Fantasy Football 2019: Ranking Best Keepers for Upcoming Season

The 2018 NFL season recently ended, but it's never too early to get a jump-start on next season's fantasy strategy—especially if you're in a keeper league. Some leagues require keepers to be submitted shortly after the draft, and many don't allow for offseason trades before the submission deadline.

Who doesn't want to fleece a friend or family member and acquire a top-tier fantasy keeper?

The tricky part of evaluating keepers at this point in the offseason is that several standout players will find new homes in free agency. Incoming rookies can affect keeper rankings too, as players like Saquon Barkley, Baker Mayfield and even Phillip Lindsay did this past season.

Below, you'll find a pre-free agency ranking of the top 50 fantasy keepers—based on PPR scoring formats—along with an up-close look at some risk-reward players.

2019 Fantasy Football Keeper Rankings

1. RB Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

2. RB Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

3. RB Ezekiel Elliott, New York Giants

4. RB Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams

5. WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

6. RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

7. WR Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

8. WR Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

9. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers

10. WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

11. WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

12. WR Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

13. WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

14. WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

15. RB Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

16. RB Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers

17. TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

18. RB Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

19. RB Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

20. WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

21. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

22. TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

23. TE Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

24. WR Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

25. RB Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions

26. WR Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings

27. RB Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

28. RB James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers

29. RB David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

30. WR Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams

31. WR Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

32. WR A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

33. QB Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

34. WR Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions

35. WR Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

36. RB Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons

37. RB Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

38. RB Sony Michel, New England Patriots

39. QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

40. WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

41. WR Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans

42. QB Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

43. RB Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos

44. WR Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles

45. RB Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars

46. WR Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

47. QB Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams

48. WR Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns

49. RB Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts

50. QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

15. RB Le'Veon Bell

Le'Veon Bell is listed here as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but for all intents and purposes, he has no team. Bell refused to play under the franchise tag in 2018 and therefore has spent a year away from football. This makes him a major risk for both the team that signs him in free agency and for fantasy owners.

Adding to the risk factor is the reality that Bell may not be as productive a back in an offense other than Pittsburgh's.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network believes Bell will land with the Baltimore Ravens. While Baltimore's run-oriented offense could help Bell thrive as a runner, he would essentially be splitting carries with quarterback Lamar Jackson. Baltimore's run-based attack would also hurt Bell's receiving numbers—not a good development in PPR.

Keep in mind that a lot of Bell's value is based on his receiving numbers. He had 1,291 yards rushing in 2017 but also added 85 receptions and 655 more yards.

Even if Bell lands in a balanced offense, the pieces around him could also hurt his value. If he lands with the New York Jets, for example, he would largely be on a team devoid of threatening downfield receivers. Defensive attention would be on Bell in a way it couldn't be in Pittsburgh. If not for these risks, Bell would be ranked much higher.

20. WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Butch Dill/Associated Press

One big reason it was hard for opposing defenses to key in on Bell when playing Pittsburgh was wideout Antonio Brown. Brown has remained one of the top pass-catching threats in the league over the past six seasons. He's caught at least 100 passes in each and forced opposing teams to regularly employ double teams.

Like Bell, though, Brown is most likely headed to a new home. While he is under contract through 2021, he has also requested a trade and recently said goodbye to Steelers fans on Twitter.

Assuming Pittsburgh gives into Brown's demands, he will be playing elsewhere in 2019. The lingering uncertainty about his future makes Brown a big boom-or-bust keeper.

The problem is that Brown doesn't have any control over where he lands. As Albert Breer of The MMQB reports, the Steelers won't be sending him to play with Mayfield or Tom Brady.

"The Steelers, as I understand it, are against trading him in the division and against trading him to the Patriots," Breer wrote. "They'll listen to offers from the other 27 teams."

While this leaves open the possibility of Brown still landing with a top-tier quarterback, but what if he doesn't? What if Brown ends up playing with a running quarterback like Josh Allen or ends up in a crowded receiving corps like the Los Angeles Rams'? Brown may just never be the guaranteed fantasy producer he was in Pittsburgh.

While Ben Roethlisberger may have had a strained relationship with Brown, he also helped make him a star. Leaving Pittsburgh could be bad for both Brown and for fantasy owners.

50. QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has long been a logical fantasy keeper. He is one of the most gifted passers the game has ever seen. However, he has disappointed over the past two years. Injuries curtailed his production in 2017, and last season, his level of play wasn't on par with what we've become accustomed to.

Rodgers passed for 4,442 yards in 2018 but threw just 25 touchdowns. These are fine numbers, but they don't necessarily warrant using a keeper spot.

If you have faith that Rodgers can rebound, though, using a keeper spot on Rodgers could be a shrewd move. He will be playing in a new system under head coach Matt LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. If they can get the most out of Rodgers, he will again be a top fantasy quarterback. He may even return to an MVP level.

Rodgers was the pick for ESPN's Matt Bowen in a recent panel of 2019 MVP predictions.

"I'm betting on Rodgers' talent here and a new offensive system under new coach Matt LaFleur that will mesh more with the modern passing game," Bowen wrote.

We've seen what modern passing attacks can do for quarterbacks like Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes. If one can do the same for Rodgers, it could mean big trouble for opposing defenses.