Fantasy Football 2015 Cheatsheet: Mobile Rankings for Last-Minute Drafters

By now, serious fantasy football players are tired of hearing about the same names over and over again.

Love Brandin Cooks and Jordan Matthews? Cool, get in line. Willing to roll the dice on Sam Bradford or Ameer Abdullah? Not a bad plan, but don't expect either to fall into your lap during the later rounds. 

There's simply too much literature out there to steal such popular players in savvy leagues. So after breaking down position-by-position rankings, let's turn the tables and examine some boring veterans. While these guys don't boast tantalizing upsides, they offer stable floors. 

Don't feel ashamed of playing it safe once in a while. Just don't avoid risk throughout the draft.

Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Aaron Rodgers	Le'Veon Bell	Antonio Brown	Rob Gronkowski
2	Andrew Luck	Eddie Lacy	Demaryius Thomas	Jimmy Graham
3	Russell Wilson	Adrian Peterson	Julio Jones	Travis Kelce
4	Drew Brees	Jamaal Charles	Dez Bryant	Greg Olsen
5	Peyton Manning	Marshawn Lynch	Odell Beckham Jr.	Martellus Bennett
6	Tom Brady	C.J. Anderson	Calvin Johnson	Delanie Walker
7	Ben Roethlisberger	Jeremy Hill	A.J. Green	Jason Witten
8	Matt Ryan	Matt Forte	Randall Cobb	Jordan Cameron
9	Tony Romo	DeMarco Murray	Alshon Jeffrey	Tyler Eifert
10	Eli Manning	Justin Forsett	Mike Evans	Owen Daniels
11	Ryan Tannehill	LeSean McCoy	DeAndre Hopkins	Antonio Gates
12	Philip Rivers	Lamar Miller	T.Y. Hilton	Zach Ertz
13	Cam Newton	Frank Gore	Brandin Cooks	Dwayne Allen
14	Matthew Stafford	Mark Ingram	Emmanuel Sanders	Larry Donnell
15	Sam Bradford	Latavius Murray	Jordan Matthews	Austin-Seferian Jenkins

"Boring" Picks

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Ryan Tannehill. Sam Bradford. Teddy Bridgewater. Analysts have spent many words singing the praises of these potential breakout quarterbacks. After the stars go, they all make cheap alternatives.

Below these flashy picks, Joe Flacco is just there. Perhaps name recognition from a Super Bowl run propels his value in some circles, but experts on FantasyPros give him a No. 19 consensus ranking at quarterback. Too high, too low or just right?

The Baltimore Ravens signal-caller quietly enjoyed his best season yet in 2014, setting career highs in passing yards (3,986), touchdowns (27) and ESPN's QBR (67.0). Pro Football Focus rated him last year's No. 7 quarterback, sandwiched between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

With more sure-handed wide receivers, Flacco would have enjoyed his first 4,000-yard season. Instead, he watched 37 dropped passes cost him 472 yards in the air. 

Rank	Player	YIA w/Drops
1	Joe Flacco	472
2	Matt Ryan	390
3	Drew Brees	366
4	Andrew Luck	316
5	Ryan Tannehill	299

This would be more encouraging if Baltimore bolstered its offense, but it instead swapped Torrey Smith with Breshad Perriman, another deep threat who developed a reputation for dropping passes in college. With 36-year-old Steve Smith Sr. remaining its top target, the club will continue to lean heavily on the ground game.

Let's not get carried away and use the "E Word," but Flacco flaunts value as a matchup play to pair with another passer. While he's valued right, he could morph into a borderline top-12 option if Perriman and rookie Maxx Williams excel.

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Entering his age-32 season, Frank Gore has surpassed the expiration date for running backs. Yet nobody told him. 

Had he not missed five games in 2011, the new Indianapolis Colts rusher would be pursuing his 10th straight 1,000-yard season. His career 4.5 yards per carry average has not waned, as he never recorded less than 4.1 yards per run during his career.

YEAR	GP	ATT	RUSH YD	YPC	RUSH TD
2013	16	276	1,128	4.1	9
2014	16	255	1,106	4.3	4

When asked by ESPN.com's Mike Wells about the fact that no running back since Ricky Williams has amassed a 1,000-yard season at age 32 or older, Gore didn't express much concern.

"I don’t talk," he ironically said. "You get the respect by how you play. I like training with young guys to keep myself honest. When training with young guys, when you feel like you’re doing better or the same, you know you have a chance because you’re hanging with them."

Indianapolis threw the ball more than any other team last year, but that wasn't all by choice. With Ahmad Bradshaw injured and Trent Richardson awful, the team struggled to establish a ground game behind Andrew Luck. Expect better balance this year.

Even if Gore loses some touches, he'll trade them for more red-zone opportunities. He'll have little trouble doubling last year's five-touchdown tally.

Anquan Boldin, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

One of these days, the bottom is going to fall out on Anquan Boldin. That thinking has allowed the veteran wide receiver to come at a discount over the past two years, and that's not changing after consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

YEAR	GP	REC	TAR	YD	YPC	TD
2013	16	85	130	1,179	13.9	7
2014	16	83	130	1,062	12.8	5

According to FantasyPros, he holds a No. 40 average draft position (ADP) at wideout, below Victor Cruz and new teammate Torrey Smith. From a No. 4 option, drafters can get a guy who has received 100 or more targets in each of the past 10 years.

He also has rarely delivered any duds over a full season, as noted by ESPN's Field Yates:

Smith's arrival as a deep threat shouldn't challenge Boldin's presence as Colin Kaepernick's go-to option. After receiving 130 looks in consecutive years for the 49ers, the 34-year-old will remain the top draw while Smith serves as a more maddening all-or-nothing play.

Even if Boldin regresses back to 65 receptions and 921 yards—his numbers when the reunited pairing shared the field for Baltimore in 2012—he's still a solid matchup play worth having around. He's not a fun pick on draft day, but managers will enjoy rostering old reliable if any of their younger sleepers fizzle.