It’s 2011 and nowadays you have three different devices notifying you someone that just emailed you. Fantasy football, like technology, is a perpetually changing thing and the way people should attack a draft is a lot different than it was six years ago. Fantasy owners back then were the proverbial horse with blinders on and would go RB-RB in the first two rounds. In 2011 ponying up for thoroughbreds could make you look like a jackass (annual equine-mentioning quota for the year was met with those last two sentences).
This year I’m all about drafting elite receivers and rolling the dice on backs in the middle and late rounds. Although, if you’re a bit new to fantasy football, I wouldn’t suggest this strategy since making yourself weak at running back is a tough obstacle to overcome. If you are indeed new, follow me on Twitter @MikeSGallagher and I’ll instantly be posting possible changes that could be coming at the position. If you’re not new and need a second opinion on a player to add or a trade, that invite goes to you as well.
Below I’ve have listed my rankings for your standard league. By standard league I mean six points per passing TD, no yardage bonuses, and no PPR. As I said above, I’m a big fan of going for receivers a bit earlier than most, so if you’re new then you might want to move up the backs a few spots over some wide outs.
This ranking is going to also incorporate IDP guys. I’m sure many of you that are in IDP leagues have checked out other rankings, but not many of them will have those guys mixed in with the offense. The rankings are based on your standard scoring for defensive players and you’ll see more of these guys in the second part later this week. Only the elite guys are mentioned at the end because IDP is so incredibly deep and the drop-off from the elite guys to the guys that are must-start options is almost negligible. You’ll also note an asterisk next to a some guys. Those are the guys that I have a man crush for and I’ll be providing a sentence or two at the bottom to explain myself.
1. Arian Foster
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Jamaal Charles
4. Ray Rice
5. Lesean McCoy
6. Chris Johnson
7. Andre Johnson
8. Rashard Mendenhall
9. Calvin Johnson*
10. Larry Fitzgerald
11. Darren McFadden
12. Aaron Rodgers
13. Michael Vick
14. Frank Gore
15. Hakeem Nicks*
16. Roddy White
17. Maurice Jones-Drew
18. Mike Wallace
19. Drew Brees
20. Michael Turner
21. Vincent Jackson
22. Steven Jackson
23. Phillip Rivers
24. Tom Brady
25. Greg Jennings
26. Felix Jones*
27. Miles Austin
28. Peyton Hillis
29. Reggie Wayne
30. Matt Forte
31. Dez Bryant
32. DeSean Jackson
33. Peyton Manning
34. Mike Williams
35. Tony Romo
36. Shonn Greene
37. Steve Johnson*
38. Jahvid Best
39. Knowshon Moreno
40. LeGarrette Blount
41. Dwayne Bowe
42. Antonio Gates
43. Deangelo Williams
44. Ahmad Bradshaw
45. Santonio Holmes
46. Brandon Lloyd
47. Tim Hightower*
48. Beanie Wells
49. Matt Schaub
50. Percy Harvin*
51. Mario Manningham*
52. Matt Ryan
53. Kenny Britt
54. Mark Ingram
55. Wes Welker
56. Jeremy Maclin
57. Brandon Marshall
58. Ben Roethlisberger
59. Ryan Mathews
60. Marques Colston
61. Jonathan Stewart
62. Jermichael Finley
63. Jason Witten
64. Dallas Clark
65. Reggie Bush
66. Mike Tolbert
67. Marshawn Lynch
68. Cedric Benson
69. Ryan Grant
70. Matthew Stafford*
71. Josh Freeman
72. Santana Moss
73. Julio Jones*
74. James Starks
75. C.J. Spiller
76. Chad Ochocinco
77. Austin Collie
78. Joseph Addai
79. Jimmy Graham*
80. Vernon Davis
81. Michael Bush*
82. Brandon Jacobs
83. Lance Moore*
84. Anquan Boldin
85. Fred Jackson
86. Rashad Jennings*
87. Daniel Thomas
88. Jacoby Ford*
89. Mike Thomas
90. Patrick Willis
91. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
92. Willis McGahee
93. Sam Bradford
94. Jerod Mayo
95. Danny Amendola*
96. Mike Sims-Walker
97. Jared Cook
98. James Laurinaitis
99. Lawrence Timmons
100. Sidney Rice
Calvin Johnson: Since Megatron came into the league, there’s a little four-letter motto I’ve been texting my friends/opponents when he scores….WCCD? What can’t Calvin do?
Larry Fitzgerald: The Cards have nobody else to throw to and it’s not like he didn’t just get paid $120 million.
Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham: I bunched these guys together because there should be some concern that the Giants defense might allow a lot of points due to injuries. Eli might air it out and these two are a lock for 175 catches combined (assuming they’re healthy).
Felix Jones: He’ll need a Ryan Mathews-caliber flop to not live up to a pick in the third round. He is the total package and has little competition.
Steve Johnson: He broke out of course, but people forget he didn’t do much over the first handful of weeks. After his bye during the sixth week, his averages would have yielded 1,250 yards and 92 catches in a 16-game stretch. No Lee Evans either.
Tim Hightower: Shanahan is the fantasy devil. Hightower might put a stop to his shenanigans so much that it could be the premise for the next Police Academy movie.
Percy Harvin: Bonus points if you can even name another wide out on Minnesota besides Bernard Berrian. The Man Purse should be good for at least 1,200 yards and seven scores.
Matthew Stafford: Don’t be shocked when he’s in the top five four quarterbacks this year.
Julio Jones: I started calling him Julio Nine for the all nine routes he’ll be running. Catchy, right?
Jimmy Graham: You want him? You better reach for him.
Michael Bush: While I’m a fan of McFadden, he has missed three or more games every year. Do not miss handcuffing Run DMC with Bush.
Lance Moore: He is projected to get several more reps on first and second downs.
Rashad Jennings: Meniscus Jones-Drew is such a huge gamble. I mentioned how I’m grabbing WR early, so Jennings has enormous upside and would become an RB2 sans MJD.
Jacoby Ford: Jacoby Ferrari is too fast to be called Jacoby Ford. He might be a bust for where I have him, but upside is the name of the game.
Danny Amendola: He tied Larry Fitzgerald in red-zone targets and will be a favorite of Bradford. Upgrade him in a PPR.
Thank you for reading and I'll be back with the second part later this week! What do you guys agree/disagree with the most in my rankings so far?