Fantasy Football Rankings 2015: Top Offensive Skill Players, Sleepers to Watch

Running an NFL team is one of sports' most mentally taxing and demanding jobs.

Never is the pressure higher than during the draft when the franchise's future is at stake. The right pick can set a team up for an extended stretch of postseason appearances, but a couple of high-profile mistakes can send a team spiraling to the bottom of the standings on a regular basis.

The same can be said about running a fantasy football team.

The draft is the single-most important moment for building a winner, and this year’s talent pool is deep with established stars and potential sleepers. With that in mind, here is a look at my personal rankings for the top offensive skill players available this year, as well as some sleepers to watch.

Someone was considered a sleeper if he was outside of ESPN.com’s top-12-ranked fantasy players at his position, as of Monday.

Rank	Player	Team	Position
1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	Running Back
2	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers	Running Back
3	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Running Back
4	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	Running Back
5	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	Running Back
6	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Running Back
7	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Wide Receiver
8	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	Quarterback
9	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	Wide Receiver
10	DeMarco Murray	Philadelphia Eagles	Running Back
11	LeSean McCoy	Buffalo Bills	Running Back
12	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Quarterback
13	C.J. Anderson	Denver Broncos	Running Back
14	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Wide Receiver
15	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Tight End
16	Odell Beckham Jr.	New York Giants	Wide Receiver
17	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals	Running Back
18	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears	Wide Receiver
19	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons	Wide Receiver
20	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	Wide Receiver
21	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers	Wide Receiver
22	Lamar Miller	Miami Dolphins	Running Back
23	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Wide Receiver
24	Alfred Morris	Washington	Running Back
25	Justin Forsett	Baltimore Ravens	Running Back
26	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts	Wide Receiver
27	Melvin Gordon	San Diego Chargers	Running Back
28	Jimmy Graham	Seattle Seahawks	Tight End
29	Carlos Hyde	San Francisco 49ers	Running Back
30	Randall Cobb	Green Bay Packers	Wide Receiver

Potential Sleepers

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings will compete for an NFC playoff spot this season, and running back Adrian Peterson's return is far from the only reason.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater grew more comfortable with every game during his rookie campaign in 2014, and fantasy owners should expect even more improvement with a year under his belt. In fact, KC Joyner of ESPN.com noted that Bridgewater led all quarterbacks in vertical yards per attempt in the last five weeks of the season, and that was without a true go-to receiver.

Opponent	Pass Completions	Passing Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
New York Jets	19-of-27	309	2	1
Detroit Lions	31-of-41	315	1	2
Miami Dolphins	19-of-26	259	2	1
Chicago Bears	17-of-25	209	1	1

Now Bridgewater has wide receiver Mike Wallace to work with, and the result should be more consistency throughout the year. Wallace turned in five straight seasons of at least 800 receiving yards before the Vikings traded for him this offseason, including a combined 2,450 yards in 2010 and 2011, and his ability to come through on critical third downs will help the young quarterback keep drives alive.

What’s more, defenses will have to pay attention to Wallace on underneath routes, which should open the field for the speedy Cordarrelle Patterson on deep routes.

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

The combination of Wallace and natural improvement from year one to year two is enough for fantasy owners to keep an eye on Bridgewater, and that is not even taking Peterson’s return into account.

Peterson is one of the league's most explosive running backs, with six different seasons of at least 1,200 rushing yards in his career. If opposing defenses don’t stack the box, he will rack up 100-yard games with ease, especially since he is fresh from almost an entire year off in 2015.

If forced to choose between the two options, defenses will likely make Bridgewater beat them instead of Peterson. That will open up the entire field for the young quarterback, which is exactly what fantasy owners want to hear. Expect big numbers from the former Louisville Cardinal in 2015.

Justin Forsett, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Joyner believes that Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is a player to watch in fantasy circles this season:

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Last year, Forsett led the league in good blocking yards per attempt (GBYPA, a measure of production on plays with quality blocking). He's also a pass-catching back in a Marc Trestman offense that turned out a 100-reception running back (Matt Forte) last season.

Forsett does have some competition for carries, but he's got the caliber of talent to win that battle and once again post RB1 figures that will well outpace his mid-to low-end RB2 value. 

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The potential involvement in the passing game, coupled with the tutelage of offensive coordinator Marc Trestman, is music to fantasy owners’ ears because Forsett ran for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns in 2014. He was the only Ravens running back with a pulse for much of the campaign, seeing how Bernard Pierce was second on the team with 366 rushing yards, and a new offense only makes Forsett more dangerous.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Pierce is also now on the Jacksonville Jaguars, so there is one less player who could vulture touchdowns from Forsett in 2015.

Lorenzo Taliaferro and Fitzgerald Toussaint are unproven youngsters in the Baltimore backfield, and the offense will likely rely on Forsett after his breakout campaign to carry the load this year.

What’s more, the Ravens finished above .500 in six of the past seven seasons (they were 8-8 in 2013). They are routinely among the AFC's best teams, and that bodes well for those relying on their running back in fantasy football. 

Baltimore will likely have plenty of late leads if that competitive pattern continues in 2015, and that means Forsett will have opportunities to rack up yards and bleed the clock away in those situations. Opportunities and carries are currency among running backs in fantasy football, and Forsett is a safe sleeper option.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald turned in his worst fantasy performance since his rookie campaign with 63 catches for 784 yards in 2014. Don’t let that deter you from using a late-round flyer on the veteran.

Nobody is going to confuse the 2015 version of Fitzgerald for the one who topped 1,000 receiving yards every season from 2007-11, but much of his lack of production last year can be explained by his own knee problems and injuries to quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton.

Fitzgerald looked like a much-better receiver early in the season with Palmer and even tallied 112 receiving yards against the St. Louis Rams and 160 receiving yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. With Palmer back and Fitzgerald healthy again, fans could see more consistent 100-yard performances from the former Pittsburgh Panther.

What’s more, the Cardinals have Michael Floyd and John Brown as other receiving options. Yes, they will take some catches away from Fitzgerald, but defenses can no longer afford to double-team him either. That should open up the field for some big plays against single coverage.

Fitzgerald believes he is in store for a redemptive season, per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic:

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I can still play the game at a high level, given the opportunity to go out there and thrive.

It was fluke stuff, too. You work so hard to get yourself physically ready to go and you see it (injury) happen just that fast. You see Andre Ellington making a cut, or Carson Palmer being hit on his knee. You take for granted your health, sometimes.

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Fitzgerald believes in himself, and fantasy owners have to think he will have better luck this year in the health department. He is not going to be a top-notch fantasy option, but you can do much worse in the flex position than a receiver who has six different seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards on his resume.