Fantasy Football 2019: Top-50 Player Rankings and 4-Round 12-Team Mock Draft

The football season is close. The fantasy football draft season is closer.

Before another NFL season arrives, many fans have some important business to take care of. That's drafting their fantasy football team (or teams) in a way that sets them up for success and the potential to win some money from their friends, coworkers or complete strangers.

In order to do well in fantasy football, though, it requires some preseason preparation. Here's a look at player rankings and a four-round mock draft to help with that as the season quickly approaches.

Top 50 Player Rankings

Courtesy of ESPN.com for PPR leagues

1. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants RB

2. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys RB

3. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers RB

4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints RB

5. Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets RB

6. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals RB

7. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers WR

8. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans WR

9. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints WR

10. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons WR

11. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams RB

12. Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers RB

13. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs TE

14. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals RB

15. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns WR

16. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs WR

17. Antonio Brown, Oakland Raiders WR

18. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers RB

19. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers WR

20. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR

21. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings RB

22. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers WR

23. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars RB

24. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts WR

25. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys WR

26. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles TE

27. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers TE

28. Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions RB

29. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons RB

30. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots WR

31. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings WR

32. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams WR

33. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings WR

34. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns RB

35. Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders RB

36. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans RB

37. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts RB

38. Damien Williams, Kansas City Chiefs RB

39. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams WR

40. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions WR

41. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams WR

42. Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles WR

43. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals WR

44. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers RB

45. James White, New England Patriots RB

46. Sony Michel, New England Patriots RB

47. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs QB

48. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks RB

49. Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos RB

50. Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens RB

Four-Round Mock Draft

Round 1

1. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys RB

2. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants RB

3. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers RB

4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints RB

5. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers WR

6. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans WR

7. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals RB

8. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints WR

9. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams RB

10. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons WR

11. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns WR

12. Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers RB

Round 2

13. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers RB

14. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals RB

15. Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets RB

16. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs TE

17. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings RB

18. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs WR

19. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars RB

20. Antonio Brown, Oakland Raiders WR

21. JuJu Smith Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers WR

22. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR

23. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers WR

24. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts WR

Round 3

25. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons RB

26. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns RB

27. Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions RB

28. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys WR

29. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans RB

30. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts RB

31. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles TE

32. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings WR

33. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams WR

34. Damien Williams, Kansas City Chiefs RB

35. Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders RB

36. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings WR

Round 4

37. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers TE

38. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots WR

39. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams WR

40. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers RB

41. James White, New England Patriots RB

42. Sony Michel, New England Patriots RB

43. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs QB

44. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks RB

45. Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos RB

46. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams WR

47. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions WR

48. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals WR

First-Round Breakdown

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Any of the top four running backs could go at the No. 1 pick, and none of them would be a bad choice. No matter what order Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara go in, they should be the first four picks in most drafts.

After that, things could go numerous different ways.

There are some concerns about Le'Veon Bell, who sat out all of last season, and David Johnson, who didn't reach the 1,000-rushing-yard mark despite playing in all 16 games for the Cardinals. If there are people in your draft who believe they will be fine, they could both go high in the first round.

However, there's also a chance Bell and Johnson fall into the late first round or possibly even early in the second round, which would be a great spot to scoop either up.

Odell Beckham Jr. should be selected in the first round as fans are excited to see what he brings to the Browns' offense while paired with second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Another player who could be selected in the first round is Melvin Gordon, but it will be important to keep an eye on his status. The Chargers' running back is currently holding out, and it's been reported he and the team are still far apart in contract negotiations.

If Gordon plays this year, he's easily worth a first-round pick. But that could be a risk you'll have to take in your fantasy football draft if his holdout is still ongoing.