WEILER: Top 100 Fantasy Players – Late-August Update

With about half of 2017 NFL Pre-Season in the books, here is my updated list of the overall Top-100 fantasy players, which reflects any new developments since my last one. Though list assumes standard scoring, the right-most column includes the following indicators for you to adjust the rankings accordingly:

PPR+	These players have higher value in leagues that reward points per reception (PPR).
PPR-	These players have less value in PPR leagues.
TD+	These players have touchdown scoring upside.
TD-	These players do not have touchdown scoring upside.
	These players are band-aid boys and either coming off a serious injury or historically injury prone.

 

Rank (Change)	Player Name	Pos. Rank	Team	Commentary	Adjustments
1 (-)	David Johnson	RB1	Arizona	The most well-rounded back since Marshall Faulk, Johnson can do it all: run, catch, maybe even pass if the coaches let him. Bank on another season of 2,000-plus total yards.	PPR+ TD+
2 (-)	Le’Veon Bell	RB2	Pittsburgh	Right behind Johnson as an offensive centerpiece who gobbles up total yards. Averaged an insane 157 total yards per game average in 2016. It would be nice if Bell reported to camp sometime soon, though.	PPR+
3 (-)	Antonio Brown	WR1	Pittsburgh	Four straight seasons of 100-plus catches and 1,200-plus receiving yards. ConsisTennesseecy at its finest.	PPR+
4 (-)	Odell Beckham	WR2	New York Giants	Giants did add some reinforcements to their receiving corps this offseason, but Beckham’s role as a target hog shouldn’t change.
5 (+1)	Julio Jones	WR4	Atlanta	Has averaged 1,624.3 receiving yards per season over the past three seasons, although injuries are starting to mount up. Would like to see more touchdowns.	TD-
6 (+1)	LeSean McCoy	RB4	Buffalo	Buffalo’s trade of Sammy Watkins should solidify McCoy’s role as the offensive focal point further, but I’m sure he’ll miss the threat of Watkins stretching the field to keep those opposing safeties from creeping up into the box.	TD+
7 (+1)	A.J. Green	WR5	Cincinnati	Averaged 107.1 receiving yards per game over nine healthy games in 2016. Green is the funnel through which the Cincinnati passing game flows.	PPR+
8 (+1)	Melvin Gordon	RB5	Los Angeles Chargers	Rookie guard Forrest Lamp’s season-ending knee injury hurts, but Gordon is going to be a snap hog with no legitimate competition for playing time.
9 (+1)	Mike Evans	WR6	Tampa Bay	Has improved his catches and receiving yards each season since being drafted seventh overall in 2014, and has never finished a season with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards.	TD+
10 (+1)	Jordy Nelson	WR7	Green Bay	At 32 years old, Nelson should have at least one more season in the tank as Green Bay’s WR1, and his statistical floor is fairly safe playing with Aaron Rodgers.	TD+
11 (+1)	Devonta Freeman	RB6	Atlanta	Just received a monstrous contract extension that should put any concerns of Tevin Coleman eating into Freeman’s workload to bed.	PPR+
12 (+5)	Michael Thomas	WR8	New Orleans	Reportedly dominating training camp. Thomas appears poised to blow by the 1,137 receiving yards and nine touchdowns he posted as a rookie.
13 (+3)	Dez Bryant	WR9	Dallas	With Ezekiel Elliott suspended for six games, Bryant becomes the Dallas’ top offensive playmaker in the running back’s absence.	TD+
14 (+1)	Jordan Howard	RB7	Chicago	The Chicago offense looked atrocious in its first preseason game with Mike Glennon at the helm. A switch to Mitchell Trubisky might be the best for Howard’s game.	PPR-
15 (+7)	Todd Gurley	RB8	Los Angeles Rams	Gurley is looking at more receiving work in the wake of Lance Dunbar’s injury. Also, the recent addition of Sammy Watkins should open up more running lanes.
16 (-3)	Jay Ajayi	RB9	Miami	Ajayi seems no worse for wear following the concussion that caused him to miss significant camp time. His inconsistent rushing stats from last season still have me leery though.
17 (+7)	Rob Gronkowski	TE1	New England	No news is good news on the Gronkowski injury front. Reportedly looks to be all systems go in camps.	TD+
18 (+1)	Amari Cooper	WR10	Oakland	Finally returned to practice after missing a little over a week with an unspecified leg injury and looked healthy in his preseason debut.
19 (-5)	T.Y. Hilton	WR11	Indianapolis	The lack of positive news regarding Andrew Luck’s shoulder does not bode well for Hilton’s early season value	PPR- TD-
20 (-2)	Leonard Fournette	RB10	Jacksonville	Nursing a minor foot ailment, Fournette’s team is also undergoing a quarterback controversy.
21 (-16)	Ezekiel Elliott	RB11	Dallas	The NFL brought the hammer down on Elliott, suspending him for six games. He has filed for an appeal, but without further clarity, you have to assume he is going to miss significant time.
22 (+1)	Doug Baldwin	WR12	Seattle	QB Russell Wilson appears locked on to Doug Baldwin through two preseason games.
23 (+2)	DeAndre Hopkins	WR13	Houston	Will Fuller’s injury opens the door for Hopkins to resume being the quarterback magnet he was in 2015, when he averaged 12 targets per game. The missed preseason game snaps worries me though as Hopkins gets adjusted to QB Tom Savage.	PPR+
24 (-4)	Lamar Miller	RB12	Houston	Increasing chatter of Houston decreasing Miller’s workload, making it unlikely he sees close to the 299 total touches from last season. Also, the offensive line continues to look dicey while Duane Browns continues his holdout.
25 (-4)	DeMarco Murray	RB13	Tennessee	A hamstring injury resulted in Murray being sidelined for two weeks of camp. One would expect Tennessee to balance out Murray’s workload a little more evenly with Derrick Henry‘s this season.
26 (-)	Demaryius Thomas	WR14	Denver	Trevor Siemien appears to be leading the Denver QB battle, which should be viewed as a positive for Thomas’ fantasy prospects.
27 (+3)	Brandin Cooks	WR15	New England	Building solid chemistry with Tom Brady. Just be willing to accept a few down weeks as New England spreads the ball around.
28 (-)	Isaiah Crowell	RB14	Cleveland	Crowell should be a solid second running back if Cleveland can remain competitive this season as opposed to being blown out by halftime.	PPR-
29 (+2)	Alshon Jeffery	WR17	Philadelphia	Jordan Matthews’ trade to Buffalo should free up some more targets for Jeffery.
30 (+1)	Aaron Rodgers	QB1	Green Bay	No argument that Rodgers isn’t the consensus #1 fantasy QB, and should be the safest bet for 300 passing yards and three passing touchdowns each week.
31 (-4)	Allen Robinson	WR17	Jacksonville	Reportedly getting open at will in camp, but the concern surrounding Blake Bortles‘ QB skills has officially gone from code orange to code red.
32 (-3)	Sammy Watkins	WR18	Los Angeles Rams	The trade to the Rams looks like a lateral move to me. There’s a little more inherent risk though in relying upon Jared Goff make drastic improvement from his rookie year though.
33 (-)	Tom Brady	QB2	New England	Comes into 2017 with possibly the most stacked receiving corps since the Randy Moss/Wes Welker era. Brady will be 40 years old when the 2017 season begins.
34 (+4)	Carlos Hyde	RB15	San Francisco	Reports of Joe Williams taking Hyde’s job turned out to be greatly exaggerated. Hyde has Top 10 running back upside in what should be an improved offense, health permitting.	PPR-
35 (-)	Marshawn Lynch	RB16	Oakland	Wouldn’t expect to see Lynch play much in the preseason, but neither of Oakland’s backup running backs seem to be doing much to threaten his workload.	PPR-
36 (+20)	Dalvin Cook	RB17	Minnesota	By all accounts, the starting job is Cook’s to lose. High priced free agent pickup Latavius Murray is still not ready for game action.
37 (-)	Travis Kelce	TE2	Kansas City	Finally returned to practice after missing about a week with knee swelling, and should resume being the team’s offensive focal point.	TD-
38 (-1)	Davante Adams	WR19	Green Bay	Appears to have swiped the WR2 role right out from under teammate Randall Cobb, and has earned the trust of his quarterback in the process.
39 (+2)	Terrelle Pryor	WR20	Washington	On track to open the season as the WR1 and has immense upside given the pieces around him. However, Kirk Cousins has not looked sharp through the first two preseason games.
40 (-)	Drew Brees	QB3	New Orleans	No other NFL quarterback has passed the 5,000 passing yard threshold in more seasons than Brees (four). The loss of Brandin Cooks hurts, but Brees always makes the most out of the assets he has.
41 (-7)	Joe Mixon	RB18	Cincinnati	Halfway through the preseason, and it seems clear Jeremy Hill is not going away. You have to think Mixon’s talent will win out at some point, but he needs to be downgraded in the short-term.
42 (+2)	C.J. Anderson	RB19	Denver	Losing Devontae Booker for the preseason due to injury leaves one less body in the backfield to compete with Anderson, and he’s looked spry through two preseason contests.
43 (-1)	Keenan Allen	WR21	Los Angeles Chargers	The knee recovery has been going smoothly by all accounts, so Allen should slide back in as quarterback Philip Rivers’ top receiving target, albeit within a crowded group.	PPR+
44 (+5)	Christian McCaffrey	RB20	Carolina	McCaffrey continues to look like an explosive weapon the Panthers need to keep on the field. His touches could be limited by Jonathan Stewart’s presence, but it may not matter	PPR+
45 (-6)	Ty Montgomery	RB21	Green Bay	A leg injury allows Jamaal Williams to continue his push for more snaps. Montgomery will be involved in the offense, but how much?	PPR+
46 (-)	Mark Ingram	RB22	New Orleans	Should get the first crack at starting duties despite the additions of Adrian Peterson and Alvin Kamara. Head coach Sean Payton does like to use all his backs though.
47 (-)	Golden Tate	WR22	Detroit	Tate has at least 90 catches in three straight seasons. The addition of Kenny Golladay hurts Marvin Jones more than Tate.	PPR+ TD-
48 (-)	Tyreek Hill	WR23	Kansas City	Reportedly looks the part of a No. 1 receiver in training camp. It would be foolish to expect a repeat of Hill’s 12 touchdowns from last season, though.
49 (-6)	Spencer Ware	RB23	Kansas City	Ware’s grip on the starter role appears tenuous after Kareem Hunt put on a show in the Chiefs’ second preseason game.
50 (-)	Martavis Bryant	WR24	Pittsburgh	Finally received full reinstatement from the NFL, but folks need to remember Bryant is still just the second receiving option in this offense at best.	TD+
51 (-)	Greg Olsen	TE3	Carolina	Getting a little long in the tooth (32 years old), but still projects as quarterback Cam Newton‘s top receiving target.
52 (+3)	Emmanuel Sanders	WR25	Denver	Trevor Siemien’s upper hand in the Denver quarterback battle should be good news for Sanders.
53 (+1)	Larry Fitzgerald	WR26	Arizona	If this truly is to be his last season, reliable Fitzgerald is going to make every bit sure he goes out on a high note.	PPR+
54 (+9)	Stefon Diggs	WR27	Minnesota	A full offseason to train with quarterback Sam Bradford seems to be paying off, as their connection has been evident throughout the preseason.	TD-
55 (+2)	Julian Edelman	WR28	New England	While Brandin Cooks’ arrival should cut into Edelman’s targets significantly, the trust factor with Tom Brady should keep him heavily involved.	PPR+
56 (-11)	Jordan Reed	TE4	Washington	Perpetually banged up, Reed has finally been activated from the PUP list, but it remains to be seen how his toe injury will affect him on the field.	PPR+ TD+
57 (-5)	Jarvis Landry	WR29	Miami	Unclear how Landry fits into the new-look Dolphins offense with Jay Cutler at the controls. Also has a potential domestic violence investigation hanging over his head.	PPR+ TD-
58 (-)	Ameer Abdullah	RB24	Detroit	Detroit has confirmed his status as the starter, but it appears Abullah will lose pass-game work to Theo Riddick and potentially goal line carries to Zach Zenner.	PPR- TD-
59 (+2)	Michael Crabtree	WR30	Oakland	Though still David Carr’s favorite red zone target, I expect Crabtree’s receiving stats to decline some as Amari Cooper’s rise.	TD+
60 (+9)	Jimmy Graham	TE5	Seattle	Reportedly showed up to training camp 20 pounds lighter than last year and showing no lingering effects from 2015’s gruesome knee injury.
61 (-2)	Bilal Powell	RB25	New York Jets	Appears to be the favorite for lead back duties, but the Jets offense projects to be historically disastrous in 2017.	PPR+
62 (+8)	Frank Gore	RB26	Indianapolis	Advanced age is always a concern, but if nothing else Gore’s workload appears firmly secure.
63 (+10)	Tyler Eifert	TE6	Cincinnati	Currently healthy and projects as the No. 2 receiving option in Cincinnati given the fluidity of the receiver depth chart behind A.J. Green.	TD+
64 (-4)	Jamison Crowder	WR31	Washington	Comes back from a two week layoff since injuring his hamstring early in camp. Crowder’s history of hammy issues is mildly worrisome.	PPR+
65 (+10)	Kelvin Benjamin	WR32	Carolina	Judging from Carolina’s first preseason game, the weight concerns appeared overblown with Benjamin showing-casing his trademark leap-and-snatch ability.	TD+
66 (+1)	Matt Ryan	QB4	Atlanta	Be wary of the Super Bowl hangover. Ryan had a career-year in 2016, but his offensive coordinator is now gone and his stats were well above his season norms.
67 (+1)	Russell Wilson	QB5	Seattle	An onslaught of injuries last season sapped Wilson’s mobility all year. He should bounce-back nicely entering training camp healthy and all of his weapons still in the fold.
68 (-3)	Donte Moncrief	WR33	Indianapolis	Suffered a shoulder injury in camp that just turned out to be minor, but concerns around Andrew Luck’s health brings down the value of all of Indianapolis’ pass-catchers.	TD+
69 (+11)	Doug Martin	RB27	Tampa Bay	Reportedly receiving the most first-team work of all Tampa Bay’s backs, making it likely he’s re-installed as the starter after his three-game suspension ends.
70 (+1)	Willie Snead	WR34	New Orleans	Underrated second option in the New Orleans passing attack. Snead should help account for some of the targets left behind by Brandin Cooks.	TD-
71 (+1)	Brandon Marshall	WR35	New York Giants	All the defensive attention paid to teammate Odell Beckham Jr. should allow Marshall to run rampant against single coverage.	PPR+
72 (-19)	Mike Gillislee	RB28	New England	Gillislee is still on the shelf with a hamstring injurt, and Rex Burkhead‘s mini-outburst in preseason Week 2 makes one wonder what TD Mike’s role will be once healthy.
73 (+3)	Marcus Mariota	QB6	Tennessee	Tennessee made some major additions to its receiving corps by bringing in Corey Davis and Eric Decker. Mariota’s rushing upside is the cherry on top.
74 (+4)	Jameis Winston	QB7	Tampa Bay	Set to explode in his third year as a pro. Having DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard as complimentary weapons should help Winston refrain from forcing passes to Mike Evans.
75 (+6)	Cam Newton	QB8	Carolina	Not expected to play during the preseason, but has begun throwing and is reportedly on track to start Week 1.
76 (-11)	Paul Perkins	RB29	New York Giants	Reportedly being pushed for carries by Orleans Darkwa, so Perkins’ workload may not be as secure as originally thought.
77 (+2)	Adrian Peterson	RB30	New Orleans	Unclear how the workload will be split between Mark Ingram and Peterson. Peterson will certainly have role in this high-powered offense though.
78 (+8)	DeVante Parker	WR36	Miami	Appeared to pass the sniff test in his first game action with Jay Cutler, as Parker was targeted 4 times in less than a quarter of action.
79 (-5)	LeGarrette Blount	RB30	Philadelphia	So far, Blount has not looked like same guy who rushed for 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns last season with the Patriots	TD+ PPR-
80 (-16)	Eddie Lacy	RB31	Seattle	Continues to look sluggish throughout the preseason, and the Seahawk’s appears increasingly fluid.
81 (-4)	Kirk Cousins	QB9	Washington	On a whole, Washington’s offense has looked stagnant through two preseason games. Cousins looks like he really misses Jordan Reed.
82 (-20)	Andrew Luck	QB10	Indianapolis	Luck has resumed throwing, but we still have not received any assurances from anyone he will be ready to roll by Week 1. Even if Luck doesn’t miss time, he could be limited or rusty.
83 (-1)	Pierre Garcon	WR37	San Francisco	The undisputed WR1 for San Francisco, if by default. Garcon projects to be a target vacuum, especially if the team struggles to stay competitive each week.	PPR+
84 (-1)	DeSean Jackson	WR38	Tampa Bay	The speedster should be able to rack up yardage while Mike Evans deals with double-teams.	PPR-
85 (-1)	Kyle Rudolph	TE7	Minnesota	Won’t put up eye-popping numbers, but Rudolph is a fixture in the Minnesota passing game and a favorite of Sam Bradford.	PPR+
86 (+4)	Zach Ertz	TE8	Philadelphia	Ertz becomes Philadelphia’s top candidate to work the middle of the field following Jordan Matthews’ trade.
87 (-2)	Danny Woodhead	RB33	Baltimore	Still projects as the top receiving option out of the backfield on a team that had the most pass attempts in 2016.	PPR+
88 (-)	Hunter Henry	TE9	Los Angeles Chargers	This should be the season Antonio Gates passes the torch off to Henry. Expect an uptick in the yards and catches from last season.
89 (-)	Martellus Bennett	TE10	Green Bay	A mutually beneficial situation: Bennett makes a lateral quarterback move* from Aaron Rodgers to Tom Brady, while Bennett is arguably the best tight end Rodgers has ever had. Win-win.
90 (-2)	Jonathan Stewart	RB34	Carolina	Nothing has changed regarding Stewart’s starting role, but it is tough to deny that Christian McCaffrey has looked like the real deal.	PPR-
91 (+3)	Rob Kelley	RB35	Washington	Appears to have a stranglehold on the starter job with rookie Samaje Perrine initially struggling with ball security and pass-protection. Kelley has not looked good through two preseason contests though.	PPR-
92 (-1)	Delanie Walker	TE11	Tennessee	A trustworthy target for Marcus Mariota, but the Tennessee receiving corps is suddenly crowded, meaning the target upside isn’t what it used to be.
93 (-1)	Derek Carr	QB11	Oakland	A young gun-slinger in an ascending offense. Carr could take another step forward if Amari Cooper elevates his game to an elite level.
94 (new)	Thomas Rawls	RB36	Seattle	Was running as the No. 1 running back in Seattle prior to injuring his ankle. It’s unclear if the job is Rawls’ to lose or if he’s just keeping the seat warm for when Eddie Lacy gets up to speed. Both backs expected to lose pass-game work to C.J. Prosise.	PPR-
95 (-2)	Theo Riddick	RB37	Detroit	Never going to be a featured back, but Riddick’s role is secure as a primary pass-catching option. Expected to receive more red zone this season, too.	PPR+
96 (+2)	Eric Decker	WR39	Tennessee	Has an opportunity to curry favor with Marcus Mariota while rookie first-rounder Corey Davis is on the shelf with a hamstring injury.	TD+
97 (new)	Tyrell Williams	WR40	Los Angeles Chargers	Appears destined for the No. 2 receiver role, at least while Mike Williams recovers from his back injury. Don’t forget that Tyrell Williams was a 1,000-yard receiver in this offense last year.
98 (new)	Terrance West	RB38	Baltimore	Appears headed towards a 50/50 backfield split with Danny Woodhead, where West is the favorite for most of the carries.	PPR-
99 (+1)	Derrick Henry	RB39	Tennessee	Has looked the part of an RB1 while DeMarco Murray rests his hamstring injury.
100 (-5)	Tevin Coleman	RB40	Atlanta	Teammate Devonta Freeman just got paid in a major way, so it’s possible the new contract has a trickle-down effect on Coleman’s stand-alone usage. Still an elite handcuff though.
Off the Board: Matt Forte (New York Jets), Cameron Meredith (Chicago), Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)
*Note: In my last edition of this list, I incorrectly identified Aaron Rodgers as the best quarterback Martellus Bennett has ever played with, and completely disregarded the season Bennett spent with Tom Brady in New England. I just wanted to point out the error has been identified and remedied.