Travdogg's positional rankings from week 3 onward (2 Viewers)

[travdogg]

QB:
Tier 1:
1. Patrick Mahomes (1)
2. Josh Allen (3)
3. Jalen Hurts (2)
Tier 2:
4. Justin Fields (4)
5. Lamar Jackson (5)
6. Anthony Richardson (10), would be QB1 overall right now if he hadn't gotten hurt. He's everything we hoped he would be, and has looked more accurate than expected, So why not higher? His numbers and especially his rushing numbers have greatly trended downward once he was hurt in college, and my guess is he's out a week at least, but the Colts have their guy.
7. Joe Burrow (6)
Tier 3:
8. Justin Herbert (8)
9. Tua Tagovailoa (7), I knew I was putting him too high last week but let myself get swayed by the performance against an awful defense. He doesn't run, and has low volume, he's crazy efficient, but he also has to be to hit his ceiling.
10. Deshaun Watson (9)
11. Trevor Lawrence (11)
12. Daniel Jones (NR), rushing is king. He has 22 carries in 2 games, and that probably isn't going to slow down with Barkley hurt.
13. Dak Prescott (13)
Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)
15. Russell Wilson (14)

Dropped off: Jared Goff (15), just missed the list, the lack of rushing just makes it tough to keep him on the list.

 

[travdogg]

RB
Tier 1:
1. Christian McCaffrey (1)
2. Bijan Robinson (7)
Tier 2:
3. Austin Ekeler (4)
4. Tony Pollard (9)
5. Derrick Henry (6)
6. Breece Hall (5)
Tier 3:
7. Travis Etienne (10)
8. Josh Jacobs (8)
Tier 4:
9. Saquon Barkley (3)
10. James Conner (22), feels wrong to have him this high, but he's the centerpiece of the offense, and is seeing a workload that anyone other than CMC would be jealous of. Not a great matchup this week but might not be a bad buy-low after.
11. Rhamondre Stevenson (11)
Tier 5:
12. Joe Mixon (21)
13. Jahmyr Gibbs (13)
14. Jonathan Taylor (15)
15. James Cook (23)
16. Aaron Jones (16)
Tier 6:
17. Kyren Williams (17)
18. Brian Robinson (28), 79% of the carries, and should be excellent in any game they don't fall behind instantly.
19. Raheem Mostert (NR), he's always good when healthy, and with Wilson on IR and Achane not trusted yet, he's a solid RB2.
20. Kenneth Walker (18)
21. Jerome Ford (NR), had a very nice 3 quarters vs a pretty bad Steelers run D. My concern is workload, as I don't think they just roill with him and Pierre Strong.
22. Miles Sanders (20)
23. Isiah Pacheco (27)
24. Javonte Williams (25)
25. Khalil Herbert (NR), I feel like people are taking the wrong info from Foreman being a healthy scratch, I think that is more about Herbert than Roschon. Herbert has big-paly ability, and the Bears should figure out their offense enough to at least get the running game going.
26. Dameon Pierce (14), the OL is broken, and he gets pulled on passing downs. Might pop for a nice game here on there, because he's a good talent, but his floor is the basement.
27. Najee Harris (12), its clear to anyone other than the Steelers that Jaylen Warren is a better player. Only 19 touches in 2 games.
28. Dalvin Cook (26)
Tier 7:
29. Alvin Kamara (NR), not a big fan of his, and I think NO OL is trash, but his competition is hurt, and maybe he'll provide a jolt. I think this is a bad offense though.
30. D'Andre Swift (NR), I would be trying my damndest to sell high of last week. Swift is inconsistent by nature, and likely never sees that workload again. Eagles had all offseason to judge Swift and had him behind Gainwell in week 1. Obviously, the big game
helps, but this feels like a frustrating RBBC to me, where the QB takes almost all the TDs.

Dropped off: Nick Chubb (2), feel so bad for him. He was likely gonna drop 150+ on the Steelers. Hopefully his career isn't over. Kenneth Gainwell (19), probably lost some ground to Swift, but isn't likely going to fade away either. Rachaad White (24), nice workloads, but thoroughly unimpressive despite cake matchups. Alexander Mattison (29), Vikings have no interest in running, and the he hasn't given them reason to start. Tyler Allgeier (30), feels like Bijan's workload is just gonna get bigger. Also have some concern Patterson could mix in a little.

 

[travdogg]

WR
Tier 1:
1. Justin Jefferson (1)
2. Ja'Marr Chase (2)
Tier 2:
3. Tyreek Hill (3)
4. Stefon Diggs (4)
Tier 3:
5. CeeDee Lamb (10)
6. Davante Adams (6)
7. AJ Brown (5)
Tier 4:
8. Cooper Kupp (17), Rams offense looks great, and as impressive as Nacua is, he's not on Kupp's level. Frankly guys like Chase and Lamb aren't on a healthy Kupp's level. Maybe this is aggressive, but reasons to think he's good to go in 2 weeks.
9. Amon-Ra St. Brown (8)
10. Jaylen Waddle (9)
Tier 5:
11. Calvin Ridley (7)
12. DeVonta Smith (13)
13. Brandon Aiyuk (11)
14. Garrett Wilson (22)
15. Deebo Samuel (14)
16. Tee Higgins (18)
17. Chris Olave (12)
18. Mike Evans (20)
19. Puka Nacua (33), he's a top-12 WR until Kupp is back, but I could see him taking a very clear backseat to Kupp upon his return. Still should be a solid WR 2/3, in the Robert Woods role.
20. Christian Watson (19)
21. DJ Moore (16)
22. Amari Cooper (15)
Tier 6:
23. Keenan Allen (23)
24. Michael Pittman (29)
25. Nico Collins (32)
26. DK Metcalf (21)
27. Terry McLaurin (27)
28. Mike Williams (24)
29. Drake London (40), found myself impressed by Desmond Ridder a bit, and London just beat down Jaire Alexander last week. Talent has never been the question, if they even open it up a little, he's a WR2/3.
30. Hollywood Brown (NR), look at Josh Dobbs keeping the Cards frisky. For a team kinda tanking, they are very close to being 2-0. Brown is the clear #1, and while the ceiling isn't high. He could have 90 catches by season's end. Kyler could also help if/when he comes back.
31. DeAndre Hopkins (35)
Tier 7:
32. George Pickens (37)
33. Tyler Lockett (39)
34. Gabe Davis (38)
35. Christian Kirk (26), why the move down after a big game? Because its clear 3 WRs are going to be involved weekly, with a TE as well. Ridley feels like the clear #1, so while Kirk will have these spike weeks, I don't think week 1 was any more of a fluke than week 2 was. Sell high would be my advice.
36. Chris Godwin (36)
37. Jerry Jeudy (28), Broncos WR group looks a bit of a WRBC to me. Jeudy is the guy I trust most, but Sutton is there, and I expect Mims to see more targets going forward.
Tier 8:
38. Jordan Addison (34)
39. Michael Thomas (NR), back-to-back games with 5+ catches. He's not scored yet, but he's Carr's clear favorite target in the redzone. If he can stay healthy, it could become more of a 1A/1B with Olave.
40. Treylon Burks (NR), certainly a boom/bust element, but almost 40% air yards on a team that lives off PA. Also Hopkins is already a bit nicked and that's become a problem in recent years.

Dropped off: Zay Flowers (25), wanted to see his role stay static with Andrews back, and instead he was more of an afterthought. Gonna be tough to trust any WR with Andrews healthy. Jahan Dotson (30), the snaps and targets are on par with Scary Terry, but not sure the talent is. Samuel is involved more than you'd like. Elijah Moore (31), great utilization, but he's doing nothing with it. Feels just as likely they change the usage as it is that he suddenly starts playing well.

 

[travdogg]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Travis Kelce (1)
2. Mark Andrews (2)
Tier 2:
3. TJ Hockenson (4)
4. Darren Waller (3)
5. Kyle Pitts (9), 92% routes, 16% targets, 53% air yards. Hate to sound like a broken record, but production has to follow at some point.
6. George Kittle (5)
7. Dallas Goedert (6)
Tier 3:
8. Evan Engram (8)
9. Sam LaPorta (12), mostly being used as a frequent checkdown, 10 catches in 2 games hints at high floor, with obvious upside if he gets some redzone work.
10. Pat Freiermuth (7)
11. David Njoku (10)
Tier 4:
12. Zach Ertz (NR), back-to-back TE1 weeks, 31% target share. How? Ceiling isn't high, but its a 2-man passing game with him and Brown just like it was at this time last year.
13. Hunter Henry (NR), very involved, but he's been TDE dependent for much of his career. Feels like a bit of a sell high, as NE has plenty of guys on his level. That said, can only fade the TE2 so far.
14. Tyler Higbee (NR), never leaves the field, and passing game is looking back to 2021 levels. Likely to be a 50-500 guy.
15. Hayden Hurst (NR), TE is pretty thin, and he's in the top-2 of his (admittedly bad) passing game. Looks like a guy who is somewhat trustworthy, albeit it with little upside.

Dropped off: Cole Kmet (11), little nervous that Tonyan starting seeing a lot of snaps over him. Not a big enough pie to lose snaps. Dalton Kincaid (13), still has upside, but is very much splitting evenly with Knox. Dalton Schultz (14), Stroud seems to prefer throwing more downfield than Schultz operates. Chig Okonkwo (15), #3 option in a low volume passing game. Like the player, hate the role.

 

[FarFromHome]

Glad to see Kamara make the list. Ha ha. Also nice to see someone say something nice about Herbert.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Justin Fields still at 4. I mean, I’d like you to be right, but . It’s been just as rough as it was at this point last year

 

[Sj27dog]

thanks as always and great call on Kyren Williams last week.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Justin Fields still at 4. I mean, I’d like you to be right, but . It’s been just as rough as it was at this point last year

seems even worse

maybe he turns it around fantasy wise like he did in 2022 from Week 7 onward

right now it feels like the offense is broken and the OC has no vision of what he wants them to be

 

[Stoneworker]

QB:

Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)
15. Russell Wilson (14)

Pretty interesting ratings criteria that results in two guys dropping in rankings who last week accounted for a combined 728 passing/running yards and 7 TD's against only one INT

 

[Wildcat]

Thanks for sharing. Personally think Breece is a high based on the ineptitude of Z. Wilson and opponents stopping the run game 1st and foremost. Hoping I am wrong though as I have him in 2 leagues.

 

[BobbyLayne]

QB:

Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)
15. Russell Wilson (14)

Pretty interesting ratings criteria that results in two guys dropping in rankings who last week accounted for a combined 728 passing/running yards and 7 TD's against only one INT

4 of the top 7 in passer rating - who are also 4 of the top 7 in QBR - are missing from this Top 15

 

[travdogg]

Justin Fields still at 4. I mean, I’d like you to be right, but . It’s been just as rough as it was at this point last year

I mean, I think there is a lot of room for improvement, but Fields hasn't been a disaster fantasy wise, and he SHOULD see more rushing going forward.

QB:

Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)
15. Russell Wilson (14)

Pretty interesting ratings criteria that results in two guys dropping in rankings who last week accounted for a combined 728 passing/running yards and 7 TD's against only one INT

Cousins always has a limited ceiling due to his lack of rushing, he's also got some serious OL issues right now.

I kinda want to put Wilson higher, as the rushing has returned to his game, but I still worry that as a passer he's still closer to 2022 Wilson. Its kinda funny, I feel like people were questioning Wilson even being on the list last week.

 

[Gally]

Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)

Tier 1:
1. Justin Jefferson (1)

Alexander Mattison (29), Vikings have no interest in running,

Tier 2:
3. TJ Hockenson (4)

All of these things don't add up. Cousins should be well in the top 10 for fantasy QB's for this year. His volume isn't going to decrease and his weapons are tremendous. Their defense is terrible so they will always be in shootouts. I would flip flop Fields and Cousins even with the rushing desparity.

 

[zeeshan2]

Nico Collins that high but Stroud nowhere to be found?

 

[travdogg]

Thanks for sharing. Personally think Breece is a high based on the ineptitude of Z. Wilson and opponents stopping the run game 1st and foremost. Hoping I am wrong though as I have him in 2 leagues.

I think most (probably all) teams will be easier matchups than Dallas. I actually thought Wilson looked a little better than he did last year, until they fell behind late, and he started forcing bad throws. I'm still of the belief this team will be running the ball 30+ times weekly most games, and Hall's role will only get bigger. He's the last potential bellcow that is currently healthy in my eyes, even if that isn't his role quite yet. I think he's a fantastic buy-low right now.

Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)

Tier 1:
1. Justin Jefferson (1)

Alexander Mattison (29), Vikings have no interest in running,

Tier 2:
3. TJ Hockenson (4)

All of these things don't add up. Cousins should be well in the top 10 for fantasy QB's for this year. His volume isn't going to decrease and his weapons are tremendous. Their defense is terrible so they will always be in shootouts. I would flip flop Fields and Cousins even with the rushing desparity.

Cousins will probably be a top-10 QB, I just don't see the ceiling that the guys ahead of him have. I'd rather have a guy who could be top-5 but might also be 15th, than a guy I know will be around 10. That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes. I thought the pass defense played a great game against the Eagles other than 1 play. Most teams won't have the OL to blow open holes like Philly did.

 

[dschuler]

Glad to see you come around on Bijian this week after ranking Henry ahead of him .
I think Pickens isn’t ranked high enough but I’m fine with it based on how bad their offense looked.
What do you think about Olave? He’s a waiver guy in the first half of games and a WR1 in the second half. He’s a couple inches away from a big game 2 but also a miracle catch away from a dud.

 

[Gally]

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes.

Maybe it's my Vikings fandom but their defense is horrible. They cannot stop anybody. It wasn't the superior line play of Philly that caused the problems. It will be the same all season long.

That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

As far as the upside for Cousins, I disagree. I see his upside as easily in the top 5. I see his range as 1 to 10 (although most of my leagues are 6 pt all TD's). He is currently either #1 or #2 in all six of my leagues. Jones is considerably lower in all of them but they also hit turnovers pretty hard at (-3)

 

[jobarules]

Cousins at 14 is lunacy. No running game, a terrible defense, tons of weapons in the passing game.

 

[travdogg]

Nico Collins that high but Stroud nowhere to be found?

Stroud would have been 50-50 to be in my top-20 if I went that deep. He's doing a lot for Collins, but nobody else in really all that valuable. Maybe Dell gets there at some point?

Glad to see you come around on Bijian this week after ranking Henry ahead of him .
I think Pickens isn’t ranked high enough but I’m fine with it based on how bad their offense looked.
What do you think about Olave? He’s a waiver guy in the first half of games and a WR1 in the second half. He’s a couple inches away from a big game 2 but also a miracle catch away from a dud.

I'm pretty flexible with small changes. Bijan has honestly looked as good as any RB in the NFL whenever he gets the ball. He's earned the upgrade, though CMC is probably pretty unassailable. I almost made tier 1 and 2 just 1 guy apiece, but that looked weird so I lumped them together.

I like Pickens talent, but almost all of his production came from 1 play, and even then, that felt a little fluky to me. I'm really concerned about the Steelers offense, they were EXTREMELY lucky to win last night. They've looked as bad as any team in the league through 2 games. The pass blocking especially is awful, I know it was SF/Cle, but still, turnstiles would be an upgrade.

I like Olave a ton, I think Carr is a sideways move from Dalton, and Michael Thomas is involved quite a bit. My concern is that Olave basically finishes pretty similar to last season. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt having him in tier 5. I kinda want to put him below Evans/Puka/Watson, but I just like his talent so much.

 

[travdogg]

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes.

Maybe it's my Vikings fandom but their defense is horrible. They cannot stop anybody. It wasn't the superior line play of Philly that caused the problems. It will be the same all season long.

That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

As far as the upside for Cousins, I disagree. I see his upside as easily in the top 5. I see his range as 1 to 10 (although most of my leagues are 6 pt all TD's). He is currently either #1 or #2 in all six of my leagues. Jones is considerably lower in all of them but they also hit turnovers pretty hard at (-3)

They stopped Tampa Bay just fine (242 total yards) Cousins is the reason the Vikings lost that game, not the defense.

I don't know how you can say it wasn't the superior line play in week 2. The Eagles OL is universally considered the best in the NFL (even with Cam Jurgens not being able to get hands on defenders) and has been for several years.

I've never played in a league that punished turnovers so heavily. I don't see Cousins maintaining this pace at all. He's not throwing for 6,018 yards or 51 TDs. He's not likely to slow down against the Chargers, but I don't think he's the worst sell high after week 3.

 

[Gally]

I don't know how you can say it wasn't the superior line play in week 2. The Eagles OL is universally considered the best in the NFL (even with Cam Jurgens not being able to get hands on defenders) and has been for several years.

I didn't mean that they weren't good..... just that the Vikings are so bad that it wasn't needed.

As far as the TB game, Cousins had the turnovers for sure that were costly but two were not his fault. His O-line knocked the ball out while pulling and a blitzing safety blind sided him for the other. I wouldn't put the loss on Cousins

 

[Kuz]

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes.

Maybe it's my Vikings fandom but their defense is horrible. They cannot stop anybody. It wasn't the superior line play of Philly that caused the problems. It will be the same all season long.

That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

As far as the upside for Cousins, I disagree. I see his upside as easily in the top 5. I see his range as 1 to 10 (although most of my leagues are 6 pt all TD's). He is currently either #1 or #2 in all six of my leagues. Jones is considerably lower in all of them but they also hit turnovers pretty hard at (-3)

They stopped Tampa Bay just fine (242 total yards) Cousins is the reason the Vikings lost that game, not the defense.

I don't know how you can say it wasn't the superior line play in week 2. The Eagles OL is universally considered the best in the NFL (even with Cam Jurgens not being able to get hands on defenders) and has been for several years.

I've never played in a league that punished turnovers so heavily. I don't see Cousins maintaining this pace at all. He's not throwing for 6,018 yards or 51 TDs. He's not likely to slow down against the Chargers, but I don't think he's the worst sell high after week 3.

I have to tell you...I agree with Gally - He's spot on. Vikings defense is terrible. Yet we have a great WR/TE but Cousins you have 15 QB.. It sort of reminds me of when Fitz./Boldin were both top 5 WR.. Kurt Warner was QB 21.. Who's throwing the TB's to them the punter.. If you still have JJ#1 & Hock # 3.. How is Cousins the # 15 QB..

 

[BigJim®]

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes.

Maybe it's my Vikings fandom but their defense is horrible. They cannot stop anybody. It wasn't the superior line play of Philly that caused the problems. It will be the same all season long.

That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

As far as the upside for Cousins, I disagree. I see his upside as easily in the top 5. I see his range as 1 to 10 (although most of my leagues are 6 pt all TD's). He is currently either #1 or #2 in all six of my leagues. Jones is considerably lower in all of them but they also hit turnovers pretty hard at (-3)

They stopped Tampa Bay just fine (242 total yards) Cousins is the reason the Vikings lost that game, not the defense.

Trav, love your work, and appreciate the fun read, but this take is head scratching. The Vikes did not stop Tampa just fine. In the beginning, yes. However, the final drives by Tampa were 7 plays (touchdown), 16 plays (touchdown), 5 plays (punt), 7 plays (FG), 7 plays (FG), 7 plays (ran out clock). That 16 play drive opened the second half, and it was a soul crushing 9 MINUTE drive.

Cousins was harassed all day, and was the victim of a terrible running game and highly questionable 1st down play calling of screens/sweeps that lost yardage - putting the offense in terrible down/distances on 2nd/3rd with a porous OL. Cousins was no superstar, but his 33/42 for 344 yards and 102 QBR cannot logically be described as "the reason the Vikes lost the game" - in any universe.

 

[Mister CIA]

Thanks, man. I'd have to rank Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence way above Deshaun Watson.

 

[travdogg]

I don't know how you can say it wasn't the superior line play in week 2. The Eagles OL is universally considered the best in the NFL (even with Cam Jurgens not being able to get hands on defenders) and has been for several years.

I didn't mean that they weren't good..... just that the Vikings are so bad that it wasn't needed.

As far as the TB game, Cousins had the turnovers for sure that were costly but two were not his fault. His O-line knocked the ball out while pulling and a blitzing safety blind sided him for the other. I wouldn't put the loss on Cousins

I put the safety blitz on Cousins. He's got to see that, and either get it out quicker or have better security. Defense forced a 3 and out for a FG.

The INT was in TB's endzone and cost them a minimum of 3 points as it was 2nd and 1 from the 13.

The bigger thing I blame Cousins for, is having 2 possessions in the 4th quarter and both being 3 and outs. Of course the defense wore down in that scenario. Despite that, they only gave up a 57 yard FG. I think this isn't a terrible defense, its not good, but its not bottom of the league by any measure.

 

[travdogg]

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes.

Maybe it's my Vikings fandom but their defense is horrible. They cannot stop anybody. It wasn't the superior line play of Philly that caused the problems. It will be the same all season long.

That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

As far as the upside for Cousins, I disagree. I see his upside as easily in the top 5. I see his range as 1 to 10 (although most of my leagues are 6 pt all TD's). He is currently either #1 or #2 in all six of my leagues. Jones is considerably lower in all of them but they also hit turnovers pretty hard at (-3)

They stopped Tampa Bay just fine (242 total yards) Cousins is the reason the Vikings lost that game, not the defense.

Trav, love your work, and appreciate the fun read, but this take is head scratching. The Vikes did not stop Tampa just fine. In the beginning, yes. However, the final drives by Tampa were 7 plays (touchdown), 16 plays (touchdown), 5 plays (punt), 7 plays (FG), 7 plays (FG), 7 plays (ran out clock). That 16 play drive opened the second half, and it was a soul crushing 9 MINUTE drive.

Cousins was harassed all day, and was the victim of a terrible running game and highly questionable 1st down play calling of screens/sweeps that lost yardage - putting the offense in terrible down/distances on 2nd/3rd with a porous OL. Cousins was no superstar, but his 33/42 for 344 yards and 102 QBR cannot logically be described as "the reason the Vikes lost the game" - in any universe.

I will very much agree that the 1st down playcalling was awful. But not 1 first down in the 4th quarter, in 2 possessions. Also, passer rating doesn't account for fumbles.

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes.

Maybe it's my Vikings fandom but their defense is horrible. They cannot stop anybody. It wasn't the superior line play of Philly that caused the problems. It will be the same all season long.

That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

As far as the upside for Cousins, I disagree. I see his upside as easily in the top 5. I see his range as 1 to 10 (although most of my leagues are 6 pt all TD's). He is currently either #1 or #2 in all six of my leagues. Jones is considerably lower in all of them but they also hit turnovers pretty hard at (-3)

They stopped Tampa Bay just fine (242 total yards) Cousins is the reason the Vikings lost that game, not the defense.

I don't know how you can say it wasn't the superior line play in week 2. The Eagles OL is universally considered the best in the NFL (even with Cam Jurgens not being able to get hands on defenders) and has been for several years.

I've never played in a league that punished turnovers so heavily. I don't see Cousins maintaining this pace at all. He's not throwing for 6,018 yards or 51 TDs. He's not likely to slow down against the Chargers, but I don't think he's the worst sell high after week 3.

I have to tell you...I agree with Gally - He's spot on. Vikings defense is terrible. Yet we have a great WR/TE but Cousins you have 15 QB.. It sort of reminds me of when Fitz./Boldin were both top 5 WR.. Kurt Warner was QB 21.. Who's throwing the TB's to them the punter.. If you still have JJ#1 & Hock # 3.. How is Cousins the # 15 QB..

Its not hard to have 2 pass catchers without a top QB. The 2021 49ers did it (Deebo was WR7 even if we give him 0 rushing points) Hockenson being a TE and being top-3 is a lot different than having 2 top-5 WRs. 700-8 could easily be top-3 at TE.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Always appreciate these lists even though I don’t agree with some of the rankings. Regardless, a lot of time and effort clearly went into these—so bravo and thank you.

One thing that I would disagree with is the notion that not only is Chase ranked above Tyreek—but Chase is a Tier 1 WR and Hill is a Tier 2? I would take Jefferson, Tyreek, Diggs, CeeDee, and Amon Ra all over Chase right now. Thats just my personal opinion though.

 

[travdogg]

Thanks, man. I'd have to rank Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence way above Deshaun Watson.

Love is interesting. He's got a lot more fantasy points than he has any business having. GB has basically ignored the run in the redzone, which doesn't seem super likely to continue. Love's built his 1st 2 games solely on TDs. He has under 200 YPG, and is a average rusher. Also has little volume with just 26 pass attempts. In his defense he hasn't had Watson and has only one game with Jones (the 2 best guys on the offense) but right now, until either he runs more, or the volume changes, this feels like a clear fluke. Add to that he has a 56% completion rate, and I'm not sure we aren't seeing a mirage. As someone with a lot of Watson shares, I hope not, but I'm not super confident, unless Watson's return REALLY opens the offense up.

I keep coming back to Watson's rushing. He's averaged close to 500 yards per season, and he's certainly still right there, on pace for 570 rushing, and could see more usage with Chubb gone.

 

[Gally]

The INT was in TB's endzone and cost them a minimum of 3 points as it was 2nd and 1 from the 13.

I put that interception 50-50 on Cousins and Osborne. It wasn't a perfect throw but Osborne was terrible and it shouldn't have been picked. Plenty of blame to go around but not all of it goes to Cousins.

 

[travdogg]

Always appreciate these lists even though I don’t agree with some of the rankings. Regardless, a lot of time and effort clearly went into these—so bravo and thank you.

One thing that I would disagree with is the notion that not only is Chase ranked above Tyreek—but Chase is a Tier 1 WR and Hill is a Tier 2? I would take Jefferson, Tyreek, Diggs, CeeDee, and Amon Ra all over Chase right now. Thats just my personal opinion though.

I can certainly see the case for Hill and Diggs. Its possible I'm giving Chase too much rope, but I'd hate to downgrade him, and then he goes off for 175-2, and that feels on the table any given week. He's been very close to multiple TDs so far, its just missed.

If Burrow's injury is serious, Chase will go down, but right now, I'm still operating under the impression this a top offense, that is just having a rough start.

 

[BigJim®]

I will very much agree that the 1st down playcalling was awful. But not 1 first down in the 4th quarter, in 2 possessions. Also, passer rating doesn't account for fumbles.

I'm not going to clutter your great thread beyond this post, but like I said in the first reply, this is how the two mere 4th quarter drives began:

1st & 10 at MIN 20
(11:11 - 4th) K.Cousins pass short left to T.Hockenson to MIN 17 for -3 yards (D.White) [A.Nelson].

1st & 10 at MIN 25​

(5:10 - 4th) K.Cousins pass short left to T.Hockenson to MIN 21 for -4 yards (L.David, L.Hall).

I mean, it's sort of stupifying they called the same exact doomed <LOS screen on 1st downs with the downfield receivers they have. When running the ball is impossible, and a strong defensive line can tee off on obvious 2nd/3rd down pass, you are not going to have success.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Cousins is much more attractive of an option if you are in a 6-point passing league. Given how much you emphasize QB rushing, I'm guessing you're not in any.

 

[dipandglide]

Nice post

Kenneth Walker is too low

 

[travdogg]

Cousins is much more attractive of an option if you are in a 6-point passing league. Given how much you emphasize QB rushing, I'm guessing you're not in any.

I'm trying to going with the most common league settings for rankings, which in my opinion is 4 pts passing TD, and .5 PPR.

 

[fatness]

Kenneth Walker is too low

Yes, he is.

Appreciate the thread as always. @travdogg .

 

[travdogg]

Kenneth Walker is too low

Yes, he is.

Appreciate the thread as always. @travdogg .

Why do you guys think Walker is too low?

I see a RB who has been bouyed by TDs, that is a boom/bust runner, who has a real injured OL. He does seem to be doing just fine holding off Charbonnet, but I'm not confident the offense is as good as a year ago.

What makes him different/better than Miles Sanders is kinda what I'm getting at?

 

[Deamon]

QB:
Tier 1:
1. Patrick Mahomes (1)
2. Josh Allen (3)
3. Jalen Hurts (2)
Tier 2:
4. Justin Fields (4)
5. Lamar Jackson (5)
6. Anthony Richardson (10), would be QB1 overall right now if he hadn't gotten hurt. He's everything we hoped he would be, and has looked more accurate than expected, So why not higher? His numbers and especially his rushing numbers have greatly trended downward once he was hurt in college, and my guess is he's out a week at least, but the Colts have their guy.
7. Joe Burrow (6)
Tier 3:
8. Justin Herbert (8)
9. Tua Tagovailoa (7), I knew I was putting him too high last week but let myself get swayed by the performance against an awful defense. He doesn't run, and has low volume, he's crazy efficient, but he also has to be to hit his ceiling.
10. Deshaun Watson (9)
11. Trevor Lawrence (11)
12. Daniel Jones (NR), rushing is king. He has 22 carries in 2 games, and that probably isn't going to slow down with Barkley hurt.
13. Dak Prescott (13)
Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)
15. Russell Wilson (14)

Dropped off: Jared Goff (15), just missed the list, the lack of rushing just makes it tough to keep him on the list.

Love your work, thanks for this again.

I feel you don't adjust players enough at times though.... Fields at 4 seems wild, as does Cousins at 14. Curious on your thoughts on Fields totally pulling a 180.

 

[TVT 0 N S T A]

I think you are low on Dak and Daniel Jones - Dak will have to be an extension of the running game at some point. Daniel Jones is going to have great rushing numbers while Barkley is out.

Brian Robinson is that dude. With Gibson's fumbling and lack of receiving effectiveness... I think Robinson and Kyren Williams are both too low.

Fading Gibson like a winter sunset and Williams is in a position where they are openly shopping his backfield-mate. All signs point to him continuing on the pace he is on.

 

[dschuler]

I see a RB who has been bouyed by TDs, that is a boom/bust runner, who has a real injured OL. He does seem to be doing just fine holding off Charbonnet, but I'm not confident the offense is as good as a year ago.

I think Walker is about right (maybe a spot or two too low) because I think Charbonnet will start to get work soon. He’s a better pass catcher and is a rookie that will eventually start eating in a small percentage of Walker snaps and more of Dallas snaps as well.

Love your work, thanks for this again.

I feel you don't adjust players enough at times though.... Fields at 4 seems wild, as does Cousins at 14. Curious on your thoughts on Fields totally pulling a 180.

Fields is a little surprising still at 4. Good chance this is his last year in as a starter in Chicago and decent chance he doesn’t finish the year as the starter the way the year has started. When you want to lose and get Caleb Williams there might not be a better QB than Nathan Peterman, their backup.

 

[Snotbubbles]

I also don't think the Vikings defense is as bad as some do. Its league average in my eyes.

Maybe it's my Vikings fandom but their defense is horrible. They cannot stop anybody. It wasn't the superior line play of Philly that caused the problems. It will be the same all season long.

That's basically Cousins v D. Jones in a nutshell. Rankings aren't an exact science in that way for me, its more of a range of outcomes exercise. The rushing matters a ton. Kirk Cousins has 8 more points than Daniel Jones, who basically didn't even show up week 1.

As far as the upside for Cousins, I disagree. I see his upside as easily in the top 5. I see his range as 1 to 10 (although most of my leagues are 6 pt all TD's). He is currently either #1 or #2 in all six of my leagues. Jones is considerably lower in all of them but they also hit turnovers pretty hard at (-3)

They stopped Tampa Bay just fine (242 total yards) Cousins is the reason the Vikings lost that game, not the defense.

I don't know how you can say it wasn't the superior line play in week 2. The Eagles OL is universally considered the best in the NFL (even with Cam Jurgens not being able to get hands on defenders) and has been for several years.

I've never played in a league that punished turnovers so heavily. I don't see Cousins maintaining this pace at all. He's not throwing for 6,018 yards or 51 TDs. He's not likely to slow down against the Chargers, but I don't think he's the worst sell high after week 3.

The Vikings kind of did it to themselves. They were rushing 3 and dropping 8 into coverage. You're just asking to get run on at that point.

 

[travdogg]

They stopped Tampa Bay just fine (242 total yards) Cousins is the reason the Vikings lost that game, not the defense.

I don't know how you can say it wasn't the superior line play in week 2. The Eagles OL is universally considered the best in the NFL (even with Cam Jurgens not being able to get hands on defenders) and has been for several years.

I've never played in a league that punished turnovers so heavily. I don't see Cousins maintaining this pace at all. He's not throwing for 6,018 yards or 51 TDs. He's not likely to slow down against the Chargers, but I don't think he's the worst sell high after week 3.

The Vikings kind of did it to themselves. They were rushing 3 and dropping 8 into coverage. You're just asking to get run on at that point.

Agreed, that's also a big reason why I'm not jumping to rank Swift super high.

I think you are low on Dak and Daniel Jones - Dak will have to be an extension of the running game at some point. Daniel Jones is going to have great rushing numbers while Barkley is out.

Brian Robinson is that dude. With Gibson's fumbling and lack of receiving effectiveness... I think Robinson and Kyren Williams are both too low.

Fading Gibson like a winter sunset and Williams is in a position where they are openly shopping his backfield-mate. All signs point to him continuing on the pace he is on.

I think Dak is going to be really effective, but I think the defense may be too good for the volume to ever really be there. In Jones case, I can see the upside a little more, but I do have concerns the offense could crater without Barkley, as it has in the past. Hopefully Waller and company are good enough to keep the passing part afloat.

I do love how fast things can change, where last week Kyren was too high at 17, and this week he's too low. I think the TD's are likely not super sticky, but I think the receiving certainly is. This Rams offense has 4-1 rushing to passing TD ratio, and I 100% doubt that sticks. Still he's been a hell of a value as an undrafted waiver pickup.

Robinson is in a somewhat similar boat to me. Though I think he has a little less upside, as he's unlikely as involved in the passing game. Gibson is still getting that work, and are we sure Washington is good, or did they play Denver/Arizona who are 0-4 so far? I think we are seeing Robinson's ceiling right now, unless the pass catching becomes his. I'm always a little wary of guys who aren't pass catchers unless they are really effective rushers who create big plays (Chubb, Henry) Robinson and his 3.9 YPC feels a little more like a Montgomery to me. I don't think he's a bad sell high if someone thinks they are getting a top-12 RB.

 

[travdogg]

I see a RB who has been bouyed by TDs, that is a boom/bust runner, who has a real injured OL. He does seem to be doing just fine holding off Charbonnet, but I'm not confident the offense is as good as a year ago.

I think Walker is about right (maybe a spot or two too low) because I think Charbonnet will start to get work soon. He’s a better pass catcher and is a rookie that will eventually start eating in a small percentage of Walker snaps and more of Dallas snaps as well.

Love your work, thanks for this again.

I feel you don't adjust players enough at times though.... Fields at 4 seems wild, as does Cousins at 14. Curious on your thoughts on Fields totally pulling a 180.

Fields is a little surprising still at 4. Good chance this is his last year in as a starter in Chicago and decent chance he doesn’t finish the year as the starter the way the year has started. When you want to lose and get Caleb Williams there might not be a better QB than Nathan Peterman, their backup.

I think there is a 0% chance Fields gets benched at any point for any reason. For better or worse, he's the guy. I don't see the Bears tanking at all, as there is a good chance Eberflus is gone if they pick #1 again.

I think we've been seeing Fields floor these last 2 games, as the Bears have been restricting his rushing attempts, and trying to force the round peg into the square hole. Its dangerous to assume rational coaching will take place, but Fields shouldn't have a single game with fewer than 10 rushes in my opinion. My gut says they will stop trying to turn him into something he's not (especially since its been wholly ineffective) and we'll see something more akin to 2022 Fields soon enough.

To be honest, the guy in tier 2 that I'm worried about more than Fields is Burrow. I just feel more comfortable making on field assumptions than medical ones.

 

[dschuler]

I think there is a 0% chance Fields gets benched at any point for any reason. For better or worse, he's the guy. I don't see the Bears tanking at all, as there is a good chance Eberflus is gone if they pick #1 again.

Nothing is 0%. Historically several first round QBs have been benched after starting the first two years. While I don’t think it will happen, it’s certainly a possibility (maybe 10-20%). He’s a lot closer to Vince Young, JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, etc than Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, and Trevor Lawrence all first round picks who were benched.

 

[need2know]

I see a RB who has been bouyed by TDs, that is a boom/bust runner, who has a real injured OL. He does seem to be doing just fine holding off Charbonnet, but I'm not confident the offense is as good as a year ago.

I think Walker is about right (maybe a spot or two too low) because I think Charbonnet will start to get work soon. He’s a better pass catcher and is a rookie that will eventually start eating in a small percentage of Walker snaps and more of Dallas snaps as well.

Love your work, thanks for this again.

I feel you don't adjust players enough at times though.... Fields at 4 seems wild, as does Cousins at 14. Curious on your thoughts on Fields totally pulling a 180.

Fields is a little surprising still at 4. Good chance this is his last year in as a starter in Chicago and decent chance he doesn’t finish the year as the starter the way the year has started. When you want to lose and get Caleb Williams there might not be a better QB than Nathan Peterman, their backup.

I think there is a 0% chance Fields gets benched at any point for any reason. For better or worse, he's the guy. I don't see the Bears tanking at all, as there is a good chance Eberflus is gone if they pick #1 again.

I think we've been seeing Fields floor these last 2 games, as the Bears have been restricting his rushing attempts, and trying to force the round peg into the square hole. Its dangerous to assume rational coaching will take place, but Fields shouldn't have a single game with fewer than 10 rushes in my opinion. My gut says they will stop trying to turn him into something he's not (especially since its been wholly ineffective) and we'll see something more akin to 2022 Fields soon enough.

To be honest, the guy in tier 2 that I'm worried about more than Fields is Burrow. I just feel more comfortable making on field assumptions than medical ones.

oh they will def bench him if they continue to lose

 

[Tau837]

3. Austin Ekeler (4)

I posted that I thought you were too high on Ekeler in one of your preseason threads and gave plenty of reasons. We had a good exchange then.

I did not predict injury among those reasons, but now Ekeler has missed 1 of 2 games due to an apparent high ankle sprain and seems to be trending to miss game 3. The Chargers' bye is in week 5, so it seems possible he could miss game 4 as well, though there is no information supporting that right now.

Aside from the injury, we also saw that, like Ekeler, RB2 Kelley had a great game in week 1. Kelley wasn't great in week 2, but that was against a stout Titans run defense. I expect Kelley will have a role significant enough this season that it will cap Ekeler below RB3... I'm guessing he will have a role bigger than you originally expected with your Ekeler ranking, and it doesn't seem like you have made any adjustment for that.

23. Keenan Allen (23)

Allen is currently WR5 in standard leagues. I predicted before the season that he will have his career best season this year if he stays healthy. So far, so good. This ranking feels pretty low IMO.

 

[msudaisy26]

QB:
Tier 1:
1. Patrick Mahomes (1)
2. Josh Allen (3)
3. Jalen Hurts (2)
Tier 2:
4. Justin Fields (4)
5. Lamar Jackson (5)
6. Anthony Richardson (10), would be QB1 overall right now if he hadn't gotten hurt. He's everything we hoped he would be, and has looked more accurate than expected, So why not higher? His numbers and especially his rushing numbers have greatly trended downward once he was hurt in college, and my guess is he's out a week at least, but the Colts have their guy.
7. Joe Burrow (6)
Tier 3:
8. Justin Herbert (8)
9. Tua Tagovailoa (7), I knew I was putting him too high last week but let myself get swayed by the performance against an awful defense. He doesn't run, and has low volume, he's crazy efficient, but he also has to be to hit his ceiling.
10. Deshaun Watson (9)
11. Trevor Lawrence (11)
12. Daniel Jones (NR), rushing is king. He has 22 carries in 2 games, and that probably isn't going to slow down with Barkley hurt.
13. Dak Prescott (13)
Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)
15. Russell Wilson (14)

Dropped off: Jared Goff (15), just missed the list, the lack of rushing just makes it tough to keep him on the list.

Great work and here is my humble critique.

Mahomes is the real life QB 1, this year feels like he fantasy QB5ish.
Fields is too high he should be top 8 on potential.
Tua and Herbert need to jump Burrow. Burrow is injured.
Cousins and Dak up, Watson down.
Goff needs to go to the top 15, Lions defense is in shambles with injuries, Montgomery is out for a few weeks. He will be a low end starter.

 

[sho nuff]

My question is the low ranking of Keenan Allen?

 

[travdogg]

3. Austin Ekeler (4)

I posted that I thought you were too high on Ekeler in one of your preseason threads and gave plenty of reasons. We had a good exchange then.

I did not predict injury among those reasons, but now Ekeler has missed 1 of 2 games due to an apparent high ankle sprain and seems to be trending to miss game 3. The Chargers' bye is in week 5, so it seems possible he could miss game 4 as well, though there is no information supporting that right now.

Aside from the injury, we also saw that, like Ekeler, RB2 Kelley had a great game in week 1. Kelley wasn't great in week 2, but that was against a stout Titans run defense. I expect Kelley will have a role significant enough this season that it will cap Ekeler below RB3... I'm guessing he will have a role bigger than you originally expected with your Ekeler ranking, and it doesn't seem like you have made any adjustment for that.

23. Keenan Allen (23)

Allen is currently WR5 in standard leagues. I predicted before the season that he will have his career best season this year if he stays healthy. So far, so good. This ranking feels pretty low IMO.

RB has been a bit of a minefield already with a bunch of underachievers and guys getting hurt. I trust Ekeler more than anyone below him, other than maybe Pollard. I still don't think Kelley's role will be as big as it looked in week 1, I think that was opponent and health related. I don't doubt he'll be more involved than any one guy was the last 2 seasons, but not enough to affect Ekeler a ton, as the overall pie should be bigger.

I think Allen benefitted a lot from Ekeler missing last week's game, and the Titans being a massive pass funnel. I do like the usage he has seen so far, but I think he might not be the worst sell high if someone thinks he's a true WR1. Maybe wait until after the Vikings game, but then again, one would probably get more now.

 

[travdogg]

QB:
Tier 1:
1. Patrick Mahomes (1)
2. Josh Allen (3)
3. Jalen Hurts (2)
Tier 2:
4. Justin Fields (4)
5. Lamar Jackson (5)
6. Anthony Richardson (10), would be QB1 overall right now if he hadn't gotten hurt. He's everything we hoped he would be, and has looked more accurate than expected, So why not higher? His numbers and especially his rushing numbers have greatly trended downward once he was hurt in college, and my guess is he's out a week at least, but the Colts have their guy.
7. Joe Burrow (6)
Tier 3:
8. Justin Herbert (8)
9. Tua Tagovailoa (7), I knew I was putting him too high last week but let myself get swayed by the performance against an awful defense. He doesn't run, and has low volume, he's crazy efficient, but he also has to be to hit his ceiling.
10. Deshaun Watson (9)
11. Trevor Lawrence (11)
12. Daniel Jones (NR), rushing is king. He has 22 carries in 2 games, and that probably isn't going to slow down with Barkley hurt.
13. Dak Prescott (13)
Tier 4:
14. Kirk Cousins (12)
15. Russell Wilson (14)

Dropped off: Jared Goff (15), just missed the list, the lack of rushing just makes it tough to keep him on the list.

Great work and here is my humble critique.

Mahomes is the real life QB 1, this year feels like he fantasy QB5ish.
Fields is too high he should be top 8 on potential.
Tua and Herbert need to jump Burrow. Burrow is injured.
Cousins and Dak up, Watson down.
Goff needs to go to the top 15, Lions defense is in shambles with injuries, Montgomery is out for a few weeks. He will be a low end starter.

I don't know about that with Mahomes. He's QB4 (less than 4 points out of #1) right now, and that was mostly without Kelce, as he missed week 1, and was only on the field for 58% of week 2.

I'm starting to think Justin Fields is an excellent buy-low. He's QB16, and he's been restricted rushing, and missed very open WRs. This feels like his absolute floor to me. I wouldn't hesitate to swap Fields for Cousins or Dak.

I am getting a little nervous about Burrow. I posted before I knew that he was hurt, well hurt badly enough to have his availability in question anyway. The whole offense moves down depending on severity, but I don't want to jump to conclusions quite yet.

I hesitate to lower Watson, just off his rushing and the chance that the offense becomes more pass heavy without their best player. I could see the case for having tier 2 end with Richardson and putting Burrow (with a ? mark) Herbert, and Tua as their own tier. I don't know that'd I'd rather have Dak or Cousins than Watson though. Its not pretty, but that rushing is so valuable (as it is with D. Jones to a greater extent too)

Goff would have been #16. I think Wilson has slightly more upside due to rushing, and for the moment a deeper supporting cast.

 

[Tau837]

I think Allen benefitted a lot from Ekeler missing last week's game, and the Titans being a massive pass funnel. I do like the usage he has seen so far, but I think he might not be the worst sell high if someone thinks he's a true WR1. Maybe wait until after the Vikings game, but then again, one would probably get more now.

Once he got healthy last season, Allen dominated. I don't think many non-Chargers fans are aware of how good he was down the stretch last season. He is the target hog by a good margin on a team that might be a top 3 passing offense when all is said and done, and he obviously has a strong connection with Herbert.

I would definitely be a buyer with a contending dynasty team, since it may be possible to get him at a discounted price due to age. IMO he could be a championship player this season.