If drafting in your season-long league wasn’t fun enough, imagine if you could draft your favorite NFL players every single week.
You can!
With the DRAFT app, you can play DFS in a way similar to your season-long league. There are zero salary restrictions and you can even set your “Dream Team” without having to deal with the draft times.
Throughout the NFL season, I’ll provide my player rankings on a weekly basis. Use these for your DRAFT drafts, H2H contests, and “Dream Team” entries.
Since the maximum number of players in a DRAFT draft is 10, I’ll rank 10 QBs, 20 RBs, and 20 WR/TEs.
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Quarterback
- Tom Brady, Patriots (vs. Chiefs)
- Aaron Rodgers, Packers (vs. Seahawks)
- Matt Ryan, Falcons (@ Bears)
- Russell Wilson, Seahawks (@ Packers)
- Drew Brees, Saints (@ Vikings)
- Cam Newton, Panthers (@ 49ers)
- Marcus Mariota, Titans (vs. Raiders)
- Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (@ Browns)
- Kirk Cousins, Redskins (vs. Eagles)
- Derek Carr, Raiders (@ Titans)
Both Super Bowl LI teams, New England and Atlanta, have implied point totals of at least 28 points. So, it’s not surprising that Brady and Ryan are two of the top three quarterbacks on this list. Rodgers sneaks into the two-spot because the Falcons are such strong favorites (-7) and could run the ball more when the game seems to be in hand.
Some will see this list and think, “Why is Big Ben only ranked eighth?” Well, let me answer that for you. Roethlisberger struggles on the road. Last year, he threw nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in away games (20:5 at home). He also threw ZERO touchdowns against the Browns in 2016. Granted, he was injured in their first game, but he still threw the ball 36 times. He was benched for the second meeting (Week 17, wasn’t needed). I just expect a heavy dose of Le’Veon Bell in this contest.
Running Back
- Le’Veon Bell, Steelers (@ Browns)
- David Johnson, Cardinals (@ Lions)
- LeSean McCoy, Bills (vs. Jets)
- Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys (vs. Giants)
- DeMarco Murray, Titans (vs. Raiders
- Todd Gurley, Rams (vs. Colts)
- Jordan Howard, Bears (vs. Falcons)
- Devonta Freeman, Falcons (@ Bears)
- Melvin Gordon, Chargers (@ Broncos)
- Isaiah Crowell, Browns (vs. Steelers)
- Dalvin Cook, Vikings (vs. Saints)
- Lamar Miller, Texans (vs. Jaguars)
- Leonard Fournette, Jaguars (@ Texans)
- Christian McCaffrey, Panthers (@ 49ers)
- Marshawn Lynch, Raiders (@ Titans)
- Kareem Hunt, Chiefs (@ Patriots)
- C.J. Anderson, Broncos (vs. Chargers)
- Carlos Hyde, 49ers (vs. Panthers)
- Bilal Powell, Jets (@ Bills)
- Ty Montgomery, Packers (vs. Seahawks)
As I mentioned in the QB breakdown, Bell will be highly utilized against the Browns. He averages 4.6 yards per carry in the five games he’s played against Cleveland.
The Bills are all-in on Shady McCoy so much that they cut Jonathan Williams, McCoy’s backup, on Sunday. Buffalo is also the heaviest favorite going in to Week 1 (-10). Shady finished 2016 on a strong note. Removing Week 17 (only five carries), McCoy ran for over 100 yards in five of the last six games and scored six TDs between Weeks 12-16.
We have four rookies in this group (Cook, Fournette, McCaffrey, and Hunt), and it’s the Vikings RB who leads the way. From this pack, McCaffrey’s Panthers have the higher implied total (26.5 points), but the depth chart is tougher to crack. Jonathan Stewart is still listed No. 1 on the Carolina depth chart. Plus, Cam Newton is always a threat to keep the ball himself. As for Cook, Minnesota has Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon behind him on the depth chart. It shouldn’t be a problem for Cook to show his dominance as the top RB on his team.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
- Antonio Brown, Steelers (@ Browns)
- Julio Jones, Falcons (@ Bears)
- Odell Beckham Jr., Giants (@ Cowboys)
- A.J. Green, Bengals (vs. Ravens)
- Jordy Nelson, Packers (vs. Seahawks)
- Amari Cooper, Raiders (@ Titans)
- Michael Thomas, Saints (@ Vikings)
- Dez Bryant, Cowboys (vs. Giants)
- Rob Gronkowski, Patriots (vs. Chiefs)
- Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (@ Packers)
- Michael Crabtree, Raiders (@ Titans)
- Brandin Cooks, Patriots (vs. Chiefs)
- DeAndre Hopkins, Texans (vs. Jaguars)
- Terrelle Pryor, Redskins (vs. Eagles)
- Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (@ Lions)
- Alshon Jeffery, Eagles (@ Redskins)
- Greg Olsen, Panthers (@ 49ers)
- Stefon Diggs, Vikings (vs. Saints)
- Allen Robinson, Jaguars (@ Texans)
- Martavis Bryant, Steelers (@ Browns)
I would draw a line under the sixth-ranked receiver (Cooper) and be fine with anyone in that first tier. Brown leads the pack with his matchup against the Browns. Having Bryant back as the No. 2 receiver should take some pressure off of Brown. However, everyone knows how good AB is, so expect the usual coverage on him.
One other WR I want to spotlight from the top tier is Green. He tends to have a great Week 1 almost every year.
2016: 12 catches for 180 yards and one TD against the Jets
2015: 5 catches for 63 yards against the Raiders
2014: 6 catches for 131 yards and one TD against the Ravens
2013: 9 catches for 162 yards and two TDs against the Bears
2012: 5 catches for 70 yards against the Ravens
2011: 1 catch for 41 yards and a TD against the Browns
That averages to…6 catches, 108 yards, and 0.8 TD per Week 1s.
One more receiver I really like in Week 1 is Fitzgerald. Arizona is implied to score 25 points in Detroit and Fitz has a juicy matchup against D.J. Hayden. While there is no easy way of finding grades on cornerbacks, I was able to track down a list from Pro Football Focus ranking every cornerback following the 2015 regular season. Brandon Browner was last (119th). Hayden was only seven spots higher (112th).
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Adam Meyer is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Adam, check out his archive and follow him @CharlieSideHstl.