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Stampede Blue Analyzes ESPN’s Fantasy Football Rankings Summit

Jared Malott and Jake Arthur take a look at ESPN’s Fantasy Football Rankings Summit and give their thoughts.

By Jake Arthur and Jared Malott
Wild Card Round - Atlanta Falcons v Los Angeles Rams Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Recently, ESPN fantasy football contributors met for their Annual Rankings Summit and this year, they produced video content for it for ESPN+ subscribers. There are six videos, ranging from rankings based on position, overall rankings, a mock draft (albeit very early) and simply put, the absolute finest minds in fantasy football pontificating on just that.

This was hosted by Matthew Berry, Stephania Bell and Mike Clay, and the panel included (in no particular order) Berry, Bell, Clay, Kevin Negandhi, Dan Graziano, K.C. Joyner, Eric Karabell, Andre Snellings, Tristan Cockcroft, Tim Hasselbeck, Adam Schefter and Matt Bowen.

Today, we (Jared Malott and Jake Arthur) will take a look at ESPN’s finished preseason product and give our thoughts.

The first video is the draft. This was a 12-team PPR draft, and we’ll discuss the first four rounds here.

Malott: To be completely honest here, there were *almost* no surprises in this first round, and I’d consider that a reasonable expectation given the people drafting these players and their familiarity with these incredible athletes. The only noticeable slip in this draft would be Odell Beckham Jr. sliding out of the first round because he’s currently WR3 and I believe he ended up being the sixth WR drafted because he’s yet to sign his contract and hasn’t been at training camp (which is voluntary at this point). This will not happen as the season approaches. There were eight RB’s taken and four WR’s in this round (again, pretty predictable).

Arthur: Like Jared said, not many surprises here, but there are a couple guys returning to first round status after bouncing back in 2017 to repair what happened in 2016. Todd Gurley and DeAndre Hopkins are both back into drafters’ good graces. We’ve also got some young newbies in Saquon Barkley, Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara. I will admit that Julio Jones worries me, but only because of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian’s questionable scheme last year. I don’t have an issue with Hopkins and Michael Thomas appearing over OBJ — if consistency is what you’re looking for, those two will supply it.

Malott: The second round went pretty predictably, with seven WR’s and five RB’s coming off the board in total. It’s worth pointing out that team owners went RB/RB and some went WR/WR. It all depends what’s available at the time!

Arthur: No issues here for me — in fact, I love seeing people be bold enough to include Keenan Allen back into their early picks. This is PPR after all, which makes guys like Allen and Christian McCaffrey great gets in the second.

Malott: Third round went again, pretty predictably, with two TE’s, five RB’s and five WR’s were taken in the second round, including Indianapolis’ own WR1 T.Y. Hilton at No. 33 overall.

Arthur: This is where we’re starting to see some potential “boom” picks, with Jerick McKinnon, Joe Mixon, Rashaad Penny and Derrius Guice all going early. Mixon was a popular pick last year, but his rookie year didn’t pop as expected. People have always wanted to love Stefon Diggs, and it looks like it’s time for him to go early.

Malott: Round 4 was interesting given that there were 10 WR’s taken, a TE and a rookie RB. I did notice that four rookie RB’s were drafted in the top 48 picks of this draft.

Arthur: Josh Gordon Hive, let’s go! We’re seeing some PPR guys getting picked up here in Sony Michel, Golden Tate, Jarvis Landry and Julian Edelman. Edelman and Allen Robinson are being trusted following season-ending ACL injuries, Amari Cooper is earning some trust based on Jon Gruden’s love for him, and Robert Woods is getting established as a true weapon for the Rams.

The rest of the draft wasn’t recorded and shown, and following the draft there are also individual RB, WR, TE, QB, K and D/ST videos. So, if you have ESPN+ feel free to go check it out!

Next up, we’ve got positional rankings from each ESPN fantasy analyst, compiled to make a composite ranking.

QB RANKINGS

Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
1 Aaron Rodgers GB 7 1 1 1 1 1 1.0
2 Tom Brady NE 11 2 2 2 5 2 2.6
3 Russell Wilson SEA 7 3 3 3 2 5 3.2
4 Carson Wentz PHI 9 5 5 6 3 3 4.4
5 Cam Newton CAR 4 6 6 4 4 4 4.8
6 Deshaun Watson HOU 10 4 4 5 6 6 5.0
7 Kirk Cousins MIN 10 9 7 10 7 7 8.0
8 Drew Brees NO 6 7 8 8 8 11 8.4
9 Andrew Luck IND 9 10 10 11 11 9 10.2
10 Matthew Stafford DET 6 12 9 14 9 10 10.8
11 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 7 14 13 12 10 8 11.4
12 Jimmy Garoppolo SF 11 8 11 9 14 16 11.6
13 Philip Rivers LAC 8 11 14 15 13 12 13.0
14 Patrick Mahomes II KC 12 16 12 17 12 13 14.0
15 Alex Smith WAS 4 13 16 13 17 15 14.8
16 Dak Prescott DAL 8 18 15 7 19 18 15.4
17 Jameis Winston TB 5 17 21 19 15 14 17.2
17 Jared Goff LAR 12 15 17 18 16 20 17.2
19 Matt Ryan ATL 8 19 18 16 20 19 18.4
20 Marcus Mariota TEN 8 22 22 21 18 17 20.0
21 Mitchell Trubisky CHI 5 20 19 25 22 21 21.4
22 Tyrod Taylor CLE 11 21 20 24 25 22 22.4
23 Derek Carr OAK 7 23 23 23 21 24 22.8
24 Blake Bortles JAX 9 26 24 20 24 26 24.0
25 Case Keenum DEN 10 24 25 22 26 25 24.4
26 Andy Dalton CIN 9 27 26 26 23 23 25.0
27 Eli Manning NYG 9 25 27 30 28 28 27.6
27 Ryan Tannehill MIA 11 29 28 27 27 27 27.6
27 Sam Bradford ARI 9 NR NR 28 29 29 27.6
30 Josh McCown NYJ 11 30 29 29 NR NR 28.0
30 Joe Flacco BAL 10 28 NR NR 30 30 28.0
30 Nick Foles PHI 9 NR 30 NR NR NR 26.8

Malott: It’s kinda crazy that the Super Bowl MVP is the 30th-rated QB the next year (Nick Foles). The Colts’ own Andrew Luck came in ranked ninth overall (which I can’t figure out if it’s low or high). However, this is what I found interesting: Five of the top 10 QB’s in this ranking are coming back off an injury. I’m not arguing the order (it’s too early), but I think some injuries affect numbers differently. I would take Luck over Carson Wentz, for example. Wentz had an ACL/MCL and given that he’s got a great backup QB, that’s not a great fantasy pick. Just saying.

Arthur: I’m iffy with Wentz being QB4 considering he may not start the season. Not that he won’t be a good fantasy player this year, but then that means you’re carrying two QB’s if he isn’t there Week 1. The Deshaun Watson love is real, and rightfully so. His fantasy production was unbelievable when he was the starter last year. I assumed people would be higher on Jimmy Garoppolo because of his hype. Meanwhile, last year’s hype on Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and Dak Prescott has cooled.

WR RANKINGS

Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
1 Antonio Brown PIT 7 1 1 1 1 1 1.0
2 DeAndre Hopkins HOU 10 2 2 2 2 2 2.0
3 Odell Beckham Jr. NYG 9 3 3 3 4 4 3.4
4 Julio Jones ATL 8 5 4 5 3 3 4.0
5 Michael Thomas NO 6 4 5 4 5 5 4.6
6 Keenan Allen LAC 8 6 7 6 6 6 6.2
7 A.J. Green CIN 9 10 6 7 7 7 7.4
8 Mike Evans TB 5 8 8 8 8 9 8.2
9 Davante Adams GB 7 7 9 9 9 8 8.4
10 Adam Thielen MIN 10 12 10 11 10 11 10.8
11 Tyreek Hill KC 12 11 12 10 11 12 11.2
12 Larry Fitzgerald ARI 9 13 11 12 14 10 12.0
13 Doug Baldwin SEA 7 9 14 14 12 15 12.8
14 TY Hilton IND 9 16 13 13 13 13 13.6
15 Demaryius Thomas DEN 10 14 15 19 15 14 15.4
16 Stefon Diggs MIN 10 17 17 21 16 16 17.4
17 Allen Robinson CHI 5 20 18 22 17 17 18.8
18 Alshon Jeffery PHI 9 18 23 15 18 21 19.0
18 Josh Gordon CLE 11 19 20 18 19 19 19.0
20 Golden Tate DET 6 21 16 25 20 18 20.0
21 Jarvis Landry CLE 11 22 19 16 22 24 20.6
22 Amari Cooper OAK 7 15 21 26 21 23 21.2
23 Julian Edelman NE 11 28 22 17 29 20 23.2
24 Robert Woods LAC 12 23 28 24 24 25 24.8
25 JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT 7 26 27 29 23 22 25.4
26 Michael Crabtree BAL 10 24 25 33 25 29 27.2
27 Devin Funchess CAR 4 25 30 20 26 37 27.6
28 Emmanuel Sanders DEN 10 30 24 31 31 26 28.4
29 Marvin Jones Jr. DET 6 31 26 32 28 28 29.0
30 Brandin Cooks LAR 12 35 29 27 27 31 29.8
31 Chris Hogan NE 11 27 31 34 36 36 32.8
32 Pierre Garcon SF 11 29 32 50 30 27 33.6
33 Cooper Kupp LAR 12 32 36 37 33 33 34.2
34 Will Fuller V HOU 10 38 34 23 44 38 35.4
35 Sammy Watkins KC 12 45 40 28 37 30 36.0
35 Robby Anderson NYJ 11 37 33 35 34 41 36.0
37 Corey Davis TEN 8 33 45 43 32 32 37.0
38 Kelvin Benjamin BUF 11 34 35 39 40 42 38.0
39 Marquise Goodwin SF 11 44 37 30 42 47 40.0
39 Jamison Crowder WAS 4 40 42 36 39 43 40.0
41 Dez Bryant UFA **BYE* 36 48 38 48 34 40.8
41 DeVante Parker MIA 11 48 41 45 35 35 40.8
43 Randall Cobb GB 7 39 38 49 47 40 42.6
44 Marqise Lee JAX 9 41 46 40 43 45 43.0
45 Jordy Nelson OAK 7 54 39 42 38 44 43.4
46 Nelson Agholor PHI 9 47 43 48 41 48 45.4
47 Sterling Shepard NYG 9 43 54 41 46 46 41.8
48 Mohamed Sanu ATL 8 50 56 44 49 52 42.8
48 DeSean Jackson TB 5 NR 51 52 51 39 43.8
50 Rishard Matthews TEN 8 52 53 46 54 50 44.8
50 Josh Doctson WAS 4 42 58 NR 45 51 45.8
52 Martavis Bryant OAK 7 46 57 47 52 58 46.8
52 Allen Hurns DAL 8 49 47 53 NR 55 47.8
54 Kenny Stills MIA 11 53 59 58 50 49 48.8
54 Cameron Meredith NO 6 51 52 56 NR 54 49.8
54 Mike Williams LAC 8 58 50 51 58 NR 50.8
54 D.J. Moore CAR 4 NR 44 NR 55 60 51.8
54 Calvin Ridley ATL 8 NR 49 NR 59 59 52.8
54 Dede Westbrook JAX 9 NR NR 55 53 NR 53.8
54 Danny Amendola MIA 11 55 NR 57 NR NR 54.8
54 Kenny Golladay DET 6 NR NR NR NR 53 55.8
54 Terrance Williams DAL 8 NR NR 54 NR NR 56.8
54 Anthony Miller CHI 5 NR 55 NR NR NR 57.8
54 Ted Ginn Jr. NO 6 NR NR NR 56 NR 58.8
54 Albert Wilson MIA 11 NR NR NR NR 56 59.8
54 Quincy Enunwa NYJ 11 56 NR NR NR NR 60.8
54 Paul Richardson WAS 4 NR NR NR 57 NR 61.8
54 Tyler Lockett SEA 7 NR NR NR NR 57 62.8
54 Chester Rogers IND 9 57 NR NR NR NR 63.8
54 Jaron Brown SEA 7 59 NR NR NR NR 64.8
54 Jordan Matthews NE 11 NR NR 59 NR NR 65.8
54 Cole Beasley DAL 8 NR 60 NR NR NR 66.8
54 Donte Moncrief JAX 9 NR NR NR 60 NR 67.8
54 Willie Snead BAL 10 NR NR 60 NR NR 68.8
54 Michael Gallup DAL 8 60 NR NR NR NR 69.8

Malott: The Colts lack depth at WR and have some questions at the position, but T.Y. Hilton is WR14 and Chester Rogers checked in at WR54.

Arthur: Julio has pretty much always been WR1/WR2, but the lack of trust in the Falcons offense is enough to slide him. Adding Calvin Ridley in there with Mohamed Sanu should help open opportunities for Jones. Judging from being WR37, I think Corey Davis could certainly outplay his current ranking. Hopefully he can stay healthy all offseason/preseason, something that was taken from him last year. I think Cameron Meredith, Dede Westbrook and Anthony Miller all have a good shot at outperforming also.

RB RANKINGS

Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
1 Le'Veon Bell PIT 7 1 1 2 1 1 1.2
2 Todd Gurley II LAR 12 2 2 1 2 2 1.8
3 David Johnson ARI 9 3 3 3 3 3 3.0
4 Ezekiel Elliott DAL 8 4 6 4 4 4 4.4
5 Alvin Kamara NO 6 6 4 7 5 6 5.6
6 Saquon Barkley NYG 9 5 7 6 7 5 6.0
7 Kareem Hunt KC 12 7 5 5 6 8 6.2
8 Dalvin Cook MIN 10 11 9 9 8 7 8.8
9 Melvin Gordon LAC 8 8 8 11 10 11 9.6
9 Leonard Fournette JAX 9 9 10 10 9 10 9.6
11 LeSean McCoy BUF 11 12 11 8 11 9 10.2
12 Christian McCaffrey CAR 4 10 12 13 12 12 11.8
13 Devonta Freeman ATL 8 13 13 12 13 13 12.8
14 Joe Mixon CIN 9 15 15 16 14 14 14.8
15 Jerick McKinnon SF 11 14 14 17 15 15 15.0
16 Kenyan Drake MIA 11 16 17 15 16 17 16.2
17 Jordan Howard CHI 5 21 16 14 17 20 17.6
18 Derrius Guice WAS 4 17 19 20 19 18 18.6
19 Jay Ajayi PHI 9 19 24 18 18 21 20.0
20 Rashaad Penny SEA 7 18 18 24 27 16 20.6
21 Mark Ingram NO 6 20 21 26 22 22 22.2
22 Derrick Henry TEN 8 22 26 19 20 26 22.6
23 Alex Collins BAL 10 23 22 25 21 25 23.2
24 Dion Lewis TEN 8 25 28 22 26 27 25.6
25 Lamar Miller HOU 10 27 27 21 24 30 25.8
26 Marshawn Lynch OAK 7 26 25 29 33 23 27.2
26 Royce Freeman DEN 10 24 20 33 40 19 27.2
28 Ronald Jones II TB 5 28 29 27 29 24 27.4
29 Sony Michel NE 11 29 30 23 32 28 28.4
30 Duke Johnson Jr. CLE 11 38 23 39 23 29 30.4
31 Chris Thompson WAS 4 40 31 30 25 32 31.6
32 Rex Burkhead NE 11 31 37 40 28 37 34.6
33 Nick Chubb CLE 11 33 35 38 35 39 36.0
34 Tevin Coleman ATL 8 37 38 41 30 35 36.2
35 Jamaal Williams GB 7 39 40 36 31 36 36.4
36 Tarik Cohen CHI 5 34 33 48 34 34 36.6
37 Isaiah Crowell NYJ 11 30 41 35 47 31 36.8
38 Marlon Mack IND 9 32 45 43 37 33 38.0
39 C.J. Anderson CAR 4 43 32 31 41 44 38.2
40 James White NE 11 36 34 42 43 40 39.0
41 Kerryon Johnson DET 6 42 43 28 54 38 41.0
42 Bilal Powell NYJ 11 41 44 47 39 42 42.6
43 Carlos Hyde CLE 11 45 36 45 42 49 43.4
44 Theo Riddick DET 6 53 39 53 36 41 44.4
45 Devontae Booker DEN 10 47 51 37 45 46 45.2
46 Aaron Jones GB 7 35 48 56 44 45 45.6
47 Giovani Bernard CIN 9 50 42 49 46 48 47.0
47 D'Onta Foreman HOU 10 44 52 NR 38 43 45.6
49 Ty Montgomery GB 7 49 50 32 51 57 47.8
50 LeGarrette Blount DET 6 55 49 46 48 55 50.6
50 Corey Clement PHI 9 46 47 50 NR NR 49.0
52 Jonathan Stewart NYG 9 58 NR 34 57 59 51.8
52 Kenneth Dixon BAL 10 48 60 NR 53 47 51.8
54 Latavius Murray MIN 10 57 53 55 56 51 54.4
54 Peyton Barber TB 5 51 NR 52 49 NR 50.8
54 Chris Carson SEA 7 NR 54 44 55 NR 51.0
54 Frank Gore MIA 11 54 58 NR 52 52 53.4
54 Darren Sproles PHI 9 60 46 NR NR 54 52.4
54 Jordan Wilkins IND 9 52 56 NR NR 58 53.6
54 Matt Breida SF 11 56 NR NR NR 50 51.8
54 Nyheim Hines IND 9 NR 55 51 NR NR 51.8
54 DeMarco Murray UFA **BYE* NR NR NR 50 NR 50.8
54 Austin Ekeler LAC 8 NR NR NR 59 53 53.0
64 Doug Martin OAK 7 NR NR 60 60 56 55.6
64 Samaje Perine WAS 4 NR NR 54 NR NR 51.6
64 Ameer Abdullah DET 6 NR NR 59 58 NR 54.0
64 Jeremy Hill NE 11 NR NR 57 NR NR 52.2
64 James Conner PIT 7 NR 57 NR NR NR 52.2
64 Chris Ivory BUF 11 NR 59 NR NR 60 54.4
64 C.J. Prosise SEA 7 NR NR 58 NR NR 52.4
64 Spencer Ware KC 12 59 NR NR NR NR NR

Malott: Big questions at RB going into the season for the Colts. Look, without knowing or seeing Luck play, it’s hard to talk about potential anywhere on the field. That said, Marlon Mack starts out ranked 38th and both Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins were RB54. I expect the Colts to employ a RBBC and the position not contribute much to the conversation other than DFS potential or barring injury.

Arthur: Like Jared said, the lack of clarity leads to the low rankings for Colts RB’s despite having a RBBC. At least one of them, probably two, will prove to be pretty valuable in fantasy. I think Derrick Henry will outperform his spot as RB22.

TE RANKINGS

Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
1 Rob Gronkowski NE 11 1 1 1 1 1 1.0
2 Travis Kelce KC 12 2 2 2 3 2 2.2
3 Zach Ertz PHI 9 3 3 3 2 3 2.8
4 Greg Olsen CAR 4 7 4 5 5 4 5.0
5 Hunter Henry LAC 8 4 7 7 4 6 5.6
5 Evan Engram NYG 9 5 6 4 6 7 5.6
7 Delanie Walker TEN 8 6 5 8 7 5 6.2
8 Jimmy Graham GB 7 9 10 6 11 11 9.4
9 Kyle Rudolph MIN 10 11 9 10 9 10 9.8
10 Jordan Reed WAS 4 8 13 9 12 9 10.2
10 Jack Doyle IND 9 12 11 12 8 8 10.2
12 Trey Burton CHI 5 10 8 11 10 14 10.6
13 Tyler Eifert CIN 9 14 16 13 13 12 13.6
14 Charles Clay BUF 11 13 12 15 16 13 13.8
15 Cameron Brate TB 5 17 14 14 19 15 15.8
15 David Njoku CLE 11 16 15 18 14 16 15.8
17 George Kittle SF 11 15 17 17 15 20 16.8
18 Austin Seferian-Jenkins JAX 9 18 18 23 20 18 19.4
19 Jared Cook OAK 7 24 24 16 18 19 20.2
20 Austin Hooper ATL 8 20 19 22 22 22 21.0
21 O.J. Howard TB 5 22 27 20 17 24 22.0
22 Benjamin Watson NO 6 27 22 24 21 17 22.2
23 Eric Ebron IND 9 21 26 21 23 23 22.8
24 Vance McDonald PIT 7 29 23 27 25 21 25.0
24 Hayden Hurst BAL 10 NR 21 19 24 NR 23.2
26 Ricky Seals-Jones ARI 9 23 30 26 26 25 26.0
26 Mike Gesicki MIA 11 26 20 29 28 27 26.0
26 Rico Gathers DAL 8 19 NR NR 29 30 26.0
29 Ryan Griffin HOU 10 NR NR 28 NR 26 26.4
30 Mark Andrews BAL 10 NR NR 30 27 29 27.6
30 Vernon Davis WAS 4 NR 25 NR NR NR 25.8
30 Jesse James PIT 7 NR NR 25 NR NR 25.8
30 Nick Vannett SEA 7 25 NR NR NR NR 25.8
30 Jake Butt DEN 10 28 29 NR NR NR 27.0
30 Gerald Everett LAR 12 NR NR NR 30 28 27.2
30 Tyler Kroft CIN 9 NR 28 NR NR NR 26.4
30 Clive Walford NYJ 11 30 NR NR NR NR 26.8

Malott: There is a lot to look forward to in terms of targets at TE for the Colts, and Jack Doyle is TE10 and Eric Ebron is TE23. I expect both numbers to improve if Luck is healthy and we’ll talk about how low this is.

Arthur: Travis Kelce would normally be my pick for TE1, but we’ll have to see if he fits as well with Patrick Mahomes II as he does with Alex Smith. Jordan Reed at TE10, no thanks. I think he’d do great with Smith at QB, and there’s no doubt about his abilities when healthy, but when is he healthy? Ricky Seals-Jones is someone to look out for as a sleeper, currently ranking TE26 here. Same with Jake Butt (TE30) with the Broncos. And, although he’s a rookie, I prefer Dalton Schultz as the TE in Dallas over Rico Gathers. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking.

K RANKINGS

Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
Rank Player Team Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
1 Greg Zuerlein LAR 12 2 1 2 1 1 1.4
2 Justin Tucker BAL 10 3 3 1 2 3 2.4
3 Stephen Gostkowski NE 11 1 4 3 3 2 2.6
4 Matt Bryant ATL 8 4 2 5 4 4 3.8
5 Wil Lutz NO 6 5 6 7 5 5 5.6
6 Jake Elliott PHI 9 6 5 8 9 8 7.2
7 Robbie Gould SF 11 8 7 4 12 7 7.6
8 Chris Boswell PIT 7 7 16 6 7 6 8.4
9 Matt Prater DET 6 11 8 11 6 9 9.0
10 Harrison Butker KC 12 9 9 13 11 10 10.4
11 Adam Vinatieri IND 9 14 10 16 13 11 12.8
12 Graham Gano CAR 4 12 13 14 14 12 13.0
12 Dan Bailey DAL 8 18 11 10 8 18 13.0
14 Mason Crosby GB 7 16 15 12 10 16 13.8
15 Ryan Succop TEN 8 13 17 9 17 14 14.0
16 Kai Forbath MIN 10 10 14 NR NR NR 17.4
17 Josh Lambo JAX 9 15 NR NR 16 15 17.6
18 Ka'imi Fairbairn HOU 10 19 12 NR 20 19 18.2
18 Daniel Carlson MIN 10 10 NR NR 15 13 18.2
20 Dustin Hopkins WAS 4 20 18 19 18 17 18.4
21 Stephen Hauschka BUF 11 NR NR 15 19 NR 19.4
22 Caleb Sturgis LAC 8 NR 20 17 NR NR 20.0
22 Cairo Santos NYJ 11 NR 19 18 NR NR 20.0
24 Brandon McManus DEN 10 17 NR NR NR NR 20.2
25 Sebastian Janikowski SEA 7 NR NR 20 NR NR 20.8
25 Chandler Catanzaro TB 5 NR NR NR NR 20 20.8

Malott: I see the GOAT ranked as K11. We’ll see how this offense looks and talk about how low this is come February.

Arthur: Trying to do anything with K’s before the season starts is 100% pointless in my book. It may be the most fluid position in fantasy, year to year. Regarding talking about fantasy K’s in May, in the words of Ron Swanson, “Apology accepted, and then I have no reaction to anything else you said.”

DST RANKINGS

Rank Player Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
Rank Player Bye Berry Karabell Yates Cockcroft Clay Avg
1 Jacksonville Jaguars 9 1 1 1 1 1 1.0
2 Philadelphia Eagles 9 4 2 2 2 2 2.4
3 Minnesota Vikings 10 3 3 3 3 4 3.2
4 Los Angeles Rams 12 2 4 4 4 3 3.4
5 Baltimore Ravens 10 7 5 6 5 5 5.6
6 Houston Texans 10 5 8 5 6 7 6.2
7 Los Angeles Chargers 8 6 6 7 7 8 6.8
8 Denver Broncos 10 8 9 15 8 9 9.8
9 New England Patriots 11 13 7 14 10 6 10.0
9 Carolina Panthers 4 9 10 12 9 10 10.0
11 New Orleans Saints 6 10 13 11 11 11 11.2
12 Seattle Seahawks 7 11 11 9 13 16 12.0
13 Pittsburgh Steelers 7 14 17 8 12 20 14.2
14 Chicago Bears 5 15 14 10 14 19 14.4
15 Arizona Cardinals 9 12 15 19 15 14 15.0
16 Detroit Lions 6 NR 12 13 16 17 18.2
16 Atlanta Falcons 8 18 16 16 19 18 17.4
18 Kansas City Chiefs 12 16 19 17 17 NR 20.4
19 Buffalo Bills 11 17 18 21 18 NR 21.4
20 Tennessee Titans 8 NR 20 18 NR 15 23.8
21 Dallas Cowboys 8 NR NR 22 20 12 24.0
22 Washington Redskins 4 NR NR 20 NR 13 26.4
23 Miami Dolphins 11 NR NR 23 NR NR 31.0
24 Green Bay Packers 7 NR NR 24 NR NR 31.2
25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 NR NR 25 NR NR 31.4
25 Cincinnati Bengals 9 19 NR 28 NR NR 29.2
27 Cleveland Browns 11 NR NR 26 NR NR 31.6
28 Oakland Raiders 7 NR NR 27 NR NR 31.8
28 New York Giants 9 20 NR 29 NR NR 29.6
30 New York Jets 11 NR NR 30 NR NR 32.4
31 Indianapolis Colts 9 NR NR 31 NR NR 32.6
32 San Francisco 49ers 11 NR NR 32 NR NR 32.8

Malott: I feel like we’re far from “the usual suspects” in terms of D/ST this year with four of the top five-ranked teams being relatively new to the top of these lists. The Colts defense will be poorly ranked until it proves otherwise. This defense does have playmakers on it. They just have to play healthy.

Arthur: Like K’s, D/ST’s are a very fluid position in fantasy, but at least you can talk about them already. The Jaguars are crazy deep and have several young playmakers, so that fits. The Eagles have a revolving door of pressure on the defensive line as well. I think the Titans (DST20), Bengals (DST25), Browns (DST27) and Colts (DST31) can all outperform their current rankings.

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