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Fantasy Football 2020: Updated Rankings and Advice for Team Names
August 25, 2020
With the 2020 NFL season just over two weeks away, we're entering crunch time for fantasy drafts. If your season-long league hasn't held its selection night yet, it soon will.
With no preseason available to help guide draft decisions, managers instead have to rely on training-camp reports, ranking guides and some good, old-fashioned educated guesswork.
We'll leave the guesswork up to you, but here we'll run down the latest PPR rankings and examine some of the latest fantasy-related buzz coming out of NFL training camps. We'll also give some advice and suggestions for naming your squad—because if you're going to play fantasy, it's worth doing so with a little panache.
2020 Fantasy Top 50
1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
3. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
4. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers
5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
6. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons
7. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
8. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
9. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
10. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
11. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
13. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
14. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
15. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
16. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
17. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
18. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
19. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
20. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
22. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions
23. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys
24. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
25. Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals
26. Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns
27. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
28. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
29. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
30. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
31. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
32. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns
33. Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons
34. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins
35. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans
36. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
37. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings
38. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
39. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks
40. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
41. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
42. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
43. D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
44. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
45. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
46. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
47. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
48. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears
49. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears
50. Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green Running Again
Are you a believer in Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow? If so, you might be buying high on Cincinnati's collection of skill players.
After all, the former LSU star helped guys like Clyde Edwards-Helaire (55 catches, 1,867 scrimmage yards) and Justin Jefferson (111 catches, 1,540 receiving yards) become first-round picks.
Presumably, Burrow can help Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, A.J. Green and Tee Higgins become high-end fantasy options as well.
In Green's case, though, health will be a deciding factor. The seven-time Pro Bowler missed all of 2019 with an ankle injury. He's now dealing with a hamstring injury in camp. The good news is that while he hasn't practiced in over a week, he is back to running on the rehab field.
While the 32-year-old may never again be the elite receiver he once was, he can be a solid fantasy option with Burrow pulling the trigger. He seems to be on track to return in Week 1.
Lamar Jackson Back at Practice
Managers who either already have or who plan to draft Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson early had to be a bit concerned about his recent groin injury.
After all, lower-body injuries can affect all quarterbacks because they can impact throwing mechanics, but they can be devastating for a dual-threat like Jackson.
According to ESPN's Jamison Hensley the 23-year-old is back at practice, if not back to 100 percent.
"He wasn't particularly sharp throwing the ball in his first practice since Friday, but he moved around well," Hensley wrote. "It was noticeable that Jackson didn't take off on any long runs. 'He looked good,' coach John Harbaugh said. 'He had a good practice. We're moving forward.'"
Jackson led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes last season. He also racked up 3,127 passing yards and a whopping 1,206 rushing yards. If healthy, he's going to be the first quarterback taken in many a fantasy draft.
Mike Williams Dealing with Shoulder Injury
The good news for Los Angeles Chargers wideout Mike Williams is that he doesn't appear to have a broken collarbone.
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, however, the 25-year-old does have a significant shoulder injury and is being considered week-to-week:
While Williams wasn't expected to be a high draft pick in fantasy, he was trending as a solid mid-round option. He had 1,001 yards and two touchdowns on 49 receptions last season and he is likely to be L.A.'s No. 2 wideout again in 2020.
However, a shoulder injury this close to Week 1 could mean he is going to miss regular-season playing time. That obviously hurts his fantasy stock and is also a potential problem for managers looking to take a late-round flier on quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
If Williams can't go, Darius Jennings or rookie Joe Reed could claim that No. 2 role.
Tyrell Williams has Torn Labrum
While Mike Williams' shoulder injury doesn't appear to be season-threatening, Tyrell Williams' shoulder issue might be.
The Las Vegas Raiders wideout has a torn labrum, but he plans to play through the injury, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.
While Williams may indeed be able to play through the injury, it's hard to envision him doing so at an optimal level. Therefore, his already declining draft stock should take a pretty significant hit here.
The 28-year-old, who had 651 yards and six touchdowns last seasons, was already a declining fantasy option due to the Raiders' offseason moves. Las Vegas drafted wideouts Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards and also added Nelson Agholor.
With slot man Hunter Renfrow also in the mix, Williams' production was likely to take a hit before the injury.
Fantasy Team-Name Advice
When it comes to naming your fantasy team, try to make it as personal as possible. Originality is great, but there's nothing wrong with pulling a name off of the internet.
The bottom line is that you want your opponents to know exactly who they're up against each week. This can be accomplished by either playing off the names of your top players or off your own interests and hobbies.
Or better yet, do both.
For example, if you're a big film and television buff, some of the following team names might work for you:
- Hot Chubb Time Machine
- Brees Company
- The Brady Bunch
- The Goffice
- Charks and Recreation
- One Flew Over the JuJu Nest
- Action Jackson
- Davante's Peak
- Game of Jones
- Dak to the Future
- A Rivers Runs Through It
- Carrs
- Mahomesward Bound
- Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
- Gone Gurley
- Tin Kupp
- Requiem for Hakeem
- Regarding Henry
- A Gronk's Tale
- Deshaun of the Dead