Fantasy Football 2020: Projections, Rankings for Top Prospects at QB, RB and WR

Whether the 2020-21 NFL season will kick off as scheduled on Sept. 10 remains to be seen, but amid all the uncertainty, fantasy managers must begin to prepare for rookie drafts for dynasty leagues and full drafts for one-off leagues. 

In 2020, the day that NFL teams must cut their roster down to the final 53 players on the active/inactive list is Sept. 5. Many fantasy commissioners choose to hold their drafts between that date and opening kickoff to limit the number of roster issues related to sway injuries or other unexpected circumstances.

But many other commissioners elect to hold drafts in the late summer, and given the dearth of sports on the horizon, it's safe to assume NFL fantasy managers will be poring over research in the coming months. 

With that being said, we've compiled rankings of where the three most important skill players—quarterback, running back and wide receiver—stand. As a bonus, we've also thrown in the top-ranked rookie at each position in case your rookie draft is coming up soon. 

The following rankings are for standard scoring leagues and assume a 12-team league. 

Top Fantasy QB Rankings

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

5. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals 

6. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

7. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

8. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

9. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

10. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

11. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

12. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Top rookie: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (No. 21 overall)

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Notable names left out of the starting-caliber-quarterback range this season include Detroit's Matthew Stafford, the New York Giants' Daniel Jones, Cleveland's Baker Mayfield and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger.

Meanwhile, the top of the list gets younger and younger, with Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes—entering their third and fourth seasons, respectively—anchoring the rankings. 

Mahomes' 2019 season was "below average" by his own very high standards, as he missed two games and posted 4,031 yards and 26 touchdowns, down from his eye-popping marks of 5,097 and 50 in 2018.

However, the 24-year-old's adjusted yards per attempt continues to be among the league's best, with his 8.9 mark ranking third last year (down from 9.6 and first in 2018). 

Meanwhile, Jackson has been the subject of much hand-wringing as analysts and models have projected a regression when he returns to the field. It's likely overblown, given that he has a sizable production insurance policy in the form of his next-level run game.

Though the 23-year-old doesn't pass the ball that often, averaging just 26.7 attempts per game last season, he still managed to put up 36 passing scores. Even if those numbers go down this season, Baltimore's commitment to the ground game will include plenty of plays designed for him, too. 

If you're in a dynasty league and have a middle-to-low pick that you're looking to grab the first quarterback off the board with, look no further than Joe Burrow.

LSU's offense was incredible preparation for a pro-NFL scheme, and the 23-year-old should be able to take whatever Cincinnati tasks him with in the playbook and turn it into production right away. 

Top Fantasy RB Rankings

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

2. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants 

3. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys 

4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans 

5. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

6. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

7. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

8. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

9. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

10. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

11. Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals 

12. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

13. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

14. Todd Gurley, Atlanta Falcons

15. Top Rookie: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

16. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks

17. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars

18. Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos

19. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

20. David Johnson, Houston Texans

21. Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens

22. Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets

23. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

24. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers

25. Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills

26. Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers

27. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

28. Sony Michel, New England Patriots

29. Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams 

30. Derrius Guice, Washington

31. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns

32. Jordan Howard, Miami Dolphins

33. Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions

34. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts

35. Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos

36. Damien Williams, Kansas City Chiefs

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

There aren't too many new names near the top of this list heading into the upcoming season, which should make managers in keeper leagues just tickled. 

Christian McCaffrey continues to be a no-brainer No. 1 given his pass-catching prowess, leading all running backs in receiving yards last season. More than that, though, he led the league among players at any position in yards from scrimmage. 

The player who should probably be sitting higher in these Fantasy Pros rankings, and the one you may want to consider taking above his average draft position (ADP), is Los Angeles' Austin Ekeler.

What started as an opportunity gleaned from Melvin Gordon's holdout blossomed into bona fide star power for the 25-year-old, who finished his season with 557 rushing yards and three scores on the ground and nearly 1,000 receiving yards on 92 catches, with another eight touchdowns through the air.

If Ekeler shares backfield duties, his value will be higher in PPR leagues. 

The top rookie to keep an eye on in dynasty leagues is the Chiefs' first-round selection, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, as he'll be one of the hottest tickets.

Even in non-dynasty leagues, he'll probably be gone in Round 2. Andy Reid and Mahomes were both banging the table for him, which should assuage worries about what Damien Williams will mean for Edwards-Helaire's potential production.

The LSU product won't exactly be posting similar numbers to his monster campaign with the Tigers last season—1,867 total yards and 17 total touchdowns—but his receiving prowess gives him starting potential early in his NFL career. 

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Top Fantasy WR Rankings

1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

2. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

3. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

5. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

6. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions

8. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

10. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns

11. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

12. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

13. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears

15. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

16. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

17. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

18. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

19. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

20. DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins

21. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

22. D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

23. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

24. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

25. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

26. Terry McLaurin, Washington

27. D.J. Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars

28. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

29. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

30. Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns

31. Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys

32. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals

33. Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens

34. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots

35. Will Fuller, Houston Texans

36. Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions

Top Rookie: CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys (No. 53 overall)

It's hard to imagine what the world will look like three months from now, when the NFL would presumably be resuming play.

As of today, though, No. 1 fantasy receiver Michael Thomas is engaged in some off-field turmoil with quarterback Drew Brees, who recently doubled down on comments he had made about kneeling disrespecting the American flag in an interview with Yahoo Finance.

On Thursday, Brees apologized for his remarks.

Last season, the pair connected for more than 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. In each of his four seasons in the league, Thomas has topped 1,000 receiving yards. 

There are obviously far bigger implications to this story than the impact on fantasy football, but with Thomas and Brees clashing over as sensitive a topic as racial injustice, it's fair to wonder what their relationship will be moving forward.

The Green Bay Packers certainly didn't do anything to bolster their wide receiver room in the NFL draft, and signing Devin Funchess in free agency isn't going to take many targets away from Aaron Rodgers' No. 1 guy, Davante Adams, who saw a whopping 127 in just 12 games. 

Your rookie wideout to keep in mind this upcoming season is the Dallas Cowboys' first-round pick, CeeDee Lamb, who wasn't the first rookie wideout off the board in this year's NFL draft but will likely earn that title when it comes to fantasy.

The situation in Dallas under Mike McCarthy is set up for Lamb to make a strong impact in Year 1. 

Player rankings via FantasyPros