Early 2019 Fantasy Football Rankings (Top 300): Tiers 5-14

We continue our look at the Never Too Early Player Rankings for our top 300 players and 2019 redraft leagues. These player rankings are brought to you courtesy of RotoBaller NFL writers Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano (11th-most accurate expert on FantasyPros in 2018, 9th-most accurate in 2017), and myself, Dominick Petrillo.

These rankings are a fun way to look ahead to the next season and find out where players are likely to be taken in fantasy drafts with league mates who go worship ADP rather than making their own projections. We are going to take a look at these players broken down by tier (as always) and then discuss a few players in each group. You may notice that kickers and defenses are conspicuously absent because there's just no need for that right now.

This time, we'll examine the middle and lower tiers of our rankings to find those hidden gems and ever-popular sleepers. To check out my analysis on Tiers 1-4, simply click here.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!

 

Top 300 Redraft Rankings (February 2019)

Tier	Rank	Player Name	Pos	Nick	Pierre	Dom
1	1	Todd Gurley	RB	1	1	2
1	2	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	2	2	3
1	3	Saquon Barkley	RB	3	3	1
1	4	Christian McCaffrey	RB	4	4	4
1	5	Alvin Kamara	RB	6	5	5
1	6	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	5	6	10
1	7	Davante Adams	WR	8	8	6
1	8	Melvin Gordon	RB	7	10	7
2	9	Julio Jones	WR	9	7	11
2	10	Michael Thomas	WR	10	15	8
2	11	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	12	9	16
2	12	Le'Veon Bell	RB	16	11	19
2	13	Tyreek Hill	WR	14	13	20
2	14	David Johnson	RB	22	18	9
2	15	James Conner	RB	15	20	14
2	16	Nick Chubb	RB	11	21	18
2	17	Joe Mixon	RB	17	14	21
2	18	Antonio Brown	WR	13	12	30
2	19	Dalvin Cook	RB	24	16	17
3	20	Travis Kelce	TE	25	17	15
3	21	JuJu Smith-Schuster	WR	27	19	12
3	22	Zach Ertz	TE	26	22	13
3	23	Mike Evans	WR	18	26	24
3	24	A.J. Green	WR	20	23	25
3	25	Amari Cooper	WR	19	24	29
3	26	Aaron Jones	RB	21	29	23
3	27	George Kittle	TE	31	25	22
3	28	T.Y. Hilton	WR	23	30	26
3	29	Keenan Allen	WR	28	31	32
3	30	Brandin Cooks	WR	35	27	34
3	31	Marlon Mack	RB	37	28	40
3	32	Damien Williams	RB	41	37	27
3	33	Chris Carson	RB	33	42	31
4	34	Leonard Fournette	RB	32	33	42
4	35	Stefon Diggs	WR	39	35	33
4	36	Adam Thielen	WR	36	32	39
4	37	Robert Woods	WR	40	34	35
4	38	Sony Michel	RB	29	41	44
4	39	Kenny Golladay	WR	42	36	37
4	40	Patrick Mahomes	QB	30	50	45
4	41	Phillip Lindsay	RB	34	46	46
4	42	Allen Robinson	WR	50	39	38
4	43	Alshon Jeffery	WR	52	40	36
4	44	Aaron Rodgers	QB	45	57	28
4	45	Devonta Freeman	RB	38	45	57
4	46	Derrick Henry	RB	43	49	51
4	47	Kerryon Johnson	RB	48	44	52
4	48	Corey Davis	WR	44	47	55
4	49	Doug Baldwin	WR	53	55	41
4	50	Jarvis Landry	WR	60	52	43
5	51	Andrew Luck	QB	55	56	47
5	52	Tarik Cohen	RB	56	43	59
5	53	Calvin Ridley	WR	62	48	48
5	54	Cooper Kupp	WR	46	53	67
5	55	Julian Edelman	WR	57	54	58
5	56	Derrius Guice	RB	49	38	83
5	57	Deshaun Watson	QB	58	61	54
5	58	Tyler Lockett	WR	67	58	50
5	59	Jordan Howard	RB	59	60	61
5	60	Lamar Miller	RB	54	67	60
5	61	D.J. Moore	WR	73	59	49
5	62	Tyler Boyd	WR	77	51	64
5	63	Russell Wilson	QB	63	62	70
5	64	David Njoku	TE	80	65	53
5	65	Marvin Jones	WR	70	64	65
5	66	Mark Ingram	RB	68	66	66
5	67	Chris Godwin	WR	66	63	73
5	68	James White	RB	64	75	69
5	69	Sammy Watkins	WR	69	79	62
5	70	Drew Brees	QB	78	82	56
6	71	Jerick McKinnon	RB	47	81	89
6	72	Mike Williams	WR	79	78	74
6	73	Robby Anderson	WR	85	73	75
6	74	Evan Engram	TE	97	74	63
6	75	Matt Ryan	QB	83	84	68
6	76	LeSean McCoy	RB	72	90	76
6	77	Courtland Sutton	WR	87	72	79
6	78	Rob Gronkowski	TE	86	77	78
6	79	Hunter Henry	TE	76	71	94
6	80	Jameis Winston	QB	75	85	87
6	81	Sterling Shepard	WR	91	80	82
6	82	Tevin Coleman	RB	81	89	85
6	83	Dante Pettis	WR	88	86	81
6	84	Golden Tate	WR	94	76	86
6	85	Royce Freeman	RB	99	87	71
6	86	Cam Newton	QB	61	95	103
6	87	Kenyan Drake	RB	89	92	80
6	88	O.J. Howard	TE	71	70	121
6	89	Eric Ebron	TE	65	94	106
6	90	Jared Goff	QB	90	91	91
6	91	Kenneth Dixon	RB	102	97	84
7	92	Christian Kirk	WR	101	83	101
7	93	Will Fuller	WR	74	69	146
7	94	Curtis Samuel	WR	96	102	96
7	95	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	92	101	105
7	96	Rashaad Penny	RB	84	99	115
7	97	Jay Ajayi	RB	82	116	104
7	98	Anthony Miller	WR	106	98	99
7	99	Baker Mayfield	QB	98	93	114
7	100	Keke Coutee	WR	120	88	97
7	101	Elijah McGuire	RB	100	107	100
7	102	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	117	68	124
7	103	Matt Breida	RB	93	123	93
7	104	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	51	110	152
7	105	Robert Foster	WR	110	115	88
7	106	Philip Rivers	QB	116	104	95
7	107	Carson Wentz	QB	121	118	77
7	108	Jared Cook	TE	137	108	72
7	109	Michael Gallup	WR	112	96	109
7	110	Dede Westbrook	WR	105	121	102
7	111	Dak Prescott	QB	95	119	116
7	112	Gus Edwards	RB	123	103	110
8	113	Jack Doyle	TE	104	105	135
8	114	Jamison Crowder	WR	113	111	122
8	115	Adam Humphries	WR	107	137	107
8	116	Greg Olsen	TE	114	100	139
8	117	Mitch Trubisky	QB	115	127	117
8	118	Delanie Walker	TE	124	130	108
8	119	Trey Burton	TE	134	138	92
8	120	Marquise Goodwin	WR	103	149	113
8	121	Josh Adams	RB	127	122	119
8	122	Dion Lewis	RB	129	129	112
8	123	Tom Brady	QB	125	114	131
8	124	Geronimo Allison	WR	119	126	129
8	125	Kareem Hunt	RB	131	147	98
8	126	Lamar Jackson	QB	109	148	125
8	127	Rex Burkhead	RB	140	124	120
8	128	Kirk Cousins	QB	126	117	148
8	129	D'Onta Foreman	RB	136	125	130
8	130	John Ross	WR	132	133	128
8	131	Doug Martin	RB	122	131	142
8	132	Josh Allen	QB	144	136	118
9	133	Latavius Murray	RB	157	109	134
9	134	Quincy Enunwa	WR	149	141	111
9	135	Duke Johnson	RB	142	139	123
9	136	James Washington	WR	177	143	90
9	137	Austin Hooper	TE	165	120	127
9	138	Nyheim Hines	RB	146	145	126
9	139	Isaiah Crowell	RB	108	170	143
9	140	Chris Herndon IV	TE	150	140	133
9	141	John Brown	WR	138	153	137
9	142	Jimmy Graham	TE	133	146	150
9	143	Zay Jones	WR	171	106	155
9	144	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	WR	135	158	140
9	145	Jordan Reed	TE	143	150	141
9	146	Kenny Stills	WR	158	134	145
9	147	Ronald Jones II	RB	118	175	144
9	148	Spencer Ware	RB	172	112	153
9	149	Jimmy Garoppolo	QB	141	152	151
9	150	Jamaal Williams	RB	161	128	164
9	151	DeSean Jackson	WR	168	151	138
9	152	Antonio Callaway	WR	155	156	149
10	153	Peyton Barber	RB	139	155	167
10	154	Demaryius Thomas	WR	179	132	#N/A
10	155	Sam Darnold	QB	154	157	159
10	156	Tre'Quan Smith	WR	178	113	181
10	157	Tyler Eifert	TE	128	171	178
10	158	Taylor Gabriel	WR	148	168	161
10	159	Vance McDonald	TE	175	144	158
10	160	Andy Dalton	QB	145	165	168
10	161	Kyle Rudolph	TE	181	142	156
10	162	Chris Thompson	RB	183	167	132
10	163	Matthew Stafford	QB	166	163	154
10	164	Ito Smith	RB	147	178	160
10	165	Mohamed Sanu	WR	111	191	189
10	166	Daesean Hamilton	WR	174	159	165
10	167	Austin Ekeler	RB	160	177	162
10	168	Jaylen Samuels	RB	189	135	176
10	169	Albert Wilson	WR	167	160	177
10	170	Marcus Mariota	QB	170	172	163
10	171	Devante Parker	WR	152	193	166
10	172	C.J. Anderson	RB	164	176	171
11	173	Adrian Peterson	RB	169	181	169
11	174	Derek Carr	QB	176	161	184
11	175	Kalen Ballage	RB	184	164	174
11	176	Marqise Lee	WR	153	190	185
11	177	Bilal Powell	RB	151	180	197
11	178	Ted Ginn	WR	130	195	203
11	179	David Moore	WR	162	189	183
11	180	Equanimeous St. Brown	WR	196	154	187
11	181	Alex Collins	RB	223	174	147
11	182	Dallas Goedert	TE	202	166	180
11	183	Gerald Everett	TE	190	224	136
11	184	Devin Funchess	WR	192	188	172
11	185	Eli Manning	QB	185	184	186
11	186	T.J. Yeldon	RB	156	230	170
11	187	Carlos Hyde	RB	182	202	173
11	188	Cameron Brate	TE	173	205	179
11	189	Mike Gesicki	TE	204	162	192
11	190	Donte Moncrief	WR	188	185	188
11	191	Jalen Richard	RB	180	215	182
11	192	Nelson Agholor	WR	207	179	193
11	193	Josh Reynolds	WR	191	196	194
11	194	Paul Richardson	WR	187	201	196
11	195	Frank Gore	RB	159	206	220
11	196	Giovani Bernard	RB	205	209	175
11	197	Michael Crabtree	WR	201	198	191
11	198	Randall Cobb	WR	200	199	198
11	199	Tyrell Williams	WR	208	194	195
11	200	Josh Doctson	WR	195	204	199
11	201	Taywan Taylor	WR	193	217	190
11	202	Chase Edmonds	RB	214	183	208
11	203	D.J. Chark	WR	203	203	200
11	204	Nick Foles	QB	236	218	157
11	205	Mike Davis	RB	231	173	209
11	206	Blake Jarwin	TE	194	216	#N/A
11	207	Josh Rosen	QB	215	187	218
11	208	Hayden Hurst	TE	253	169	205
11	209	Jordy Nelson	WR	211	214	204
11	210	Justin Jackson	RB	227	186	221
12	211	Case Keenum	QB	213	211	211
12	212	Rashard Higgins	WR	199	212	225
12	213	Chris Hogan	WR	212	221	210
12	214	John Kelly	RB	197	223	223
12	215	Jeff Wilson	RB	242	182	227
12	216	Keelan Cole	WR	226	213	213
12	217	Zach Zenner	RB	163	#N/A	272
12	218	Ricky Seals-Jones	TE	221	226	207
12	219	Willie Snead	WR	216	227	214
12	220	Breshad Perriman	WR	210	197	250
12	221	Malcolm Brown	RB	233	222	202
12	222	Corey Clement	RB	220	232	206
12	223	Wendell Smallwood	RB	218	208	234
12	224	Chris Conley	WR	222	228	212
12	225	Mark Andrews	TE	254	192	216
12	226	Jake Butt	TE	198	234	235
12	227	Cole Beasley	WR	237	200	231
12	228	Jordan Wilkins	RB	234	225	215
12	229	Ryan Tannehill	QB	186	256	237
12	230	Ian Thomas	TE	256	207	219
12	231	Dez Bryant	WR	209	274	201
12	232	Rod Smith	RB	206	243	238
12	233	Pierre Garcon	WR	243	229	217
12	234	Ryan Grant	WR	232	238	228
12	235	Kendrick Bourne	WR	255	210	233
12	236	Alex Smith	QB	229	242	242
12	237	Nick Vannett	TE	228	262	224
12	238	Theo Riddick	RB	235	244	236
12	239	J'mon Moore	WR	224	261	230
12	240	Devontae Booker	RB	230	248	239
12	241	Will Dissly	TE	#N/A	240	#N/A
12	242	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE	245	259	222
12	243	LeGarrette Blount	RB	219	250	257
13	244	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	244	257	226
13	245	Ty Montgomery	RB	270	220	246
13	246	Javorius Allen	RB	252	245	244
13	247	Jonnu Smith	TE	280	219	#N/A
13	248	Ameer Abdullah	RB	238	#N/A	262
13	249	Jakeem Grant	WR	250	#N/A	#N/A
13	250	Jacquizz Rodgers	RB	246	254	#N/A
13	251	Joe Flacco	QB	#N/A	236	267
13	252	Jeremy Hill	RB	#N/A	239	265
13	253	Detrez Newsome	RB	#N/A	252	#N/A
13	254	Luke Willson	TE	#N/A	265	240
13	255	Cameron Meredith	WR	#N/A	263	243
13	256	Chris Ivory	RB	249	251	259
13	257	Danny Amendola	WR	241	267	252
13	258	Charles Clay	TE	262	270	229
13	259	Wayne Gallman	RB	267	247	256
13	260	Rishard Matthews	WR	#N/A	266	251
13	261	Deon Cain	RB	271	260	249
13	262	Cordarrelle Patterson	WR	247	289	245
13	263	Trent Taylor	WR	257	275	253
13	264	Mark Walton	RB	298	246	241
13	265	Alfred Blue	RB	279	241	266
13	266	Blake Bortles	QB	#N/A	264	261
13	267	Jermaine Kearse	WR	274	269	247
13	268	Trenton Cannon	RB	289	233	269
13	269	Darren Sproles	RB	275	255	263
13	270	Corey Grant	RB	265	#N/A	264
13	271	Phillip Dorsett	WR	277	271	248
13	272	Allen Hurns	WR	278	#N/A	255
14	273	Laquon Treadwell	WR	281	#N/A	254
14	274	Marcus Murphy	RB	286	249	273
14	275	Jermaine Gresham	TE	#N/A	272	#N/A
14	276	Isaiah McKenzie	WR	272	#N/A	#N/A
14	277	Chester Rogers	WR	290	268	260
14	278	Luke Stocker	TE	#N/A	273	#N/A
14	279	Tyrod Taylor	QB	#N/A	278	270
14	280	Kyle Juszczyk	RB	273	279	#N/A
14	281	Tim Patrick	WR	276	#N/A	#N/A
14	282	Andre Roberts	WR	#N/A	276	#N/A
14	283	Torrey Smith	WR	#N/A	277	#N/A
14	284	Keith Kirkwood	WR	283	291	258
14	285	Dontrelle Inman	WR	259	300	#N/A
14	286	Marshawn Lynch	RB	#N/A	280	#N/A
14	287	Aldrick Robinson	WR	#N/A	281	#N/A
14	288	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	#N/A	282	#N/A
14	289	C.J. Uzomah	TE	282	#N/A	#N/A
14	290	Jarius Wright	WR	#N/A	283	#N/A
14	291	Russell Shepard	WR	#N/A	286	#N/A
14	292	Alfred Morris	RB	291	304	268
14	293	Deandre Washington	RB	294	285	#N/A
14	294	Travis Benjamin	WR	295	284	#N/A
14	295	Brice Butler	WR	288	292	#N/A
14	296	Tavon Austin	WR	#N/A	290	#N/A
14	297	Ryan Griffin	TE	287	296	#N/A
14	298	Trent Sherfield	WR	284	301	#N/A
14	299	Jaron Brown	WR	#N/A	293	#N/A
14	300	Jordan Matthews	WR	293	294	#N/A

 

Tier Five - 2019 Rankings

We saw last season the tale of two ends of the same spectrum. In Deshaun Watson, we saw what can happen in some remarkable cases only a year removed from an ACL injury. In the other cases of Dalvin Cook, Carson Wentz and Allen Robinson we saw the other side of the coin.

This means it could be quite likely Derrius Guice is not going to come back and be the player he was projected to be. He is more of a projection for 2020 in my book. This means he is not a good play at this high of a tier and if I had the choice of him or a player lower in the draft, I would forgo the talent of Guice for the safety of other players in re-draft leagues. When a player has the type of injury Guice had, it is their tendency to overcompensate by trying to keep the pressure off the leg thereby causing injury to the other leg the following season. This happened to not only Robinson but also Cook in 2018, which led to a dreadful first half of the season by Robinson and an RB30 finish by Cook after just 11 games of action.

If you want to take Derrius Guice in dynasty drafts or as a late-round flier, he is certainly worth those prices. But he is not being drafted as a late-round flier which means you will need to spend more to get him. And more is not something you should want to spend on him in 2019.

With Cam Newton going to have to throw more as he ages and his scrambling continues to diminish, it will turn to the pass catchers to pick it up in Carolina. D.J. Moore will be the man to do this coming off a rookie season which started off slow but picked up a lot of steam late. This trend should continue into 2019 as Devin Funchess is a free agent and most likely will not return to the team who drafted him out of Michigan.

After being a double-digit round pick entering his rookie season, Moore's stock has done nothing but increase this offseason, raising to the fifth or sixth round and this is only going to go higher if it is shown Cam Newton is really going to be ready to go for training camp. Look for Moore to thrive as defenses sell out to stop McCaffery and take his place among the leading touchdown receiver threats in the NFL with Antonio Brown and Davante Adams.

The reason Jordan Howard is on my list is that I'm not convinced he is even on the Bears when the season starts. Tarik Cohen is clearly the better back for the Matt Nagy system and he showed it by finishing as the RB11 on the season.

Jordan Howard tried to work on his hands before last season but failed to make much progress. He is still a talented back and he should get a starting job on a team who is in the market for a two-down back. A team who could use him in a committee like the Philadelphia Eagles or the Oakland Raiders would make a good fit for his skills. If he stays in Chicago, this ranking is far too high for where he will likely finish. If he goes to a better fit, this could be his floor.

 

Tier Six - 2019 Rankings

After a lost rookie season in Los Angeles, Mike Williams showed some of the talent which caused the Chargers to take him as the number seven pick from Clemson in the 2017 draft.

It will have to be seen how much of this increase in production had to do with his ability to stay healthy and how much of it had to do with Hunter Henry missing the entire season. If the former is true and he really is this talented, Williams could be a solid WR3 for a fantasy team with high-upside players at the top two receiver positions. If his numbers turn out to be due to the Henry injury, at least you will have a solid flex player on a weekly basis.

43 receptions in 16 games does not seem like a lot but with the target share given to both Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon these numbers were not expected to be much higher coming back from the back issues that plagued him during his rookie campaign. In 2019 these numbers should continue to rise as he hopefully comes into his third-year breakout and gives Philip Rivers and the Chargers the solid second option needed in the receivers group.

For LeSean McCoy, being the lead rusher on the Bills was supposed to be a given in a season where there were no other offensive options. Sad to say that he wasn’t and not due to injury.

Yes, he had the most rush yards at the running back position, but he still fell 100 yards short of being the lead rusher on the team behind quarterback Josh Allen who finished with 581 yards and also doubled McCoy in rush touchdowns for the season. This leads many to believe the Bills will go after a free agent running back whether to replace McCoy or compliment him in the backfield. With a cap hit this season of $nine million it would be silly for Buffalo to bring him back if he was not in their plans as the starter. If they can sign s a player like Le’Veon Bell or even T.J. Yeldon, who are younger and have the same ability to catch the ball out of the backfield it would make sense for them to make this move.

McCoy finished as the running back 40 this season and this appears to be close to the top of the outcome range for him in 2019 unless a lot of things change on the Bills offense with additions to the line, receivers and tight end positions. All of these cannot be made in one offseason and after next season he may not be there. Here is one player where you would rather be one year early than one year late. Some may think you will already be late even taking him this season. I tend to agree.

Kenneth Dixon is an interesting case. The year of Alex Collins turned into the year of Gus Edwards. The year of Joe Flacco turned into the year of Lamar Jackson.

Well, 2019 should be the year of Kenneth Dixon. He is the most talented player in the Ravens backfield, or at least he must be since they have held him through injury and multiple suspensions. He also does something neither Collins and Edwards are not very good at. He catches the ball. A fact which is all the more important with Jackson at quarterback. A quarterback who can’t really throw the ball well and fumbles more than anyone else in the league makes it imperative the running back can catch dump offs when Jackson is in trouble. A feat likely to happen a lot as the rest of the league catches up to his antics.

The receivers on Baltimore leave something, OK a lot to be desired and the run game has been the main focus of the Ravens for many years under John Harbaugh. Who just signed a four-year contract extension to remain coach through 2022. The same year Lamar Jackson will be finished with his fifth-year option.

Dixon is going to go lower in drafts than either Edwards or Collins and he should be the starter going into the season making him the best value and not just the best player.

If you are looking for a running back with solid upside late in drafts, then Dixon should be under strong consideration. Not as a number or number two option like Collins was drafted last season, but instead more realistically on a mediocre Baltimore offense as a fourth or fifth option and flex play.

 

Tier Seven - 2019 Rankings

After taking over for Tyrod Taylor in the third game of the season, Baker Mayfield never looked back. Except maybe to flip off Hugh Jackson on the Bengals sideline. He led the Browns to a remarkable 7-8-1 finish on the season and in his starts, he led them to a 6-7 record. I know he Beat the Jets, but it doesn’t count.

His 27 touchdowns to 14 interceptions will need to come down and Nick Chubb in the backfield should allow for this to happen as he will have someone there, he can dump off to or hand off to instead of trying to fit balls into tight spots. The real issue for Mayfield is to find a receiver opposite Jarvis Landry to draw defenses away from the slot and open the middle of the field. If Antonio Callaway continues to improve and Richard Higgins continues his late-season stride, this could be a wildly potent offense under new head coach Freddy Kitchen and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who in Tampa Bay last season led a passing attack by Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston. If you were to combine the numbers of these two players, the quarterbacks would have been the sixth-ranked fantasy quarterback on the season. This is good for not only the production but also the improvement narrative for Mayfield who although good as a rookie, does have some refinement needed to continue to progress.

Mayfield could easily find himself finishing the season as a top-eight fantasy quarterback under the direction of the new coaching staff. For a quarterback you can get in the late rounds of your draft what more could you really want.

Bills wideout Robert Foster had 541 yards on 27 catches in his rookie season. This means in 2019, when he takes over the number one role in Buffalo and gets 100 receptions, he will finish with over 2,000 receiving and getting him this late in drafts no less.

Ok this is probably not going to happen, but one this is going to happen. He is going to be the number one receiver on the team based on their current roster and he will also spend the offseason trying to build on the rapport he will need with Josh Allen to move the Bills back into playoff contention after a year away. While surprise is the easiest word to use for Josh Allen and his ability to run, his arm has never been in doubt.

The man he liked to sling the ball to was Foster as he averaged 20 yards per catch on his receptions and with Zey Jones manning the slot and a likely new running back in the back field, this should open up more deep shots for Foster and Allen to connect on.

Drafting him is a risk worth taking in the last rounds of your draft when you are looking for a boom or bust dart throw. He certainly fits into this mold and with Kelvin Benjamin finally eating his way through all the wings in Buffalo before leaving, Foster will be the man next season.

 

Tiers 8-14 - 2019 Rankings

If Antonio Brown does leave Pittsburgh, it will fall to James Washington to try to minimize the loss to the offense. JuJu Smith-Shuster is ready to step in as the number one, but it is predicated on James Washington being ready to move in as a weapon on the other side so defenses can not just roll coverages to JuJu and remove him from the game.

Washington had a not-so-hot rookie season which was besieged by injury and inconsistency from the 2017 college wide receiver of the year. In 14 games, 16 receptions and 217 yards are not what the Steelers or many analysts were expecting, and he will need to have a breakthrough this season if the Steelers want to make it back to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. The division is getting tougher with the Ravens and the Browns getting better and Pittsburgh will need to keep up if they don’t want to get left behind.

Much like Robert Foster, Washington is the type of player you want to look at in late rounds of drafts. He has a high ceiling to go along with his low floor but at this point in drafts, the juice is worth the squeeze.

With Cooper Kupp on the sidelines and a full recovery likely still a season away, Josh Reynolds has filled in and the Rams have not missed a beat with him in the lineup. Being surrounded by stars like Todd Gurley, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks makes it a lot easier to succeed and this is not going to change any in 2019 with all of them coming back to the team. Jared Goff has gotten better in each of the last two years and should continue to improve next season and the defense which started off slow should also be a more cohesive unit next season making a Rams return to the Super Bowl more than a slight possibility.

Reynolds, like a lot of the players taken in this point is a value play. A way to get a piece of a good offense at a lower price than having to spend a high pick on another player. But unlike some of those other players we have discussed, he already has the defined role on the team which we are hoping for out of others.

Reynolds will have the slot role as long as Kupp is out of the lineup and this makes him a very dangerous weapon especially when the team gets down in the red zone. Getting him as the wide receiver four or five on your team can make a solid roster great as he has the ability on this offense to finish as a wide receiver three and bring back remarkable return on investment.

C.J. Anderson, wow. What a difference a team change can make! Many people thought he would be solid in Carolina as the backup to Christian McCaffery with Ron Rivera claiming he wanted to give McCaffery 25 touches a game. No one thought he was being serious but when it happened and Anderson was left out in the cold, it was a nice surprise when he was released.

After lasting a week in Oakland, he was again released when Jon Gruden realized he was too good to be on one of his teams. Landing in Los Angeles to backup another star in Todd Gurley was just what Anderson needed, as he finished the year on a tear and led the Rams to the Super Bowl as the starting running back in the playoff matchups against the Cowboys and the Saints while Gurley nursed through a supposed leg injury.

Coming into the offseason, we do not know where he is going to sign. He is only one season removed from a 1,000-yard season with the Broncos and after his finish to the season, he will not likely re-sign to remain as a backup in Los Angeles. The main free agent backs before his breakout were Le’Veon Bell, T.J. Yeldon and Tevin Coleman but he has now entered this conversation. Dare I say, only behind Le’Veon Bell at this point? Once we find where he will land, it will be easier to attain a value for him on his new team.

Look for him to go to a team like the Philadelphia Eagles or perhaps the Bills although as with some of the other players who may move this offseason, don’t count out the Jets or Colts and their mega bucks. Especially to the one who doesn’t land Bell.

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