Can someone with Insider post this? http://insider.espn.go.com/fantasy/...ide-receiver-fantasy-football-season-rankings
I'm sure ESPN doesn't appreciate it, but I don't think I've ever seen Clutch or other admins complain about us doing it. Edit: If anybody can link me to an admin post concerning their policy, I will take the posts I have made down.
'11 ranks: A.J. Green jumps to WR2 status Eric Karabell There's a tendency in fantasy football to overreact to one nice performance or the hype of a player or team. Fantasy owners have been talking about a certain young, fleet quarterback in Denver, the changing running back situations in Kansas City and Washington, and at wide receiver … well, just so many options are out there that it's tough to miss out on production. I try not to overreact in my year-to-end rankings, but on the flip side, rest assured that I have put in the time and effort to avoid a lack of reacting as well. We have more than two months to go before fantasy playoffs; by then, some of these "hot" names will be irrelevant. So it is that I present the latest edition of the end-of-season rankings, putting everything we've seen and likely will see into proper perspective. Agree, disagree, whatever your take, always consider your options. And please note these are not the Week 6 rankings; those will be published Wednesday, showing our group and individual lists, then updated again Friday. Use the rankings below as if you were drafting today or trading for the rest of the way. Good luck and enjoy! Quick click by position, for easy reference: Top 40 Quarterbacks Rank Player Team Prev. 1 Aaron Rodgers GB 1 2 Tom Brady NE 2 3 Drew Brees NO 3 4 Philip Rivers SD 4 5 Matthew Stafford Det 6 6 Tony Romo Dal 5 7 Michael Vick Phi 7 8 Cam Newton Car 9 9 Matt Schaub Hou 8 10 Ben Roethlisberger Pit 12 11 Eli Manning NYG 10 12 Matt Ryan Atl 13 13 Josh Freeman TB 11 14 Joe Flacco Bal 14 15 Ryan Fitzpatrick Buf 15 16 Matt Hasselbeck Ten 16 17 Tim Tebow Den 38 18 Mark Sanchez NYJ 18 19 Alex Smith SF 26 20 Kevin Kolb Ari 19 21 Colt McCoy Cle 20 22 Rex Grossman Was 21 23 Jason Campbell Oak 22 24 Matt Cassel KC 27 25 Jay Cutler Chi 23 26 Andy Dalton Cin 25 27 Sam Bradford StL 24 28 Curtis Painter Ind 29 29 Donovan McNabb Min 31 30 Blaine Gabbert Jac 32 31 Matt Moore Mia 34 32 Tarvaris Jackson Sea 30 33 Charlie Whitehurst Sea NR 34 Vince Young Phi 33 35 Kyle Orton Den 17 36 Jon Kitna Dal 35 37 Kerry Collins Ind 36 38 David Garrard FA 37 39 Shaun Hill Det 39 40 John Beck Was 40 www.rapsports.com • Michael Vick produced 21 fantasy points in Week 5, which was difficult to do considering he threw four interceptions. My concerns about Vick haven't changed; the Eagles are a mess, and he remains a huge injury risk. It's also worth noting that rookie Cam Newton has outscored him by 29 points. Can we really trust a rookie on a bad team over a potentially dominant veteran also on a bad team? It's possible Vick will still play in December, but another thing to consider: Will the Eagles force him out there if he's hurting and they're 5-8? For now I have Tony Romo at No. 6 -- Matthew Stafford moves up to No. 5 -- then Vick and Newton. But both should be considered fantasy starters. • It was an unimpressive Week 5 outing for Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman, who produced three fantasy and real-life points in San Francisco. Freeman had a strong 2010 campaign, but most of his value was in his consistency; he regularly scored in the double digits in fantasy, eclipsing 20 points a few times. With three touchdown passes and six interceptions so far this season, this clearly isn't the same Freeman, and he drops a few spots, even though two of his next three games are against the New Orleans Saints, the eighth-most-favorable defense for opposing quarterbacks in fantasy. • Quarterbacks who moved up a bit in the rankings include Alex Smith of the for-real 49ers, Matt Cassel of the not-for-real Chiefs (check out their difficult upcoming schedule), Matt Moore in Miami and, yes, Colts starter Curtis Painter. I'm not really buying Painter's 36 fantasy points over the past two weeks, but we'll probably learn considerably more in his next three games on the road against winning teams. • In the end, it seems to always come down to Denver Broncos savior Tim Tebow. There's been no shortage of Tebow coverage at ESPN.com and on these fantasy pages. My opinion is Tebow will put up numbers and, considering he made my top 20 for the rest of the season, pretty decent numbers. His three starts last season might have been too small a sample size for some, and he might not complete half his passes, but he'll run enough to be relevant. The Broncos are still a 4-12 team, though.
Top 60 Running Backs Rank Player Team Prev. 1 Adrian Peterson Min 1 2 Ray Rice Bal 2 3 LeSean McCoy Phi 4 4 Arian Foster Hou 5 5 Darren McFadden Oak 3 6 Matt Forte Chi 8 7 Fred Jackson Buf 10 8 Maurice Jones-Drew Jac 7 9 Chris Johnson Ten 6 10 Michael Turner Atl 9 11 Frank Gore SF 12 12 Ryan Mathews SD 16 13 Jahvid Best Det 15 14 Ahmad Bradshaw NYG 11 15 BenJarvus Green-Ellis NE 20 16 Beanie Wells Ari 13 17 Rashard Mendenhall Pit 17 18 Steven Jackson StL 18 19 LeGarrette Blount TB 14 20 Peyton Hillis Cle 19 21 Darren Sproles NO 21 22 Felix Jones Dal 22 23 Daniel Thomas Mia 24 24 DeAngelo Williams Car 26 25 James Starks GB 25 26 Willis McGahee Den 32 27 Shonn Greene NYJ 31 28 Cedric Benson Cin 27 29 Marshawn Lynch Sea 36 30 Mike Tolbert SD 23 31 Ryan Torain Was 29 32 Joseph Addai Ind 28 33 Jonathan Stewart Car 30 34 Montario Hardesty Cle 33 35 Mark Ingram NO 41 36 Michael Bush Oak 34 37 Thomas Jones KC 37 38 Knowshon Moreno Den 42 39 Pierre Thomas NO 40 40 Tim Hightower Was 39 41 Jackie Battle KC NR 42 Ben Tate Hou 35 43 Stevan Ridley NE 38 44 LaDainian Tomlinson NYJ 44 45 Roy Helu Was 45 46 Bernard Scott Cin 46 47 Jacob Hester SD NR 48 Delone Carter Ind NR 49 Isaac Redman Pit 47 50 Dexter McCluster KC 43 51 Donald Brown Ind NR 52 Earnest Graham TB NR 53 C.J. Spiller Buf 48 54 Brandon Jacobs NYG 49 55 Reggie Bush Mia 50 56 Ryan Grant GB 51 57 Kendall Hunter SF 52 58 Cadillac Williams StL 53 59 Tashard Choice Dal 54 60 Jacquizz Rodgers Atl 59 • Remember a few weeks ago when New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley was Mr. Popular? Well, Ridley followed his 97-yard, 15-fantasy-point effort against the Oakland Raiders with a mere 13 rushing yards and one fantasy point in Week 6. Meanwhile, BenJarvus Green-Ellis has rushed for more touchdowns than anyone since the start of 2010. Enjoy this solid production for your RB2 spot; The Law Firm shouldn't be doubted, and he moves up the rankings to a more suitable spot. • Among those to drop in the rankings is LeGarrette Blount of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I didn't expect much from him against the run-stuffing San Francisco 49ers, as I said in various platforms, but the news is even worse: Blount suffered a knee injury and could miss a few games. Earnest Graham moves up in the ranks a bit, but don't expect 100-yard-rushing games out of him. He's more receiver than runner at this stage of his career, and not in a Darren Sproles type of way, either. • I discussed the running back situations for the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers in Monday's Four Downs blog. I'm leaving Thomas Jones as my top Chiefs option for now, ahead of Jackie Battle. It's not as though Jones struggled Sunday, and he's obviously more proven. Battle isn't 23, you know. He's 28. But he moves ahead of Dexter McCluster, who just isn't being used enough. For the Panthers, DeAngelo Williams had a nice game Sunday … but nine carries is not enough for us to trust him. Essentially, Williams, Jonathan Stewart and quarterback Cam Newton are splitting carries just about evenly. That's not good news for the running backs. Williams passes underwhelming James Starks, though. Starks seems average to me despite the team he's on. • Other movers in a positive way include Willis McGahee, Shonn Greene and Marshawn Lynch, while a bunch of new faces enter or re-enter the ranks. Welcome back, Delone Carter. I wouldn't prepare to start Carter in fantasy even if Joseph Addai and his balky hamstring missed time. Donald Brown also is back in the rankings. Jacob Hester is ranked because the Chargers' two primary backs, Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert, both seem brittle. Someone has to run the football, and Hester looked OK on Sunday. • Leaving the rankings are a few big names, including Danny Woodhead, Ricky Williams and the Jacksonville Jaguars' Deji Karim, which is noteworthy if you're someone who handcuffs running backs. Let's just say Maurice Jones-Drew looks pretty healthy at this point. Woodhead is not, and he wasn't getting touches anyway. Williams has been productive with his carries, but he's not a goal-line option and Ray Rice is plenty healthy.
Top 60 Wide Receivers Rank Player Team Prev. 1 Calvin Johnson Det 1 2 Wes Welker NE 9 3 Greg Jennings GB 2 4 Mike Wallace Pit 4 5 Vincent Jackson SD 3 6 Roddy White Atl 7 7 Hakeem Nicks NYG 8 8 DeSean Jackson Phi 11 9 Larry Fitzgerald Ari 5 10 Andre Johnson Hou 6 11 Steve Smith Car 12 12 Dwayne Bowe KC 14 13 Dez Bryant Dal 10 14 Jeremy Maclin Phi 16 15 Steve Johnson Buf 17 16 A.J. Green Cin 26 17 Brandon Lloyd Den 13 18 Miles Austin Dal 19 19 Brandon Marshall Mia 15 20 Santonio Holmes NYJ 18 21 Santana Moss Was 20 22 Jordy Nelson GB 23 23 Pierre Garcon Ind 33 24 Percy Harvin Min 22 25 Reggie Wayne Ind 27 26 Julio Jones Atl 25 27 Marques Colston NO 29 28 Mike Williams TB 21 29 Sidney Rice Sea 30 30 Eric Decker Den 24 31 Victor Cruz NYG 37 32 Anquan Boldin Bal 28 33 Deion Branch NE 42 34 Mario Manningham NYG 31 35 Nate Washington Ten 32 36 Mike Thomas Jac 34 37 Malcom Floyd SD 41 38 Robert Meachem NO 35 39 Johnny Knox Chi 39 40 Plaxico Burress NYJ 40 41 Lance Moore NO 38 42 Jacoby Jones Hou 43 43 David Nelson Buf 45 44 Doug Baldwin Sea NR 45 Denarius Moore Oak 48 46 Austin Collie Ind 44 47 Nate Burleson Det 36 48 Kevin Walter Hou 56 49 Steve Breaston KC NR 50 Antonio Brown Pit 50 51 Darrius Heyward-Bey Oak 58 52 Michael Crabtree SF 59 53 Devery Henderson NO 46 54 Early Doucet Ari NR 55 Brandon Gibson StL 49 56 Jacoby Ford Oak 55 57 Dexter McCluster KC 51 58 Hines Ward Pit NR 59 James Jones GB NR 60 Titus Young Det NR • Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green continues to impress. The rookie has been in double digits in standard fantasy scoring four of the first five weeks, and he has moved easily into the top 20. Green's quarterback, fellow rookie Andy Dalton, remains risky for fantasy use, and who knows what Bernard Scott will do if given the chance to fill in for Cedric Benson, but Green is legit. In fact, I'd consider him a fantasy starter. • As for the New York Giants, newcomer Victor Cruz is certainly making things interesting. One minute he makes an acrobatic catch, the next he's fumbling the ball and helping add another interception to poor Eli Manning's slate. Regardless, Cruz has 20 or more fantasy points in two of the past three weeks. Mario Manningham has 15 fantasy points this season. I'm no longer betting this is a short-term change. I feel like we'll be making a similar adjustment with Detroit Lions wide receivers Titus Young and Nate Burleson (switching their order) soon, but I'm not there yet. Regardless, you need to own Cruz at this point. • It was nice to see Deion Branch bounce back after catching just one pass in Weeks 3 and 4 combined (though it was for a touchdown). Branch had a season-best 13 fantasy points in Week 5 and moves up closer to weekly flex consideration. Of course, he's no Wes Welker; that guy already has 740 receiving yards, the most by a player through five games in league history. And what's wrong with Calvin Johnson? Only one touchdown on Monday night? Come on! • Jacoby Jones was a popular free-agent addition with Andre Johnson on the shelf for a few weeks, but Jones didn't shine in Week 5. He caught just one of his 11 targets, which can't be all quarterback Matt Schaub's fault. Kevin Walter caught a touchdown pass and contributed 14 fantasy points, but most of Schaub's 416 passing yards went to running backs and tight ends. Don't overrate Jones or Walter moving forward. Plus, Johnson should return sooner than later. • At the back of the wide receiver rankings, you deeper leaguers should take a look at Early Doucet, Hines Ward and James Jones, as they get a little love, or at least more love than last week. Doucet led everyone -- even Welker -- with 16 targets in Week 5, catching half of them for 92 yards. The Cardinals do have some interesting future opponents to throw against, too. Ward scored his first two touchdowns, though you shouldn't expect many more. Green Bay's Jones, in most weeks the team's fourth option, at best, is also not likely to continue his trend, but in a Devery Henderson sort of way, he comes up with the occasional big play.
Top 30 Tight Ends Rank Player Team Prev. 1 Jimmy Graham NO 3 2 Jason Witten Dal 1 3 Jermichael Finley GB 2 4 Vernon Davis SF 4 5 Owen Daniels Hou 5 6 Tony Gonzalez Atl 8 7 Aaron Hernandez NE 10 8 Antonio Gates SD 7 9 Rob Gronkowski NE 6 10 Greg Olsen Car 11 11 Brandon Pettigrew Det 14 12 Jermaine Gresham Cin 15 13 Dustin Keller NYJ 9 14 Dallas Clark Ind 12 15 Kellen Winslow TB 13 16 Jared Cook Ten 16 17 Jake Ballard NYG NR 18 Fred Davis Was 18 19 Marcedes Lewis Jac 19 20 Joel Dreessen Hou NR 21 Scott Chandler Buf 17 22 Jeremy Shockey Car NR 23 Heath Miller Pit 29 24 Ed Dickson Bal 21 25 Randy McMichael SD 30 26 Todd Heap Ari 22 27 Chris Cooley Was 23 28 Visanthe Shiancoe Min 24 29 Kevin Boss Oak 25 30 Benjamin Watson Cle 28 • The return of Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was not a given leading up to Sunday's game. I ranked him 10th among tight ends in Wednesday's initial Week 5 rankings and was the lone ranker to include him. Hernandez played and was certainly busy, getting nine targets. Rob Gronkowski, meanwhile, has four fantasy points over the past two weeks after starting the season with 56 points in three games. Both Patriots made my top 10, but if I must choose between them for fantasy value the rest of the way, I'd pick Hernandez. • You'll notice a change at the top. Jimmy Graham is on pace to break the NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end. Yeah, he's pretty good. • Antonio Gates and his San Diego Chargers are on bye this coming week. Let's hope Gates suits up in Week 7. If he can't suit up then, I'd have serious doubt he'll be helping fantasy owners anytime soon. • Would you rather have Scott Chandler of the Buffalo Bills or Jake Ballard of the Giants? Chandler caught two touchdown passes in Week 1. He caught touchdowns in Week 2 and 3, but on only two receptions each. And he has zero fantasy points the past two weeks. Ballard has 105 receiving yards the past two weeks with touchdowns each time. I'd take Ballard. This is a deep fantasy position, so play the hot hands.
Top 32 Defense/Special Teams Rank Player Prev. Rank Player Prev. 1 Baltimore Ravens 1 2 Green Bay Packers 3 3 Detroit Lions 4 4 San Francisco 49ers 12 5 Pittsburgh Steelers 8 6 New York Jets 2 7 Chicago Bears 5 8 New Orleans Saints 6 9 Washington Redskins 10 10 Houston Texans 11 11 Atlanta Falcons 14 12 Cincinnati Bengals 21 13 San Diego Chargers 7 14 Buffalo Bills 19 15 Tennessee Titans 13 16 Philadelphia Eagles 9 17 New York Giants 15 18 Oakland Raiders 16 19 Dallas Cowboys 18 20 Cleveland Browns 20 21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17 22 New England Patriots 22 23 Seattle Seahawks 23 24 Minnesota Vikings 24 25 Jacksonville Jaguars 25 26 Arizona Cardinals 27 27 Miami Dolphins 28 28 Denver Broncos 31 29 Carolina Panthers 29 30 Kansas City Chiefs 30 31 Indianapolis Colts 26 32 St. Louis Rams 32
Top 100 Overall Ovr. Rank Player Team Pos. Rank Next 3 Weeks Prev. 1 Adrian Peterson Min RB1 @CHI, GB, @CAR 1 2 Ray Rice Bal RB2 HOU, @JAC, ARI 2 3 LeSean McCoy Phi RB3 @WAS, bye, DAL 4 4 Arian Foster Hou RB4 @BAL, @TEN, JAC 5 5 Calvin Johnson Det WR1 SF, ATL, @DEN 8 6 Darren McFadden Oak RB5 CLE, KC, bye 3 7 Matt Forte Chi RB6 MIN, @TB, bye 10 8 Wes Welker NE WR2 DAL, bye, @PIT 26 9 Fred Jackson Buf RB7 @NYG, bye, WAS 12 10 Maurice Jones-Drew Jac RB8 @PIT, BAL, @HOU 7 11 Aaron Rodgers GB QB1 STL, @MIN, bye 16 12 Chris Johnson Ten RB9 bye, HOU, IND 6 13 Michael Turner Atl RB10 CAR, @DET, bye 11 14 Frank Gore SF RB11 @DET, bye, CLE 15 15 Tom Brady NE QB2 DAL, bye, @PIT 18 16 Greg Jennings GB WR3 STL, @MIN, bye 9 17 Ryan Mathews SD RB12 bye, @NYJ, @KC 31 18 Jahvid Best Det RB13 SF, ATL, @DEN 27 19 Mike Wallace Pit WR4 JAC, @ARI, NE 19 20 Vincent Jackson SD WR5 bye, @NYJ, @KC 14 21 Drew Brees NO QB3 @TB, IND, @STL 21 22 Roddy White Atl WR6 CAR, @DET, bye 24 23 Ahmad Bradshaw NYG RB14 BUF, bye, MIA 13 24 Hakeem Nicks NYG WR7 BUF, bye, MIA 25 25 DeSean Jackson Phi WR8 @WAS, bye, DAL 29 26 Larry Fitzgerald Ari WR9 bye, PIT, @BAL 20 27 BenJarvus Green-Ellis NE RB15 DAL, bye, @PIT 39 28 Andre Johnson Hou WR10 @BAL, @TEN, JAC 22 29 Steve Smith Car WR11 @ATL, WAS, MIN 32 30 Philip Rivers SD QB4 bye, @NYJ, @KC 30 31 Beanie Wells Ari RB16 bye, PIT, @BAL 17 32 Dwayne Bowe KC WR12 bye, @OAK, SD 35 33 Dez Bryant Dal WR13 @NE, STL, @PHI 28 34 Rashard Mendenhall Pit RB17 JAC, @ARI, NE 34 35 Jeremy Maclin Phi WR14 @WAS, bye, DAL 45 36 Steven Jackson StL RB18 @GB, @DAL, NO 36 37 LeGarrette Blount TB RB19 NO, CHI, bye 23 38 Matthew Stafford Det QB5 SF, ATL, @DEN 40 39 Peyton Hillis Cle RB20 @OAK, SEA, @SF 37 40 Tony Romo Dal QB6 @NE, STL, @PHI 38 41 Darren Sproles NO RB21 @TB, IND, @STL 41 42 Jimmy Graham NO TE1 @TB, IND, @STL 63 43 Steve Johnson Buf WR15 @NYG, bye, WAS 46 44 Felix Jones Dal RB22 @NE, STL, @PHI 44 45 A.J. Green Cin WR16 IND, bye, @SEA 61 46 Brandon Lloyd Den WR17 bye, @MIA, DET 33 47 Daniel Thomas Mia RB23 @NYJ, DEN, @NYG 51 48 Miles Austin Dal WR18 @NE, STL, @PHI 50 49 Jason Witten Dal TE2 @NE, STL, @PHI 42 50 Brandon Marshall Mia WR19 @NYJ, DEN, @NYG 43 51 DeAngelo Williams Car RB24 @ATL, WAS, MIN 60 52 Santonio Holmes NYJ WR20 MIA, SD, bye 48 53 Santana Moss Was WR21 PHI, @CAR, @BUF 52 54 Michael Vick Phi QB7 @WAS, bye, DAL 54 55 Jordy Nelson GB WR22 STL, @MIN, bye 56 56 Pierre Garcon Ind WR23 @CIN, @NO, @TEN 79 57 James Starks GB RB25 STL, @MIN, bye 57 58 Percy Harvin Min WR24 @CHI, GB, @CAR 55 59 Reggie Wayne Ind WR25 @CIN, @NO, @TEN 64 60 Willis McGahee Den RB26 bye, @MIA, DET 82 61 Julio Jones Atl WR26 CAR, @DET, bye 59 62 Cam Newton Car QB8 @ATL, WAS, MIN 68 63 Jermichael Finley GB TE3 STL, @MIN, bye 49 64 Marques Colston NO WR27 @TB, IND, @STL 67 65 Shonn Greene NYJ RB27 MIA, SD, bye 80 66 Mike Williams TB WR28 NO, CHI, bye 53 67 Sidney Rice Sea WR29 bye, @CLE, CIN 72 68 Matt Schaub Hou QB9 @BAL, @TEN, JAC 62 69 Vernon Davis SF TE4 @DET, bye, CLE 69 70 Cedric Benson Cin RB28 IND, bye, @SEA 65 71 Marshawn Lynch Sea RB29 bye, @CLE, CIN 92 72 Eric Decker Den WR30 bye, @MIA, DET 58 73 Victor Cruz NYG WR31 BUF, bye, MIA 88 74 Mike Tolbert SD RB30 bye, @NYJ, @KC 47 75 Ben Roethlisberger Pit QB10 JAC, @ARI, NE 86 76 Owen Daniels Hou TE5 @BAL, @TEN, JAC 76 77 Eli Manning NYG QB11 BUF, bye, MIA 75 78 Anquan Boldin Bal WR32 HOU, @JAC, ARI 66 79 Deion Branch NE WR33 DAL, bye, @PIT NR 80 Ryan Torain Was RB31 PHI, @CAR, @BUF 71 81 Mario Manningham NYG WR34 BUF, bye, MIA 73 82 Joseph Addai Ind RB32 @CIN, @NO, @TEN 70 83 Nate Washington Ten WR35 bye, HOU, IND 78 84 Jonathan Stewart Car RB33 @ATL, WAS, MIN 74 85 Mike Thomas Jac WR36 @PIT, BAL, @HOU 81 86 Matt Ryan Atl QB12 CAR, @DET, bye NR 87 Tony Gonzalez Atl TE6 CAR, @DET, bye NR 88 Malcom Floyd SD WR37 bye, @NYJ, @KC 100 89 Aaron Hernandez NE TE7 DAL, bye, @PIT NR 90 Robert Meachem NO WR38 @TB, IND, @STL 83 91 Montario Hardesty Cle RB34 @OAK, SEA, @SF 84 92 Mark Ingram NO RB35 @TB, IND, @STL NR 93 Antonio Gates SD TE8 bye, @NYJ, @KC 97 94 Michael Bush Oak RB36 CLE, KC, bye 90 95 Johnny Knox Chi WR39 MIN, @TB, bye 93 96 Plaxico Burress NYJ WR40 MIA, SD, bye 94 97 Thomas Jones KC RB37 bye, @OAK, SD 95 98 Rob Gronkowski NE TE9 DAL, bye, @PIT 87 99 Pierre Thomas NO RB39 @TB, IND, @STL 99 100 Lance Moore NO WR41 @TB, IND, @STL 89
I have 7 players in the top 35 in a 10-team league. 9 in the top 50. All balanced too, 1 QB, 4 RB's, 4 WR's. Should be in good shape unless there are injuries..
