Travdogg's positional rankings from week 2 onward (1 Viewer)

[travdogg]

Welcome back to fantasy season everyone! I know these rankings aren't gonna be to everyone's liking, the point is just to put out my opinion, and discuss players.

Previous ranking from mid-August update

QB
Tier 1:
1. Patrick Mahomes (2)
2. Jalen Hurts (3)
3. Josh Allen (1)
Tier 2:
4. Justin Fields (5)
5. Lamar Jackson (4)
6. Joe Burrow (6)
Tier 3:
7. Tua Tagovailoa (12), I'd been downgrading him due to injury risk, but I think the upside is clearly too high to worry about that. Could probably argue him as high as #4, but again, that injury risk.
8. Justin Herbert (7)
9. Deshaun Watson (9)
10. Anthony Richardson (10)
11. Trevor Lawrence (8), I don't see quite as high a ceiling as the other guys in this tier, as he's not a runner, and doesn't project for high volume.
Tier 4:
12. Kirk Cousins (11)
13. Dak Prescott (NR), basically Cousins South. Weapons aren't quite as good, but he runs more.
Tier 5:
14. Russell Wilson (NR), I'm expecting his lack of week 1 rushing to be an aberration.
15. Jared Goff (NR), it really drops off after Dak. Goff has a solid floor, and I (perhaps wrongly) am downgrading Purdy due to health concerns, so Goff gets the last spot.

Dropped off: Geno Smith (13), sure looked a lot like the Geno of old. Daniel Jones (14), looked a lot like the Jones of old, though at least he had excuse of playing maybe the league's best defense. Aaron Rodgers (15), really crappy break for the Jets, have to wonder if that's the end, not with a bang, but with a whimper.

 

[travdogg]

RB
Tier 1:
1. Christian McCaffrey (1)
2. Nick Chubb (2)
3. Saquon Barkley (5)
Tier 2:
4. Austin Ekeler (3)
5. Breece Hall (12), huge flag plant, but with Rodgers gone, I'm expecting NY to be AFC Atlanta on offense to protect Zach Wilson. I expect Hall's workload increases weekly.
6. Derrick Henry (7)
Tier 3:
7. Bijan Robinson (4)
8. Josh Jacobs (9)
Tier 4:
9. Tony Pollard (6)
10. Travis Etienne (11)
11. Rhamondre Stevenson (10)
12. Najee Harris (13)
Tier 5:
13. Jahmyr Gibbs (15)
14. Dameon Pierce (20)
15. Jonathan Taylor (8), I struggled with where to rank him, but its entirely possible he's a top-5 RB after week 4. Can only put that ceiling so low.
Tier 6:
16. Aaron Jones (19)
17. Kyren Williams (NR), sure looked like the Rams starter to me. Played 67% of the snaps, and that was with Akers getting a fair amount of garbage time.
18. Kenneth Walker (16)
19. Kenneth Gainwell (NR), looked to be in the Miles Sanders role, and is in an elite offense. Hopefully the ribs are ok.
20. Miles Sanders (21)
21. Joe Mixon (14), perhaps jumping to conclusions, but a little surprising he was pulled for both Williams and Evans on 3rd downs. He doesn't have the big play ability to lose volume like that.
22. James Conner (28)
23. James Cook (22)
24. Rachaad White (26)
25. Javonte Williams (24)
26. Dalvin Cook (30)
27. Isiah Pacheco (29)
Tier 7:
28. Brian Robinson (NR), perhaps it was the Gibson fumble, but Robinson wasn't limited to being a 2-down RB last week, possible
Bienemy just prefers him.
29. Alexander Mattison (17), his role is great, for now, but boy he looked sluggish. Vikings also seem like a candidate to lead the NFL in pass attempts. O'Connell doesn't seem particularly interested in run plays.
30. Tyler Allgeier (NR), won't have 2 TDs every week, but he's seemingly the closer, and probably not a good start in games Atlanta doesn't lead throughout. Has top-10ish upside if Bijan goes down though.

Dropped off: JK Dobbins (18), horrible break, he was starting to get a workhorse role too. Cam Akers (23), got a lot of run late, but took a clear backseat to Kyren, he finds himself in McVay's doghouse a lot. David Montgomery (25), bit of a flag plant, but he seems TD or bust to me, fully expecting Gibbs role to increase weekly. D'Andre Swift (27), just no trust in his role, even if Gainwell is down, could easily be Penny instead.

 

[travdogg]

WR
Tier 1:
1. Justin Jefferson (1)
2. Ja'Marr Chase (2)
Tier 2:
3. Tyreek Hill (4)
4. Stefon Diggs (5)
5. AJ Brown (8)
6. Davante Adams (6)
Tier 3:
7. Calvin Ridley (13)
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown (9)
9. Jaylen Waddle (11)
10. CeeDee Lamb (7)
Tier 4:
11. Brandon Aiyuk (29), destroys man coverage, but is subject to being boom/bust. Someone is gonna get left out every week between Aiyuk/Deebo/Kittle. Good sized drop off after Lamb for me.
12. Chris Olave (12)
13. DeVonta Smith (15)
14. Deebo Samuel (14)
15. Amari Cooper (20)
16. DJ Moore (27), only had 2 targets, passing game looked bad, so why the bump? I think the Bears are gonna come out and feed Moore. He's not a squeaky wheel per se, but its the same idea.
17. Cooper Kupp (3), could be back in week 5, and his ceiling is Jefferson/Chase level. Stafford looked back to normal in week 1, and the Rams don't look like a team thinking about a high draft pick. Too much upside to justify lower.
18. Tee Higgins (16)
19. Christian Watson (19)
Tier 5:
20. Mike Evans (34), seemed like Mayfield's clear favorite target. Also playing for maybe his last contract.
21. DK Metcalf (17)
22. Garrett Wilson (10), this is about what he was last season, and even then his best games were without Zach Wilson. Great talent, but might just be cursed to have bad QBs like former Buckeye Scary Terry.
23. Keenan Allen (18)
24. Mike Williams (22)
25. Zay Flowers (NR), amazing usage in week 1, curious to see how much is sticky, with Andrews likely back.
26. Christian Kirk (28)
27. Terry McLaurin (25)
28. Jerry Jeudy (21)
Tier 6:
29. Michael Pittman (35)
30. Jahan Dotson (39)
31. Elijah Moore (40)
32. Nico Collins (NR), clear #1 WR, sneaky 3rd year breakout could be happening. Most defenses aren't Baltimore, especially in the AFC South.
33. Puka Nacua (NR), extremely impressive debut. Having said that, he'll take a backseat the second Kupp is back, and as good as he was, he had the same yardage as Atwell. I want to believe but need more convincing.
34. Jordan Addison (38)
35. DeAndre Hopkins (24)
36. Chris Godwin (32)
37. George Pickens (37)
38. Gabe Davis (36)
39. Tyler Lockett (30)
40. Drake London (23), the Falcons won, but man, I don't know what this team is doing. Draft skill position guys in the top-10 are barely use them. If I didn't love London's talent I'd have dropped him off the list.

Dropped off: Diontae Johnson (26), expected to be out for a bit with a bad looking hamstring injury. Wouldn't be shocked if it was through week 6 bye. I wouldn't cut him if possible, but the ceiling isn't high enough to stay on the list. Jaxon Smith Njigba (31), very worried about Seattle's offense, OL is already in shambles, and Geno looked like he turned back into a pumpkin. Hollywood Brown (33), useless until Kyler is back.

 

[travdogg]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Travis Kelce (1)
2. Mark Andrews (2)
Tier 2:
3. Darren Waller (6), looked like the clear-cut go-to guy just like he did in preseason. Giants won't be this bad again.
4. TJ Hockenson (3)
5. George Kittle (4)
6. Dallas Goedert (7)
Tier 3:
7. Pat Freiermuth (8)
8. Evan Engram (10)
9. Kyle Pitts (5), not enough volume, same as London.
10. David Njoku (9)
Tier 4:
11. Cole Kmet (NR), any TE that runs 80% routes, and sees 20% targets is gonna be useful. Kmet is any TE.
12. Sam LaPorta (14)
13. Dalton Kincaid (12)
14. Dalton Schultz (11)
15. Chig Okonkwo (15)

Dropped off: Tyler Higbee (13), WRs look better than last year, and that's before Kupp comes back. Higbee isn't going to be the target monster he was for a stretch last season.

 

[jobarules]

Kyren and gainwell are way too high. I don't think they are either top 30 rbs. Kyren is a nobody. Mcvay changes rbs more than he changes his shoes. And gainwell is a 3rd down back and not every down starter material. Swift and penny will overtake soon imo. He's already hurt.

 

[FarFromHome]

Appreciate the time and the read. I might have missed him but I don't see Kamara. Missing two more games. I think he still gotta make the list.

 

[need2know]

thank you for finally putting tua above herbert. who is a giant fraud

 

[Timmay]

Musgrave should be on this list! One could argue at the top of tier 4, but at the very least above Schultz and Chig.

 

[gucci little piggy]

Nice work! Regardless of whether or not I agree, I really appreciate the balls it takes to move DJ Moore up after that game

 

[need2know]

yeah all bears should be dropped heavily

 

[travdogg]

Kyren and gainwell are way too high. I don't think they are either top 30 rbs. Kyren is a nobody. Mcvay changes rbs more than he changes his shoes. And gainwell is a 3rd down back and not every down starter material. Swift and penny will overtake soon imo. He's already hurt.

Changes RBs more than his shoes? Am I not changing my shoes enough? I have 1 pair of shoes I wear, along with 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of winter boots, because I live in Minnesota. Kyren was never really healthy last season, but there was a lot of talk after he was drafted that McVay liked him a lot.

Why will Swift or Penny overtake Gainwell? They had all offseason to make an impression, and Penny was a healthy scratch. They've both been productive in stretches in the past, but perhaps their injuries (especially Penny) have sapped their ability a bit.

Appreciate the time and the read. I might have missed him but I don't see Kamara. Missing two more games. I think he still gotta make the list.

You didn't miss Kamara. I'm not a fan of his at all, and I think he's basically just a 3rd down RB, who could be in a 3-man RBBC. I also think the Saints offense is very different than it once was, and Kamara's days of 5 catches weekly are very over. I'll probably have him in the 20s once his suspension is over, but I don't think people holding him these 3 weeks are getting some steal.

 

[travdogg]

thank you for finally putting tua above herbert. who is a giant fraud

I mean, thanks, but I disagree 100% that Herbert is a fraud. He was QB2 in 2021 with over 5,000 passing yards. That doesn't seem to be the offense they are running anymore, but fraud is a little much.

yeah all bears should be dropped heavily

I'd be hesitant about that. Thay defense is useless, so there should be weekly garbage time opportunity. I think Fields/Moore/Kmet should all be able to get theirs.

 

[humpback]

Loved Gainwell's usage week 1, but now looking unlikely to play this week (tomorrow). Have to hope the other RBs have duds (against a crap defense) otherwise his usage may plummet.

 

[travdogg]

Musgrave should be on this list! One could argue at the top of tier 4, but at the very least above Schultz and Chig.

He's right on the bubble. However, he had one big play on a complete blown coverage, and that was just about it in a game without the #1 WR, and the #2 being on somewhat of a snap count. I want to see more before I move him up, but he'd have been in the top-20.

Nice work! Regardless of whether or not I agree, I really appreciate the balls it takes to move DJ Moore up after that game

Thanks. I think that game was more about Jaire Alexander than anything else.

 

[need2know]

thank you for finally putting tua above herbert. who is a giant fraud

I mean, thanks, but I disagree 100% that Herbert is a fraud. He was QB2 in 2021 with over 5,000 passing yards. That doesn't seem to be the offense they are running anymore, but fraud is a little much.

yeah all bears should be dropped heavily

I'd be hesitant about that. Thay defense is useless, so there should be weekly garbage time opportunity. I think Fields/Moore/Kmet should all be able to get theirs.

stats for herbert yes. which this is all about. i say fraud as in he has never won a big game in his life

 

[dschuler]

My biggest head scratcher is bumping Henry over Bijan. If you already had them ranked where you did prior to week 1 it wouldn’t bother me but not sure how anyone could change their mind after the week 1 games. After watching the games, I am more bullish than Bijan and somewhat worried about Henry. His longest play was a screen pass that was a busted defensive play where he wasn’t touched until 40 yards down the field and Spears out snapped him overall. Henry was almost a non factor in the second half, looked like he lost a step and Tannehill looked awful.

 

[ohio#1eaglesfan]

Kyren and gainwell are way too high. I don't think they are either top 30 rbs. Kyren is a nobody. Mcvay changes rbs more than he changes his shoes. And gainwell is a 3rd down back and not every down starter material. Swift and penny will overtake soon imo. He's already hurt.

Completely disagree on Kyren. The 7 yard td run was nice. I loved his cut back and pad level. He shot right through that hole so low that the defender who hit him at the 3 yard line had no chance at stopping him. He had another run where he almost scored and got stopped on the 1. Akers scored on the very next play. Kyren again showed he’s got some juice in him dragging a defender several yards.

 

[Schmeabs]

Love the Goedert bump

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Loved Gainwell's usage week 1, but now looking unlikely to play this week (tomorrow). Have to hope the other RBs have duds (against a crap defense) otherwise his usage may plummet.

If you're looking for a coherent usage pattern for the Eagles' RBs, don't. It's going to vary greatly from game to game.

 

[BobbyLayne]

4. Justin Fields (5)

Lost a fumble and threw a pick 6.

His week 1 was an outlier performance Sunday, and not in a good way. Since 2018, he's one of 4 QBs that had an avg time to throw of above 3.21 seconds, and an ADOT of 5 yards or lower in a single game.

The other QBs? Ian Book, Sam Darnold, and Zach Wilson

Justin Fields w/ 2+ open receivers wk1

• PFF Grade: 39 (31st)
• ADOT: 3.8 (only QB sub 5, avg is 10)

Chicago calls the mesh, 4 open receivers, takes the sack

His brand new Ferrari had 2 targets for 2-25-0.

He'd have to win his next 22 starts to match Mitch Trubisky's winning percentage as the Bears starting QB.

He has the same number of 3 TD games as Jordan Love (1.)

 

[ohio#1eaglesfan]

Loved Gainwell's usage week 1, but now looking unlikely to play this week (tomorrow). Have to hope the other RBs have duds (against a crap defense) otherwise his usage may plummet.

If you're looking for a coherent usage pattern for the Eagles' RBs, don't. It's going to vary greatly from game to game.

Miles Sanders broke that spell last year. It’s gonna be Gainwell and Swift mostly. Sarianni said he would try to go to Swift more after week 1.

 

[Biabreakable]

Could you explain why you moved Justin Fields up to QB 4?

 

[Chaka]

Great thread. Thanks for your efforts.

 

[The Dude]

Ferguson with 4 red zone targets may make the list next week,

 

[EWV1]

Thanks for this update!
Here's hoping you are right on DJ Moore and C Watson rankings. Still not buying on Dotson I see.

The main rank I would change is Russell Wilson...sub Purdy or Love or someone for him but certainly possible Russ produces.

 

[Lansdowne]

Yeah I’m not so sure about bumping up any of these Bears offensive players:

https://x.com/theqbschool/status/1701755070415602139?s=46

 

[Lansdowne]

Kyren and gainwell are way too high. I don't think they are either top 30 rbs. Kyren is a nobody. Mcvay changes rbs more than he changes his shoes. And gainwell is a 3rd down back and not every down starter material. Swift and penny will overtake soon imo. He's already hurt.

Completely disagree on Kyren. The 7 yard td run was nice. I loved his cut back and pad level. He shot right through that hole so low that the defender who hit him at the 3 yard line had no chance at stopping him. He had another run where he almost scored and got stopped on the 1. Akers scored on the very next play. Kyren again showed he’s got some juice in him dragging a defender several yards.

Kyren was disrespected by many in the dynasty community last season because of his draft capital (5th round) and unimpressive combine numbers. The eye test showed me that he was a great RB at Notre Dame, undersized and all. He has plenty of upside and will be a bigger part of the RB rotation than expected. The problem I see is this could be a situation where they alternate who has the big weeks between him and Akers (who I wouldn’t give up on yet after how he closed out last season). Also wouldn’t be surprised if Zach Evans enters the fray at some point this season. I say this as someone with no dog in the fight.

 

[travdogg]

4. Justin Fields (5)

Lost a fumble and threw a pick 6.

His week 1 was an outlier performance Sunday, and not in a good way. Since 2018, he's one of 4 QBs that had an avg time to throw of above 3.21 seconds, and an ADOT of 5 yards or lower in a single game.

The other QBs? Ian Book, Sam Darnold, and Zach Wilson

Justin Fields w/ 2+ open receivers wk1

• PFF Grade: 39 (31st)
• ADOT: 3.8 (only QB sub 5, avg is 10)

Chicago calls the mesh, 4 open receivers, takes the sack

His brand new Ferrari had 2 targets for 2-25-0.

He'd have to win his next 22 starts to match Mitch Trubisky's winning percentage as the Bears starting QB.

He has the same number of 3 TD games as Jordan Love (1.)

Could you explain why you moved Justin Fields up to QB 4?

Justin Fields played a terrible game on Sunday. He also scored 15 points. Still top-15 numbers when he was awful. More than Hurts, Allen, Lamar, or Burrow did.

I just think fantasy wise, his floor is so high due to rushing and garbage time. Neither of those are going away. I'm certainly not making an argument for Fields as the 4th best QB in the NFL, but fantasy wise, no concerns at all. Actually kind of encouraged to be honest. Week 1 feels like his floor.

 

[travdogg]

My biggest head scratcher is bumping Henry over Bijan. If you already had them ranked where you did prior to week 1 it wouldn’t bother me but not sure how anyone could change their mind after the week 1 games. After watching the games, I am more bullish than Bijan and somewhat worried about Henry. His longest play was a screen pass that was a busted defensive play where he wasn’t touched until 40 yards down the field and Spears out snapped him overall. Henry was almost a non factor in the second half, looked like he lost a step and Tannehill looked awful.

I didn't feel Henry looked like he lost a step at all. I feel like he was keyed on heavily, and the Saints dared Tannehill to beat them. It worked out for them, mostly through bad officiating, but I don't think Tannehill suddenly sucks, he just had a bad game. I trust Henry's track record and don't see Spears as anything more than a 1 week anamoly yet.

Bijan lost a lot of touches while Allgeier salted the game away, and unlike Spears, Allgeier is proven, he ran for over 1,000 yards last year. Bijan is an excellent prospect, but I don't think he gets the benefit of the doubt Henry does, and perhaps more importantly, neither does Arthur Smith.

 

[travdogg]

Ferguson with 4 red zone targets may make the list next week,

I put very little stock into Ferguson. He happened to have some redzone targets, where he dropped catchable balls, but he was still in pretty close to an even split with Hendershot, and Schoonmaker looms in the distance with the potential to make it a 3-man TEBC. I also think, guys like Cooks and Gallup would have been more involved in better weather/gamescript.

Thanks for this update!
Here's hoping you are right on DJ Moore and C Watson rankings. Still not buying on Dotson I see.

The main rank I would change is Russell Wilson...sub Purdy or Love or someone for him but certainly possible Russ produces.

I'm inching Dotson up. I still don't trust Howell at all, and I'm hesitant to move Dotson ahead of McLaurin, but I'm paying attention to him.

I'm not there on Love at all. I thought he actually played pretty badly, in what is the easiest matchup he'll have all season. Purdy probably will be on the list soon, he's right on the cusp, I just want to see more coming off the arm injury. I also have volume concerns with Purdy. He has a very low ceiling, but he probably will be a top-15 QB if he stays healthy.

I just really want to believe with Russ. Getting Jeudy back I think is huge for him, both having that top guy, but opening up everything else.

 

[Penguin]

Cheetah's going for 2K yards

 

[sho nuff]

Musgrave should be on this list! One could argue at the top of tier 4, but at the very least above Schultz and Chig.

He's right on the bubble. However, he had one big play on a complete blown coverage, and that was just about it in a game without the #1 WR, and the #2 being on somewhat of a snap count. I want to see more before I move him up, but he'd have been in the top-20.

Nice work! Regardless of whether or not I agree, I really appreciate the balls it takes to move DJ Moore up after that game

Thanks. I think that game was more about Jaire Alexander than anything else.

While it was slightly blown coverage for Musgrave...but it was also a play designed specifically for him it seems (and another deep ball earlier overthrown/Musgrave flattened the route a bit rather than going vertical). I think they do want to scheme ways to get him the ball...and the question will be how many times do he and Love connect and does Watson's eventual return hurt or help him?

 

[travdogg]

Cheetah's going for 2K yards

He would if he faced the Chargers every week. I'll go out on a limb and say he's not half as productive against New England this week.

Musgrave should be on this list! One could argue at the top of tier 4, but at the very least above Schultz and Chig.

He's right on the bubble. However, he had one big play on a complete blown coverage, and that was just about it in a game without the #1 WR, and the #2 being on somewhat of a snap count. I want to see more before I move him up, but he'd have been in the top-20.

Nice work! Regardless of whether or not I agree, I really appreciate the balls it takes to move DJ Moore up after that game

Thanks. I think that game was more about Jaire Alexander than anything else.

While it was slightly blown coverage for Musgrave...but it was also a play designed specifically for him it seems (and another deep ball earlier overthrown/Musgrave flattened the route a bit rather than going vertical). I think they do want to scheme ways to get him the ball...and the question will be how many times do he and Love connect and does Watson's eventual return hurt or help him?

Yeah, he's certainly a guy I'm watching. Its very clear they want him to be an important piece of that passing game. I do think the pie isn't going to be huge though, and I think Watson (when healthy) is gonna get by far the largest piece.

 

[Scooby1974]

Welcome back to fantasy season everyone! I know these rankings aren't gonna be to everyone's liking, the point is just to put out my opinion, and discuss players.

Previous ranking from mid-August update

QB
Tier 1:
1. Patrick Mahomes (2)
2. Jalen Hurts (3)
3. Josh Allen (1)
Tier 2:
4. Justin Fields (5)
5. Lamar Jackson (4)
6. Joe Burrow (6)
Tier 3:
7. Tua Tagovailoa (12), I'd been downgrading him due to injury risk, but I think the upside is clearly too high to worry about that. Could probably argue him as high as #4, but again, that injury risk.
8. Justin Herbert (7)
9. Deshaun Watson (9)
10. Anthony Richardson (10)
11. Trevor Lawrence (8), I don't see quite as high a ceiling as the other guys in this tier, as he's not a runner, and doesn't project for high volume.
Tier 4:
12. Kirk Cousins (11)
13. Dak Prescott (NR), basically Cousins South. Weapons aren't quite as good, but he runs more.
Tier 5:
14. Russell Wilson (NR), I'm expecting his lack of week 1 rushing to be an aberration.
15. Jared Goff (NR), it really drops off after Dak. Goff has a solid floor, and I (perhaps wrongly) am downgrading Purdy due to health concerns, so Goff gets the last spot.

Dropped off: Geno Smith (13), sure looked a lot like the Geno of old. Daniel Jones (14), looked a lot like the Jones of old, though at least he had excuse of playing maybe the league's best defense. Aaron Rodgers (15), really crappy break for the Jets, have to wonder if that's the end, not with a bang, but with a whimper.

No Purdy in the top 15 yet...tic toc

Thanks for this update!
Here's hoping you are right on DJ Moore and C Watson rankings. Still not buying on Dotson I see.

The main rank I would change is Russell Wilson...sub Purdy or Love or someone for him but certainly possible Russ produces.

Agreed, Purdy is going to be in the top 15 by next week. The only reason he didn't put up more numbers is the complete blowout of the Steelers. I don't think SF with be up +3 TDs on everyone...

 

[jobarules]

Kyren and gainwell are way too high. I don't think they are either top 30 rbs. Kyren is a nobody. Mcvay changes rbs more than he changes his shoes. And gainwell is a 3rd down back and not every down starter material. Swift and penny will overtake soon imo. He's already hurt.

Like I said Gainwell isn't top 30. He just lost his job tonight