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Fantasy Football Rankings 2020: Early List of Top Players and Sleepers to Target
May 18, 2020
The 2020 NFL season isn't scheduled to kick off until September 10, but many fantasy managers are already prepping for the drafts that will take place between now and then.
While it's usually a good idea to hold off on drafting until at least the preseason, valuable information can be gleaned earlier. By knowing which players are likely to see favorable situations, which rookies are likely to start and which players could be in danger of losing starting roles, managers can draw a bead on potential late-round steals and sleepers.
Last season, for example, recognizing that Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf was part of a relatively shallow receiver corps potentially led to tremendous late-round value. He finished second on the team with 58 catches, 900 yards and seven touchdowns.
Here, you'll find some potential sleepers who could reward managers in a big way this season. First, though, a look at the updated points-per-reception rankings.
2020 Fantasy Top 50, PPR
1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
2. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
3. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
4. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
5. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
6. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers
7.. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
8. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals
9. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons
10. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
11. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
13. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
14. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
15. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
16. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
17. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
18. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
19. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions
21. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys
22. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
23. D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
24. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals
25. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns
26. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
27. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
28. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
29. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
30. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
31. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns
32. Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons
33. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
34. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears
35. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
36. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans
37. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings
38. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
39. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks
40. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins
41. Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
42. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
43. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
44. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
45. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
46. DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
47. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
48. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
49. Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams
50. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Despite owning a 2-14 record in 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals are a bit deeper at receiver than the Seattle Seahawks were last season—assuming A.J. Green is healthy, that is.
Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow will have the likes of Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross and fellow rookie Tee Higgins in the lineup.
Of these, Green is the only one to crack the top 50, and that's based on the assumption he will be fit and in pre-injury form. However, Higgins is worth a late-round flier because of his upside.
The 21-year-old is a massive 6'4", 216-pound target, who can act as a security blanket for Burrow and as a potential matchup nightmare.
"He's played all three receiver spots and can be moved around to match up against cornerbacks," NFL Media's Lance Zierlein wrote. "His size and "above the rim" talent make him a uniquely dangerous playmaker deep and in the red zone."
Preexisting chemistry won't be a factor for Burrow, and Higgins could quite easily become his favorite target. At best, he could develop into Cincinnati's No. 1 receiver; at worst, he should be the sort of big-bodied touchdown vulture who is worth the occasional flex play.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Philadelphia Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson.
The 33-year-old is coming off a season plagued by injuries—he appeared in just three games—and will face competition for catches from rookie first-rounder Jalen Reagor.
However, Jackson still possesses high-end speed and can be the field-stretcher for quarterback Carson Wentz. In the first game of the 2019 season, he caught eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. While such numbers cannot be expected weekly, that is indicative of the role he can play in the Philadelphia offense.
While Jackson was forced to undergo core muscle surgery last season, he appears on track to return to pre-injury form. He recently posted a video of himself running routes on Instagram.
In his last healthy season, which came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018, the University of California product caught 41 passes for 774 yards and four touchdowns. That was with a receiving corps that also included Chris Godwin and Mike Evans
If healthy, Jackson could be a 1,000-yard receiver for this first time since 2016.
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
As a rookie last season, Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson caught 59 passes for 680 yards and five touchdowns. He largely did so with the disappointing tandem of Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph at quarterback.
Even with subpar quarterback play, Johnson could be in store for a notable second-year jump in 2020. However, he may be getting more than subpar play out of veteran Ben Roethlisberger—at least, that is what Pittsburgh is banking on.
Roethlisberger missed the vast majority of the 2019 season with an elbow injury that required surgery. Presumably, he will be 100 percent recovered and under center when the Steelers open the season against the Dallas Cowboys.
Again, we have to assume the 38-year-old will be in pre-injury form or close to it. If so, the impact for Johnson could be tremendous. In 2018, Roethlisberger threw for an incredible 5,129 yards and 34 touchdowns with 16 interceptions.
Like Jackson, Johnson could realistically flirt with the 1,000-yard mark in this season if Big Ben still has the goods.