Welcome to the next round of analyzing our 2016 fantasy football rankings here at RotoBaller, as our best and brightest have put their minds (and numbers) together to drop some serious knowledge on the world. The rankings come from Nathan Powell, Zach Wilkens, Bill Dubiel, Frankie Soler and myself, Nick Mariano.

This will be the first look at the overall PPR rankings, where we’ll analyze some tiers and check in on some polarizing names and trends as draft season descends upon us. More in-depth breakdowns by position will follow for both standard and PPR formats, so don’t touch that dial after this episode ends!

First order of business - for those that want to play along, you can also click here to access our rankings assistant page (for all types of formats). I've pasted the entire table in this article below, but it's a long list. Our handy rankings tool shows you all of our staff rankings, player news, ADPs, tiers, target rounds and more. You can easily filter, sort, and export all sorts of ranks – standard, half-PPR and PPR leagues, tiers, rookies, dynasty formats, keeper values and more. It's all in one place, and all free.

2016 Fantasy Football Preseason PPR Rankings Analysis: Overall

Tier One is comprised of six names, with DeAndre Hopkins joining the five that we had in the top tier within our standard ranks. Hopkins is simply a volume-based beast, who obviously is no slouch when it comes to scoring either, but in PPR formats he really closes the gap. The top three target totals for wide receivers belong to Julio Jones (203), Antonio Brown (193) and Hopkins (192), then Demaryius Thomas checked in with 177 in fourth place. Yes, Hopkins had 25 less receptions than Jones or Brown, but the groundwork is here for the jump.

Tier Two starts with A.J. Green, who not only benefits from a healthy Andy Dalton, but also from the departure of Mohamed Sanu and the reports that Tyler Eifert will miss the beginning of the season. That leaves Green as the unquestioned go-to guy for Dalton and the Bengals offense. Jamaal Charles is the last name here, with the ceiling of an RB1 but the obvious floor of a guy who has quite a few red marks on his bill of health. “Going Gronk” in the first round has always been a question to ponder, and being Tom Brady-less through the first four weeks only increases the opposition to doing so. I still see him as a steady target who provides stability in a world of chaos, though his durability hasn’t been 100% either.

Tier Three sees Ezekiel Elliott drop into it from standard’s Tier Two, as most don’t see him being heavily involved in the passing game. Mike Evans has a real chance at greatness this season if he can rein in the drops, as second-year QB Jameis Winston is down 20 pounds and showed lots of potential in his first season. Keenan Allen is a PPR stud, providing a trigger-happy Philip Rivers with a steady outlet to move the chains while racking up the yards. Brandon Marshall’s stock is obviously contingent on the Jets’ QB situation, but his talent level will play in any scenario.

Tier Four begins with Amari Cooper, who has proven to be fairly polarizing as 2016 approaches. On the one hand, he’s a very talented receiver that’s only 22 years old in a pass-heavy offense, but on the other hand he’s still a young player whose game needs further refining (especially with drops/consistency). Lots of his upside is baked into the price tag at first glance, but that doesn’t make him a bad choice at all. Another intriguing name is Jarvis Landry, who is a known PPR asset but now has Devante Parker breathing down his neck for "wide-receiver workhorse" duties. Adam Gase and the Dolphins should generate plenty of volume though, so he’s still a mighty safe investment here.

Tier Five houses one of the flashiest players of 2015, Dion Lewis. Before his ACL injury, Lewis caught 36 of 50 targets for 388 yards (55.4 yards per game) alongside averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Of course, it’s difficult to project how New England will utilize its weapons outside of Gronk and Julian Edelman, but Lewis’ upside as an effective runner/pass-catcher in a potent Patriots offense cannot be ignored. Jordan Matthews is another name not to be forgotten, because despite underwhelming in his sophomore campaign, he still posted an 85-997-8 line. The Eagles offense will undoubtedly have a different look, but Matthews’ ceiling in PPR formats is still very high as he enters his third season.

Tier Six is where we find some standard-type running backs for those going “zero-RB” to open their drafts, namely Ryan Mathews and Jonathan Stewart. Both should chip in solid value, but their pass-catching opportunities are not great. Travis Kelce and Delanie Walker are both solid, with Kelce’s high ceiling and Walker’s high floor really buoying their ADP here. Giovani Bernard is another beneficiary from the aforementioned “lack of playmakers to open the season” issue in Cincinnati.

Tier Seven sees Danny Woodhead and Duke Johnson rise up, as they are the significant pass-catchers out of their respective backfields. Woodhead obviously has the trust of Rivers, and Johnson now has Robert Griffin at the helm, who could really prosper with a fresh start. DeSean Jackson is a sneaky high-upside option, though he falls in PPR formats with his game relying on big strikes rather than volume. All the same, he makes for a nice flex play due to his game-breaking abilities.

Tier Eight has two older running backs in Frank Gore and Chris Ivory, though Gore is obviously higher within the tier due to his starting and having a healthy Andrew Luck at the helm. Ivory makes for a nice passing-down and red-zone threat out of the Jacksonville backfield, with a very high ceiling should T.J. Yeldon get hurt. Aside them are three young RBs, as Ameer Abdullah and Melvin Gordon come off of disappointing rookie campaigns while Charles Sims surged upwards with 51 catches on 70 targets (4.9 YPC as well!) in his first full season. Abdullah and Gordon will need to show growth early, but could become decent RB2s out of the eighth/ninth round for owners.

Tier Nine holds three tight ends, two quarterbacks and one huge wide receiver in Dorial Green-Beckham. DGB is pretty much synonymous with “raw” at this point, as the 23-year-old has tremendous intangibles but was called out on many mental errors by his coaches. Zach Ertz came on strong in the final three weeks, tallying 30 receptions on 39 targets for 352 yards and a TD in that stretch, but the loss of Chip Kelly has to be factored in here. All the same, he’s a huge target for Philly and showed why he should be heavily involved entering his fourth season in the NFL.

Tier 10 is home to “running back” Theo Riddick, whose receiving stats on pro-football-reference are listed before his rushing stats, pointing to his wild 80 receptions (tied with Woodhead for most as an RB) on 99 targets last season. While his 697 receiving yards and three TDs aren’t up to Woodhead’s 755 yards and six TDs (plus Woodhead is a more effective rusher), getting Riddick late in deeper PPR formats can really pay off.

Notable Names from Lower Tiers:

Tier 11: Willie Snead, Torrey Smith, Rashad Jennings.

Tier 12: Sterling Shepard, Isaiah Crowell, Travis Benjamin, Josh Doctson.

Tier 13: Tyrod Taylor, Javorius Allen, Jason Witten, Eric Ebron, Michael Thomas, Justin Forsett.

Tier 14: C.J. Prosise, Bilal Powell, DeAngelo Williams, Shane Vereen.

Tier 15: Kendall Wright, Arian Foster, Mohamed Sanu, Jimmy Graham, Ryan Tannehill.

Tier 16: Jordan Howard, Martellus Bennett, Devontae Booker, Kamar Aiken, Zach Miller.

Tier 17: Pierre Garcon, Darren Sproles, Phillip Dorsett, Charles Clay, Seattle Seahawks.

Tier 18: Jerick McKinnon, Chris Thompson, James White, James Starks, Denver Broncos.

Tier 19: Will Fuller, Ted Ginn, Rueben Randle, Jordan Cameron.

Tier 20: Clive Walford, Chris Johnson, DeAndre Washington.

Tier 21: Tyler Boyd, Alfred Morris, Wendell Smallwood, Kyle Rudolph.

Tier 22: Los Angeles Rams, Chris Hogan, Andre Ellington, Justin Hardy, Steve Johnson.

Tier 23: C.J. Spiller, Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New England Patriots.

Tier 24: Jamison Crowder, Josh Gordon, Jaelen Strong, Shaun Draughn, Sam Bradford.

Tier 25: Tim Hightower, Robert Griffin, Ka’Deem Carey, Seth Roberts, Jace Amaro, Lance Dunbar.

Tier 26+: Jermaine Kearse, DeAndre Smelter, Cole Beasley, Pharoh Cooper, Leonte Carroo.

PPR League Rankings (August)

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