Updated Fantasy Football Positional Rankings: Post-Draft

It's almost go time, people.

The 2015 NFL draft is in the books, but while the curtain has fallen in Chicago, it will soon be rising again in man caves and watering holes across the land.

Because there are literally thousands of drafts to go.

As we roll into the summer, fantasy draft season will begin to heat up (so to speak), as men and women of all ages attempt to assemble a squad that will lead them to imaginary glory and (hopefully) some real money.

It's been an interesting offseason. Personnel moves and the ever-pouring sands of time have shaken up the top of the quarterback and tight end rankings.

As the number of elite wide receivers continues to grow and the number of dependable weekly starters at running back continues to dwindle, we may finally have reached the tipping point where we see more of the former drafted than the latter in the first round in 2015.

Now that the dust has settled in the Windy City, let's take a look at how the 2015 NFL draft has impacted fantasy football rankings for the upcoming season, with a position-by-position breakdown that includes the top 100 players overall.

These rankings are based on a standard-scoring (non-PPR) fantasy football league that awards one point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards or 25 passing yards, six points for all touchdowns and a two-point deduction for interceptions and lost fumbles.

Quarterbacks

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The times they are a-changin' at the quarterback position.

For years, the same names have dominated the top of fantasy rankings lists under center. Drew Brees. Peyton Manning. Tom Brady.

In 2014, however, it wasn't any of those veterans who led quarterbacks in fantasy points in NFL.com default fantasy scoring.

It wasn't even Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.

No. Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts was the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback last season. This year, with Manning playing under a new coach and Brees robbed of his top weapon with the trade of Jimmy Graham, it's Rodgers and Luck who headline this year's fantasy signal-callers.

The names at the top may have changed in 2015, but one thing hasn't.

There's a lot of value to be had in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts at the quarterback position. Whether it's Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers (QB6 in 2014), Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons (QB8 in 2014) or Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins (QB10 in 2014), it's possible to get strong fantasy production at the position without paying top dollar for it.

So far as this year's rookies are concerned? Forget it. Jameis Winston may have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, but he's barely on the reserve radar in redraft fantasy football leagues.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	7
2	Andrew Luck	IND	10
3	Peyton Manning	DEN	7
4	Drew Brees	NOS	11
5	Russell Wilson	SEA	9
6	Tom Brady	NE	4
7	Matthew Stafford	DET	9
8	Matt Ryan	ATL	10
9	Cam Newton	CAR	5
10	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	11
11	Tony Romo	DAL	6
12	Philip Rivers	SD	10
13	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	5
14	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	5
15	Eli Manning	NYG	11
16	Colin Kaepernick	SF	10
17	Sam Bradford	PHI	8
18	Nick Foles	STL	6
19	Robert Griffin	WAS	8
20	Jay Cutler	CHI	7
21	Joe Flacco	BAL	9
22	Andy Dalton	CIN	7
23	Carson Palmer	ARI	9
24	Derek Carr	OAK	6
25	Alex Smith	KC	9

Running Backs

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

For many years, running backs have ruled the roost in fantasy football. Season after season, fantasy drafters loaded up in the backfield early, then rode those stud ball-carriers all the way to the fantasy playoffs.

Granted, having a strong backfield is still important, as last year's fantasy owners of Dallas Cowboys runner DeMarco Murray will gladly attest.

However, the number of first-round busts has also increased in recent years. Ask fantasy owners of Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings a year ago how that works out.

This isn't to say that going RB-RB with your first two picks is dead as a viable fantasy draft strategy, or that it isn't important to procure at least one of the dwindling number of truly dependable weekly starters at the position.

However, more and more fantasy owners are making hay by pairing one of those dependable starters with a rotation of matchup or upside options who can be had a bit later.

Then there's this year's newcomers. Georgia's Todd Gurley was the first running back selected in 2015 (10th overall by the St. Louis Rams), but several young ball-carriers, including T.J. Yeldon (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Melvin Gordon (San Diego Chargers) landed in spots that would appear to clear the way for more fantasy value in redraft formats.

Had Le'Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers not gone and gotten himself suspended for the first three games of the 2015 season, the third-year pro would all but certainly sit atop this year running back rankings.

Bell's still a viable RB1 despite the vacation, but it's a familiar face in Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs who is the early leader to be the first running back drafted in fantasy leagues this summer.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Jamaal Charles	KC	9
2	Eddie Lacy	GB	7
3	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	9
4	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	11
5	Adrian Peterson	MIN	5
6	LeSean McCoy	BUF	8
7	Arian Foster	HOU	9
8	Matt Forte	CHI	7
9	DeMarco Murray	PHI	8
10	Jeremy Hill	CIN	7
11	C.J. Anderson	DEN	7
12	Justin Forsett	BAL	9
13	Mark Ingram	NO	11
14	Alfred Morris	WAS	8
15	Lamar Miller	MIA	5
16	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	5
17	Carlos Hyde	SF	10
18	Frank Gore	IND	10
19	Melvin Gordon	SD	10
20	Latavius Murray	OAK	6
21	Joique Bell	DET	9
22	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	11
23	Darren McFadden	DAL	6
24	Andre Ellington	ARI	9
25	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	8
26	Rashad Jennings	NYG	11
27	Todd Gurley	STL	6
28	David Johnson	ARI	9
29	C.J. Spiller	NO	11
30	Tevin Coleman	ATL	10
31	LeGarrette Blount	NE	4
32	Doug Martin	TB	6
33	Chris Ivory	NYJ	5
34	Bishop Sankey	TEN	4
35	Duke Johnson	CLE	11
36	Shane Vereen	NYG	11
37	Ameer Abdullah	DET	9
38	Devonta Freeman	ATL	10
39	Jay Ajayi	MIA	5
40	Andre Williams	NYG	11
41	Branden Oliver	SD	10
42	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	5
43	Denard Robinson	JAX	8
44	Matt Jones	WAS	8
45	Terrance West	CLE	11
46	Reggie Bush	SF	10
47	Charles Sims	TB	6
48	Joseph Randle	DAL	6
49	Fred Jackson	BUF	8
50	Ryan Mathews	PHI	8

Wide Receivers

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Complacency is the kiss of death in fantasy football.

Astute fantasy owners try to stay ahead of the ever-changing trends in the game. And in recent years that's meant a shift at the top of fantasy drafts.

With more and more wide receivers posting consistently strong numbers, and more and more high-end running backs disappointing fantasy owners, the first-round pecking order in fantasy drafts has changed a bit.

In 2014, according to the average draft position at My Fantasy League, four wide receivers and five running backs were selected in Round 1.

In early mock drafts at MFL in 2015, that script has flipped in a big way—seven wide receivers versus only two running backs.

That gap will narrow as we move into the summer, but gone are the days when it was a foregone conclusion that most fantasy teams would look to the backfield with their first pick.

Of course, there's a flip side to that strategy. Having an elite pass-catcher like Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers or Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys is nice, but wideout is also easily the deepest position in fantasy football.

Waiting to grab a wideout until the second (or even third) round can still pay big dividends thanks to that depth.

Helpful, ain't I?

It's not quite as loaded as the rookie class that brought us Odell Beckham last year, but the class of 2015 is plenty deep in its own right, headlined by No. 4 overall pick Amari Cooper of the Oakland Raiders.

However, don't let yourself get sucked into chasing the next Beckham or Mike Evans by overpaying for the shiny new toy on the shelf.

In fact, in some respects, the value may lie with geezers like Andre Johnson of the Indianapolis Colts, as aging veterans are often cast off to the island of misfit toys as soon as the new kids show up.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Antonio Brown	PIT	11
2	Odell Beckham	NYG	11
3	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	7
4	Dez Bryant	DAL	6
5	Calvin Johnson	DET	9
6	Julio Jones	ATL	10
7	A.J. Green	CIN	7
8	Jordy Nelson	GB	7
9	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	7
10	Randall Cobb	GB	7
11	T.Y. Hilton	IND	10
12	Mike Evans	TB	6
13	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	5
14	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	7
15	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	9
16	Keenan Allen	SD	10
17	Brandin Cooks	NO	11
18	Sammy Watkins	BUF	8
19	DeSean Jackson	WAS	8
20	Julian Edelman	NE	4
21	Andre Johnson	IND	10
22	Jordan Matthews	PHI	8
23	Vincent Jackson	TB	6
24	Golden Tate	DET	9
25	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	5
26	Michael Floyd	ARI	9
27	Martavis Bryant	PIT	11
28	Roddy White	ATL	10
29	Percy Harvin	BUF	8
30	Jarvis Landry	MIA	5
31	Amari Cooper	OAK	6
32	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	9
33	Jeremy Maclin	KC	9
34	Eric Decker	NYJ	5
35	Torrey Smith	SF	10
36	Kevin White	CHI	7
37	Allen Robinson	JAX	8
38	Kendall Wright	TEN	4
39	Steve Smith	BAL	9
40	Mike Wallace	MIN	5
41	Brandon LaFell	NE	4
42	Nelson Agholor	PHI	8
43	Victor Cruz	NYG	11
44	Pierre Garcon	WAS	8
45	Anquan Boldin	SF	10
46	Davante Adams	GB	7
47	Kenny Stills	MIA	5
48	John Brown	ARI	9
49	DeVante Parker	MIA	5
50	Dwayne Bowe	CLE	11

Tight Ends

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

No position in fantasy football saw a bigger shake-up at the top this offseason than the tight ends.

The reason isn't hard to discern. After all, it isn't every day that a superstar gets traded in the prime of his career, but that's exactly what happened when the New Orleans Saints shipped Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks back in March.

Of course, it wasn't just the trade itself that left the jaws of fantasy owners scraping the ground. It's the fact Graham was traded from one of the NFL's most pass-wacky teams to arguably the most run-heavy one.

Graham's too good (especially in the red zone) to drop very far, but the gap between the top spot and everyone else at tight end is much more pronounced than at any other position in fantasy football.

It's Rob Gronkowski's world, and we're just living in it—so much so that a compelling argument can be made that the New England Patriots star should be the first overall pick in fantasy football drafts this summer.

Yes, you read that right. First in line. Numero uno. No. 1.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	4
2	Jimmy Graham	SEA	9
3	Greg Olsen	CAR	5
4	Martellus Bennett	CHI	7
5	Travis Kelce	KC	9
6	Julius Thomas	JAX	8
7	Jordan Cameron	MIA	5
8	Zach Ertz	PHI	8
9	Antonio Gates	SD	10
10	Jason Witten	DAL	6
11	Dwayne Allen	IND	10
12	Delanie Walker	TEN	4
13	Owen Daniels	DEN	7
14	Jordan Reed	WAS	8
15	Larry Donnell	NYG	11
16	Vernon Davis	SF	10
17	Tyler Eifert	CIN	7
18	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	5
19	Charles Clay	BUF	8
20	Heath Miller	PIT	11
21	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	6
22	Coby Fleener	IND	10
23	Eric Ebron	DET	9
24	Jace Amaro	NYJ	5
25	Jared Cook	STL	6

Kickers

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

There is no position more vital to success in fantasy football than the kickers.

Simply put, there's no way you're going to win your fantasy league without a high-end kicker. Depth at the position is nearly as important as your fantasy squad having a solid stable of unicorns.

Wait. What?

In reality, kickers are slightly more important to your fantasy team than unicorns. And outside of a precious few consistent options, trying to forecast a season's breakout feet is the definition of an exercise in futility.

Plus, it sounds like something that requires ointment. Maybe a balm of some sort.

Wait until the last round to draft one. Period. In fact, if your league has free agency prior to Week 1, don't draft one at all—use the pick on an upside flier and switch someone out in August.

There's your strategy.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	4
2	Justin Tucker	BAL	9
3	Steven Hauschka	SEA	9
4	Adam Vinatieri	IND	10
5	Mason Crosby	GB	7
6	Dan Bailey	DAL	6
7	Matt Bryant	ATL	10
8	Connor Barth	DEN	7
9	Cody Parkey	PHI	8
10	Matt Prater	DET	9
11	Nick Novak	SD	10
12	Phil Dawson	SF	10
13	Blair Walsh	MIN	5
14	Shaun Suisham	PIT	11
15	Dan Carpenter	BUF	8
16	Shayne Graham	NO	11
17	Greg Zuerlein	STL	6
18	Robbie Gould	CHI	7
19	Caleb Sturgis	MIA	5
20	Josh Brown	NYG	11

Team Defenses

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

There isn't a position in fantasy football where drafters reach with more consistency than team defenses.

Every year, fantasy owners convince themselves that an "elite" defense like the Seattle Seahawks (who had the highest average draft position among defenses at My Fantasy League in 2014) are worth a mid-round pick.

Well, the Seahawks finished 22nd among team defenses in fantasy points. The season's top finisher, the Philadelphia Eagles, had an ADP of 19th among team defenses.

There are just too many variables from year to year. For starters, many of the statistical categories that drive defensive fantasy production (turnovers, defensive touchdowns) are inherently fluky—they fluctuate wildly from year to year.

Then there's all the personnel changes. Whether it's free-agent acquisitions like Ndamukong Suh of the Miami Dolphins or incoming rookies like Leonard Williams of the New York Jets or edge-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars, many defenses will look drastically different from their 2014 incarnations this year.

This isn't to say that the higher-end defenses don't have advantages (they are usually more consistent), but you can wait, draft a defense late, play matchups and wind up with the same level of production.

So don't overpay for the name brand. Generic, in this case, is just as good.

Team Defenses

Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Seattle Seahawks	SEA	9
2	St. Louis Rams	STL	6
3	Buffalo Bills	BUF	8
4	Houston Texans	HOU	9
5	New England Patriots	NE	4
6	Arizona Cardinals	ARI	9
7	Denver Broncos	DEN	7
8	Green Bay Packers	GB	7
9	Baltimore Ravens	BAL	9
10	Carolina Panthers	CAR	5
11	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	9
12	Miami Dolphins	MIA	5
13	San Francisco 49ers	SF	10
14	Detroit Lions	DET	9
15	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI	8
16	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN	7
17	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT	11
18	New York Jets	NYJ	5
19	Cleveland Browns	CLE	11
20	Minnesota Vikings	MIN	5

Top 100 Overall

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

We've examined the top signal-callers, the best ball-carriers, the cream of the receiver crop and the titans among tight ends.

Now let's throw all of those players back into the hopper, shake vigorously and see what my can't-fail, super-sophisticated fantasy football forecaster spits out as the top 100 overall players in 2015.

You thought I just used a dartboard, huh? Nope.

Stopped doing that in 2013.

Top 100

Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Jamaal Charles	KC	9
2	Rob Gronkowski	NE	4
3	Eddie Lacy	GB	7
4	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	9
5	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	11
6	Antonio Brown	PIT	11
7	Adrian Peterson	MIN	5
8	LeSean McCoy	BUF	8
9	Odell Beckham	NYG	11
10	Arian Foster	HOU	9
11	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	7
12	Dez Bryant	DAL	6
13	Matt Forte	CHI	7
14	DeMarco Murray	PHI	8
15	Aaron Rodgers	GB	7
16	Calvin Johnson	DET	9
17	Julio Jones	ATL	10
18	Jeremy Hill	CIN	7
19	A.J. Green	CIN	7
20	Andrew Luck	IND	10
21	C.J. Anderson	DEN	7
22	Jordy Nelson	GB	7
23	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	7
24	Randall Cobb	GB	7
25	Justin Forsett	BAL	9
26	T.Y. Hilton	IND	10
27	Mark Ingram	NO	11
28	Mike Evans	TB	6
29	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	5
30	Alfred Morris	WAS	8
31	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	7
32	Lamar Miller	MIA	5
33	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	9
34	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	5
35	Carlos Hyde	SF	10
36	Peyton Manning	DEN	7
37	Frank Gore	IND	10
38	Drew Brees	NO	11
39	Keenan Allen	SD	10
40	Brandin Cooks	NO	11
41	Jimmy Graham	SEA	9
42	Melvin Gordon	SD	10
43	Russell Wilson	SEA	9
44	Sammy Watkins	BUF	8
45	Latavius Murray	OAK	6
46	DeSean Jackson	WAS	8
47	Julian Edelman	NE	4
48	Joique Bell	DET	9
49	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	11
50	Tom Brady	NE	4
51	Andre Johnson	IND	10
52	Matthew Stafford	DET	9
53	Darren McFadden	OAK	6
54	Jordan Matthews	PHI	8
55	Andre Ellington	ARI	9
56	Vincent Jackson	TB	6
57	Golden Tate	DET	9
58	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	8
59	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	5
60	Michael Floyd	ARI	9
61	Greg Olsen	CAR	5
62	Martavis Bryant	PIT	11
63	Roddy White	ATL	10
64	Cam Newton	CAR	5
65	Roddy White	ATL	10
66	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	11
67	Rashad Jennings	NYG	11
68	Percy Harvin	BUF	8
69	Todd Gurley	STL	6
70	Jarvis Landry	MIA	5
71	Amari Cooper	OAK	6
72	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	9
73	David Johnson	ARI	9
74	Tony Romo	DAL	6
75	Jeremy Maclin	KC	9
76	David Johnson	ARI	9
77	Martellus Bennett	CHI	7
78	Travis Kelce	KC	9
79	Eric Decker	NYJ	5
80	Torrey Smith	SF	10
81	C.J. Spiller	NO	11
82	Julius Thomas	JAX	8
83	Telvin Coleman	ATL	10
84	Kevin White	CHI	7
85	LeGarrette Blount	NE	4
86	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	5
87	Allen Robinson	JAX	8
88	Jordan Cameron	MIA	5
89	Doug Martin	TB	6
90	Chris Ivory	NYJ	5
91	Kendall Wright	TEN	4
92	Bishop Sankey	TEN	4
93	Steve Smith	BAL	9
94	Mike Wallace	MIN	5
95	Brandon LaFell	NE	4
96	Duke Johnson	CLE	11
97	Nelson Agholor	PHI	8
98	Shane Vereen	NYG	11
99	Ameer Abdullah	DET	9
100	Victor Cruz	NYG	11