Fantasy leagues, owners, and Draft Day parties are not created equal. In order to optimize your 2015 fantasy football experience, make sure to know your league settings inside and out. Then dive headfirst into research using multiple publications’ and sites’ rankings before honing your draft craft and strategies in numerous mocks.
Like many owners, I play in several fantasy football leagues and for a variety of reasons. I embrace the challenge of competition while molding my team to best fit the inevitable changes in settings. I play in 10 and 12-team serpentine and auction-style drafts. I play in PPR and TD-only leagues. While I prefer my fantasy leagues to treat all touchdowns as equal, (don’t fool yourself–TDs are six points in reality and should be in fantasy) only a slight adjustment needs to be made for 4-point TD passes when determining your draft strategy.
I don’t mind having the first pick or the last one. I will never be the first owner to draft a defense or a kicker. I treat tight ends like catchers in fantasy baseball drafts–everybody needs one and only one (do not under any circumstances draft a backup TE) so unless I grab a top-two guy I’ll wait until at least six or seven go off the board. While I love the tried and true RB-RB strategy of fantasy seasons past, I’m not opposed to WR-WR (especially in PPR Leagues) or even drafting an elite QB early.
Lacy and Rodgers lead off the list of My Guys.
Above all however, my standard fantasy football draft strategy is quite simple–enjoy the event and Go Get My Guys.
These rankings reflect my personal biases (as great as Matt Forte is and has been–he’s just not my guy) and the ideal settings that I incorporate when serving as Fantasy Commissioner. All touchdowns (yes, even passing) are worth six points and every reception is an additional point with a standard starting lineup consisting of:
QB, RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, FLEX (RB or WR), TE, K, D/ST
Spoiler Alert: Quarterbacks and Tight Ends of similar attributes and season projections are often ranked right next to each other in my Draft Day Big Board, because it’s important to remember that your guys and my guys are quite different. Readers will also notice that not a single D/ST and K make the Top 100. If you’re the owner that wants to reach for the Seahawks or Bills or maybe think this is the season Mason Crosby wins the MVP then just be prepared to handle the snickers that will follow your selection.
Make sure to follow me (@Pat_Whitehurst) on Twitter. I’m always available to answer your fantasy questions, take your rankings abuse, and provide fantasy football owners with an edge on game days and in the smack talk department.
Happy Drafting and Best of Luck in 2015.
Top 100 Big Board
1. Adrian Peterson, RB Vikings
2. Le’Veon Bell, RB Steelers
3. Aaron Rodgers, QB Packers
4. Andrew Luck, QB Colts
5. Eddie Lacy, RB Packers
6. DeMarco Murray, RB Eagles
7. Antonio Brown, WR Steelers
8. Odell Beckham, Jr. WR, Giants
9. Dez Bryant, WR Cowboys
10. Jamaal Charles, RB Chiefs
A case can always be made to draft Megatron.
11. Calvin Johnson, WR Lions
12. Marshawn Lynch, RB Seahawks
13. LeSean McCoy, RB Bills
14. Jordy Nelson, WR Packers
15. Julio Jones, WR Falcons
16. A.J. Green, WR Bengals
17. Jeremy Hill, RB Bengals
18. Demaryius Thomas, WR Broncos
19. Melvin Gordon, RB Chargers
20. Randall Cobb, WR Packers
Whether Brady plays the first four games or not, New England’s opposition is bound for a good old fashioned Gronking.
21. Rob Gronkowski, TE Patriots
22. Jimmy Graham, TE Seahawks
23. C.J. Anderson, RB Broncos
24. T.Y. Hilton, WR Colts
25. Matt Forte, RB Bears
Fantasy Focus: There’s only two QBs and TEs to take early. After Rodgers, Luck, Gronk and Jimmy are off the board the savvy fantasy owner should either load up on FLEX depth or… wait for it… go get your guys.
26. Mark Ingram, RB Saints
27. Justin Forsett, RB Ravens
28. Alfred Morris, RB Redskins
29. Mike Evans, WR Buccaneers
30. Ben Roethlisberger, QB Steelers
31. Cam Newton, QB Panthers
32. Drew Brees, QB Saints
33. Russell Wilson, QB Seahawks
34. Peyton Manning, QB Broncos
Manning might be a Draft Day bargain or a risk not worth taking.
35. Carlos Hyde, RB 49ers
36. Emmanuel Sanders, WR Broncos
37. Alfred Blue, RB Texans
38. Julian Edelman, WR Patriots
39. Lamar Miller, RB Dolphins
40. Kelvin Benjamin, WR Panthers
41. Alshon Jeffery, WR Bears
42. Frank Gore, RB Colts
43. Andre Johnson, WR Colts
44. DeAndre Hopkins, WR Texans
45. Tevin Coleman, RB Falcons
46. Jonathan Stewart, RB Panthers
47. Joseph Randle, RB Cowboys
48. Brandin Cooks, WR Saints
49. Jordan Matthews, WR Eagles
50. Doug Martin, RB Buccaneers
Reports out of Tampa suggest the Muscle Hamster looks great.
Fantasy Focus: Minimize risk while maximizing potential. If you’ve got your eye on a hotshot rookie or a member of your favorite NFL team, pull the trigger and don’t look back.
51. Tony Romo, QB Cowboys
52. Tom Brady, QB Patriots
53. Matt Ryan, QB Falcons
54. DaVante Parker, WR Dolphins
55. Andre Ellington, RB Cardinals
56. Andre Williams, RB Giants
57. Giovani Bernard, RB Bengals
58. T.J. Yeldon, RB Jaguars
59. Latavius Murray, RB Raiders
60. Chris Ivory, RB Jets
Watkins offers tremendous upside and his Draft Day price might be just right.
61. Sammy Watkins, WR Bills
62. DaVante Adams, WR Packers
63. Brandon Marshall, WR Jets
64. Kevin White, WR Bears
65. Travis Kelce, TE Chiefs
66. Jason Witten, TE Cowboys
67. Terrance Williams, WR Cowboys
68. Amari Cooper, WR Raiders
69. Keenan Allen, WR Chargers
70. Martavis Bryant, WR Steelers
There will be balls and opportunities for Bryant.
71. Vincent Jackson, WR Buccaneers
72. Eric Decker, WR Jets
73. Golden Tate, WR Lions
74. Todd Gurley, RB Rams
75. C.J. Spiller, RB Saints
Fantasy Focus: It’s okay to wait on selecting your QB in 2015, but throw a wrench in the rest of your league-mates’ plans by selecting a couple and then play the matchups.
76. Eli Manning, QB Giants
77. Philip Rivers, QB Chargers
78. Cameron Artis-Payne, RB Panthers
79. Tre Mason, RB Rams
80. Rashad Jennings, RB Giants
81. Jeremy Langford, RB Bears
82. Ameer Abdullah, RB Lions
83. Joique Bell, RB Lions
84. Torrey Smith, WR 49ers
85. Michael Floyd, WR Cardinals
86. Breshad Perriman, WR Ravens
87. Ryan Tannehill, QB Dolphins
88. Robert Griffin III, QB Redskins
Bridgewater isn’t a top-ten fantasy QB entering 2015, but he could be a difference maker by the end of the season.
89. Teddy Bridgewater, QB Vikings
90. Carson Palmer, QB Cardinals
91. Jeremy Maclin, WR Chiefs
92. DeSean Jackson, WR Redskins
93. Ryan Mathews, RB Eagles
94. Chris Polk, RB Texans
95. Larry Donnell, TE Giants
96. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, TE Buccaneers
97. Martellus Bennett, TE Bears
98. Shane Vereen, RB Giants
99. Ty Montgomery, WR Packers
100. Jarvis Landry, WR Dolphins
Landry is part of a long list of WRs and RBs that will contribute to fantasy success in 2015.
Fantasy Focus: Adjust your draft strategies on the fly and do what’s best for your team depending on your league’s settings, scoring, and keeper rules.