Fantasy Football Rankings 2018: Advice for Dynasty and Keeper Leagues

Most fantasy drafts are still months away, but it's never too soon to start thinking about your dynasty or keeper leagues.

In dynasty, drafting incoming rookies is often contingent on where they land. Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara, for instance, obviously have a lot of talent, but they also benefited hugely from respectively landing in the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints' systems, which optimized their abilities.

Yes, some players will be expected to thrive regardless of system. See: Barkley, Saquon. But so many of the players drafted this year will have a large portion of their future success dictated by the organization that selects them.

The Cleveland Browns may be on the up and up, but they are also an organization that has had one winning season since 2003. That's a span of 15 years, folks—an awful run of futility.

Granted, the franchise's ownership has only been in place since 2012. But in Jimmy Haslam's five full seasons in charge, the Browns have 15 wins, an average of three wins per year. In the past three years, they have won four games.

If Barkley goes to the Browns, he should still be the No. 1 pick in your dynasty draft. There's an argument to be made he should be a first- or second-round pick in any format given his talent. But what if the Browns draft a quarterback?

Are you going to be more inclined to take that player than whichever signal-caller goes to the New York Giants at No. 2 and gets to be groomed by Eli Manning for at least one season—especially if you don't think there is a separation between the top quarterback prospects this year?

In that case, situation may supersede talent. Perhaps no other position than quarterback is so reliant on scheme. Just ask the Los Angeles Rams' Jared Goff about the difference between Sean McVay and Jeff Fisher. The Tennessee Titans' Marcus Mariota is probably happy to be past Mike Mularkey. The Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan seemed to miss Kyle Shanahan last year.

This holds true in keeper leagues, though obviously it's a bit different since the stakes are lower, as there is generally more roster turnover from year to year. When targeting rookies, you want to target scheme as much as talent.

You always want the best players on the best offenses. Good players on mediocre offenses are simply more prone to bouts of inconsistency. Look at Mike Evans last season. He was expected to be a top-three receiver in fantasy, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' inconsistency—paired with quarterback Jameis Winston's poor season—killed his fantasy value.

But imagine Evans on the New England Patriots. He would go full Randy Moss on the NFL. Heck, even with slightly more consistent play from Winston, he would probably be back to superstar status in fantasy terms.

So keep all of this in mind when scouting the rookies you will be adding to your dynasty or keeper league. Draft situation as much as you draft ability.

For the keeper audience, here are some draft values to keep in mind this season, as they could benefit you for years to come:

• Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
• Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
• Aaron Jones or Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers (depending on who wins the starting job)
• Corey Clement, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
• Duke Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns
• Cooper Kupp, WR, St. Louis Rams
• Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland Browns
• Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
• O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As always, may the fantasy points be with you!