Fantasy Football Preview: Top 50 Player Rankings 2019-2020

1. Saquon Barkley – RB/NYG

• As a mere rookie, Barkley rushed for 1,307 yards, caught 91 passes for 721 receiving yards and scored 15 touchdowns. With an upgrade at Guard and the Giants in desperate need for play makers with Odell Beckham Jr. gone, Barkley is primed for another special year.

2. Ezekiel Elliott – RB/DAL

• Although the Dallas O-Line isn’t quite as young and gifted as it was during Zeke’s rookie campaign, Elliott is expanding his game having caught 77 passes last year. Look for that to increase with his already tremendous workload in Dallas’ offense.

3. Christian McCaffrey – RB/CAR

• You could make a case for McCaffrey as the #1 pick after the second half of last year. His usage rate is sky high and McCaffrey is the epitome of an every down back. Totaling over 1900 yards from scrimmage last year should be a sign of what is to come.

4. Alvin Kamara – RB/NO

• We got to since glimpses of how special Alvin Kamara is during Mark Ingram’s 4 game suspension last year. Now 16 games of that workload… Kamara could easily finish as the #1 Running Back but we will have to see if his smaller frame relative to the guys above him will hold up for all 16 games.

5. Todd Gurley – RB/LAR

• The 2018-2019 Fantasy MVP Todd Gurley coming in at #5. It’s not hard to see how hobbled he looked in the playoffs, and he does have an injury riddled past. Use caution in selecting Gurley, even though the talent and system he plays in is suited for Fantasy dominance.

6. DeAndre Hopkins – WR/HOU

• The First WR on the list. Hopkins is an all time talent, and has produced no matter who is throwing him the ball. With Deshaun Watson adding another year of experience, look for this dynamic duo to keep thriving in fantasy.

7. James Conner – RB/PIT

• Conner emerged in the Steelers offense due to the absence of Le’Veon Bell. Conner proved himself no fluke as he totaled over 1400 yards from scrimmage and 13 TDs. With the steady Steelers offensive line and now without Antonio Brown as well, look for Conner to improve on his 55 receptions from last year.

8. Melvin Gordon – RB/LAC

• Gordon was hindered with nagging injuries throughout the 2018-2019 campaign but look for him to bounce back this year. With the high powered offense of the Chargers, look for Gordon to get his fair share of Rushing Touchdowns.

9. David Johnson – RB/ARI

• A player that disappointed many owners last year, David Johnson. With Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray now at the helm, look for Johnson to have an increased load in both the running and passing game. Injuries are the only thing that will stop him from gaining 1000+ rushing and 500+ receiving yards this season.

10. Tyreek Hill – WR/KC

• There are lots of question marks regarding Tyreek Hill and the current investigation around him and domestic abuse charges. Currently, it looks as if he will be available for the start of the 2019 campaign which means more of the same from last year. With over 1500+ yards from scrimmage and 13 TDs last season, along with offensive genius Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes throwing to him, off field issues are the only red flag.

11. Davante Adams – WR/GB

• Adams is a star in the making. Being paired with Aaron Rodgers doesn’t hurt either. With 13 TDs last year and a pass heavy offense, look for Adams to keep shining as the star receiver in Green Bay. No doubt he will surpass 1000 yards and 10 TDs again.

12. Michael Thomas – WR/NO

• Leading the league in receptions last year with 125, Mike Thomas is a sure thing draft selection in the late first/early second. As long as Sean Payton and Drew Brees are in New Orleans, Thomas is a no brainer WR1.

13. Le’Veon Bell – RB/NYJ

• Plenty of question marks surround Le’Veon Bell and his year off of football. No one can doubt this man’s talent as a runner and receiver, but the change in scenery to the NY Jets is a cause for concern. Unlike the Steelers winning organization, Game flow may affect Bell and his number of ground touches. Either way, Bell should be fully healthy and ready to play a big role in the NYJ offense.

14. Odell Beckham Jr. – WR/CLE

• Beckham is a generational talent on the field, and although the move the CLE will help the Browns as a team, I’m not completely sold on the idea of Odell re-capturing his breakout year stats from NYG. CLE has other proven play makers such as Jarvis Landry and David Njoku who could steal some red-zone targets from Odell.

15. Joe Mixon – RB/CIN

• A case of a great talent on a sub-par team. With over 1100+ yards on the ground last year, Mixon is often marginalized through the flow of the game. With the Bengals only winning 6 games last year, Mixon is sometimes neutralized to dump off catches in the second half of games.

16. Antonio Brown -WR/OAK

• The leader in receiving TDs last year with 15, AB still found himself wanting out of PIT. Now in OAK, AB should be the centerpiece of Gruden’s offense, which tends to be heavy of the star receivers/runners. The only question is Derek Carr, and his relationship with Brown. The sky’s the limit with his talent, but uncertainties make Brown a little lower on the board compared to sure-thing WR1s.

17. Travis Kelce – TE/KC

• The first TE taken off the board. Paired with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, Kelce looks to match his stellar 2018 performance. With over 100 receptions, 1300 yards, and 10 TDs last year, Kelce is a lock for success this year.

18. Mike Evans – WR/TB

• With over 1500 yards on less than 90 catches, Evans is the definition of a premiere deep threat. Pair this with the fact that Tampa Bay often finds themselves trailing in the 2nd half of games, Evans is a great option as a mid tier WR1.

19. JuJu Smith-Schuster – WR/PIT

• Coming off of a breakout year in 2018, JuJu looks to build on that with the departure of Antonio Brown. With a staggering 166 targets in 2018, look for that number to increase even more this year!

20. Dalvin Cook – RB/MIN

• Injuries have been an issue throughout the young career of Dalvin Cook. With the sturdy defense of the Vikings, Cook is always inline for a heavy second half workload during winning games. Cook always has big play ability and his receiving game is improving.

21. Damien Williams – RB/KC

• Damien Williams is set to take the full time work from Kareem Hunt, which Williams did terrifically at the end of last season. With 4 TDs in the final 4 games last season, playing in such a high powered offense, Williams could end up ranking in the low end RB1 spots at the end of the year.

22. Nick Chubb – RB/CLE

• Over 1000 yards from scrimmage and 10 TDs as a rookie. Now with another year of experience in an improving offense in CLE, look for Chubb to have plenty touches and goal line opportunities.

23. Adam Thielen – WR/MIN

• Thielen came out of the gate scorching last season, with 100 receiving yards in the first 8 games of 2018. He ended the year seeing much more coverage schemes, leading to more targets and catches for Stefon Diggs.

24. Leonard Fournette – RB/JAX

• The talent and pure athleticism is certainly not missing for Leonard Fournette’s game. But that doesn’t always lead to fantasy success. The Jaguars offense scheme combined with Fournette injury history is a major concern. Hopefully Nick Foles will be able to revitalize their offense, leading to more opportunities for Fournette.

25. Devonta Freeman – RB/ATL

• Coming off a year ending injury, Freeman looks to take back control of the ATL backfield. His running-mate Tevin Coleman is now in San Francisco, so Freeman will hopefully see more action in the passing game now.

26. T.Y Hilton – WR/IND

• The Colts are a team on the rise, and with Andrew Luck finally getting the protection he needs, TY Hilton should be a main beneficiary of that this season.

27. Keenan Allen – WR/LAC

• The lead receiver in any Phillip Rivers offense should be on fantasy radars. Whenever Allen has been on the field, he has always been a play maker. Expect another 1000+ yard and 7+ TD season from Allen. The only clear issue would be the emergence of Mike Williams as a red zone target.

28. Zach Ertz – TE/PHI

• The second TE taken off the board. Ertz is no doubt the #1 target of Carson Wentz, who looks to be completely healthy heading into the season. Ertz totaled an insane 156 targets and 116 catches last year, breaking Jason Witten’s single season reception record by a TE.

29. George Kittle – TE/SF

• Kittle really emerged himself with some huge plays and games at the end of the 2018 campaign. With Jimmy Garoppolo back and healthy, look for these two to create a tremendous rapport.

30. Amari Cooper – WR/DAL

• Cooper had something to prove after being traded mid way through the 2018 season. As the clear #1 target of Dak Prescott, Cooper should look to build on his end of season play.

31. Stefon Diggs – WR/MIN

• Throughout the 2018 season, the Vikings proved to be a very pass-heavy offense. With the breakout season of Adam Thielen, Diggs had to take a backseat for much of the ride. During the last quarter of the year, teams adjusted and Diggs saw his numbers improve drastically. Look for Diggs to continue as a steady WR2 with WR1 upside strictly due to the presence of another great receiver.

32. A.J. Green – WR/CIN

• Green missed the whole second half of 2018 and Tyler Boyd emerged as a key play maker for the Bengals. There is no doubt the talent of Green, but he is often schemed out of games through double teams and Andy Dalton isn’t the most trustworthy QB.

33. Derrick Henry – RB/TEN

• Henry really broke out at the end of the 2018 with 8 TDs and nearly 600 yards in his final 5 games. The Titans seemed to find something special in Henry. Still, he takes a backseat to Dion Lewis in the passing game, which caps his fantasy potential especially in PPR formats.

34. Sony Michel – RB/NE

• With over 900 yards and 6 TDs as a rookie, Michel looks to be an even bigger piece of the Patriots offense in the future. As Tom Brady ages and they elect to pound the run game, Michel is definitely in line for a monster season even in a crowded backfield.

35. Kerryon Johnson – RB/DET

• Johnson was just heating up when his season was cut short due to injury. Even in a pass heavy offense, Johnson should be the lead back from the start of the year. In the limited sample size, Johnson proved to be capable of handling his own in the passing game too, which should help his ability to stay on the field on 3rd downs.

36. Phillip Lindsay – RB/DEN

• As an undrafted rookie, Lindsay proved all the critics wrong in his first season. With over 1000 yards and 10 Total TDs, Lindsay outplayed his rookie teammate Royce Freeman. Look for Lindsay to continue to carry most of the workload in Denver’s backfield.

37. Brandin Cooks – WR/LAR

• Cooks had a great 2018 season with over 1200 yards and 6 TDs. The problem is the vast amount of play makers on the Rams offense. With Gurley, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp, there are only so many touchdowns that can be scored. For this reason, Cooks is more of a WR2 with the big play potential he has always had.

38. Chris Carson – RB/SEA

• Playing in the most run heavy offense in the league, Carson had a terrific 2018 campaign. Look for his usage to stay relatively the same, making Carson a sure fire RB2.

39. Marlon Mack – RB/IND

• Another Beneficiary of the improved Colts offensive line, Mack should improve on his 900 yard and 9 TD stat line from last year.

40. Aaron Jones – RB/GB

• Jones really started to emerge as the feature back in GB with 6 TDs in his last full 5 games. His campaign was cut short due to injury but look for Jones to come back and seize the lead role with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.

41. Patrick Mahomes – QB/KC

• The one and only QB in the top 50 draft board. QBs are usually taken much later, especially in PPR leagues, but the talent of Mahomes combined with Andy Reid’s high powered offense is too much to pass up on. 

42. Josh Jacobs – RB/OAK

• The first rookie taken off the 2019-2020 draft board. Josh Jacobs is an intriguing prospect and his workload itself should render at least 8 TDs. The Raiders have plenty of uncertainty and due to this, Jacobs is a RB2 at best.

43. Julian Edelman – WR/NE

• After breaking postseason records, Edelman has to come back to reality for the regular season. The fact is that the Patriots spread the ball so much, and heavily rely on their running game, which limits Edelman’s fantasy ceiling.

44. David Montgomery – RB/CHI

• The second rookie off the board. Montgomery is in an interesting position. As Jordan Howard was shipped out of Chicago, he will take the lead back role. Even with Tarik Cohen in the passing game, Matt Nagy’s smoke and mirrors offense indicates that there will always be heavy use of the run game. Montgomery certainly won’t be short of opportunities in his first year in the league.

45. Mark Ingram II – RB/BAL

• A change of scenery gives Ingram’s fantasy value some mystery. With the Ravens run heavy offense and Lamar Jackson under center, Ingram should definitely find himself with plenty of goal line work. Estimate at least 7 TDs with unknown yardage due to the backfield by committee.

46. Kenny Golladay – WR/DET

• The lead receiver in a Matthew Stafford offense should definitely have its opportunities. Golladay had over 1000 yards and 5 TDs last year. Being only of the only true play makers on the Lions leads to cover schemes against him, which could limit his potential as a high end WR2.

47. Robert Woods – WR/LAR

• Robert Woods is an exceptional talent playing in a perfect system. Like Brandin Cooks, Woods’ targets are limited compared to other star receivers. Nevertheless, the high powered Rams’ offense should give him his chances.

48. Tevin Coleman – RB/SF

• Expected to lead the 49ers backfield, Coleman has tremendous potential this upcoming year. The issue is the unknown workload with fellow runners Jerick McKinnon (coming off ACL surgery) and Matt Breida who showed his talent last year.

49. Kenyan Drake – RB/MIA

• Another tremendous player with all the attributes a star RB would need. The Dolphins are in a rebuilding position, which could lead to game flow hedging Drake out of some games. He has shown the ability to make plays in the passing game which will help. Either way, Miami’s offense is still a heavy question mark for fantasy owners.

50. Tyler Lockett – WR/SEA

• Russell Wilson’s favorite deep ball target. Will D.K. Metcalf change that? Not at all. Lockett had 10 TDs and over 1000 yards from scrimmage. Even in the most run heavy offense in the league, Lockett takes his opportunities.