Each week through the NFL season we’ll take a look at our rest of season rankings to help you make roster decisions. In addition to the rankings below, here are notes on a few key players.
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Tom Brady (QB – NE)
It doesn’t seem what kind of obstacles are put in front of Brady and the Patriots, he just keeps putting up fantastic numbers. Now that Julian Edelman is back in the lineup and Josh Gordon has gotten his first Patriots’ TD and 100-yard game out of the way, Brady has a legitimate shot at finishing as a top-three QB for the remainder of the season.
Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN)
Cousins is a good fit in an offense that is loaded with talented pass-catching talent and he’s off to a fast start. Minnesota’s defense has struggled out of the gate which has led to more stat-padding offensive plays that Cousins owners undoubtedly have embraced. He’s a locked-in QB1 with a fairly high floor in this offense.
Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT)
Pittsburgh’s defense might wind up pushing Big Ben into the top-5 as the Steelers may have to simply try to outscore opponents. Even without Le’Veon Bell, Roethlisberger is thriving with an emerging WR2 and an offense that is built around his strengths and his home/road splits haven’t been as egregious so far in 2018. Le’Veon Bell’s return should only help a strong offense get even better.
Joe Flacco (QB – BAL)
The Ravens are throwing the ball a ton and Flacco has done a nice job making John Brown, Michael Crabtree, and even Willie Snead fantasy relevant. Baltimore’s defense is likely to cause the Ravens to end up needing to rely on their offense less than would be considered ideal, but Flacco certainly has some streaming appeal, especially in home games.
Blake Bortles (QB – JAC)
Nobody ever wants to start Bortles, but every year he seems to wind up near QB1 territory. He’s an excellent streamer–if you pick the weeks where he avoids costly picks. Bad Bortles has been on display recently, which is a firm reminder of why you can not rely on him as a starter. In the past, Bortles has always narrowly avoided a benching with a timely huge game. He may be close to that breaking point once again.
Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL)
Elliott could contend for the league’s rushing title but one factor that could weigh him down is facing so many 8 and 9-man fronts thanks to a suspect Dallas receiving corps and Dak Prescott’s struggles. One positive takeaway has been Elliott’s added role in the passing game, which has boosted his PPR stock. We’ll see how the addition of Amari Cooper shakes things up–at this point, it certainly can’t hurt.
Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
There’s a chance that Mixon could lead the NFL in touches for the rest of the season. The Bengals are off to a surprising start and have a favorable upcoming schedule, particularly for the running game. He’s not the easiest guy to root for, but Mixon has elite fantasy RB value and little competition for touches.
David Johnson (RB – ARI)
Arizona’s stagnant offense and questionable play-calling have combined to torpedo Johnson’s value. The switch to Byron Leftwich as the offensive coordinator offers a glimmer of hope, but there’s no way that Johnson will be able to recoup his lofty draft value in 2018.
Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
Jones has the most upside of any back on Green Bay’s roster but is stuck in a Mike McCarthy-led committee. Until Jones can make improvements in pass protection, he’s likely going to be forced into to being a tantalizing tease.
Raheem Mostert (RB – SF)
Mostert has looked awful good with limited opportunities. An injury that keeps Matt Breida out of the lineup could give Mostert the chance to take over lead back duties for Kyle Shanahan, making him an intriguing RB2/3.
Davante Adams (WR – GB)
Now that the Packers have emerged from their bye, the hope is that the extra week of rest will have Aaron Rodgers close to 100% and out of the bulky knee brace that seemed to have a negative impact on his mobility. That’s even better news for Adams, who has looked like a complete WR that is a weekly threat to eclipse 100 yards and score a red zone touchdown. Things should only get better for this emerging superstar.
Juju Smith-Schuster (WR – PIT)
Pittsburgh’s defense is causing Ben Roethlisberger to go all out and Smith-Schuster is emerging as a legitimate weekly WR1 alongside Antonio Brown. Even when Le’Veon Bell is back in the fold, Smith-Schuster has proven over the past 12-15 games that is a complete receiver and should continue to thrive opposite of Antonio Brown.
Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR)
Even though he’s behind Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, Kupp is a solid red zone threat who is still making an impact in one of the league’s most potent offensive attacks. The only thing holding Kupp down has been injuries, which are starting to pile up. When healthy, Kupp has proven to be more than a red zone wideout- he’s a complete player and fantasy star in Sean McVay’s potent offense, as long as he can stay healthy.
Amari Cooper (WR – DAL)
Now with the Cowboys, Cooper actually enters a worse situation in an offense that is simply having trouble sustaining drives through the air. Perhaps a missing stud wideout of Cooper’s potential caliber will fix that, but until we see things unfold on the field, approach this situation carefully and cautiously.
Jordy Nelson (WR – OAK)
Nelson should be the biggest benefactor of Amari Cooper’s departure, making him the undisputed No. 1 wideout in Oakland. Obviously, he won’t get the volume and doesn’t have the same upside as he had in Green Bay, but Nelson can still be a solid fantasy option with weekly WR2 upside.
Travis Kelce (TE – KC)
Kansas City’s potent offense assures that Kelce hasn’t missed a beat with the quarterback change. In fact, Kelce is seeing more targets via Patrick Mahomes and has moved ahead of Rob Gronkowski as one of the top fantasy tight end in the game. Even though he’s emerged as the top focal point for opposing defensive coordinators, Kelce retains elite weekly upside.
Jimmy Graham (TE – GB)
Graham’s targets should start creeping up as Aaron Rodgers gets more comfortable and the Packers looks for ways to overcome the injuries throughout their receiving corps. With more mouths to feed, Graham won’t be able to replicate last year’s gaudy red zone numbers, but he’s trending in the right direction.
Jared Cook (TE – OAK)
Cook has emerged as Derek Carr’s favorite target and been one of the few things that have gone well for the Raiders. Now that Amari Cooper has been jettisoned, Cook should see even more looks from Carr but he’ll also now command even more defensive attention.
Below you can find our the complete rest of season rankings of several of our experts.
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