack the thread if I say nary a bad word about everyone's love bud Beckham, but I can't see placing him #2 overall dynasty.

Antonio Brown deserves to be higher.

I'll stop picking nits but I think the list is not very refined at this point. Far too easy to lump Foster, Forte, Peterson, etc together in a big lump and call them the same at this point. THey are not. Far from it. Need to do some work, Bloom, and seriously factor in their TRUE impact. That's part of your job.

On Luck: QB is the easiest position to improvise and get by. I won't talk someone out of going with Luck in second round of their dynasty startup, but I would much rather use that pick on WR/TE/RB and work on QB later.

There's a good argument for Luck ahead of my RB "lump" 23-25, but they are likely to give you at least one more elite RB1 season, which is the most valuable commodity in FF. Foster has age, but durability is waning. Peterson has level of play, but his near future is a big unknown. I agree that these three will separate themselves and the list is not refined because well, the draft and FA are going to shake it up big time. In other words, TRUE impact, especially at RB, is still unknown and two factors removed from ascertaining their situation for 2015 for a lot of these players.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

53. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO - I’m not convinced Cooks will ever be clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order in New Orleans. I wasn’t blown away by his rookie performance, but I would guess many have him a lot higher.

I'm one of the many that would put him higher. He already was "clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order" before he got hurt.

Cooks was on pace for 80+ receptions. Aslo, as one of the outside guys, I'd expect Stills to have more competition than he did late last season.

yup.

my biggest beef of the list. far too low, imo

Landry was on a 100+ catch pace second half of the season and he's below Cooks, but not a peep...

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Antonio had 129 receptions last year compared to Dez's 88 receptions. Antonio had 1,698 receiving yards compared to Dez's 1,320. Antonio had 13 receiving TDs and 1 passing TD compared to Dez's 16 TDs. Antonio had 182 targets compared to Dez's 138 targets. The only category Dez led Antonio in was touchdowns, and that was only by 2. I owned both of these guys last year in a standard league, and I noticed that Dez was very reliant on touchdowns to have a good fantasy week a lot of the time (not always). Antonio had a good fantasy week consistently, regardless of if he scored or not. In PPR, Antonio had to have been $$ every week. They are both still young by football years, and they both have older QBs throwing to them. I see in most rankings Dez put above Antonio, and I just wonder why.

Antonio's stat line was jaw-dropping, sure, but you said it yourself - it took him 182 targets to get there. One hundred and eighty-two. That figure puts him in the top 10 season totals in the history of the NFL. Dez's total was a full 25% fewer. It's basically like Brown got 4 free games' worth of passes thrown to him this season.

If you think 180-odd targets a season is sustainable for the rest of his prime, then sure, Brown ought to be ranked higher than Dez. But I'm not sure I'd go out on that limb.

I doubt 180+ targets is sustainable for the rest of Antonio's prime, but I do think that Antonio will continue to get more receptions than Dez, and Bloom's rankings are for PPR. I think Dez is more likely to have huge games, but I also think he is more likely to have dud games. I could be wrong, and things can change fast in the NFL. Anyway, I'm not saying Dez doesn't belong in his slot, but I think Antonio is just as valuable.

im not going to go to the mat over the order of the top 5 WRs honestly. the absurd volume is the reason i didnt have brown at the top of the tier, but it could continue longer than we think

 

[Soulfly3]

53. Brandin Cooks, WR, NO - I’m not convinced Cooks will ever be clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order in New Orleans. I wasn’t blown away by his rookie performance, but I would guess many have him a lot higher.

I'm one of the many that would put him higher. He already was "clearly higher than Kenny Stills in the pecking order" before he got hurt.

Cooks was on pace for 80+ receptions. Aslo, as one of the outside guys, I'd expect Stills to have more competition than he did late last season.

yup.

my biggest beef of the list. far too low, imo

Landry was on a 100+ catch pace second half of the season and he's below Cooks, but not a peep...

Well, for starters, I think Cooks has more talent than Landry (who I admittedly really like), and runs much better routes.

Cooks also being on NO is a significant upgrade over Landry (if players switched teams, this would be a LOT closer) based on QB and system.

With your reasoning, it's fine to have Cooks ranked there. For me, it's a good 20 spots too low, in a PPR league. But that's the beauty of this

 

[maf005]

32. Travis Kelce, TE, KC - It’s just a matter of when, not if for Kelce. He won’t become Gronk, but he’ll have moments (and stat lines) when it looks like he might.

Kelce is about 20-30 spots too high for me. I just think it's unlikely he'll ever be someone who gives you a week-to-week advantage over the other 2nd tier TEs unless he's in a great situation, and that doesn't look likely in the foreseeable future in KC.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

32. Travis Kelce, TE, KC - It’s just a matter of when, not if for Kelce. He won’t become Gronk, but he’ll have moments (and stat lines) when it looks like he might.

Kelce is about 20-30 spots too high for me. I just think it's unlikely he'll ever be someone who gives you a week-to-week advantage over the other 2nd tier TEs unless he's in a great situation, and that doesn't look likely in the foreseeable future in KC.

you're right that it's all about his situation/target volume. Talent is there. If he can become KC's primary passing game target (and who else would be), I think he emerges very quickly as clear TE3 in dynasty and a very valuable commodity. But the background here is that the dynasty ranks hit a big plateau around #30 and there will be tons of disagreement

 

[PatsWillWin]

This is a very reasonable list. There are some head-scratchers (Kelce at #32 over all being the first one for me numerically) but what's the point in having people do these lists if they're going to just regurgitate consensus? All you can ask for is a thoughtful effort. Dynasty rankings are always tricky because so much of how you rank players depends on personal philosophy, the status of your team, league format, etc. There are some situations where I might consider trading Kelvin Benjamin for Matt Forte, but in most leagues I'm guessing you get scoffed at.

I don't get caught up in cross-positional ranking for that reason. Some random takeaways that Bloom is saying to us based on this list:

- Calvin/Demaryius - might be a good time to sell. Yes, they would've been worth more last year, but we'll be saying that next year too. *If* you can get top dollar for these guys in your league, it's probably a good idea. This is the standard "year too early vs. year too late" thing. Most of the time I think it's an over-reaction, but not in this situation.

- Similar thoughts for Charles/Murray - pretty good time to sell I think. Murray had a great year and is still young, but will be losing that OL (as Bloom points out), and Charles has just about entered the "he's only one year away from being one year away from 30" range that makes him start to emit an unattractive owner in dynasty leagues. I think you could still get a good price for him right now though, as a seller.

- Travis Kelce - "TRAVIS KELCE! TRAVIS KELCE! TRAAAAAAAVIS KEEEEEEEEEELCE!"

- Sell on Benjamin. If you rank a guy who had over a thousand yards as a rookie and is looking like the #1 receiver on his team for the foreseeable future this low, you're telling people to sell. You could easily get Keenan Allen +, Michael Floyd ++, Watkins straight up in some leagues, etc.

- Buy Gordon. I own Gordon in two leagues and my heart would explode if someone offered me Moncrief or Latimer or Matthews for him, who are all ranked below Gordon here.

- Sell Golden Tate, Emmanuel Sanders, Cordarelle Patterson. Tate and Sanders are typical "sell high" guys, Patterson is the always-distasteful-but-sometimes-necessary "sell low" situation.

I agree with some of these, disagree with others, but the main thing is that it's given me some takeaways to think about in my leagues, which is what I'm looking for when I read these rankings - something I can use.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

This is a very reasonable list. There are some head-scratchers (Kelce at #32 over all being the first one for me numerically) but what's the point in having people do these lists if they're going to just regurgitate consensus? All you can ask for is a thoughtful effort. Dynasty rankings are always tricky because so much of how you rank players depends on personal philosophy, the status of your team, league format, etc. There are some situations where I might consider trading Kelvin Benjamin for Matt Forte, but in most leagues I'm guessing you get scoffed at.

I don't get caught up in cross-positional ranking for that reason. Some random takeaways that Bloom is saying to us based on this list:

- Calvin/Demaryius - might be a good time to sell. Yes, they would've been worth more last year, but we'll be saying that next year too. *If* you can get top dollar for these guys in your league, it's probably a good idea. This is the standard "year too early vs. year too late" thing. Most of the time I think it's an over-reaction, but not in this situation.

- Similar thoughts for Charles/Murray - pretty good time to sell I think. Murray had a great year and is still young, but will be losing that OL (as Bloom points out), and Charles has just about entered the "he's only one year away from being one year away from 30" range that makes him start to emit an unattractive owner in dynasty leagues. I think you could still get a good price for him right now though, as a seller.

- Travis Kelce - "TRAVIS KELCE! TRAVIS KELCE! TRAAAAAAAVIS KEEEEEEEEEELCE!"

- Sell on Benjamin. If you rank a guy who had over a thousand yards as a rookie and is looking like the #1 receiver on his team for the foreseeable future this low, you're telling people to sell. You could easily get Keenan Allen +, Michael Floyd ++, Watkins straight up in some leagues, etc.

- Buy Gordon. I own Gordon in two leagues and my heart would explode if someone offered me Moncrief or Latimer or Matthews for him, who are all ranked below Gordon here.

- Sell Golden Tate, Emmanuel Sanders, Cordarelle Patterson. Tate and Sanders are typical "sell high" guys, Patterson is the always-distasteful-but-sometimes-necessary "sell low" situation.

I agree with some of these, disagree with others, but the main thing is that it's given me some takeaways to think about in my leagues, which is what I'm looking for when I read these rankings - something I can use.

thanks for the thoughts, i think you've hit a lot of my stronger feelings.

Calvin is so tough to gauge because he will likely beast for 4-6 games next year, and if they are in december, he'll help deliver titles. But he has taken a lot of punishment, and Matthew Stafford isn't getting better.

I was a big Benjamin fan (at least out of draftniks), but I think he's a bit overrated because of garbage time TDs. That being said, Newton seems to love him and if he gets like 10-20% more consistent, he will justify big investments.

I just got Gordon for 2.7/Charles Johnson (WR) in a 16 tm IDP, so I agree that it is time to buy. Thank you for interpreting the ranking as a position instead of hashing out the specifics. I still have my doubts the young WRs below ever match his upside and I haven't given up on him from a character perspective (obviously could be foolish in hindsight)

 

[Bojang0301]

A couple things about Cooks, in my mind:

- His size. Obviously a knock prior to the draft. He wasn't able to hold up over the course of a full season. Now I don't hold injuries over a player too much but if it's coupled with small stature it will give me pause for concern.

- Drew Brees: his replacement is no where to be found. Now Cooks emerged as a favorite of his but his arm strength and accuracy are dimenishing. Peyton and Brady have defied what has traditionally been a cliff QB's fall off of. It worries me with Brees.

I think those 2 points would drive me to take Landry over him, at least in PPR.

 

[thriftyrocker]

I always suspected short people had weaker thumbs.