Fantasy Football 2018: Updated Rankings and Advice for Team Names

Formulating fantasy football rankings is not a one-off task. Drafters must stay open to new research and information changing perceptions through the preseason.

Adjusting August rankings is not always as simple as crossing off Derrius Guice. Managers must keep track of injuries and projected depth charts to properly assess each player's fluctuating stock. Those who successfully manage this task will develop a sizable advantage over anyone consulting a now-outdated magazine printed in July.

While reacting to preseason results is far from foolproof, those games can occasionally sway a position battle or foreshadow a team's intended usage patterns. Not everyone who scores a touchdown needs to move up the rankings, but some standout performers merit an extended look.     

Here's a look at updated, standard-scoring rankings as of Monday. Click here for the full rankings in all formats.

#	Player	Position
1	Todd Gurley	RB1
2	Le'Veon Bell	RB2
3	Ezekiel Elliott	RB3
4	Antonio Brown	WR1
5	David Johnson	RB4
6	DeAndre Hopkins	WR2
7	Alvin Kamara	RB5
8	Saquon Barkley	RB6
9	Melvin Gordon	RB7
10	Kareem Hunt	RB8
11	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR3
12	Julio Jones	WR4
13	Leonard Fournette	RB9
14	Michael Thomas	WR5
15	Devonta Freeman	RB10
16	Keenan Allen	WR6
17	Dalvin Cook	RB11
18	A.J. Green	WR7
19	Davante Adams	WR8
20	Jordan Howard	RB12
21	Mike Evans	WR9
22	Rob Gronkowski	TE1
23	Christian McCaffrey	RB13
24	Jerick McKinnon	RB14
25	Travis Kelce	TE2
26	Stefon Diggs	WR10
27	Adam Thielen	WR11
28	Larry Fitzgerald	WR12
29	Doug Baldwin	WR13
30	Joe Mixon	RB15
31	Alex Collins	RB16
32	Zach Ertz	TE3
33	LeSean McCoy	RB17
34	T.Y. Hilton	WR14
35	Kenyan Drake	RB18
36	Demaryius Thomas	WR15
37	Aaron Rodgers	QB1
38	Amari Cooper	WR16
39	Lamar Miller	RB19
40	Tyreek Hill	WR17
41	Jay Ajayi	RB20
42	JuJu Smith-Schuster	WR18
43	Royce Freeman	RB21
44	Mark Ingram	RB22
45	Allen Robinson	WR19
46	Russell Wilson	QB2
47	Derrick Henry	RB23
48	Marvin Jones	WR20
49	Dion Lewis	RB24
50	Golden Tate	WR21

Risers

Royce Freeman, RB, Denver Broncos

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Excitement for a stacked rookie crop has withered during the summer. With Sony Michel, Rashaad Penny, Ronald Jones II and Nick Chubb all trending downward due to health and/or an uncertain workload, Royce Freeman looks poised to run away with the Denver Broncos' featured role.

After selecting Freeman in the third round of April's draft, general manager John Elway called the Oregon alum a "bell-cow type" and a "guy that we needed," per Broncos TV. He has since validated that praise by finding paydirt in each of Denver's two preseason contests.

ESPN's Jeff Legwold predicted Freeman "will be the primary back before too long." His main competitor, Devontae Booker, averaged 3.6 yards per carry through two seasons. Freeman is a bigger, tougher runner with agility and the ability to bounce off contact:

After initially being left out of the top 50, he has jumped to No. 43 overall, and there's now a solid chance he doesn't last beyond the third round in upcoming drafts. 

Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

Marquise Goodwin developed an instant rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo last year, catching 29-of-43 targets for 384 yards and a touchdown in five games. Yet drafters, myself included, wondered if a returning Pierre Garcon would dampen that fruitful connection.

All preseason signs point to the contrary. At the start of August, the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch said the 27-year-old speedster remains the San Francisco 49ers' primary wideout. ESPN's Nick Wagoner more recently said Goodwin is "clearly Jimmy Garoppolo's favorite target."

The buzz has steadily inflated Goodwin's draft price at the expense of Garcon, a 32-year-old recovering from a season-ending neck injury:

Goodwin jumped to No. 80 in my standard rankings, but that's still lower than his No. 72 consensus ranking. This could be a case of justified hype foreshadowing a major breakout, so he might garner another ranking uptick before Week 1.

Fallers

Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots' backfield is difficult enough to project without worrying about availability. 

Michel has not yet returned to camp since having fluid drained from his knee early this month. Once a top-50 candidate, his consensus average draft position (ADP) has slipped to No. 66. The first-round pick entered August above Freeman in my rankings but has since tumbled to No. 57.

He'll drop far more if he continues to miss practice during the next two weeks.

It's easy to see why drafters are uneasy about selecting the former Georgia star. Rex Burkhead, James White, Jeremy Hill and/or Mike Gillislee could all carve out a significant role if Michel isn't ready by September. He's now especially likely to return to a committee with Burkhead and/or White handling third downs and other pass-catching situations.

Yet dismissing Michel altogether is a mistake. Per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss, sources with connections to the rookie "don't think he'll miss much, if any, of the regular season."

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may not stick with one bell-cow back for 16 games, but there's still ample opportunity for a rusher to achieve fantasy stardom in last year's top-ranked offense. Dion Lewis registered 969 yards and eight touchdowns over the AFC champion's final 11 regular-season games. 

Michel is still a viable target if now available as a flex or bench gamble.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Elsa/Getty Images

Following two injury-riddled seasons, Alshon Jeffery stayed on the field all year to score 12 touchdowns in 19 regular and postseason games. Yet NFL Network's Ian Rapoport offered a troubling report before drafters could alter their health expectations:

Opening 2018 on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list would cost Jeffery the first six games of the season. If that's even a minor possibility, such uncertainty at least creates fear over the Philadelphia Eagles sidelining him in Week 1.

Jeffery was likely to get drafted too early before this development. The touchdowns are nice, but he has averaged 54 catches for 805 yards in the past three seasons. He secured just 57 of his 120 targets in 2017 and has not reached 100 yards in a single game Sept. 11, 2016. 

A closer look suggests he's not even Philadelphia's top wideout. Nelson Agholor was far more efficient, corralling 62 of 95 targets in a breakout campaign. He recorded one less regular-season touchdown (eight) but received one more red-zone target than Jeffery, according to Pro Football Reference.

Jeffery, now my No. 27 receiver, could keep dropping without a positive prognosis quelling fears of a delayed start. Given his touchdown dependency, he's even less appealing in point-per-reception formats.

Team Name Advice

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Want some advice for a clever and meaningful team name? Here it is: Come up with your own idea.

Come on, do you really think nobody else is using "Rolls Royce," "Luckness Monster," "InstaGraham," "Living on a Prater," "Hey Darnold!" or any of the dozens of options available with Dak Prescott ("Dak to the Future", "Dakstreet Boys")?

Maybe an inside joke is the way to go. Or at least a pop-culture reference that hasn't made every other "Fantasy Football Team Name" piece. I'm going with "Jake Jortles."

Perhaps this is too snobby for naming a fake football team and one of those puns floats your fancy. That's fine, too. The Darnold one is actually pretty good.

Just maybe think twice about that lame, vulgar joke that will make the competition wonder if they're playing against a prepubescent child.

Note: ADP and expert rankings courtesy of FantasyPros.