Welcome to the first breakdown of 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 standard 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 page. 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, and weekly waiver wire rankings. 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.

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2016 Fantasy Football Preseason Standard Rankings Analysis: Overall

Tier One houses our top five picks, with each player holding an average ranking of five or higher before a roughly three pick drop-off from Todd Gurley’s 4.8 to DeAndre Hopkins at 7.6. Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., Le’Veon Bell, Julio Jones and Gurley are all highly skilled players who have an insane amount of opportunity and a solid surrounding cast. One could easily argue that the team around Gurley isn’t all that special, but the offense undoubtedly goes through him.

Tier Two is headlined by Mr. Hopkins at #6 and goes all the way to Ezekiel Elliott at #15, with none of these players standing out as poor consolation prizes for anyone’s top pick. These guys are also primary options in their own offenses, with Elliott’s stock getting a huge bump thanks to Dallas’ offensive line and bellcow potential despite being a rookie.

Tier Three kicks off with Devonta Freeman, as some reports have circulated regarding the Falcons wanting to reduce Freeman's workload, as well as reactions to the drop-off in his production after his hot start (scored 10 TDs between Weeks 2-6, then scored three the rest of the way). Jordy Nelson is making his way back from his injury-shortened 2015, as confidence is high in the 31-year-old reasserting himself as a WR1 alongside Aaron Rodgers. This tier houses eight WRs and five RBs, and it is doubtful that most will want to wait past here to take their first of either in most leagues.

Tier Four trips the QB alarm, as Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers live in this cluster as the QB1 and QB2, respectively. T.Y. Hilton is an intriguing name considering his quarterback is now fully healthy, with plenty of speculation rising this offseason about Andrew Luck’s effectiveness on deep throws considering his average attempt dropped 1.5 yards from 2014 to 2015. Sammy Watkins and Thomas Rawls are both entering training camp with injuries, but the recent news has been positive on both.

Tier Five starts off with Russell Wilson (whose tier is this? This is Russell Wilson’s tier…sorry), and ends with his breakout wide receiver in Doug Baldwin. Baldwin turned 104 targets from Wilson into 78 receptions, 1,069 yards and 14 TDs, which is a huge jump up from 2014’s 98-66-825-3 line. Jordan Reed and Greg Olsen, the first non-Gronk tight ends, fall in line here as well, with Reed’s high ceiling and chemistry with quarterback Kirk Cousins buoying his ADP despite durability concerns, and Olsen’s strong floor on a run-heavy team giving him value.

Tier Six spans 18 players, with DeMarco Murray being quite the buzzy running back as he looks to lead the TEN backfield and regain the confidence of fantasy owners everywhere as an RB1, but with an RB2 price tag. Matt Jones is another quiet option with serious upside, as Alfred Morris is gone and Washington appears very committed to him. John Brown, Devante Parker, Allen Hurns and Donte Moncrief are all WR3 types with high chances at cracking into WR2 territory, especially Parker.

Tier Seven brings only five players our way, namely three running backs and two tight ends, with Tyler Eifert notably sinking due to reports that he’ll miss some regular season games to start the season (this also boosts A.J. Green). Frank Gore is another low-cost option sitting around the sixth/seventh round, mostly due to age/durability woes, but should still be able to deliver with a healthy IND offense around him.

Tier Eight kicks off with another high-upside RB in Ameer Abdullah, who could literally run with the job in DET should he show more decisiveness between the tackles. Here we also find Mr. Tom Brady, who obviously takes a hit due to the four-game suspension, but boy I do not want to be in his way once he’s back on the field. I do want him on my fantasy team for that campaign though. The exciting “rookie” Kevin White can also be found here, whose real rookie campaign was lost due to a broken leg, but now should be a nice #2 wide-out aside an Alshon Jeffery that's coming off of an injury-riddled season in Chicago.

Tier Nine brings two trendy QBs in Blake Bortles and Eli Manning, with Bortles trending down a bit as folks start to embrace the “TD-regression” theory while Eli rises thanks to the hype surrounding his wide receivers and a McAdoo-led squad. Four tight ends reside in this tier as well, each of them being large athletic types who could post double-digit TDs if health permits. Coby Fleener is most interesting to me, as he now stands to be the biggest target for Drew Brees in the red zone while also being a solid option between the 20s.

Tier 10 has four quarterbacks, four running backs, four wide receivers and…only one tight end. Well that was almost neat right there, but regardless the lone TE is Antonio Gates (who does have Hunter Henry behind him) who should still be a strong presence in the red zone as Philip Rivers’ most trusted target, making him a nice grab in standard formats. Rashad Jennings carry total in the last four weeks: 22, 16, 14, 27. He averaged less than 10 through the first 13 weeks of the season, so there’s potential here (especially after he uncorked 170 yards against Philly in Week 17). Markus Wheaton is another name to tuck away with Martavis Bryant out for the season, as Pittsburgh’s potent offense churns out stats like Land O'Lakes butter.

Notable Names from Lower Tiers:

Tier 11: Torrey Smith, Travis Benjamin, Sterling Shepard, Tyrod Taylor.

Tier 12: Josh Doctson, Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, Eric Ebron, DeAngelo Williams.

Tier 13: Bilal Powell, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Kendall Wright.

Tier 14: Kamar Aiken, Dwayne Allen, Zach Miller, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks.

Tier 15: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Arizona Cardinals, Rueben Randle, Jordan Cameron, DeAndre Washington.

Tier 16: Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Clive Walford, Wendell Smallwood.

Tier 17: Los Angeles Rams, Chris Thompson, James White, Josh Gordon, Anquan Boldin.

Tier 18: Spencer Ware, Steve Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets.

Tier 19: New England Patriots, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Tim Hightower.

Tier 20: Robert Griffin, Colin Kaepernick, Justin Hardy, Stephen Gostkowski.

 

Standard League Rankings (July)

Rank	Tier	Player Name	Pos
1	1	Antonio Brown	WR
2	1	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR
3	1	Le'Veon Bell	RB
4	1	Julio Jones	WR
5	1	Todd Gurley	RB
6	2	DeAndre Hopkins	WR
7	2	Adrian Peterson	RB
8	2	David Johnson	RB
9	2	Rob Gronkowski	TE
10	2	Dez Bryant	WR
11	2	A.J. Green	WR
12	2	Lamar Miller	RB
13	2	Jamaal Charles	RB
14	2	Allen Robinson	WR
15	2	Ezekiel Elliott	RB
16	3	Devonta Freeman	RB
17	3	Jordy Nelson	WR
18	3	Alshon Jeffery	WR
19	3	Doug Martin	RB
20	3	Mike Evans	WR
21	3	Mark Ingram	RB
22	3	Eddie Lacy	RB
23	3	Brandon Marshall	WR
24	3	Keenan Allen	WR
25	3	Demaryius Thomas	WR
26	3	LeSean McCoy	RB
27	3	Amari Cooper	WR
28	3	Brandin Cooks	WR
29	4	T.Y. Hilton	WR
30	4	Matt Forte	RB
31	4	Cam Newton	QB
32	4	Sammy Watkins	WR
33	4	Aaron Rodgers	QB
34	4	C.J. Anderson	RB
35	4	Randall Cobb	WR
36	4	Carlos Hyde	RB
37	4	Julian Edelman	WR
38	4	Kelvin Benjamin	WR
39	4	Thomas Rawls	RB
40	5	Russell Wilson	QB
41	5	Latavius Murray	RB
42	5	Jeremy Maclin	WR
43	5	Golden Tate	WR
44	5	Andrew Luck	QB
45	5	Jordan Reed	TE
46	5	Jarvis Landry	WR
47	5	Greg Olsen	TE
48	5	Dion Lewis	RB
49	5	Jonathan Stewart	RB
50	5	Doug Baldwin	WR
51	6	Ryan Mathews	RB
52	6	Jordan Matthews	WR
53	6	Eric Decker	WR
54	6	DeMarco Murray	RB
55	6	Michael Floyd	WR
56	6	Jay Ajayi	RB
57	6	Emmanuel Sanders	WR
58	6	Jeremy Langford	RB
59	6	Ben Roethlisberger	QB
60	6	Matt Jones	RB
61	6	Larry Fitzgerald	WR
62	6	Jeremy Hill	RB
63	6	Drew Brees	QB
64	6	John Brown	WR
65	6	Devante Parker	WR
66	6	Allen Hurns	WR
67	6	Travis Kelce	TE
68	6	Donte Moncrief	WR
69	7	Giovani Bernard	RB
70	7	Frank Gore	RB
71	7	Tyler Eifert	TE
72	7	T.J. Yeldon	RB
73	7	Delanie Walker	TE
74	8	Ameer Abdullah	RB
75	8	DeSean Jackson	WR
76	8	Melvin Gordon	RB
77	8	Carson Palmer	QB
78	8	Tom Brady	QB
79	8	Michael Crabtree	WR
80	8	Gary Barnidge	TE
81	8	Tyler Lockett	WR
82	8	Chris Ivory	RB
83	8	Duke Johnson	RB
84	8	Kevin White	WR
85	8	Danny Woodhead	RB
86	9	Blake Bortles	QB
87	9	Marvin Jones	WR
88	9	Zach Ertz	TE
89	9	Eli Manning	QB
90	9	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR
91	9	Ladarius Green	TE
92	9	Charles Sims	RB
93	9	Corey Coleman	WR
94	9	Julius Thomas	TE
95	9	Coby Fleener	TE
96	10	Derrick Henry	RB
97	10	Karlos Williams	RB
98	10	Philip Rivers	QB
99	10	Derek Carr	QB
100	10	Laquon Treadwell	WR
101	10	Tony Romo	QB
102	10	Isaiah Crowell	RB
103	10	Andy Dalton	QB
104	10	Rashad Jennings	RB
105	10	Antonio Gates	TE
106	10	Stefon Diggs	WR
107	10	Steve Smith	WR
108	10	Markus Wheaton	WR
109	11	Tavon Austin	WR
110	11	Torrey Smith	WR
111	11	Travis Benjamin	WR
112	11	LeGarrette Blount	RB
113	11	Willie Snead	WR
114	11	Sterling Shepard	WR
115	11	Tevin Coleman	RB
116	11	Kenneth Dixon	RB
117	11	Tyrod Taylor	QB
118	11	Vincent Jackson	WR
119	12	Devin Funchess	WR
120	12	Josh Doctson	WR
121	12	Arian Foster	RB
122	12	Paul Perkins	RB
123	12	Javorius Allen	RB
124	12	Michael Thomas	WR
125	12	Justin Forsett	RB
126	12	Jameis Winston	QB
127	12	Theo Riddick	RB
128	12	Eric Ebron	TE
129	12	Marcus Mariota	QB
130	12	Jordan Howard	RB
131	12	DeAngelo Williams	RB
132	12	C.J. Prosise	RB
133	13	Bilal Powell	RB
134	13	Matt Ryan	QB
135	13	Kirk Cousins	QB
136	13	Jason Witten	TE
137	13	Ryan Tannehill	QB
138	13	Kendall Wright	WR
139	13	Matthew Stafford	QB
140	13	Mohamed Sanu	WR
141	13	Breshad Perriman	WR
142	13	Devontae Booker	RB
143	13	Jimmy Graham	TE
144	14	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE
145	14	Kamar Aiken	WR
146	14	Shane Vereen	RB
147	14	Terrance Williams	WR
148	14	Dwayne Allen	TE
149	14	Zach Miller	TE
150	14	Darren McFadden	RB
151	14	Nelson Agholor	WR
152	14	Jerick McKinnon	RB
153	14	Rishard Matthews	WR
154	14	Jay Cutler	QB
155	14	Martellus Bennett	TE
156	14	James Starks	RB
157	14	Phillip Dorsett	WR
158	14	Ted Ginn	WR
159	14	Zach Miller	TE
160	14	Pierre Garcon	WR
161	14	Denver Broncos	DST
162	14	Seattle Seahawks	DST
163	15	Ronnie Hillman	RB
164	15	Chris Johnson	RB
165	15	Will Fuller	WR
166	15	Joe Flacco	QB
167	15	Kenyan Drake	RB
168	15	Darren Sproles	RB
169	15	Charles Clay	TE
170	15	Ryan Fitzpatrick	QB
171	15	Arizona Cardinals	DST
172	15	Sammie Coates	WR
173	15	Rueben Randle	WR
174	15	Alfred Morris	RB
175	15	Mike Wallace	WR
176	15	Jordan Cameron	TE
177	15	DeAndre Washington	RB
178	16	Jeff Janis	WR
179	16	Houston Texans	DST
180	16	Tyler Boyd	WR
181	16	Charcandrick West	RB
182	16	Carolina Panthers	DST
183	16	Clive Walford	TE
184	16	Benjamin Watson	TE
185	16	Victor Cruz	WR
186	16	Will Tye	TE
187	16	Alex Smith	QB
188	16	Wendell Smallwood	RB
189	16	Brock Osweiler	QB
190	16	Kyle Rudolph	TE
191	16	Jared Cook	TE
192	17	Los Angeles Rams	DST
193	17	Chris Thompson	RB
194	17	James White	RB
195	17	Chris Hogan	WR
196	17	Josh Gordon	WR
197	17	Davante Adams	WR
198	17	Anquan Boldin	WR
199	17	Andre Ellington	RB
200	17	Teddy Bridgewater	QB
201	18	Spencer Ware	RB
202	18	Danny Amendola	WR
203	18	Steve Johnson	WR
204	18	C.J. Spiller	RB
205	18	Richard Rodgers	TE
206	18	Kansas City Chiefs	DST
207	18	New York Jets	DST
208	19	Kenny Britt	WR
209	19	Christine Michael	RB
210	19	New England Patriots	DST
211	19	Sam Bradford	QB
212	19	Vance McDonald	TE
213	19	Mark Sanchez	QB
214	19	Zach Zenner	RB
215	19	Tim Hightower	RB
216	19	Jaelen Strong	WR
217	20	Brandon LaFell	WR
218	20	Cincinnati Bengals	DST
219	20	Cameron Artis-Payne	RB
220	20	Robert Griffin	QB
221	20	Colin Kaepernick	QB
222	20	Brandon Coleman	WR
223	20	Jamison Crowder	WR
224	20	Justin Hardy	WR
225	20	Austin Hooper	TE
226	20	Tyler Ervin	RB
227	20	Ka'Deem Carey	RB
228	20	Stephen Gostkowski	K
229	20	Blaine Gabbert	QB
230	20	Tre Mason	RB
231	20	Robert Woods	WR
232	20	Lance Kendricks	TE
233	20	Buffalo Bills	DST
234	21	Jared Goff	QB
235	21	Jermaine Kearse	WR
236	21	Minnesota Vikings	DST
237	21	Khiry Robinson	RB
238	21	DeAndre Smelter	WR
239	21	Jace Amaro	TE
240	21	Jacob Tamme	TE
241	22	Eddie Royal	WR
242	22	Keith Marshall	RB
243	22	Brian Quick	WR
244	22	Seth Roberts	WR
245	22	Shaun Draughn	RB
246	23	Nate Washington	WR
247	23	Pharoh Cooper	WR
248	23	Lance Dunbar	RB
249	23	Green Bay Packers	DST
250	23	Hunter Henry	TE
251	23	Leonte Carroo	WR
252	23	Maxx Williams	TE
253	23	Ty Montgomery	WR
254	23	Robert Turbin	RB
255	23	Jeff Heuerman	TE
256	23	Pittsburgh Steelers	DST
257	23	Paxton Lynch	QB
258	23	David Cobb	RB
259	23	Dan Bailey	K
260	23	Chandler Catanzaro	K
261	23	Carson Wentz	QB
262	23	Mason Crosby	K
263	23	Justin Tucker	K
264	24	Graham Gano	K
265	24	Alfred Blue	RB
266	24	Adam Vinatieri	K
267	24	Steven Hauschka	K
268	24	Geno Smith	QB
269	24	Cole Beasley	WR
270	24	Josh Brown	K
271	25	Philadelphia Eagles	DST
272	25	Oakland Raiders	DST
273	25	Philly Brown	WR
274	25	Miami Dolphins	DST
275	25	Brandon McManus	K
276	25	Roberto Aguayo	K
277	25	Braxton Miller	WR
278	25	Jacksonville Jaguars	DST
279	26	Antonio Andrews	RB
280	26	Marqise Lee	WR
281	26	Josh Lambo	K
282	26	Chris Boswell	K
283	26	Baltimore Ravens	DST
284	26	Cairo Santos	K
285	26	Cleveland Browns	DST
286	26	Blair Walsh	K
287	26	Matt Bryant	K
288	27	Dan Carpenter	K
289	27	Detroit Lions	DST
290	27	Cody Latimer	WR
291	27	Chris Conley	WR
292	27	Josh Hill	TE
293	27	San Francisco 49ers	DST
294	27	Phil Dawson	K
295	27	Albert Wilson	WR
296	27	Cecil Shorts	WR
297	27	Josh McCown	QB
298	27	Kenny Stills	WR
299	28	Owen Daniels	TE
300	28	Nick Novak	K
301	28	Jimmy Garoppolo	QB
302	28	Greg Zuerlein	K
303	28	New York Giants	DST
304	28	Connor Barth	K
305	28	Marques Colston	WR
306	28	Washington Redskins	DST
307	28	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	DST
308	28	Tennessee Titans	DST
309	28	Indianapolis Colts	DST
310	28	Chicago Bears	DST
311	28	Brian Hartline	WR
312	28	Robbie Gould	K
313	28	Atlanta Falcons	DST
314	28	Denard Robinson	RB
315	28	Benny Cunningham	RB
316	28	Jason Myers	K
317	28	Caleb Sturgis	K

 

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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.