Travdogg's positional rankings from week 2 onward (16 Viewers)

[travdogg]

If you are new to these rankings, the goal is to hit the widest spread of leagues possible, so 4pt pass TD, and .5 PPR is the scoring system I'm ranking for. Previous ranks (from 8-21)

QB
Tier 1:
1. Josh Allen (1)
2. Lamar Jackson (2)
3. Jalen Hurts (3)
4. Jayden Daniels (4)

Tier 2:
5. Joe Burrow (5)
6. Patrick Mahomes (6)
7. Baker Mayfield (7)

Tier 3:
8. Justin Fields (10), solid game as a passer, and Aaron Glenn's "we want him to run at the GL" promises came true in week 1. Should be a fun ride for Jets fans, who I don't think have had fun for a decade. Even though they lost, I'd argue Jets are better at QB and in general than last season.
9. JJ McCarthy (11)
10. Brock Purdy (8)

Tier 4:
11. Justin Herbert (16), always has been a top-10 talent, now has coaching and possibly weapons. Hopefully pass heavy game plan wasn't a 1 week anomaly.
12. Caleb Williams (14)
13. Michael Penix (19), reminded me a bit of Seahawks Geno, with the underrated mobility. If Pitts wasn't a mirage (he always does well against TB for some reason, Bowles being blitz happy?) and Monney gets back, there could be some REAL upside here in a team that looks like it will be in quite a few shootouts.
14. Kyler Murray (13)
15. Trevor Lawrence (9), bit of a hedge here. Wasn't really asked to do a ton, but still kind of underachieved. If he isn't better against the Bengals, he'll probably leave the list.

Dropped off: Jared Goff (12), zero as a runner, when more and more guys add that bonus. Any drop in passing efficacy makes him more run of the mill, even if he supports others. Bo Nix (15), might have been the worst QB of week 1 all things considered. Also has best defense in the NFL, and HC is already talking about needing to run more.

 

[travdogg]

RB
Tier 1:
1. Derrick Henry (5), there's no reason to think he can't repeat last season. Ravens offense is a juggernaut, and you absolutely can't stack the box against them. I was overvaluing lack of receiving work. That more than gets offset by a guy who feels like a good bet for 20 TDs.
2. Bijan Robinson (3)
3. Saquon Barkley (2)
4. Christian McCaffrey (1)
5. Jahmyr Gibbs (4)

Tier 2:
6. De'Von Achane (6)
7. Josh Jacobs (10)
8. Chase Brown (7)
9. Bucky Irving (8)
10. Ashton Jeanty (9)

Tier 3:
11. Kyren Williams (12)
12. James Cook (14)
13. Alvin Kamara (17)
14. Jonathan Taylor (13)
15. Omarion Hampton (15)

Tier 4:
16. James Conner (19)
17. D'Andre Swift (18)
18. Travis Etienne (35), always thought he'd get 1st crack at the job given his track record, but I think we can safely say after the Bigsby trade, that he's the clear #1 going forward. Has a nice schedule, and looked to have his burst back after an injury plagued year.
19. Chuba Hubbard (20)
20. Breece Hall (28), sure looked closer to his 2023 self. I still have workload concerns, particularly at the GL, and in the pass game, but the explosive runs are back on the menu.

Tier 5:
21. Jordan Mason (22)
22. RJ Harvey (16), took a clear backseat to Dobbins, but sure looked like the better runner. Its gonna take a little longer but be patient, he's the Broncos RB to own.
23. Javonte Williams (31), looked like the clear cut #1, Jaydon Blue was inactive, and Miles Sanders arguably cost them the game, with a soft redzone fumble. Still not sure he's any good, but workload is.
24. Aaron Jones (25)
25. Jaylen Warren (23)
26. Tony Pollard (27)
27. TreVeyon Henderson (24)
28. Kenneth Walker (11)
29. Zach Charbonnet (41), pretty much a worst-case scenario for fantasy owners. This looked like a full 50-50 split. Its possible this is a slight anomaly, and its Seattle easing Walker back into the lineup after a banged-up camp, but it could also absolutely not be that. I wouldn't trust either as more than a flex right now. Good news is Seattle's D is awesome, so the overall RB pie should be A LOT bigger than it was last season.
30. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (34), "Bill" led the team in carries and got the TD, but its still a very heavy RBBC. Baby steps taken though.

Dropped off: Isiah Pacheco (21), I'm not convinced the best RB on KC isn't Elijah Mitchell. Neither Pacheco nor Hunt really do anything for me. Ugly RBBC I'd prefer to avoid. David Montgomery (26), maybe GB's defense is elite, but I thought the Lions interior OL looked soft without Ragnow/Zeitler, that's gonna effect Monty more than anyone. Tyrone Tracy (29), on the 1 hand he had 73% of snaps, but he didn't do much with them. I think Skattebo's role will get bigger and possibly become the lead at some point. Quinshon Judkins (30), I thought Sampson (a favorite of mine) looked great, particularly in the pass game, to the point where even when Judkins comes back, its gonna be to a RBBC role, in a bad offense that only scored 16 against a bottom of the barrel defense.

 

[travdogg]

WR
Tier 1:
1. Puka Nacua (5)
2. CeeDee Lamb (1)
3. Justin Jefferson (2)
4. Ja'Marr Chase (3)
5. Nico Collins (4)

Tier 2:
6. Brian Thomas (6)
7. Malik Nabers (10)
8. Drake London (9)
9. Amon-Ra St. Brown (8)

Tier 3:
10. Garrett Wilson (12)
11. Marvin Harrison (15)
12. Tee Higgins (11)
13. AJ Brown (7)

Tier 4:
14. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (22)
15. Ladd McConkey (16)
16. Tetairoa McMillan (24)
17. Travis Hunter (17)
18. Rashee Rice (30), this is a calculated ranking. If Rice were playing right now, I'd have him about where London is. So, if London were out until week 7, where would you rank him?

Tier 5:
19. Zay Flowers (29), I want to believe. Flowers have always had high-end WR2 talent, but targets and bad TD luck (only 4 of 41 last year) have held him back. It seemed like they made a clear effort to make him the guy against Buffalo, both with manufactured touches and deep routes. Game wasn't influenced at all by shootout conditions either, despite score, as Flowers had 9 of 19 (47%) targets.
20. Emeka Egbuka (39), was hyped all summer and fully delivered in week 1. Wasn't just a slot guy either as he was used outside, and down the field. Not worried about Godwin at all. I think Godwin probably isn't worth stashing in most leagues. Bucs also have awesome schedule.
21. DJ Moore (20)
22. Mike Evans (18)
23. Davante Adams (13)
24. Terry McLaurin (14)
25. Jameson Williams (21)

Tier 6:
26. Courtland Sutton (25)
27. Ricky Pearsall (38), seems like Jennings (and hopefully Purdy?) is probably fine, but Kittle is out for a bit, and Pearsall was fingertips away from a much bigger game. Of note, Pearsall had 51% of the 49ers air yards, which is really impressive as he's mostly been talked about as a slot/possession guy. Cautiously optimistic is where I land on Pearsall. Its possible he's JSN-lite.
28. DK Metcalf (26)
29. Chris Olave (34)
30. Tyreek Hill (19), Dolphins looked pathetic, and some of that was on Hill in my eyes. He looked miserable and now might have some more off field stuff coming his way. This was one of the best matchups on the schedule for Miami. Too talented to completely bail on, but I imagine most will still value him higher than this.
31. DeVonta Smith (28)

Tier 7:
32. Deebo Samuel (32)
33. Jakobi Meyers (33)
34. Rome Odunze (37)
35. Jaylen Waddle (27)
36. Calvin Ridley (31)

Tier 8:
37. Michael Pittman (46), is the clear #1 outside WR, and got involved in the RPO game like he was back in 2023 with Minshew.
38. George Pickens (35)
39. Keon Coleman (55), could move up in a hurry, but I remain skeptical. Josh Allen threw 6 more passes than in any game in 2024, and Bills don't project to be in comeback mode often. His TD was also a complete fluke. Now, he is attached to the best player in the NFL, so again, could move up in a hurry, but I kinda err on the side of selling high if your league has a true believer.
40. Jerry Jeudy (41), left some meat on the bone, but still led the team in yards. I don't think 20 catches between Sampson/Fannin/Tillman is gonna be the norm.

Dropped off: Xavier Worthy (23), I'm treating this like he's not gonna play again in September. If he's just out a week, he should be up by Deebo. I think he was gonna have a big game against LA, but role could be rescaled upon return, especially as injury could linger. Josh Downs (36), Tyler Warren took his over the middle role, and Pittman re-established #1 role outside. Maybe trailing script could help, but not optimistic. Stefon Diggs (40), wasn't the clear #1 I was hoping for. If guys like Boutte and Douglas remain issues, not much ceiling for Diggs.

 

[travdogg]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Trey McBride (1)
2. Brock Bowers (3)
3. Sam LaPorta (5)
4. George Kittle (2)
5. TJ Hockenson (4)

Tier 2:
6. Tyler Warren (8)
7. Travis Kelce (11), a bit of last man standing, and was fingertips away from being the TE1 in week 1, despite maybe the worst TE matchup there is. He's clearly not the player he once was, but he's still good, and he'll be really needed these next 5 weeks. If I were just ranking for that stretch, I'd probably have him just behind Bowers. Of course, if I were just ranking for that stretch, Kittle would be a lot lower, but I think Kittle is arguably TE1 when healthy so all of this is a reminder that I rank with the entire season in mind.
8. Tucker Kraft (7)

Tier 3:
9. Dalton Kincaid (9)
10. David Njoku (6), slight downgrade due to Fannin stepping up, but its worth noting Njoku wasn't coming off the field for Fannin, Fannin was playing slot WR. I wouldn't panic and think a change of the guard has happened yet. Njoku is a trade deadline candidate though.
11. Colston Loveland (10)
12. Mark Andrews (12)

Tier 4:
13. Dallas Goedert (14)
14. Hunter Henry (NR), its boring, but he got his 60 yards on 8 targets, and TE has always been featured in Josh McDaniels offense (not just because much of that was Gronk) so he's liekly not gonna get you killed, but ideally, he's more of an emergency option.
15. Brenton Strange (17), did technically led the team in receiving yards, but took a clear backseat to Thomas/Hunter. TD is pretty thin though, so maybe he keeps improving as the year goes on? I'd rather take a shot on him than guys like Juwan Johnson or Pitts where we know how low the floor can get.

Dropped off: Evan Engram (13), didn't seem super involved even before getting hurt. Expecting a much more run heavy team than we got in week 1. Jake Ferguson (15), needs an injury to really return value in my opinion. If Dallas is able to run at the GL, that's just another hit to his limited upside.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Great list and great effort. However, I do think that your negativity towards Breece Hall before fantasy drafts has spilled into your rankings now. As a breece hall owner—if somebody offered me the 4-5 rbs you have ranked above him in a trade in a ppr format—I would instantly reject. Conner might not be the best rb on his team right now—-and I say that as a fantasy owner with moderate Conner exposure.

 

[RenegadeRoy]

Great list and great effort. However, I do think that your negativity towards Breece Hall before fantasy drafts has spilled into your rankings now. As a breece hall owner—if somebody offered me the 4-5 rbs you have ranked above him in a trade in a ppr format—I would instantly reject. Conner might not be the best rb on his team right now—-and I say that as a fantasy owner with moderate Conner exposure.

The good thing about Travdog, in my opinion, is that they don't overreact. Hall had a great game and looked good... but is that Jets team for real? That could very well be the best performance we see from Fields and co all year. Another solid game or two would move Hall up but right now I think he's fairly rated (this is also half ppr)

 

[Donnybrook]

Purdy might not be able to play next week according to Schefter.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Great list and great effort. However, I do think that your negativity towards Breece Hall before fantasy drafts has spilled into your rankings now. As a breece hall owner—if somebody offered me the 4-5 rbs you have ranked above him in a trade in a ppr format—I would instantly reject. Conner might not be the best rb on his team right now—-and I say that as a fantasy owner with moderate Conner exposure.

The good thing about Travdog, in my opinion, is that they don't overreact. Hall had a great game and looked good... but is that Jets team for real? That could very well be the best performance we see from Fields and co all year. Another solid game or two would move Hall up but right now I think he's fairly rated (this is also half ppr)

That’s fair enough—but there is a line between over reacting and under reacting. To me, it just felt like a tempered under reaction, but you point is well taken and I certainly respect trav doggs work and effort.

 

[Desert_Power]

I like seeing you come my way on a couple of heavily owned players (Hall and Herbert). Puka all the way to #1 is interesting.

 

[wgoldsph]

So is Mahomes a second cousin or something?

 

[BlackCrowes]

Kamara moving up seems odd.

 

[ffmail4me]

Tyler Warren might end up in the top 3 for TEs. McBride and Bowers are the only TEs I'd put ahead of him, especially in dynasty.

 

[Jewell]

Jonathan Taylor at RB #14 is too low.

Taylor was on the field for the Colts first 43 plays Week 1. He didn’t play much late in the game because the game was effectively over early which suppressed Taylor’s overall numbers. It looks like the Colts offense will be more functional than expected, and that offense will flow through Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren.

 

[rockaction]

There are a lot of things on this list I just disagree with and wonder if we're watching the same league but at least you produce things to comment on so kudos for that, I guess.

 

[rockaction]

Kamara moving up four spots when his quarterback obviously had no proclivity to dump the ball off and then Kendre Miller looked much more dynamic as a runner is completely perplexing. The rushing share was cut significantly from the year before and Kellen Moore never passes to the RBs nor did Rattler ever look for him. It was his lowest target share of his career.

Quoi?

 

[joey]

Amazing work. Thanks for doing this.

The one comment that stood out to me in WRs in about Keon Coleman. If I invested a high-ish rookie pick last year in him, and saw how Josh Allen targetted him at critical times, I’m not selling high. I’m holding, hoping I found my young, long term WR2

 

[stillfeelme]

How does this account for injuries? Is it strickly points per game for the remaining of the season in games they are going to play in? I would guess that is the only way to rank in my head. Some of these are head scratchers. Probably too much work to do but it would be interesting to see how your rankings compared to reality

 

[RaidersAreOne]

Love this thread!

How come Terry gets a huge knockdown from 14 -> 24? Most figured he'd start off slow coming back from missing camp and preseason. I didn't watch the WASH game but heard Daniels missed Terry wide open deep for a TD which certainly would have blown up his stats.

 

[RaidersAreOne]

Your TE rankings especially intrigue me. You are higher on Kincaid than most around here it appears.

 

[Gally]

I am not sure who i would bump from the top 15 of TE's but with usage and moving around everywhere I don't see how Fannin doesn't make top 15. I probably drop Loveland due to Caleb being all over the place and Kmet and other WR's being targeted as well. Just a lot of mouths to feed where Fannin is Jeudy, Njoku and Fannin with a sprinkle of Tillman, kind of.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Trey McBride (1)
2. Brock Bowers (3)
3. Sam LaPorta (5)
4. George Kittle (2)
5. TJ Hockenson (4)

Tier 2:
6. Tyler Warren (8)
7. Travis Kelce (11), a bit of last man standing, and was fingertips away from being the TE1 in week 1, despite maybe the worst TE matchup there is. He's clearly not the player he once was, but he's still good, and he'll be really needed these next 5 weeks. If I were just ranking for that stretch, I'd probably have him just behind Bowers. Of course, if I were just ranking for that stretch, Kittle would be a lot lower, but I think Kittle is arguably TE1 when healthy so all of this is a reminder that I rank with the entire season in mind.
8. Tucker Kraft (7)

Tier 3:
9. Dalton Kincaid (9)
10. David Njoku (6), slight downgrade due to Fannin stepping up, but its worth noting Njoku wasn't coming off the field for Fannin, Fannin was playing slot WR. I wouldn't panic and think a change of the guard has happened yet. Njoku is a trade deadline candidate though.
11. Colston Loveland (10)
12. Mark Andrews (12)

Tier 4:
13. Dallas Goedert (14)
14. Hunter Henry (NR), its boring, but he got his 60 yards on 8 targets, and TE has always been featured in Josh McDaniels offense (not just because much of that was Gronk) so he's liekly not gonna get you killed, but ideally, he's more of an emergency option.
15. Brenton Strange (17), did technically led the team in receiving yards, but took a clear backseat to Thomas/Hunter. TD is pretty thin though, so maybe he keeps improving as the year goes on? I'd rather take a shot on him than guys like Juwan Johnson or Pitts where we know how low the floor can get.

Dropped off: Evan Engram (13), didn't seem super involved even before getting hurt. Expecting a much more run heavy team than we got in week 1. Jake Ferguson (15), needs an injury to really return value in my opinion. If Dallas is able to run at the GL, that's just another hit to his limited upside.

Loveland? I watched the whole MN-CHI game, looked like Cole Kmet was involved a lot more
This is looking like Kincaid-Knox but it's early

 

[Gally]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Trey McBride (1)
2. Brock Bowers (3)
3. Sam LaPorta (5)
4. George Kittle (2)
5. TJ Hockenson (4)

Tier 2:
6. Tyler Warren (8)
7. Travis Kelce (11), a bit of last man standing, and was fingertips away from being the TE1 in week 1, despite maybe the worst TE matchup there is. He's clearly not the player he once was, but he's still good, and he'll be really needed these next 5 weeks. If I were just ranking for that stretch, I'd probably have him just behind Bowers. Of course, if I were just ranking for that stretch, Kittle would be a lot lower, but I think Kittle is arguably TE1 when healthy so all of this is a reminder that I rank with the entire season in mind.
8. Tucker Kraft (7)

Tier 3:
9. Dalton Kincaid (9)
10. David Njoku (6), slight downgrade due to Fannin stepping up, but its worth noting Njoku wasn't coming off the field for Fannin, Fannin was playing slot WR. I wouldn't panic and think a change of the guard has happened yet. Njoku is a trade deadline candidate though.
11. Colston Loveland (10)
12. Mark Andrews (12)

Tier 4:
13. Dallas Goedert (14)
14. Hunter Henry (NR), its boring, but he got his 60 yards on 8 targets, and TE has always been featured in Josh McDaniels offense (not just because much of that was Gronk) so he's liekly not gonna get you killed, but ideally, he's more of an emergency option.
15. Brenton Strange (17), did technically led the team in receiving yards, but took a clear backseat to Thomas/Hunter. TD is pretty thin though, so maybe he keeps improving as the year goes on? I'd rather take a shot on him than guys like Juwan Johnson or Pitts where we know how low the floor can get.

Dropped off: Evan Engram (13), didn't seem super involved even before getting hurt. Expecting a much more run heavy team than we got in week 1. Jake Ferguson (15), needs an injury to really return value in my opinion. If Dallas is able to run at the GL, that's just another hit to his limited upside.

Loveland? I would urge you to watch the MN-CHI game, looked like Cole Kmet was involved a lot more
This is looking like Kincaid-Knox but it's early

I would drop Loveland out and put in Fannin. Fannin had a significant role and i don't see that changing.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Great thread as always

 

[TheDirtyWord]

Observations...first off love these threads. Good job as always.

Gibbs: I think it's notable that Gibbs had his worst game since 2023 in Week 1. And the Lions mojo has been off this year it feels. Johnson in CHI feels like a big deal...even though Gibbs had a much larger share of the pie.

Herbert: Year 2 with Roman...Harbaugh gushes about him. The WR corps looks quietly dangerous, skilled and potentially deep. Feel like he's about to go much higher than #11.

JSN: I've even noted this in his thread...but he feels like a sequel to ARSB.

Keon: This was the guy that quietly impressed me the most in Week 1. Made a HUGE play in a season tone setter game, and another big one to get them down into scoring position and this offense is aching for a legit WR1.

Warren: I don't know what TJ Hockenson has that Warren doesn't.

 

[stillfeelme]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Trey McBride (1)
2. Brock Bowers (3)
3. Sam LaPorta (5)
4. George Kittle (2)
5. TJ Hockenson (4)

Tier 2:
6. Tyler Warren (8)
7. Travis Kelce (11), a bit of last man standing, and was fingertips away from being the TE1 in week 1, despite maybe the worst TE matchup there is. He's clearly not the player he once was, but he's still good, and he'll be really needed these next 5 weeks. If I were just ranking for that stretch, I'd probably have him just behind Bowers. Of course, if I were just ranking for that stretch, Kittle would be a lot lower, but I think Kittle is arguably TE1 when healthy so all of this is a reminder that I rank with the entire season in mind.
8. Tucker Kraft (7)

Tier 3:
9. Dalton Kincaid (9)
10. David Njoku (6), slight downgrade due to Fannin stepping up, but its worth noting Njoku wasn't coming off the field for Fannin, Fannin was playing slot WR. I wouldn't panic and think a change of the guard has happened yet. Njoku is a trade deadline candidate though.
11. Colston Loveland (10)
12. Mark Andrews (12)

Tier 4:
13. Dallas Goedert (14)
14. Hunter Henry (NR), its boring, but he got his 60 yards on 8 targets, and TE has always been featured in Josh McDaniels offense (not just because much of that was Gronk) so he's liekly not gonna get you killed, but ideally, he's more of an emergency option.
15. Brenton Strange (17), did technically led the team in receiving yards, but took a clear backseat to Thomas/Hunter. TD is pretty thin though, so maybe he keeps improving as the year goes on? I'd rather take a shot on him than guys like Juwan Johnson or Pitts where we know how low the floor can get.

Dropped off: Evan Engram (13), didn't seem super involved even before getting hurt. Expecting a much more run heavy team than we got in week 1. Jake Ferguson (15), needs an injury to really return value in my opinion. If Dallas is able to run at the GL, that's just another hit to his limited upside.

Loveland? I would urge you to watch the MN-CHI game, looked like Cole Kmet was involved a lot more
This is looking like Kincaid-Knox but it's early

I would drop Loveland out and put in Fannin. Fannin had a significant role and i don't see that changing.

He is probably waiting for more game day data points to justify the move. I agree though. When a rookie TE has a package or gameplan designed to feature him in the first game of the season that is more than enough reason for me to adjust projections/rankings. Especially if it lines up with camp buzz and college tape against good comp.

 

[ShamrockPride]

Not at all buying into Egbuka over Evans.

Baker has 2 years of chemistry with Mike and I think that wins out over the course of the season. Egbuka might just be a big play magnet type, he'll probably have more explosive weeks than Mike, but I gotta see more.

Evans is still the standard bearer of consistency on that team until proven otherwise.

 

[boilerdave]

Like so many of us here I love this thread every week and appreciate the travdogg's work.

No Dak in the top 15 qb's? I would have him bottom of Tier 3 / top of Tier 4.

 

[Gally]

Not at all buying into Egbuka over Evans.

Baker has 2 years of chemistry with Mike and I think that wins out over the course of the season. Egbuka might just be a big play magnet type, he'll probably have more explosive weeks than Mike, but I gotta see more.

Evans is still the standard bearer of consistency on that team until proven otherwise.

Evans is also another year older. It is a changing of the guards. I think it will be more like Evans with some big plays (that's what he does) but Egbuka will have the volume and consistency week to week. I see a higher floor for Egbuka and a similar ceiling week to week between the two.

 

[travdogg]

Great list and great effort. However, I do think that your negativity towards Breece Hall before fantasy drafts has spilled into your rankings now. As a breece hall owner—if somebody offered me the 4-5 rbs you have ranked above him in a trade in a ppr format—I would instantly reject. Conner might not be the best rb on his team right now—-and I say that as a fantasy owner with moderate Conner exposure.

The good thing about Travdog, in my opinion, is that they don't overreact. Hall had a great game and looked good... but is that Jets team for real? That could very well be the best performance we see from Fields and co all year. Another solid game or two would move Hall up but right now I think he's fairly rated (this is also half ppr)

Pretty much exactly what my response would have been.

To address the RBs ranked 4-5 spots ahead of him:

Omarion Hampton: 80% of the workload, and while that may decrease slightly as Najee gets further removed from his eye injury, its clear Hampton is their guy, and its a better offense than the Jets, and one where Hampton isn't (that we have seen anyway) losing GL work.

James Conner: I think there is some overreacting to Benson's 1 big run. He was 7-17 without it. It was a nice play, but I don't think he's suddenly a threat to Conner at all. Conner's workload wasn't that different than normal, keep in mind the Cards led comfortably throughout. Conner averaged 17.7 touches per game last season, and he had 16 on Sunday.

D'Andre Swift: I can see the case for it, I've long hated Swift, and as a Bears fan, I hate that he's the starter. He also had 20 of 21 RB touches for the Bears. In a way, he's like a really poor man's Chase Brown.

Travis Etienne: He's basically in the same boat as Hall, except the Jags traded Tank Bigsby. We don't really know about GL work yet, but its more promising than Hall.

Chuba Hubbard: 19 of 25 RB touches, and doesn't lose GL work to his QB.

The Fields getting GL work is something I see as an expectation and not a fluke. As is Allen as the GL RB. Which means Hall needs to keep being this explosive to be more than a decent RB2.

 

[travdogg]

I like seeing you come my way on a couple of heavily owned players (Hall and Herbert). Puka all the way to #1 is interesting.

I think Puka is still improving as a player, and I don't think 2021 Kupp is off the table, even with Adams there. He was SO impressive Sunday (not that he isn't always) where he was basically bleeding like Jon Moxley out there, to the point they had to keep changing the bandages on his head, and he still went for 10-130 against a really good pass defense.

The thing that had me a little lower on him this offseason was Adams, but he took a very clear backseat. Perhaps I wasn't giving enough weight to Rodgers (and I was giving some) when Adams just blew right by Wilson last season?

 

[travdogg]

So is Mahomes a second cousin or something?

I wish, I could probably get some kind of payoff that way.

He was QB6 this past week, so...

 

[travdogg]

Kamara moving up seems odd.

Kamara moving up four spots when his quarterback obviously had no proclivity to dump the ball off and then Kendre Miller looked much more dynamic as a runner is completely perplexing. The rushing share was cut significantly from the year before and Kellen Moore never passes to the RBs nor did Rattler ever look for him. It was his lowest target share of his career.

Quoi?

The Saints offense (Rattler really) showed more than I was expecting, and I didn't think Miller looked better at all. Kamara saw 82% of the snaps (5th highest of any RB in the NFL) and I think 1 game is a little too fast to just assume Kamara is gonna be like a 30-catch guy now, though I do agree his days of 80 catches are probably gone.

Its funny, I'm usually the guy who is too low on Kamara.

 

[travdogg]

Tyler Warren might end up in the top 3 for TEs. McBride and Bowers are the only TEs I'd put ahead of him, especially in dynasty.

Jonathan Taylor at RB #14 is too low.

Taylor was on the field for the Colts first 43 plays Week 1. He didn’t play much late in the game because the game was effectively over early which suppressed Taylor’s overall numbers. It looks like the Colts offense will be more functional than expected, and that offense will flow through Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren.

They both very well might be, but I'm a little inclined to be patient, as I think Miami might be the worst defense in the NFL. If the Colts offense looks good against Denver, they'll move up.

In Taylor's case, I'm a little perturbed, but not surprised, that Daniel Jones kept up the Anthony Richardson TD vulture role. Taylor to me is kinda similar to Breece Hall, if he only had to deal with Fields and not Allen too.

 

[travdogg]

How does this account for injuries? Is it strickly points per game for the remaining of the season in games they are going to play in? I would guess that is the only way to rank in my head. Some of these are head scratchers. Probably too much work to do but it would be interesting to see how your rankings compared to reality

I tend to use a value over replacement level type system with guys who are out for a stretch, so guys like say, Rice and Kittle, I'm not counting as getting zero these next several weeks, I'm counting them as replacement level guys (roughly your bottom of the list guys, who'd presumably be on your bench as replacements) and then as themselves for when they come back. So in like Kittle's case, I'm kinda counting him as like 4 games of say, Hunter Henry, and then the rest of the season thereafter as Kittle. Same thing with Rice, I'm kinda counting him as 5 games as Michael Pittman, and then 11 of Rice.

 

[travdogg]

Love this thread!

How come Terry gets a huge knockdown from 14 -> 24? Most figured he'd start off slow coming back from missing camp and preseason. I didn't watch the WASH game but heard Daniels missed Terry wide open deep for a TD which certainly would have blown up his stats.

He did just miss a long TD. I just felt I was too high on him. Its not really all that related to what happened Sunday, I didn't move Deebo up to compensate, I just think I was projecting too much passing for Washington. I think their defense might be better than people think as well, I don't think Sunday was just about the Giants/Russ.

 

[travdogg]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Trey McBride (1)
2. Brock Bowers (3)
3. Sam LaPorta (5)
4. George Kittle (2)
5. TJ Hockenson (4)

Tier 2:
6. Tyler Warren (8)
7. Travis Kelce (11), a bit of last man standing, and was fingertips away from being the TE1 in week 1, despite maybe the worst TE matchup there is. He's clearly not the player he once was, but he's still good, and he'll be really needed these next 5 weeks. If I were just ranking for that stretch, I'd probably have him just behind Bowers. Of course, if I were just ranking for that stretch, Kittle would be a lot lower, but I think Kittle is arguably TE1 when healthy so all of this is a reminder that I rank with the entire season in mind.
8. Tucker Kraft (7)

Tier 3:
9. Dalton Kincaid (9)
10. David Njoku (6), slight downgrade due to Fannin stepping up, but its worth noting Njoku wasn't coming off the field for Fannin, Fannin was playing slot WR. I wouldn't panic and think a change of the guard has happened yet. Njoku is a trade deadline candidate though.
11. Colston Loveland (10)
12. Mark Andrews (12)

Tier 4:
13. Dallas Goedert (14)
14. Hunter Henry (NR), its boring, but he got his 60 yards on 8 targets, and TE has always been featured in Josh McDaniels offense (not just because much of that was Gronk) so he's liekly not gonna get you killed, but ideally, he's more of an emergency option.
15. Brenton Strange (17), did technically led the team in receiving yards, but took a clear backseat to Thomas/Hunter. TD is pretty thin though, so maybe he keeps improving as the year goes on? I'd rather take a shot on him than guys like Juwan Johnson or Pitts where we know how low the floor can get.

Dropped off: Evan Engram (13), didn't seem super involved even before getting hurt. Expecting a much more run heavy team than we got in week 1. Jake Ferguson (15), needs an injury to really return value in my opinion. If Dallas is able to run at the GL, that's just another hit to his limited upside.

Loveland? I would urge you to watch the MN-CHI game, looked like Cole Kmet was involved a lot more
This is looking like Kincaid-Knox but it's early

I would drop Loveland out and put in Fannin. Fannin had a significant role and i don't see that changing.

Being patient with Loveland, wasn't expecting him to come out of the gate hot, he's an upside stash. Also don't want to overreact to a game against the Bengals D, much like with Colts players, I don't want to overreact to a game against Miami's D. Those are the 2 worst defenses in the NFL in my opinion. Fannin was probably the last omission though.

 

[travdogg]

Observations...first off love these threads. Good job as always.

Gibbs: I think it's notable that Gibbs had his worst game since 2023 in Week 1. And the Lions mojo has been off this year it feels. Johnson in CHI feels like a big deal...even though Gibbs had a much larger share of the pie.

Herbert: Year 2 with Roman...Harbaugh gushes about him. The WR corps looks quietly dangerous, skilled and potentially deep. Feel like he's about to go much higher than #11.

JSN: I've even noted this in his thread...but he feels like a sequel to ARSB.

Keon: This was the guy that quietly impressed me the most in Week 1. Made a HUGE play in a season tone setter game, and another big one to get them down into scoring position and this offense is aching for a legit WR1.

Warren: I don't know what TJ Hockenson has that Warren doesn't.

Agree on Gibbs and the Lions. I'm giving them a week as its possible the Packers could be a juggernaut (if they shut down Washington like they did Detroit, I'd be REALLY impressed) but if there have been red flags all around the Lions offense. I didn't end up with any Lions across 5 teams, and I've long been Amon-Ra's biggest fan.

Herbert could absolutely get to tier 2 status. My concerns are they don't stay this pass heavy, and the RB will usually be more productive than it was Thursday. I can't fully shake that Thursday, while great, isn't totally what they want their identity to be, but more something they have if they need it.

Only thing holding JSN back for me, is defense and Darnold. Kupp sure looks like the guy at the end of last year, and not the productive guy from midseason. He's zero threat.

We'll see on Coleman, I was impressed, but I also think its more likely than not it was a one off. It would certainly be nice if someone stepped up for them. Ideally it'd be Coleman or Kincaid (the guys with top-35 draft capital)

Hockenson has a track record, Warren has 1 game against an awful defense. He's moving up if he can do it against Denver.

I think we pretty much agree on talents, I'm just not quite there on situations.

 

[rockaction]

Kamara moving up seems odd.

Kamara moving up four spots when his quarterback obviously had no proclivity to dump the ball off and then Kendre Miller looked much more dynamic as a runner is completely perplexing. The rushing share was cut significantly from the year before and Kellen Moore never passes to the RBs nor did Rattler ever look for him. It was his lowest target share of his career.

Quoi?

The Saints offense (Rattler really) showed more than I was expecting, and I didn't think Miller looked better at all. Kamara saw 82% of the snaps (5th highest of any RB in the NFL) and I think 1 game is a little too fast to just assume Kamara is gonna be like a 30-catch guy now, though I do agree his days of 80 catches are probably gone.

Its funny, I'm usually the guy who is too low on Kamara.

Like I said, we must have watched different games. Here's Pro Football Focus and their grades, then an encapsulated "positives of the game" from USA Today, and then SB Nation's Blog called Canal Street Chronicles. All of them point out Miller as having a very good day relative to the rest of the Saints. Even the one that praises Kamara says that Miller should get more carries.
I guess we just watch football differently.

Top 5 players on offense​

1. C Erik McCoy: 79.7
2. QB Spencer Rattler: 77.3
3. LT Kelvin Banks Jr.: 69.1
4. RB Kendre Miller: 64.5
5. WR Devaughn Vele: 64.0

"The Saints ran the football well. They averaged a healthy 4.9 yards per carry as a team, and everyone who touched the football gained at least 4.1 yards per rush. Alvin Kamara looks rejuvenated, but Kendre Miller was a breath of fresh air. He needs more opportunities." - Saintswire (USA Today)

Up: Kendre Miller​

Running back Kendre Miller was one of the biggest standouts during the preseason. The third-year running back’s numbers didn’t pop off the box score, but he’s shown his elite burst and Alvin Kamara-like balance. Miller is expected to have a bigger role in Kellen Moore’s offense and saw some action early against Arizona. Unfortunately, Miller only saw 5 carries on Sunday, rushing for 24 yards. Once the Cardinals started to take a lead, the Saints went away from the running game. While limited, Miller showed off everything he did in the preseason against a starting NFL defense. But it wasn’t on offense that the third-year running back made an impact. Miller also returned kicks for New Orleans on Sunday, logging 3 returns for 88 yards, including a 43-yard return. Kellen Moore has emphasized his desire to run the ball, and the team was able to do it well enough against Arizona. Hopefully, once the offense starts to flesh itself out, Miller will see more touches. - Canal Street Chronicles

 

[King of the Jungle]

Your TE rankings especially intrigue me. You are higher on Kincaid than most around here it appears.

I would be curious about the take on this as well. It doesn’t look like Kincaid’s snap count is increasing.

 

[dmac37]

Kamara moving up four spots when his quarterback obviously had no proclivity to dump the ball off and then Kendre Miller looked much more dynamic as a runner is completely perplexing. The rushing share was cut significantly from the year before and Kellen Moore never passes to the RBs nor did Rattler ever look for him. It was his lowest target share of his career.

Quoi?

I agree and thought the writing was on the wall all off season. I moved Kamara in dynasty for these reasons.

 

[travdogg]

Kamara moving up seems odd.

Kamara moving up four spots when his quarterback obviously had no proclivity to dump the ball off and then Kendre Miller looked much more dynamic as a runner is completely perplexing. The rushing share was cut significantly from the year before and Kellen Moore never passes to the RBs nor did Rattler ever look for him. It was his lowest target share of his career.

Quoi?

The Saints offense (Rattler really) showed more than I was expecting, and I didn't think Miller looked better at all. Kamara saw 82% of the snaps (5th highest of any RB in the NFL) and I think 1 game is a little too fast to just assume Kamara is gonna be like a 30-catch guy now, though I do agree his days of 80 catches are probably gone.

Its funny, I'm usually the guy who is too low on Kamara.

Like I said, we must have watched different games. Here's Pro Football Focus and their grades, then an encapsulated "positives of the game" from USA Today, and then SB Nation's Blog called Canal Street Chronicles. All of them point out Miller as having a very good day relative to the rest of the Saints. Even the one that praises Kamara says that Miller should get more carries.
I guess we just watch football differently.

Top 5 players on offense​

1. C Erik McCoy: 79.7
2. QB Spencer Rattler: 77.3
3. LT Kelvin Banks Jr.: 69.1
4. RB Kendre Miller: 64.5
5. WR Devaughn Vele: 64.0

"The Saints ran the football well. They averaged a healthy 4.9 yards per carry as a team, and everyone who touched the football gained at least 4.1 yards per rush. Alvin Kamara looks rejuvenated, but Kendre Miller was a breath of fresh air. He needs more opportunities." - Saintswire (USA Today)

Up: Kendre Miller​

Running back Kendre Miller was one of the biggest standouts during the preseason. The third-year running back’s numbers didn’t pop off the box score, but he’s shown his elite burst and Alvin Kamara-like balance. Miller is expected to have a bigger role in Kellen Moore’s offense and saw some action early against Arizona. Unfortunately, Miller only saw 5 carries on Sunday, rushing for 24 yards. Once the Cardinals started to take a lead, the Saints went away from the running game. While limited, Miller showed off everything he did in the preseason against a starting NFL defense. But it wasn’t on offense that the third-year running back made an impact. Miller also returned kicks for New Orleans on Sunday, logging 3 returns for 88 yards, including a 43-yard return. Kellen Moore has emphasized his desire to run the ball, and the team was able to do it well enough against Arizona. Hopefully, once the offense starts to flesh itself out, Miller will see more touches. - Canal Street Chronicles

I mean, Kamara is right there at 61.4, pretty much the exact same as Miller. I'm not arguing Miller is bad, I'm arguing he's not a threat to Kamara. A couple writers saying he should get more work means little to nothing to me, Kamara seeing a higher snap rate than all but 4 RBs in the NFL speaks more to me. I think Miller was treated unfairly by the previous regime, injuries didn't help, but Miller played 11 of 77 offensive snaps.

 

[King of the Jungle]

Kamara moving up seems odd.

Kamara moving up four spots when his quarterback obviously had no proclivity to dump the ball off and then Kendre Miller looked much more dynamic as a runner is completely perplexing. The rushing share was cut significantly from the year before and Kellen Moore never passes to the RBs nor did Rattler ever look for him. It was his lowest target share of his career.

Quoi?

The Saints offense (Rattler really) showed more than I was expecting, and I didn't think Miller looked better at all. Kamara saw 82% of the snaps (5th highest of any RB in the NFL) and I think 1 game is a little too fast to just assume Kamara is gonna be like a 30-catch guy now, though I do agree his days of 80 catches are probably gone.

Its funny, I'm usually the guy who is too low on Kamara.

Like I said, we must have watched different games. Here's Pro Football Focus and their grades, then an encapsulated "positives of the game" from USA Today, and then SB Nation's Blog called Canal Street Chronicles. All of them point out Miller as having a very good day relative to the rest of the Saints. Even the one that praises Kamara says that Miller should get more carries.
I guess we just watch football differently.

Top 5 players on offense​

1. C Erik McCoy: 79.7
2. QB Spencer Rattler: 77.3
3. LT Kelvin Banks Jr.: 69.1
4. RB Kendre Miller: 64.5
5. WR Devaughn Vele: 64.0

"The Saints ran the football well. They averaged a healthy 4.9 yards per carry as a team, and everyone who touched the football gained at least 4.1 yards per rush. Alvin Kamara looks rejuvenated, but Kendre Miller was a breath of fresh air. He needs more opportunities." - Saintswire (USA Today)

Up: Kendre Miller​

Running back Kendre Miller was one of the biggest standouts during the preseason. The third-year running back’s numbers didn’t pop off the box score, but he’s shown his elite burst and Alvin Kamara-like balance. Miller is expected to have a bigger role in Kellen Moore’s offense and saw some action early against Arizona. Unfortunately, Miller only saw 5 carries on Sunday, rushing for 24 yards. Once the Cardinals started to take a lead, the Saints went away from the running game. While limited, Miller showed off everything he did in the preseason against a starting NFL defense. But it wasn’t on offense that the third-year running back made an impact. Miller also returned kicks for New Orleans on Sunday, logging 3 returns for 88 yards, including a 43-yard return. Kellen Moore has emphasized his desire to run the ball, and the team was able to do it well enough against Arizona. Hopefully, once the offense starts to flesh itself out, Miller will see more touches. - Canal Street Chronicles

I mean, Kamara is right there at 61.4, pretty much the exact same as Miller. I'm not arguing Miller is bad, I'm arguing he's not a threat to Kamara. A couple writers saying he should get more work means little to nothing to me, Kamara seeing a higher snap rate than all but 4 RBs in the NFL speaks more to me. I think Miller was treated unfairly by the previous regime, injuries didn't help, but Miller played 11 of 77 offensive snaps.

And rookie Devin Neal had 2 totes as well.

 

[rockaction]

Kamara moving up seems odd.

Kamara moving up four spots when his quarterback obviously had no proclivity to dump the ball off and then Kendre Miller looked much more dynamic as a runner is completely perplexing. The rushing share was cut significantly from the year before and Kellen Moore never passes to the RBs nor did Rattler ever look for him. It was his lowest target share of his career.

Quoi?

The Saints offense (Rattler really) showed more than I was expecting, and I didn't think Miller looked better at all. Kamara saw 82% of the snaps (5th highest of any RB in the NFL) and I think 1 game is a little too fast to just assume Kamara is gonna be like a 30-catch guy now, though I do agree his days of 80 catches are probably gone.

Its funny, I'm usually the guy who is too low on Kamara.

Like I said, we must have watched different games. Here's Pro Football Focus and their grades, then an encapsulated "positives of the game" from USA Today, and then SB Nation's Blog called Canal Street Chronicles. All of them point out Miller as having a very good day relative to the rest of the Saints. Even the one that praises Kamara says that Miller should get more carries.
I guess we just watch football differently.

Top 5 players on offense​

1. C Erik McCoy: 79.7
2. QB Spencer Rattler: 77.3
3. LT Kelvin Banks Jr.: 69.1
4. RB Kendre Miller: 64.5
5. WR Devaughn Vele: 64.0

"The Saints ran the football well. They averaged a healthy 4.9 yards per carry as a team, and everyone who touched the football gained at least 4.1 yards per rush. Alvin Kamara looks rejuvenated, but Kendre Miller was a breath of fresh air. He needs more opportunities." - Saintswire (USA Today)

Up: Kendre Miller​

Running back Kendre Miller was one of the biggest standouts during the preseason. The third-year running back’s numbers didn’t pop off the box score, but he’s shown his elite burst and Alvin Kamara-like balance. Miller is expected to have a bigger role in Kellen Moore’s offense and saw some action early against Arizona. Unfortunately, Miller only saw 5 carries on Sunday, rushing for 24 yards. Once the Cardinals started to take a lead, the Saints went away from the running game. While limited, Miller showed off everything he did in the preseason against a starting NFL defense. But it wasn’t on offense that the third-year running back made an impact. Miller also returned kicks for New Orleans on Sunday, logging 3 returns for 88 yards, including a 43-yard return. Kellen Moore has emphasized his desire to run the ball, and the team was able to do it well enough against Arizona. Hopefully, once the offense starts to flesh itself out, Miller will see more touches. - Canal Street Chronicles

I mean, Kamara is right there at 61.4, pretty much the exact same as Miller. I'm not arguing Miller is bad, I'm arguing he's not a threat to Kamara. A couple writers saying he should get more work means little to nothing to me, Kamara seeing a higher snap rate than all but 4 RBs in the NFL speaks more to me. I think Miller was treated unfairly by the previous regime, injuries didn't help, but Miller played 11 of 77 offensive snaps.

And rookie Devin Neal had 2 totes as well.

Actually, Devin Neal got the lowest grade of any offensive player, and I don't know whose argument that helps.

eta* Sorry, fifth worst. He got a 51.2

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Good reading, thanks