Fantasy Football 2016 Sleepers, Positional Rankings and Top Values

The regular season is a little less than a week away, meaning NFL fans are rapidly running out of time to get their affairs in order before the beginning of another fantasy football campaign.

This offseason has illustrated why waiting until deep into the summer to draft your team is a prudent strategy. Just this week, the Minnesota Vikings lost Teddy Bridgewater for the entire season, and ESPN.com's Adam Teicher reported that Jamaal Charles remains out of action for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Both injuries carry fantasy implications, and fans who selected either player aren't feeling too good at the moment.

Looking ahead to this year, below are rankings for each of the main fantasy positions.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team
1	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers
2	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers
3	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts
4	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks
5	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints
7	Eli Manning	New York Giants
8	Blake Bortles	Jacksonville Jaguars
9	Carson Palmer	Arizona Cardinals
10	Tom Brady	New England Patriots
11	Tyrod Taylor	Buffalo Bills
12	Derek Carr	Oakland Raiders
13	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers
14	Kirk Cousins	Washington Redskins
15	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals
16	Jameis Winston	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions
18	Marcus Mariota	Tennessee Titans
19	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
20	Robert Griffin III	Cleveland Browns

• Sleeper Pick: Robert Griffin III, Cleveland Browns

• Value Pick: Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars

Robert Griffin III carries plenty of question marks into the 2016 season. He has never been the same since his knee injury in January 2013. The injury forced him to be a pocket passer—a role with which he struggled during his second and third seasons with the Washington Redskins.

Combine Griffin with the Cleveland Browns' recent history of ruining quarterbacks, and FirstEnergy Stadium may create a vortex of negativity and broken dreams that puts all of humanity at risk.

But there's at least some hope Griffin can have a renaissance. In Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman, he has two dynamic pass-catchers who can burn secondaries downfield. Gordon's touchdown catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is just enough reason to get fans' hopes up before the inevitable disappointment:

Drafting Griffin to be anything more than a QB2 would be crazy in standard 12-team leagues, but the Browns could have a strong passing game with Coleman, Gary Barnidge and Gordon when he returns. RG3 could become a QB1 candidate as the season wears on.

For Blake Bortles, being a No. 1 fantasy quarterback is the minimum expectation. He was the fourth-highest-scoring QB in standard NFL.com leagues last year and has two receivers, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, coming off 1,000-yard seasons.

Bortles likely won't be one of the top five QBs off the board, but a repeat of 2015 may not be out of the question.

Like Bortles, Robinson and Hurns are entering their third years in the league. They're all beginning to enter the primes of their careers. In an interview with CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco, Bortles explained how they've forged a strong relationship with one another since they entered the league at the same time:

"

We were together 24-7 the first three months we were in Jacksonville. It was me, him and (fellow receiver Allen) Hurns. We threw together at high schools. We stayed together at the hotel. We ate dinner together before any of us found a house. We rode the bus over (to team facility) in the morning. We were together 24-7 and it really created good chemistry. That's how we started building our relationship. We felt comfortable off the field that when we were on we already had a relationship, one where I could say I don't like that or he could say he didn't like something to me. That was important.

"

Bortles ranked 31st among qualified QBs in completion percentage (58.6 percent) and threw a league-high 18 interceptions a year ago. Selecting the Jacksonville Jaguars signal-caller comes with some risk, but his ceiling is among the highest for the QBs on the outside of the elite fantasy designation.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team
1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings
2	Todd Gurley	Los Angeles Rams
3	Ezekiel Elliott	Dallas Cowboys
4	David Johnson	Arizona Cardinals
5	Devonta Freeman	Atlanta Falcons
6	Doug Martin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers
8	Lamar Miller	Houston Texans
9	LeSean McCoy	Buffalo Bills
10	Carlos Hyde	San Francisco 49ers
11	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
12	Thomas Rawls	Seattle Seahawks
13	Jonathan Stewart	Carolina Panthers
14	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers
15	C.J. Anderson	Denver Broncos
16	Latavius Murray	Oakland Raiders
17	DeMarco Murray	Tennessee Titans
18	Matt Forte	New York Jets
19	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals
20	Melvin Gordon	San Diego Chargers
21	Ryan Mathews	Philadelphia Eagles
22	Duke Johnson	Cleveland Browns
23	Jeremy Langford	Chicago Bears
24	Frank Gore	Indianapolis Colts
25	T.J. Yeldon	Jacksonville Jaguars
26	Matt Jones	Washington Redskins
27	Rashad Jennings	New York Giants
28	Ameer Abdullah	Detroit Lions
29	Danny Woodhead	San Diego Chargers
30	DeAngelo Williams	Pittsburgh Steelers
31	Giovani Bernard	Cincinnati Bengals
32	Justin Forsett	Baltimore Ravens
33	Chris Ivory	Jacksonville Jaguars
34	Bilal Powell	New York Jets
35	Jay Ajayi	Miami Dolphins

• Sleeper Pick: Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions

• Value Pick: Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers

Melvin Gordon is coming off a forgettable rookie season. He averaged 3.5 yards a carry and registered the second-most fumbles (five) in the league. The fact that the San Diego Chargers used a first-round pick on him made his 641 rushing yards all the more underwhelming.

It's only the preseason, but Chargers fans have to be heartened by the fact Gordon is looking a little more like the running back who went for 2,587 yards in his final season at Wisconsin:

Gordon should have ample opportunity to rebound in 2016. Danny Woodhead is entering his age-31 season, and Branden Oliver's Achilles injury removes a potential roadblock to Gordon in San Diego's backfield.

Right now, Arian Foster has the inside track on the Miami Dolphins' starting running back job, but he's not exactly on the firmest of footing. The 30-year-old is coming off a major Achilles injury and averaged 2.6 yards a carry before going down.

Like Gordon, Ameer Abdullah didn't quite reach expectations in 2015, running for 597 yards and two touchdowns. With Calvin Johnson gone, though, the running game is likely to be more of a focal point for the Detroit Lions.

And to the delight of fantasy owners everywhere, Abdullah is openly pushing to get more carries around the goal line, per the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett:

"

I’ve always had a knack for scoring when I’m down there. I know I didn’t get a lot of that work last year, but if you go back to college, in the red zone, if I got the ball I was scoring a lot. So I hope to get an opportunity down there to prove to these coaches, to whoever is evaluating me that I can and I will score in the red zone

"

It's not as if Abdullah will go undrafted, but he could move from fringe RB2/flex option to bona fide RB1 by season's end.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team
1	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers
2	Odell Beckham Jr.	New York Giants
3	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons
4	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston Texans
5	Allen Robinson	Jacksonville Jaguars
6	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals
7	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears
8	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys
9	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo Bills
10	Keenan Allen	San Diego Chargers
11	Brandon Marshall	New York Jets
12	Amari Cooper	Oakland Raiders
13	Brandin Cooks	New Orleans Saints
14	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers
15	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts
16	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17	Randall Cobb	Green Bay Packers
18	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos
19	Jarvis Landry	Miami Dolphins
20	Doug Baldwin	Seattle Seahawks
21	Julian Edelman	New England Patriots
22	Kelvin Benjamin	Carolina Panthers
23	Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City Chiefs
24	Michael Floyd	Arizona Cardinals
25	Golden Tate	Detroit Lions
26	Allen Hurns	Jacksonville Jaguars
27	Eric Decker	New York Jets
28	Emmanuel Sanders	Denver Broncos
29	Donte Moncrief	Indianapolis Colts
30	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals
31	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns
32	Jordan Matthews	Philadelphia Eagles
33	DeVante Parker	Miami Dolphins
34	DeSean Jackson	Washington Redskins
35	Michael Crabtree	Oakland Raiders
36	John Brown	Arizona Cardinals
37	Marvin Jones	Detroit Lions
38	Torrey Smith	San Francisco 49ers
39	Tavon Austin	Los Angeles Rams
40	Willie Snead	New Orleans Saints

• Sleeper Pick: Tavon Austin, Los Angeles Rams

• Value Pick: Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers

In 2057, when both men have long left the game, Jeff Fisher will still be proclaiming this is the year he maximizes Tavon Austin's versatility.

Perhaps expecting Fisher to ever find inventive ways to involve Austin is a fool's errand. The Rams will probably hand it off to Todd Gurley 85 times a game until he turns to dust by Week 6. Fisher is seemingly the worst coach Austin could have.

But there's still hope that someday Austin will become the playmaker he was with the West Virginia Mountaineers. He set career highs in receptions (52), receiving yards (473) and touchdowns (five), and he tied for 23rd among fantasy wideouts in NFL.com standard leagues.

Even if Austin's involvement in the passing game is limited to short slants and bubble screens, he has the speed and agility to turn short throws into long gains.

Should Austin begin slipping into WR3 or flex territory on draft day, he's worth the gamble.

Last year, Cam Newton threw for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns despite Ted Ginn being the team's No. 1 WR. Now, Newton and the Carolina Panthers have Kelvin Benjamin back in the fold.

Benjamin is returning from an ACL injury, which would be a significant concern for some receivers. Benjamin's game, on the other hand, isn't predicated as much on him using his speed to create separation. Let's not forget he ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the 2014 combine.

One of Benjamin's greatest assets is his height (6'5"). He creates matchup problems for opposing defenses and is a great target inside the red zone. Unless his torn ACL somehow left him unable to catch a football, he should easily be a WR2 in standard leagues, and WR1 status is well within reach.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team
1	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots
2	Jordan Reed	Washington Redskins
3	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers
4	Gary Barnidge	Cleveland Browns
5	Delanie Walker	Tennessee Titans
6	Travis Kelce	Kansas City Chiefs
7	Zach Ertz	Philadelphia Eagles
8	Coby Fleener	New Orleans Saints
9	Tyler Eifert	Cincinnati Bengals
10	Julius Thomas	Jacksonville Jaguars
11	Jimmy Graham	Seattle Seahawks
12	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers
13	Zach Miller	Chicago Bears
14	Charles Clay	Buffalo Bills
15	Martellus Bennett	New England Patriots

• Sleeper Pick: Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions

• Value Pick: Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars

With Megatron out of the picture, somebody has to pick up the slack in Detroit. Since Golden Tate and Anquan Boldin are the Lions' top two wide receivers, it'll be a collective effort to make up the yards lost following Johnson's retirement.

The uncertainty around the team's passing game could open the door for Eric Ebron. While his 2015 season wasn't remarkable, it represented a step up from his rookie campaign. Ebron posted improved numbers across the board, finishing with 47 receptions for 537 yards and five touchdowns.

An ankle injury may keep him out for the start of the season, and it will also scare some fantasy owners from selecting him on draft day. As long as the ankle doesn't keep him out for too long, this could be a breakout season for Ebron.

On one hand, it seems odd to consider Julius Thomas a value pick. He's guaranteed to miss at least a game or two, and he'll never post numbers like he did when Peyton Manning was throwing him passes.

Still, his floor is pretty high as long as he plays in at least 12-14 games. He caught 46 passes for 455 yards and five touchdowns in his first season with the Jaguars. That was good enough to be the No. 15 tight end on NFL.com. He was about 100 receiving yards or another touchdown away from TE1 status.

Drafting Thomas is definitely risky. The better Bortles, Robinson and Hurns get, though, the easier Thomas will find his second season in Jacksonville, as opposing defenses will focus more of their efforts away from him and toward his teammates.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team
1	Seattle Seahawks
2	Arizona Cardinals
3	Denver Broncos
4	Kansas City Chiefs
5	Carolina Panthers
6	Houston Texans
7	Cincinnati Bengals
8	Minnesota Vikings
9	Oakland Raiders
10	New York Jets

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team
1	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots
2	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys
3	Graham Gano	Carolina Panthers
4	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks
5	Chandler Catanzaro	Arizona Cardinals
6	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens
7	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers
8	Blair Walsh	Minnesota Vikings
9	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers
10	Roberto Aguayo	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kickers and defense/special teams are the two least valuable fantasy positions in standard leagues, and rarely will either decide the outcome of the playoffs.

The best strategy is to wait until the next-to-last round to draft a defense and then finish off the draft with a kicker. Somebody is likely to grab the Seattle Seahawks in the middle of the draft. Don't be that person.