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Fantasy Football 2019: Updated Rankings and Advice for Team Names
August 20, 2019
Fantasy football rankings are fluid. That's as true in training camp as it will be during the regular season.
Position battles are playing out in front of us. Injuries are thinning the playing field. Contract holdouts are inching away from being talking points and toward becoming legitimate concerns.
So, after laying out our updated top 50 PPR rankings, we'll examine a few stocks that have already shifted this preseason, before pointing you in the right direction for the best possible team names.
2019 Fantasy Football PPR Top-50 Rankings
1. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
3. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
5. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
6. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
7. David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
8. Le'Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets
9. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons
10. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers
11. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns
12. Todd Gurley II, RB, Los Angeles Rams
13. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
14. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
15. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
16. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
17. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
18. Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders
19. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
20. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
22. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
23. Kerryon Johnson, RB, Detroit Lions
24. Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons
25. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
26. Antonio Brown, WR, Oakland Raiders
27. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
28. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys
29. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts
30. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
31. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
32. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks
33. Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts
34. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
35. Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
36. Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots
37. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings
38. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears
39. Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
40. Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings
41. Brandin Cooks, WR, Los Angeles Rams
42. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions
43. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
44. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
45. James White, RB, New England Patriots
46. Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots
47. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
48. Mark Ingram II, RB, Baltimore Ravens
49. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
50. Josh Gordon, WR, New England Patriots
Fantasy Football Stock Report
Stock Up: Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon's reinstatement to the NFL should lead to his reappearance as a legitimate fantasy option.
That's probably underselling his potential in the new-look New England offense.
Tom Brady needs a new safety net with Rob Gronkowski retired, and Gordon could feast on the targets the tight end left behind. He played three games without Gronk last season. In those contests, Gordon was targeted 28 times, tallying 13 receptions for 311 yards and a touchdown.
"Gordon was nearly a top-20 receiver from Week 5 through Week 14 last season, and he still boasts massive statistical upside, with rare size and speed for the position," ESPN's Eric Karabell wrote. "He is a perfect fit for a Patriots offense that lacks wide receiver depth and anyone reliable at tight end."
Gordon averaged a whopping 18 yards per reception last season, the second-highest mark among qualified receivers. If he plays an active role in this offense, he could put up huge numbers.
Stock Down: Andrew Luck
Any time injury and Andrew Luck are used in the same sentence, fantasy owners can only cross their fingers and hope for the best.
Apparently, there haven't been enough fingers crossed yet.
Two years after having a season erased by injury, Luck is again battling an ailment. This time, it's a calf and ankle problem that he's been unable to shake. While he at least got some on-field work in ahead of Saturday's preseason game, the Colts have said they'll wait until after the third preseason contest to name their Week 1 starter.
While fantasy gamblers could see buy-low potential here, most have looked elsewhere for their quarterback needs. In only a few weeks, Luck's average draft position has tumbled from the early fifth round to the end of the seventh, per Fantasy Football Calculator.
Stock Up: Chris Carson
If Chris Carson did nothing more than replicate his 2018 effort, he would be a bargain.
Last season, he only needed 14 games to give the Seattle Seahawks 1,151 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He wound up 15th among running backs in fantasy scoring, per Fantasy Pros, which makes his ADP of 20th at the position a head-scratcher, especially considering he's trending up.
But Carson won't be the same player as last season; he should be better.
The Seahawks want to air it out more this time around, and they're specifically looking at their emerging running back. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the ideal number of Carson's targets being "up around the 50s," which would rocket above the 32 he's received over his first two seasons combined.
A substantial increase in volume could boost Carson's impact, since he's already shown he will maximize his chances. For his career, he has hauled in 27 of 32 targets for 222 yards and a score.
Team Name Advice
Want the keys to naming your fantasy football team? Creativity and originality.
Sure, you could scour the web for others' top submissions and find more than a few options you like. Among my personal favorite finds for this season: Hot Chubb Time Machine, Guice Infestation, Turbo-Schuster and—probably because I have a toddler—DJ Chark Doodoodoodoodoodoo.
But giving your leaguemates something they haven't seen elsewhere (really, everywhere) can be legendary.
Have an inside joke that you can mold into something from the NFL lexicon? Or a way to clown your buddies while also showing you've been keeping up on your fantasy research? Those could be golden.
If not, feel free to grab one of the internet's best. Anything beats the given generic names.