Travdogg's positional rankings from week 4 onward (9 Viewers)

[travdogg]

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

Tier 2:
5. Patrick Mahomes (5)
6. Baker Mayfield (6)
7. Caleb Williams (9)
8. Justin Herbert (7)

Tier 3:
9. Jared Goff (8)
10. Justin Fields (10)
11. Drake Maye (NR), in many ways, he's basically Caleb Williams, with a worse supporting cast. Sneaky high floor due to his legs.
12. Brock Purdy (15), expecting him back this week, especially after Mac Jones hurt his knee. May have lower ceiling due to less mobility because of his toe injury but will get Kittle/Aiyuk back in the future.
13. Jordan Love (11)
14. Daniel Jones (NR), I understand if people want him higher, as he's QB4 right now, but I'm gonna be slow and stubborn with him, because he's Daniel Jones.
15. Bo Nix (12), this ranking is probably more about respect for Sean Payton. Nix has taken like 3 steps backward from last year. If he was playing at last year's level, the Broncos are 3-0 right now. He's skating by on his rushing floor and some blown coverage TDs. Feels like Stroud 2.0.

Dropped off: Michael Penix (13), looked like the worst player on the field against Carolina. Mild concern he could be benched for Cousins if play doesn't improve quick. Jake Browning (14), not an encouraging start, but if they stick with him, I'm still expecting him to be in the 20-15 cutdown weekly, with some upside. Or maybe they'll trade for Russ?

 

[travdogg]

RB
Tier 1:
1. Jonathan Taylor (7)
2. Bijan Robinson (1)
3. Christian McCaffrey (2)
4. Jahmyr Gibbs (5)
5. De'Von Achane (8)
6. Saquon Barkley (4)
7. Bucky Irving (10)

Tier 2:
8. James Cook (6)
9. Derrick Henry (3)
10. Kyren Williams (11)
11. Josh Jacobs (9)
12. Ashton Jeanty (13)

Tier 3:
13. Kenneth Walker (17)
14. Chuba Hubbard (14)
15. Omarion Hampton (18)

Tier 4:
16. Javonte Williams (22)
17. Jordan Mason (24), ranked last week before Jones was on IR. Its probably Mason's job regardless, though I'm not expecting much in the receiving area. Always been a huge fan (no idea why SF gave him away, he wasn't THAT expensive) as he's probably a top-10 rusher. OL is getting healthier.
18. Jaylen Warren (23)
19. Chase Brown (12)

Tier 5:
20. Travis Etienne (16)
21. JK Dobbins (30), the Tyler Badie experiment seems to have ended, and all his work went to Dobbins. Time will tell if that's sticky, and Harvey still looms as a potential threat. But its wheels up for JK right now. Getting GL and breaking big plays.
22. Quinshon Judkins (NR), likely gonna be boom/bust due to offense being awful, but defense helps. He's the clear focus when they aren't in catchup mode and has looked awesome these last 2 weeks. Possible (probable?) suspension still looms.

Tier 6:
23. Cam Skattebo (NR), I think regardless of the Tracy injury, Skat was gonna dust him anyway. He's just a WAY better player. I was a huge fan of his as a prospect (I had him RB3 in the class, people VASTLY overrate 40 times) and his receiving ability is probably as good as anyone short of the elites. I do wonder if the Giants going to Dart hurts him. Russ was VERY willing to check down.
24. Alvin Kamara (15), OL is getting banged up already, and Saints have been kinda pass heavy in the redzone. Still pretty confident catches will be fine, but big plays are looking gone. Could be an overreaction, I think Seattle is a top-5 defense.
25. Trey Benson (NR), I'm a little torn here. Wasn't a big fan of his as a prospect coming out, and I think losing Conner almost certainly is gonna lead to the Cards being more pass heavy. Benson is by nature a boom/bust runner, basically the opposite of Conner. Benson probably offers more as a receiver, but how interested is Kyler in checking down? Kinda think he's a sell-high.

Tier 7:
26. Tony Pollard (25)
27. D'Andre Swift (21)
28. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (26)
29. Breece Hall (20), week 1 is looking like the aberration. Fields being back should help, but Hall's also just losing too much work. Still a strong trade deadline candidate as Jets are 0-3, though schedule gets easier.
30. TreVeyon Henderson (29)

Dropped off: James Conner (19), always hate to see a season ending injury, especially to such a likeable dude. At 30+ its reasonable to wonder what the future holds. Assuming the Cards staff stays the same, I'd guess he returns on a 1-year prove it deal, the amount of which is probably determined by Benson's effectiveness in his absence. Aaron Jones (27), wasn't on IR yet when I wrote this up last week, might be just a 3rd down RB upon his return. RJ Harvey (28), workload is getting smaller by the week. Don't dump him, but he's got a lot of catching up to do.

 

[travdogg]

WR
Tier 1:
1. Puka Nacua (2)
2. Ja'Marr Chase (3)
3. Justin Jefferson (5)

Tier 2:
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown (6)
5. Malik Nabers (1)
6. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (10)
7. Garrett Wilson (11)
8. Nico Collins (7)
9. CeeDee Lamb (4)
10. Drake London (9)

Tier 3:
11. AJ Brown (12)
12. Brian Thomas (8)
13. Rashee Rice (18)

Tier 4:
14. Emeka Egbuka (19)
15. Davante Adams (21)
16. Zay Flowers (13)
17. Tetairoa McMillan (14)
18. Marvin Harrison (15)

Tier 5:
19. Rome Odunze (31), I'm probably still being too conservative with him. He's the clear #1 for the Bears and has had some bad drops that have kept him from being the #1 WR overall. That feels slightly fluky (as does his TD rate to be fair) but he could be a lot higher if the Bears take care of business against the Raiders. Traditionally, this is a spot the Bears have laid an inexplicable egg in, maybe with Ben Johnson, that'll be different?
20. Deebo Samuel (20)
21. Tyreek Hill (28), still separates as well as anyone. Wonder if he's a real trade candidate with Miami 0-3? If not, he's probably locked into WR2 range, unless offense takes a step forward, which feels unlikely given OL.
22. Chris Olave (29), one of my most drafted players this year, he's been even better than expected, as he leads the NFL in targets. Bit of a PPR scam, but TDs should come.
23. Tee Higgins (16), road is certainly gonna be tougher without Burrow, but better days will come. He's gonna even more boom/bust than ever. But booms will happen. Just missed a long TD against the Vikings.
24. Ladd McConkey (17)

Tier 6:
25. Ricky Pearsall (27)
26. Jameson Williams (22)
27. Mike Evans (23)
28. DJ Moore (30)
29. Terry McLaurin (24)

Tier 7:
30. Courtland Sutton (35)
31. George Pickens (34)
32. Jaylen Waddle (33)
33. DK Metcalf (26)
34. Jakobi Meyers (32)
35. DeVonta Smith (36)
36. Travis Hunter (25), he's unstartable right now. He's also playing more defense than expected. This is a patience ranking. Jags offense is in a funk, and he could very well be the key to unlocking it.

Tier 8:
37. Michael Pittman (37)
38. Jordan Addison (NR), I'm expecting him to be 3rd in the pecking order behind JJ and TJ, but Wentz has made deep threats work before, and McCarthy has a good arm, albeit with obvious work to do. I am very much expecting McCarthy to get the job back when he's healthy, unless Wentz really balls out and the Vikings go undefeated with him. Next are Pit, Cle, bye, Phi.
39. Quentin Johnston (NR), 3rd year breakout. He's the guy they are scheming up touches for. I'm probably being too conservative here.
40. Jauan Jennings (NR), health is a question mark, but should be back, and be getting Purdy back.

Dropped off: Calvin Ridley (38), more of a 1A/1B with Ayomanor already, in an offense that struggles to pass the ball. Its also possible Ridley is just a mediocre WR at this point. Xavier Worthy (39), seemed like he was gonna be back last week, then wasn't. This feels like its gonna be a headache, and one that likely stops mattering the second Rice is back. Keon Coleman (40), after week 1, I cautioned against getting too optimistic and asked how many times we saw Gabe Davis have a big breakout game, only to go right back to doing nothing.

 

[travdogg]

TE
Tier 1:
1. Trey McBride (1)
2. George Kittle (6), back in 2 weeks, he's my TE1 when healthy. SF offense could be scary soon, and they might need to be a little more pass heavy with Bosa out for the season.
3. Brock Bowers (2)

Tier 2:
4. Tyler Warren (3)
5. Tucker Kraft (5)
6. TJ Hockenson (8)

Tier 3:
7. Sam LaPorta (4)
8. Dalton Kincaid (9)
9. Dallas Goedert (13), boom/bust player week to week, consistent year to year. I think Eagles will wise up and throw more, which should also help get defenses off the line early in games Philly! Also has strong injury contingency as Eagles just consolidate.
10. Jake Ferguson (NR), nobody benefits more from Lamb being out, as they cover some of the same ground. Cowboys lack of defense invites chase scripts.

Tier 4:
11. Hunter Henry (NR), best TE game of the season in week 3, followed almost a goose egg in week 2. Very boom/bust (Pats offense other than Maye all is) so I'm hesitant to move him too highly, but he could exceed this rank for sure.
12. Juwan Johnson (15)
13. Harold Fannin (11)
14. Kyle Pitts (12)
15. Mark Andrews (14)

Dropped off: Travis Kelce (7), just isn't seeing the targets, and seems to have lost the rapport with Mahomes. I actually don't think his play has declined THAT much, but his role has. David Njoku (10), just feels like he's in Fannin's way. Strong trade deadline candidate.

 

[TripItUp]

Dak prescott a huge miss.

He lost CeeDee for 4 weeks, not his right arm.

 

[TripItUp]

Judkins too low.

 

[ponchsox]

Cook absolutely belongs in tier 1

 

[TripItUp]

hockenson too high

 

[Absolutely Nothing]

Kinda surprised Keenan Allen isn't on your list. He's outperformed many of the WRs you list and it doesn't seem like a fluke. Unless you're thinking he doesn't play the full season or they change their very effective game plan, I don't see how he isn't top 30 moving forward.

 

[TripItUp]

Moore too high

 

[TripItUp]

Harrison over Rome?

 

[RaidersAreOne]

The Chase Brown falloff breaks my heart.

 

[RaidersAreOne]

Do Kicker rankings you coward!!!!

 

[steelerfan1]

Dak prescott a huge miss.

He lost CeeDee for 4 weeks, not his right arm.

He had his right arm last week too and didn’t look awesome to a team that let up a 50 burger the week prior.

 

[Chaka]

Cook absolutely belongs in tier 1

This one definitely feels like it needs an explanation @travdogg what is the thought process of putting the clear #1 RB in a top 3 scoring offense at #8?

 

[King of the Jungle]

Moore too high

When someone takes the time to contribute like he does, there is a better way to question rankings than multiple posts just labeling players too high or too low. You could also add why you think this instead of making something that nobody knows a definitive statement.

 

[jm192]

This is actually the first year I've decided to update year long rankings week to week. And I'm hopeful it keeps me more mindful of how guys I don't own are doing. Thanks for posting yours. It's really cool to compare against someone else.

I love the MHJ ranking. I've got him at 17. And I'm offering for him everywhere. The "tune" of fantasy football is that he's a bust. He had a good game week 1. He was 2 drops away from having a really good week 2. And I...believe he' ll catch more footballs than he drops.

I love the bullishness on Egbuka. I've got him at 13. To be fair, I've got Rice way too low and need to think more on him. I'm probably not quite as high as you are with the remaining suspension, but certainly not an unreasonable ranking.

Sutton really stands out to me. I had him as WR15 or 16 before the season. He's been good in 2/3 games. And had whatever weird snap share in week 2. I'm still a big fan at WR15.

RB:
I haven't reconciled Benson without Conner yet. I think he's probably around RB18-20 for me.
Love the Mason ranking. Agree about it being his backfield. I figured he would take over due to being better than a 30 year old Jones. Injury did it instead, but here we are.

TE: I've got Ferguson at TE4. Just, my god the volume. And that was with Lamb.
Andrews feels impossible to rank. He's obviously still capable of huge games. But who are the Ravens going to feature week to week?

 

[BobbyLayne]

hey at least there’s no David Montgomery recency bias

 

[rockaction]

24. Alvin Kamara (15), OL is getting banged up already, and Saints have been kinda pass heavy in the redzone. Still pretty confident catches will be fine, but big plays are looking gone. Could be an overreaction, I think Seattle is a top-5 defense.

Heh. You did it to me last week so let me update his touches and catches even though I totally take into account your lowered ranking.

He had two targets and rushed the ball eighteen times for forty-two yards. That's not good. I don't know whether this will be good news or bad news but I don't think he's getting traded. I've read in two places that given the cap there's no incentive to deal and that a deal become punitive to the Saints. Oof. So he gets New Orleans, good or ill.

 

[travdogg]

Dak prescott a huge miss.

He lost CeeDee for 4 weeks, not his right arm.

Dak Prescott is currently QB23. That's gonna get significantly better WITHOUT CeeDee Lamb? Dak doesn't run, and Dallas is very run heavy inside the 10, and that was with Lamb. Dak wouldn't have made the list if I went to 20. He's kinda becoming like Stafford, where he's a much better real life QB than fantasy QB. He can support good fantasy starters, but he isn't one himself.

Judkins too low.

Why? Do you think he won't be suspended? Do you think the Browns are gonna be in a position to win most weeks?

hockenson too high

I can see a case for that. I'm giving him a lot of respect as a player, and kinda throwing out week 2, as I think that's gonna be a really big outlier for the Vikings offense in general, even when McCarthy comes back. One thing about Hockenson, is I think he was being asked to block a lot more than he will be going forward now that Darrisaw is back.

Moore too high

Its possible I'm not giving enough of a split between Odunze/Moore. I still think Moore is a good player, and they are trying to get the ball in his hands. The backfield usage is very interesting too.

Harrison over Rome?

Odunze is an interesting spot, where he could see a pretty big upgrade next week. I tend to work guys up and down pretty slowly, especially if their points have been mostly through TDs as I've found those to be more random and less predictable than yards, or touches. I'm impressed with what I've seen so far, just wanna see more.

As for Harrison, Marv has had some bad drops that would have added a lot of yards and probably a TD to his stat line so far. I personally think he's a big winner of the James Conner injury. I think Arizona is gonna be a lot more pass heavy without Conner's consistent gains. Harrison is the biggest beneficiary of that to me. I think he's a solid buy-low, and he'll be A LOT cheaper than where I have him ranked.

But yes, its certainly possible this is the last time I rank Harrison over Odunze. I think that Arizona/Seattle game is a really good Thursday game, where a few guys are gonna be really under the microscope (Benson, Harrison, Walker)

 

[travdogg]

The Chase Brown falloff breaks my heart.

Its funny, he was a guy I was probably lower on all offseason and then I finally caved and moved him up right before the season. My primary reasons for not being in on him, were that I simply didn't think he was a very good RB but was getting all the work in an elite offense. Basically AFC Kyren Williams (though I think Williams is more talented, I actually wonder if Blake Corum isn't secretly the best RB between the 2 teams) ideally the play was to sell low the second Burrow went down.

I don't see the workload going away even with how ineffective he's been, so Brown will have some value still, but he's now a guy who I think can very much be benched depending on matchups. Hopefully they dial up some more screens to help the OL.

Do Kicker rankings you coward!!!!

I actually only play in 1 league that even still uses kickers.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I have a lot of Tier 6 and Tier 7 WRs
Not sure how much better Tier 4 and 5 are in redraft
Some are clearly better options but it gets a little foggy glancing over them all

 

[TripItUp]

Dak Prescott is currently QB23. That's gonna get significantly better WITHOUT CeeDee Lamb? Dak doesn't run, and Dallas is very run heavy inside the 10, and that was with Lamb. Dak wouldn't have made the list if I went to 20. He's kinda becoming like Stafford, where he's a much better real life QB than fantasy QB. He can support good fantasy starters, but he isn't one himself.

The Dallas defense is terrible and the Cowboys are going to be in shootouts more often than not....which they are well equipped for.

Buy low on Dak, and bet the farm on over 23.

 

[TripItUp]

Why? Do you think he won't be suspended? Do you think the Browns are gonna be in a position to win most weeks?

He's one of the best RBs in the NFL. And Browns defense will keep them in games.

 

[travdogg]

Kinda surprised Keenan Allen isn't on your list. He's outperformed many of the WRs you list and it doesn't seem like a fluke. Unless you're thinking he doesn't play the full season or they change their very effective game plan, I don't see how he isn't top 30 moving forward.

I think its a little bit of a fluke. Mostly from a TD perspective. He's had 1 in every game, despite never really being a TD scorer throughout his career. His career high is 8 TDs.

He's playing the 3rd most snaps for the Chargers at WR, and while he's 1st in targets, I don't think that lasts. I think Allen is due some negative regression, and McConkey is due some positive regression. Personally, I'd selling high on Allen, and buying low on McConkey (which might be easy to do, as I imagine owners are very upset that he's 3rd on his own team in receiving)

I will say, this possibly happening was one of the reasons I was lower on Ladd than consensus, but Allen hasn't made it through a full season since 2021 and has been a hot starter before. I don't hate selling high on Johnston either, but I think his role has more staying power due to being their manufactured shot guy.

ETA: For what its worth, Allen was my last omission.

 

[TripItUp]

Its possible I'm not giving enough of a split between Odunze/Moore. I still think Moore is a good player, and they are trying to get the ball in his hands. The backfield usage is very interesting too.

The early returns are that Odunze is the alpha now. The news in camp is consistent with what has transpired.

Odunze too low as the #1 in a Ben Johnson offense.

DJ Moore is on his way out and there are trade rumors...the targets don't lie.

 

[TripItUp]

I think its a little bit of a fluke. Mostly from a TD perspective. He's had 1 in every game, despite never really being a TD scorer throughout his career. His career high is 8 TDs.

He's playing the 3rd most snaps for the Chargers at WR, and while he's 1st in targets, I don't think that lasts. I think Allen is due some negative regression, and McConkey is due some positive regression. Personally, I'd selling high on Allen, and buying low on McConkey (which might be easy to due, as I imagine owners are very upset that he's 3rd on his own team in receiving)

I will say, this possibly happening was one of the reasons I was lower on Ladd than consensus, but Allen hasn't made it through a full season since 2021 and has been a hot starter before. I don't hate selling high on Johnston either, but I think his role has more staying power due to being their manufactured shot guy.

Not only that, but Keenan is old and susceptible to injury....and defenses will adjust while he is effective.

I'm selling high on Keenan for sure.

 

[TheWinz]

Thanx @travdogg

 

[travdogg]

24. Alvin Kamara (15), OL is getting banged up already, and Saints have been kinda pass heavy in the redzone. Still pretty confident catches will be fine, but big plays are looking gone. Could be an overreaction, I think Seattle is a top-5 defense.

Heh. You did it to me last week so let me update his touches and catches even though I totally take into account your lowered ranking.

He had two targets and rushed the ball eighteen times for forty-two yards. That's not good. I don't know whether this will be good news or bad news but I don't think he's getting traded. I've read in two places that given the cap there's no incentive to deal and that a deal become punitive to the Saints. Oof. So he gets New Orleans, good or ill.

I don't think he's getting traded either, unless some team really pays some solid draft capital (like a 3rd rounder) which feels unlikely for a guy Kamara's age.

 

[TripItUp]

I don't think he's getting traded either, unless some team really pays some solid draft capital (like a 3rd rounder) which feels unlikely for a guy Kamara's age.

makes very little sense for the winless Saints to hold on to the soon to be free agent. kamara isn't staying in New Orleans.

Very likely Kamara is moved unless Kamara has some huge loyalty to the Saints and the Saints are the highest bidder which I doubt...he will chase the money.

 

[travdogg]

Cook absolutely belongs in tier 1

This one definitely feels like it needs an explanation @travdogg what is the thought process of putting the clear #1 RB in a top 3 scoring offense at #8?

I think he's riding a bit of a TD wave, that I don't think he'll totally sustain (I say fully aware he mostly did last year) and I think all the guys above him, other than Taylor and Barkley do a lot more in the receiving game.

To go a little deeper on the TD wave thing, the Bills have scored 7 TDs over the last 2 weeks, and only 3 involved Josh Allen. That feels unlikely to stay the case to me, and is probably related to Allen's nose injury, particularly the Jets game anyway. I don't expect that injury to affect Allen long term or change how he plays or is used.

Looking at the guys above him:

Taylor-Bigger workload, centerpiece of the offense, better talent.
Bijan-Bigger workload, catches, better talent. Worse team, but also hasn't scored a rush TD yet, which is very fluky.
CMC-Biggest workload, way more catches, way bigger talent, horrible TD luck so far. Workload may shrink as team gets healthier, though that also could result in more TDs due to better offense.
Gibbs-More catches, better talent. Smaller workload?
Achane-WAY MORE CATCHES, probably bigger workload, way worse team. In non-PPR, I'd probably prefer Cook.
Barkley-Bigger talent, equal offense? Bigger workload? Similar catches? Possibly giving too much weight to 2024.
Irving-Bigger workload, more catches, has had awful TD luck, getting all-pro OT back. Probably would prefer Cook in non-PPR.

There are certainly arguments for Cook ahead of some of these guys, but I'm not ready to move him ahead of any of them, and he hasn't blown me away quite like Taylor has where I feel my hand is forced.

 

[Chaka]

Cook absolutely belongs in tier 1

This one definitely feels like it needs an explanation @travdogg what is the thought process of putting the clear #1 RB in a top 3 scoring offense at #8?

I think he's riding a bit of a TD wave, that I don't think he'll totally sustain (I say fully aware he mostly did last year) and I think all the guys above him, other than Taylor and Barkley do a lot more in the receiving game.

To go a little deeper on the TD wave thing, the Bills have scored 7 TDs over the last 2 weeks, and only 3 involved Josh Allen. That feels unlikely to stay the case to me, and is probably related to Allen's nose injury, particularly the Jets game anyway. I don't expect that injury to affect Allen long term or change how he plays or is used.

Looking at the guys above him:

Taylor-Bigger workload, centerpiece of the offense, better talent.
Bijan-Bigger workload, catches, better talent. Worse team, but also hasn't scored a rush TD yet, which is very fluky.
CMC-Biggest workload, way more catches, way bigger talent, horrible TD luck so far. Workload may shrink as team gets healthier, though that also could result in more TDs due to better offense.
Gibbs-More catches, better talent. Smaller workload?
Achane-WAY MORE CATCHES, probably bigger workload, way worse team. In non-PPR, I'd probably prefer Cook.
Barkley-Bigger talent, equal offense? Bigger workload? Similar catches? Possibly giving too much weight to 2024.
Irving-Bigger workload, more catches, has had awful TD luck, getting all-pro OT back. Probably would prefer Cook in non-PPR.

There are certainly arguments for Cook ahead of some of these guys, but I'm not ready to move him ahead of any of them, and he hasn't blown me away quite like Taylor has where I feel my hand is forced.

Thoughtful write up as usual, thanks.

Personally, I move him above Achane simply because of their respective teams. The Bills will probably be a top 3 scoring offense. The Dolphins will be lucky to get out of the bottom five at this rate and, that assumes a full season from Tua. I think double digit TDs are going to be difficult to achieve.

Bucky has been getting volume but, he looks off in every way. Maybe Wirfs fixes that but, aren't they down two other OL? I wonder if the offense will be able to get him double digit TDs.

Cook, in his own right is running as well as anyone ATM and looks like a different back on a top offense. This is shaping up to be a 18-20 TD season for him. Derrick Henry and Saquon did that last year and their QBs did just fine in fantasy.

But, you're right; there are arguments for all these guys ATM.

 

[ponchsox]

Cook absolutely belongs in tier 1

This one definitely feels like it needs an explanation @travdogg what is the thought process of putting the clear #1 RB in a top 3 scoring offense at #8?

I think he's riding a bit of a TD wave, that I don't think he'll totally sustain (I say fully aware he mostly did last year) and I think all the guys above him, other than Taylor and Barkley do a lot more in the receiving game.

To go a little deeper on the TD wave thing, the Bills have scored 7 TDs over the last 2 weeks, and only 3 involved Josh Allen. That feels unlikely to stay the case to me, and is probably related to Allen's nose injury, particularly the Jets game anyway. I don't expect that injury to affect Allen long term or change how he plays or is used.

Looking at the guys above him:

Taylor-Bigger workload, centerpiece of the offense, better talent.
Bijan-Bigger workload, catches, better talent. Worse team, but also hasn't scored a rush TD yet, which is very fluky.
CMC-Biggest workload, way more catches, way bigger talent, horrible TD luck so far. Workload may shrink as team gets healthier, though that also could result in more TDs due to better offense.
Gibbs-More catches, better talent. Smaller workload?
Achane-WAY MORE CATCHES, probably bigger workload, way worse team. In non-PPR, I'd probably prefer Cook.
Barkley-Bigger talent, equal offense? Bigger workload? Similar catches? Possibly giving too much weight to 2024.
Irving-Bigger workload, more catches, has had awful TD luck, getting all-pro OT back. Probably would prefer Cook in non-PPR.

There are certainly arguments for Cook ahead of some of these guys, but I'm not ready to move him ahead of any of them, and he hasn't blown me away quite like Taylor has where I feel my hand is forced.

Thoughtful write up as usual, thanks.

Personally, I move him above Achane simply because of their respective teams. The Bills will probably be a top 3 scoring offense. The Dolphins will be lucky to get out of the bottom five at this rate and, that assumes a full season from Tua. I think double digit TDs are going to be difficult to achieve.

Bucky has been getting volume but, he looks off in every way. Maybe Wirfs fixes that but, aren't they down two other OL? I wonder if the offense will be able to get him double digit TDs.

Cook, in his own right is running as well as anyone ATM and looks like a different back on a top offense. This is shaping up to be a 18-20 TD season for him. Derrick Henry and Saquon did that last year and their QBs did just fine in fantasy.

But, you're right; there are arguments for all these guys ATM.

Good points, although in 1/2 PPR there’s no chance I’d trade Cook for Achane or Irving. I bet in a couple of weeks Cook will be in your first tier.

 

[TVT 0 N S T A]

Great list, @travdogg ... has anyone seen Ladd McConkey. Dude is getting passed up by a guy old enough to be his father.

I have had the worst luck with injuries this year but also own Ladd McConkey as my WR2.

I think Rome is too low, as you acknowledged. For Caleb to be top 10... Rome should be higher. This might be wishful thinking because he's now my starting WR.

Also, did we ever figure out who the Joker is in Denver? Is it us, the fantasy community?

 

[Ray_T]

nice list man. i enjoy looking at your rankings

 

[rockaction]

I don't think he's getting traded either, unless some team really pays some solid draft capital (like a 3rd rounder) which feels unlikely for a guy Kamara's age.

makes very little sense for the winless Saints to hold on to the soon to be free agent. kamara isn't staying in New Orleans.

Very likely Kamara is moved unless Kamara has some huge loyalty to the Saints and the Saints are the highest bidder which I doubt...he will chase the money.

It's not that easy. The way the contract is structured makes it worse for the Saints in their cap situation because they take a hit. Reddit explains the world.

TheKillah
•13d ago

"Trading Kamara would incur an immediate $12M additional cap hit on the Saints, the same as if they cut him after this season. This would put them (slightly) over the cap this year, but really is just taking away from next year’s cap thanks to the rollover. If they cut him after the season, they can spread the cap hit over 26 and 27 if they prefer.

Financially, they’ve already paid him most of the money he was going to earn this year, the last 20% being the $2.5M in salary.

All in all they have very little incentive to trade him this year for anything less than a 4th, so I imagine there’s little chance of it happening. I’d say most likely he gets cut after the season, but he’s almost equally likely to get a one year “extension” that just pushes the cap hit down the road one more season."

KarrlMarrx
•12d ago


"...but he’s almost equally likely to get a one year “extension” that just pushes the cap hit down the road one more season."

If Mickey Loomis is still the GM, his track record suggests a 100% chance of an extension to push the cap hit down the road for another season.

 

[Smack Tripper]

No Monty?

 

[Ray Barboni]

Dak Prescott is currently QB23. That's gonna get significantly better WITHOUT CeeDee Lamb? Dak doesn't run, and Dallas is very run heavy inside the 10, and that was with Lamb. Dak wouldn't have made the list if I went to 20. He's kinda becoming like Stafford, where he's a much better real life QB than fantasy QB. He can support good fantasy starters, but he isn't one himself.

The Dallas defense is terrible and the Cowboys are going to be in shootouts more often than not....which they are well equipped for.

Buy low on Dak, and bet the farm on over 23.

… there’s not gonna be any shootouts without Lamb, or a functioning defense.

You need both.

There’s a fine line between a bad defense being good for fantasy - and a bad defense being terrible for fantasy.

If the offense can’t keep pace with what the opposing team is doing? Nothing matters..

Without lamb .. I doubt the cowboys will hang around long enough to keep Joe Milton off the field each week.

 

[TripItUp]

Sounds like everybody should be buying low on Dak...holy smokes.

 

[Jewell]

First, thank you for seeing the light on Jonathan Taylor.

Second, I’d take nearly all the WRs in Tier 4 and some from Tier 5 and even Tier 6 above Brian Thomas in Tier 3.

Liam Coen isn’t attached to the draft picks who came before him, Thomas appears to have either a wrist injury or the yips, and Trevor Lawrence simply isn’t that good. I’m not optimistic for some massive Thomas turnaround. There may be spike weeks, but I doubt we get any consistency.

 

[TVT 0 N S T A]

Sounds like everybody should be buying low on Dak...holy smokes.

Absolutely, sending him to the waiver in a 10 team, short bench. Guy hasn't done much and the crew he is throwing to just got significantly worse. Dallas lost their only playmaker (did you see the game?).

Are they going to suddenly unleash Pickens? The last 3 weeks would say... no.

 

[The Kerminator]

Interested in where Dart would fall in the QB ranks

 

[travdogg]

This is actually the first year I've decided to update year long rankings week to week. And I'm hopeful it keeps me more mindful of how guys I don't own are doing. Thanks for posting yours. It's really cool to compare against someone else.

I love the MHJ ranking. I've got him at 17. And I'm offering for him everywhere. The "tune" of fantasy football is that he's a bust. He had a good game week 1. He was 2 drops away from having a really good week 2. And I...believe he' ll catch more footballs than he drops.

I love the bullishness on Egbuka. I've got him at 13. To be fair, I've got Rice way too low and need to think more on him. I'm probably not quite as high as you are with the remaining suspension, but certainly not an unreasonable ranking.

Sutton really stands out to me. I had him as WR15 or 16 before the season. He's been good in 2/3 games. And had whatever weird snap share in week 2. I'm still a big fan at WR15.

RB:
I haven't reconciled Benson without Conner yet. I think he's probably around RB18-20 for me.
Love the Mason ranking. Agree about it being his backfield. I figured he would take over due to being better than a 30 year old Jones. Injury did it instead, but here we are.

TE: I've got Ferguson at TE4. Just, my god the volume. And that was with Lamb.
Andrews feels impossible to rank. He's obviously still capable of huge games. But who are the Ravens going to feature week to week?

I wouldn't count week 3 as "with Lamb" in regard to Ferguson. Lamb played 1 series.

With Rashee Rice, I think he'll be instantly thrown into a JSN like role, where he's the clear-cut #1, and sees tons of volume. Where would you rank JSN if he were suspended the next 3 weeks?

Anybody you and I are really far apart on?

 

[rockaction]

Barkley-Bigger talent, equal offense? Bigger workload? Similar catches? Possibly giving too much weight to 2024.

Yeah, his peripheral numbers are awful. I came across then today. Can't cite them, but his YAC was dreadful. There was another terrible looking stat where you just said to yourself "fatigue" and that was really the only thing that seemed to explain it.

 

[travdogg]

No Monty?

Was the last RB omission. Great night for him, but he's taking a bigger backseat to Gibbs, and he's highly unlikely to break a 70-yard run again in his career. Very TD dependent, though more likely than most to get there. I feel like the Ravens let him score that 2nd TD, so they could get the ball back. Can't count on that.

 

[The Dude]

I like Sutton over at least half the guys in tier 6

 

[travdogg]

Interested in where Dart would fall in the QB ranks

Not even in the conversation for me. To be honest, I think going to Dart is a bad move by NYG. He's coming from a very college offense and is VERY raw in my opinion. I know he looked good in the preseason. So did JJ McCarthy and Kenny Pickett. He does run some, so maybe he can have some value there, but looking at that schedule (LAC, NO, Phi, Den, Phi) I think he's gonna really struggle for the most part.

I absolutely get being frustrated by Russell Wilson, and if Daboll is absolutely done with him, then I guess I get that, then go with Winston. I'm pretty concerned they ruin this kid. I would have stuck with Russ for at least 1 more week.

 

[rockaction]

Interested in where Dart would fall in the QB ranks

Not even in the conversation for me. To be honest, I think going to Dart is a bad move by NYG. He's coming from a very college offense and is VERY raw in my opinion. I know he looked good in the preseason. So did JJ McCarthy and Kenny Pickett. He does run some, so maybe he can have some value there, but looking at that schedule (LAC, NO, Phi, Den, Phi) I think he's gonna really struggle for the most part.

I absolutely get being frustrated by Russell Wilson, and if Daboll is absolutely done with him, then I guess I get that, then go with Winston. I'm pretty concerned they ruin this kid. I would have stuck with Russ for at least 1 more week.

I'm in complete agreement. I rostered him this past weekend in a more casual league because it's what one does, and I figured if not this week then next, but they're gonna screw this kid up so badly. The Chargers seem to be pretty good even if there isn't an avalanche of a pass rush there, and I can dig maybe letting him play against New Orleans with training wheels, but . . . it's too soon for someone with not much experience and (exactly as you say) coming from an Ole Miss offense (although I heard conflicting stuff about how collegiate their offense was, actually . . . well, it's Lane Kiffin's and it's billed as a "pro-style" offense in a hybrid sense, and even though it looked awfully collegiate from the highlights, I'm not a scout, so . . . I'll defer to the experts, I guess) to actually go into a game against a Harbaugh-coached team and then after what might be a reprieve, which I doubt the Saints will be, to go play the defending SB champs, a Payton-coached team, and then the defending SB champs again?

That seems unwise. If I'm John Mara, I go to Schoen and Daboll and I tell them they've got until the end of the year and if I see enough improvement I'll retain them, but leave the kid on the bench until you're sure he's ready. It starts at the top, and if the owner's concern was that turning over staffs leads to instability that leads to losing (and that's truly the owner's main concern) then quell the issue right there and say, "Okay, you get this year and next. Let's do this."

The owner should have fired these guys in the offseason or given then two years with a brand spanking new first-round QB to develop.

Always always always starts at the top and with job security. I saw a special about the NFL Draft that was absolutely awesome and it talked about Howie Roseman in Philly. Did you know they would get booming, stadium-wide chants at freaking Philadelphia Phillies games in the middle of the summer that went "FIRE HOW-IE! FIRE HOW-IE!" and they did it on the reg? You know what Lurie did? Listened to himself and stuck by Roseman, and wouldn't you know it? Two Super Bowls later and now everybody's happy and they're complaining in October about the Phillies pitching staff in between slapping each other on the back at the Linc.

Just something to think about.

 

[LionOfGosforth]

@travdogg Where do you rank Godwin when he returns? Might even be this week

 

[travdogg]

@travdogg Where do you rank Godwin when he returns? Might even be this week

He was in the 50-40 cutdown. As long as he doesn't look clearly slower upon his return, he'll probably sneak his way into the top-40, at least while Evans is out.