Fantasy Football 2015 Cheat Sheet: Roundup of Top Expert Rankings

Tyler LoechnerSep 4, 2015

The 2015 NFL season is less than one week away, and while many fantasy football drafts are already in the books, there are plenty more still to take place.

In fact, my final fantasy football draft isn’t until Tuesday night, just two days before the first game of the season.

So for those of you who still have drafts to prep for, what better way to get ready than to take a look at the most up-to-date rankings out there?

This slideshow will take a look at aggregate rankings for each position from some of the brightest minds in fantasy football.

The rankings come from:

ESPN.com staff (Matthew Berry, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Eric Karabell, Field Yates)
Dave Richard, CBS Sports
Mike Clay, Pro Football Focus
Matt Camp, Bleacher Report
Brad Evans, Yahoo Sports
The Sablich Brothers, the New York Times
Rich Hribar, the Fake Football
John Halpin, Fox Sports
Des Bieler, the Washington Post
David Dodds, FootballGuys

FantasyPros.com was used to collect the rankings of these handpicked experts. The rankings are for standard scoring (e.g. non-PPR) leagues.

Quarterbacks: It’s Luck's Time

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Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Andrew Luck is the consensus No. 1 fantasy option at the quarterback position this season after leading the league in scoring passes last year. Throughout the offseason, Luck was in a heated battle with Aaron Rodgers for the crown of “fantasy quarterback king,” but a season-ending injury to Rodgers’ top target—Jordy Nelson—meant he had to cede the throne to Luck before the season even began.

Behind these two powerhouses is the ever-present Peyton Manning. The fantasy community doesn’t seem to be hedging its bets with Manning despite the very real possibility that his production falls off a cliff toward the end of the year.

Dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson also cracks the top five, as does perennial fantasy stud Drew Brees.

The Rankings

Andrew Luck, IND
Aaron Rodgers, GB
Peyton Manning, DEN
Russell Wilson, SEA
Drew Brees, NO
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
Matt Ryan, ATL
Tony Romo, DAL
Tom Brady, NE
Eli Manning, NYG
Ryan Tannehill, MIA
Cam Newton, CAR
Sam Bradford, PHI
Matthew Stafford, DET
Teddy Bridgewater, MIN
Philip Rivers, SD
Carson Palmer, ARI
Colin Kaepernick, SF
Jay Cutler, CHI
Joe Flacco, BAL
Andy Dalton, CIN
Jameis Winston, TB
Marcus Mariota, TEN
Alex Smith, KC
Derek Carr, OAK
Blake Bortles, JAC
Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ
Kirk Cousins, WAS
Nick Foles, STL
Tyrod Taylor, BUF

Running Backs: A Little Bit of Old and New

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Not much has changed at the top of the running back rankings from 2014 to 2015, but when looking at the top 30 or so names, a healthy dose of names both old and new can be found.

Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell tops the list despite the fact he will be suspended to kick off the new year. Following Bell are Eddie Lacy, Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch. It’s more of the same.

In fact, only two names in the top 10—C.J. Anderson of the Denver Broncos and Jeremy Hill of the Cincinnati Bengals—definitely would not have been on a top-10 list at this time last season.

But once you get past the first 10 names on the list, the RB2 crowd is filled with new names (i.e. names who weren't top-of-mind at this point last season).

This rings true for Justin Forsett (11th), Lamar Miller (12th), Mark Ingram (14th), Latavius Murray (15th), Carlos Hyde (16th), Melvin Gordon (20th), Joseph Randle (21st), Chris Ivory (22nd), T.J. Yeldon (24th), Ameer Abdullah (25th) and more.

Some of those players—such as Forsett, Miller, Ingram and Ivory—have been around for several years and are finally climbing the fantasy ladder. Other veterans such as Doug Martin and C.J. Spiller, both of whom have fallen from grace in recent seasons, have generated significant buzz this offseason and are flirting with RB2 territory.

These rankings are a mix of old and new. The old guard is standing firm in the top 10, but the newcomers are knocking on the door.

The Rankings

Le'Veon Bell, PIT
Eddie Lacy, GB
Jamaal Charles, KC
Adrian Peterson, MIN
Marshawn Lynch, SEA
C.J. Anderson, DEN
Jeremy Hill, CIN
DeMarco Murray, PHI
Matt Forte, CHI
LeSean McCoy, BUF
Justin Forsett, BAL
Lamar Miller, MIA
Frank Gore, IND
Mark Ingram, NO
Latavius Murray, OAK
Carlos Hyde, SF
Alfred Morris, WAS
Jonathan Stewart, CAR
Andre Ellington, ARI
Melvin Gordon, SD
Joseph Randle, DAL
Christopher Ivory, NYJ
Arian Foster, HOU
T.J. Yeldon, JAC
Ameer Abdullah, DET
Doug Martin, TB
Todd Gurley, STL
C.J. Spiller, NO
LeGarrette Blount, NE
Rashad Jennings, NYG
Giovani Bernard, CIN
Tevin Coleman, ATL
Joique Bell, DET
Ryan Mathews, PHI
Shane Vereen, NYG
Devonta Freeman, ATL
Danny Woodhead, SD
Isaiah Crowell, CLE
Bishop Sankey, TEN
Tre Mason, STL
Duke Johnson, CLE
Darren McFadden, DAL
Alfred Blue, HOU
Andre Williams, NYG
David Cobb, TEN
David Johnson, ARI
Knile Davis, KC
Charles Sims, TB
Matt Jones, WAS
Reggie Bush, SF
Roy Helu, OAK
Jonas Gray, NE
Darren Sproles, PHI
Ronnie Hillman, DEN
DeAngelo Williams, PIT
Jerick McKinnon, MIN
Denard Robinson, JAC
Cameron Artis-Payne, CAR
James Starks, GB
Khiry Robinson, NO
Daniel Herron, IND
Lorenzo Taliaferro, BAL
Terrance West, CLE
James White, NE
Theo Riddick, DET
Lance Dunbar, DAL

Wide Receivers: Loaded with Talent Up Top

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Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

The wide receiver position is stacked with talent at the top of the rankings. You have to be stacked with talent if a healthy Calvin Johnson is only ranking No. 6.

Some more questions can be asked about the wide receivers once you get to the tail end of the WR1-worthy options, but then again, that's why they are considered "tail-end" options.

And even those tail-end options can pack quite the punch. For instance, Mike Evans, ranked No. 11, caught 12 touchdowns last season without a reliable quarterback. Who knows what he’s capable of now that the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft—Jameis Winston—will be throwing him passes.

Behind these top studs are a handful of players who have either joined new teams or have assumed increased roles on their old teams. Andre Johnson, for example, finds himself wearing a new uniform as the former Houston Texans wideout is now on the Indianapolis Colts. This is a good thing for Johnson’s value, because it means Andrew Luck will be throwing him the ball.

Taking on the void left by Johnson in Houston will be DeAndre Hopkins, who checks in at No. 12 on these consensus rankings. The fantasy community clearly has high hopes for Hopkins in his first season as Houston’s true No. 1 option.

Other WR2 options, according to these aggregated rankings, are rookie Amari Cooper, unproven second-year pro Davante Adams, Brandon Marshall (who, like Andre Johnson, is on a new team), hype magnet Jordan Matthews and more.

The Rankings

Antonio Brown, PIT
Demaryius Thomas, DEN
Dez Bryant, DAL
Julio Jones, ATL
Odell Beckham Jr., NYG
Calvin Johnson, DET
A.J. Green, CIN
Randall Cobb, GB
Alshon Jeffery, CHI
T.Y. Hilton, IND
Mike Evans, TB
DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
Jordan Matthews, PHI
Brandin Cooks, NO
Emmanuel Sanders, DEN
Andre Johnson, IND
Keenan Allen, SD
Amari Cooper, OAK
Davante Adams, GB
Brandon Marshall, NYJ
Golden Tate, DET
Jeremy Maclin, KC
Allen Robinson, JAC
DeSean Jackson, WAS
Sammy Watkins, BUF
Julian Edelman, NE
Jarvis Landry, MIA
Vincent Jackson, TB
Charles Johnson, MIN
Nelson Agholor, PHI
Mike Wallace, MIN
Eric Decker, NYJ
John Brown, ARI
Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
Steve Smith, BAL
Anquan Boldin, SF
Roddy White, ATL
Torrey Smith, SF
Martavis Bryant, PIT
Michael Floyd, ARI
Kendall Wright, TEN
Marques Colston, NO
Devin Funchess, CAR
Pierre Garcon, WAS
Victor Cruz, NYG
Brandon LaFell, NE
Eddie Royal, CHI
Markus Wheaton, PIT
Brian Quick, STL
Breshad Perriman, BAL
Steve Johnson, SD
Rueben Randle, NYG
Terrance Williams, DAL
Devante Parker, MIA
Marvin Jones, WAS
Kenny Stills, MIA
Brandon Coleman, NO
Doug Baldwin, SEA
Percy Harvin, BUF
Phillip Dorsett, IND
Michael Crabtree, OAK
Cody Latimer, DEN
Allen Hurns, JAC
Dwayne Bowe, CLE
Dorial Green-Beckham, TEN
Malcom Floyd, SD
Cecil Shorts, HOU
Ty Montgomery, GB
Jeff Janis, GB
Donte Moncrief, IND
Kenny Britt, STL
Tyler Lockett, SEA
Cole Beasley, DAL
Kevin White, CHI

TOP NEWS

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Bleacher Report1w

Bleacher Report1w

Tight Ends: There’s Gronk, Then 3, Then the Rest

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Al Bello/Getty Images

The tight end position is relatively simple to figure out from a fantasy football perspective this season. The main person you want is Rob Gronkowski. Too bad well-spiked footballs don't score fantasy points.

Behind Gronkowski are three tight ends who should all be competing with one another this season as second best among fantasy tight ends: Jimmy Graham (now with the Seattle Seahawks), Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers.

Gronk and Graham have dominated the position for years now, but with Graham leaving the pass-happy Saints and joining the run-oriented Seahawks, his fantasy value takes a hit. Lucky for him, a “hit” to his fantasy value could be sustained because he was already so much better than everyone (other than Gronk) to begin with. In other words, a major blow to Graham’s fantasy value slides him from the No. 1 or No. 2 spot at the position to, at worst, the No. 4 or No. 5 spot.

Travis Kelce has all the makings of a breakout star, and Greg Olsen will become even more important to Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers now that Kelvin Benjamin is sidelined for the season.

After Gronkowski, Graham, Kelce and Olsen are off the board, it’s almost entirely up to your personal opinion as to which tight end should go next. The consensus says Martellus Bennett, but perhaps you’re a believer in Jason Witten’s reliability or Jordan Cameron’s upside.

The Rankings

Rob Gronkowski, NE
Jimmy Graham, SEA
Travis Kelce, KC
Greg Olsen, CAR
Martellus Bennett, CHI
Jordan Cameron, MIA
Jason Witten, DAL
Delanie Walker, TEN
Zach Ertz, PHI
Tyler Eifert, CIN
Kyle Rudolph, MIN
Antonio Gates, SD
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TB
Dwayne Allen, IND
Owen Daniels, DEN
Julius Thomas, JAC
Larry Donnell, NYG
Vernon Davis, SF
Josh Hill, NO
Jordan Reed, WAS
Heath Miller, PIT
Coby Fleener, IND
Charles Clay, BUF
Eric Ebron, DET
Benjamin Watson, NO
Richard Rodgers, GB
Ladarius Green, SD
Jared Cook, STL
Maxx Williams, BAL
Crockett Gillmore, BAL

Kickers: Gostkowski Leads the Pack Again

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

There’s not much to say about kickers in fantasy football other than: “It doesn’t really matter too much.” Streaming kickers is an entirely viable option.

But if you prefer stability at the position, then these rankings can help. New England’s Stephen Gostkowski is the top choice among the experts, followed by Indianapolis’ Adam Vinatieri, Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, Dallas’ Dan Bailey and Denver’s Brandon McManus.

Notice the trend? High scoring and/or efficiency are more often than not a fantasy kicker’s best friend.

The Rankings

Stephen Gostkowski, NE
Adam Vinatieri, IND
Steven Hauschka, SEA
Justin Tucker, BAL
Dan Bailey, DAL
Brandon McManus, DEN
Cody Parkey, PHI
Matt Prater, DET
Matt Bryant, ATL
Dan Carpenter, BUF
Mason Crosby, GB
Blair Walsh, MIN
Josh Brown, NYG
Phil Dawson, SF
Chandler Catanzaro, ARI

Team Defenses and Special Teams: Stream Away

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

I’m a huge believer in streaming defenses. Not only can it lead to more fantasy points for your team, but it’s simply more fun than holding on to one defense throughout the season.

Perhaps the Seattle Seahawks are an exception to that rule, but you should not go out of your way to make them a part of your fantasy team. If they are sitting there for you in either of the final two rounds, then it’s fine to pull the trigger. Other than that, you’re reaching.

These rankings will give you an idea of which defenses should be at the top of your list on a week-to-week basis as you look to find the best matchup and exploit it.

The Rankings