Today's post will break down Matthew Berry's top 25 fantasy football players for 2014.
#24 Randall Cobb
We're not sure why Matthew Berry ranked Randall Cobb so high. Coming off an injury plagued season, Randall Cobb has a lot to prove in 2014. He plays in a fast-tempo offense, with one of the best QB's in the game, but there are plenty of questions with Cobb. With so many sleeper WR's in the 2014 fantasy footballdraft, there is no question that I would pass on Cobb in the first 3 rounds. We found it rather surprising that Berry ranked Cobb over Julio Jones (#26).
#21 Doug Martin
Similar to Cobb, Martin is coming off an injury plagued season. Although we don't expect the shoulder injury that sent him to the IR in 2013 to be a problem in 2014, ranking Martin at #21 may be a bit generous. According to Matthew Berry, Doug Martin is the 11th ranked RB in 2014, ahead of Demarco Murry, Reggie Bush and CJ Spiller. We would rank Martin a 5th or 6th round fantasy draft pick for 2014.
#14 LeVeon Bell
What can we expect from the second year RB from Michigan State? We agree with Matthew Berry, LeVeon Bell could be one of the best picks in the 2014 fantasy football draft. If you picked up Bell last year (likely in the round 4 or later) and you play in a dynasty league, LeVeon Bell is a great choice for a keeper. Bell is the 8th ranked RB according to Matthew Berry, but is poised for a great season. Would your rather draft Stacy or Bell - Official Poll
#12 Zac Stacy
Zac Stacy was one of the biggest surprises for fantasy owners in 2013. A relatively unknown RB entering the 2013 NFL season, Stacy finished as a top 10 RB! Stacy was behind both Pead and Richardson on the depth chart to start the season, but was named the starter by week 5. Stacy finished 2013 with 973 rushing yards and 8 total TD's, including an impressive 134 yard performance vs the Seattle Seahawks in week 8. Although he is poised for a great season in 2014, ranking him at #12 may be a big high.
#7 Jimmy Graham
Jimmy Graham is one of the most consistent players in fantasy football, especially for a tight end! The tight end position is one of the more unpredictable positions in fantasy football, which makes Jimmy Graham even more important. Although he's not worth a first round pick, Graham is poised for a great season in 2014.
#3 Adrian Peterson
Although we agree that Peterson has been one of the most consistent players in fantasy football in recent memory, we aren't very high on him this year. Check out this article discussing 5 reasons why Montee Ball will outscore Adrian Peterson in 2014.The Minnesota Vikings are expected to draft a QB in the 2014 NFL draft, which does not bode well for Peterson's fantasy value. We'd rather draft someone like Stacy or Bell in round 2 than Peterson in round 1.
Entire List from Matthew Berry 1-24
1 Jamaal Charles, KC 2 LeSean McCoy, PHI 3 Adrian Peterson, MIN 4 Matt Forte, CHI 5 Peyton Manning, DEN 6 Drew Brees, NO 7 Jimmy Graham, NO 8 Eddie Lacy, GB 9 Calvin Johnson, DET 10 Marshawn Lynch, SEA 11 Aaron Rodgers, GB 12 Zac Stacy, STL 13 Demaryius Thomas, DEN 14 Le'Veon Bell, PIT 15 A.J. Green, CIN 16 Brandon Marshall, CHI 17 Dez Bryant, DAL 18 Josh Gordon, CLE 19 Knowshon Moreno, MIA 20 Alfred Morris, WSH 21 Doug Martin, TB 22 Arian Foster, HOU 23 Alshon Jeffery, CHI 24 Randall Cobb, GB
If you are a regular subscriber to our fantasy football blog, you have already seen our full analysis of Matthew Berry's top 200 rankings for 2014. This post will be dedicated to discussing players ranked between 49 and 25. All-in-all, we could not be more excited for the 2014 fantasy football season! If you need help planning your draft day, make sure to browse our selection of fantasy football draft boards, including the all new P.E.D draft kit. Our draft kits are created using high quality labels to ensure your draft party is a huge success. Now, back to analyzing Matthew Berry's rankings for the 2014 fantasy football season.
47 Frank Gore
In our opinion, Frank Gore has been declining for the last few years. What makes Gore so effective, despite his aging legs and body, is his extraordinary vision. Everybody knows that a Running Back most have great vision to enjoy success in the NFL, and Gore does just that. HOWEVER - The San Francisco 49ers drafted Marcus Lattimore in the 2013 NFL draft, knowing that he would be spend his entire rookie season on the IR. Entering his second season in the NFL, Marcus Lattimore could be the starting RB for the 49ers. This would all but remove Gore from fantasy relevance in 2014. Make sure to follow this story closely throughout the NFL draft and pre-season.
40 Ray Rice
We're not sure what concerns us more, his 2.5 YPC in 2013 or the legal troubles that he is in. Either way you look at it, Ray Rice is a huge risk for fantasy football owners in 2014. We would rather take a chance with Bernard Pierce late in the draft than pick up Ray Rice in the first 3 rounds. The past is the past folks, Ray Rice is no longer an elite RB for your fantasy football team.
34 Giovani Bernard
Yes, we like Gio - and Yes, he could be an elite RB2 for your fantasy football team, but we're not thrilled with Matthew Berry ranking him so high. Make sure to monitor how the Bengals use him throughout Preseason, to determine if he will be the lead back, or if he will continue to be used as a "change of pace" back.
26 Julio Jones
If Julio Jones had stayed healthy for the duration of 2013, he would be a top 15 ranked player entering 2014. Instead, Matthew Berry has Julio Jones ranked as the #10 WR for 2014! We could not disagree more. Julio Jones is one of the most physically gifted athletes in the NFL, and has one of the most accurate QBs in the league throwing him the ball. Although Jones will likely see a lot of double coverage in 2014, his fantasy value is immense. You can feel comfortable drafting him as your WR1.
Entire List from Matthew Berry 25-49
25 Jordy Nelson, GB 26 Julio Jones, ATL 27 Cam Newton, CAR 28 DeMarco Murray, DAL 29 Vincent Jackson, TB 30 Reggie Bush, DET 31 C.J. Spiller, BUF 32 Antonio Brown, PIT 33 Pierre Garcon, WSH 34 Giovani Bernard, CIN 35 DeSean Jackson, PHI 36 Wes Welker, DEN 37 Andrew Luck, IND 38 Nick Foles, PHI 39 Rob Gronkowski, NE 40 Ray Rice, BAL 41 Andre Johnson, HOU 42 Keenan Allen, SD 43 Roddy White, ATL 44 Matthew Stafford, DET 45 Larry Fitzgerald, ARI 46 Eric Decker, DEN 47 Frank Gore, SF 48 Chris Johnson, TEN 49 Ryan Mathews, SD
This post will analyze select players that are currently ranked in Matthew Berry's top 200 for the 2014 Fantasy Football season. A few notes from our earlier posts that are important to know as we analyze players ranked 74-50. Monte Ball was ranked #78, but according to Fantasy Football Draft Board could be poised for a breakout year. In-fact, earlier this month we analyzed the fantasy value of Monte Ball, and he was noted as a breakout candidate. Other rankings worth noting are: Marcus Lattimore (156), Robert Woods (172), Phillip Rivers (105), and Bernard Pierce (124). Now, what you've all been waiting for - A full analysis of Matthew Berry's 2014 Fantasy Football rankings from number 74 - 50.
74 RG3
Robert Griffen III is one of the most intriguing quarterbacks to watch in 2014. After a solid rookie campaign in 2012, RG3 struggled mightily in 2014. Sure the addition of DeSean Jackson will improve the redskins offense this year, but there are so many questions surrounding the mental aspect of RG3's game. Needless to say, we expect him to have a bounce-back year in 2014, and think Matthew Berry could have put him a little higher (say, 55ish). With a full offseason of preparation, instead of rehabbing a torn ACL, RG3 could be a sleeper at QB in 2014.
69 Ben Tate
The biggest question surrounding Ben Tate has nothing to do with him, rather the QB that will start for the Browns in 2014. If the Browns draft a rookie QB, watch out for Ben Tate in 2014. With a rookie QB under center, the offensive game play may be more run-focused. Pay close attention to the Browns on draft day, as Manziel, Bortles, and Bridgewaterare all viable options. If the Browns decide to stick with Hoyer at QB and pick up an elite WR like Watkins in the draft, Ben Tate's fantasy value would drop.
63 Michael Floyd
Will Floyd enjoy greater success than future HOF WR Larry Fitzgerald in 2014? The best years for Larry Fitz are over, meaning Michael Floyd could emerge as the biggest threat for the Cardinals. We would rather draft Floyd over a number of WR's that Matthew Berry has ranked above him, including Colston, Reggie Wayne, Victor Cruz and Cordarrelle Patterson.
54 Percy Harvin
Let's be clear, his talent is notin question. But will Percy Harvin get enough touches to enjoy a successful season from a fantasy perspective? Seattle was committed to getting Harvin touches in the Super Bowl, but we don't expect the same type of creativity during the regular season. We like the skill set that Harvin has, but his fantasy value will be limited given the system that he plays in.
53 Julius Thomas
One of the biggest breakout players in 2013, Tight End Julius Thomas is poised for another great year in 2014. With the departure of Eric Decker, and another offseason working with Peyton Manning, is it possible that Thomas will enjoy more success in 2014? We agree with Matthew Berry on his ranking in regards to other Tight Ends (3rd), but not with his overall ranking at 53. Given the lack of elite Tight Ends in fantasy football, Julius Thomas could easily be seen as a top 30 player.
Entire List from Matthew Berry 50-74
50 Reggie Wayne, IND 51 Andre Ellington, ARI 52 Michael Crabtree, SF 53 Julius Thomas, DEN 54 Percy Harvin, SEA 55 Victor Cruz, NYG 56 Torrey Smith, BAL 57 Vernon Davis, SF 58 Shane Vereen, NE 59 Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC 60 T.Y. Hilton, IND 61 Marques Colston, NO 62 Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN 63 Michael Floyd, ARI 64 LeGarrette Blount, NE 65 Julian Edelman, NE 66 Chris Ivory, NYJ 67 David Wilson, NYG 68 Kendall Wright, TEN 69 Ben Tate, HOU 70 Jeremy Maclin, PHI 71 Mike Wallace, MIA 72 Greg Olsen, CAR 73 Tom Brady, NE 74 Robert Griffin III, WSH If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or any other social network. Our blog is dedicated to bringing you the best and most updated information regarding fantasy football.
This post will analyze his rankings from 100 down to 75. As we inch closer to #1, the rankings become more and more critical. After all, the 197th ranked fantasy football player on this list could easily outperform the 101st. There is little chance that the 97th pick (James Jones) will outperform the player ranked 1st (to be named later... And if you think its Adrian Peterson, you'd be wrong). A few notes that we would like to break down include:
75 Matt Ryan, ATL
How Matthew Berry ranked Ryan the 10th best quarterback in 2014 is a real head-scratcher. We're talking about the same Matt Ryan who finished in the top 5 for fantasy football QB's in 2013 without his top 2 WR's? Matt Ryan was throwing touchdowns to players the Falcons picked up off the street (that may be an exaggeration)! We believe that Matt Ryan should be ranked in the top 5 QB's for 2014. Ryan was named to our 2014 fantasy football QB Sleeper list, along with Teddy Bridgewater and Josh McCown.
78 Montee Ball, DEN
To be fair, when his rankings were released, Moreno was still listed as the starting RB for the Broncos. We expect to see Monte Ball listed at #19 or higher, which is where Moreno currently sits. Earlier this month we discussed the fantasy value of Montee Ball for 2014, and we're very excited to see how he performs.
86 Trent Richardson, IND
Owners of Trent Richardson last year probably won't touch him this year with a 10 foot pole. The former first round pick was traded to the Colts, where many fantasy owners expected big things. Instead, Richardson was outperformed by Donald Brown, and finished the season with less than 600 total yards rushing. Did you know that Richardson rushed for two yards or fewer on 101 of his 188 carries last season? Although we expect a bounce back year in 2014, we think he's ranked correctly at 86.
93 Colin Kaepernick, SF
Did Matthew Berry really rank Kaepernick over Jay Cutler and Tony Romo? Yes, we would much rather build a franchise around Kaepernick, but how can you pick up Kaep over Tony Romo and Jay Cutler?! Cutler is poised for a huge year in 2014, with the best one-two receiving tandem in the entire NFL. Romo on the other hand, doesn't do much to impress Jerry Jones or Cowboy fans, but he puts up great numbers in fantasy football!
You can see Matthew Berry's full rankings from 75-100 below.
75 Matt Ryan, ATL 76 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU 77 Steven Jackson, ATL 78 Montee Ball, DEN 79 Andre Brown, NYG 80 Danny Woodhead, SD 81 Russell Wilson, SEA 82 Jordan Reed, WSH 83 Jason Witten, DAL 84 Jordan Cameron, CLE 85 Seattle Seahawks, SEA 86 Trent Richardson, IND 87 Riley Cooper, PHI 88 Fred Jackson, BUF 89 Darren Sproles, NO 90 Lamar Miller, MIA 91 Justin Blackmon, JAC 92 Cecil Shorts, JAC 93 Colin Kaepernick, SF 94 Rueben Randle, NYG 95 Jay Cutler, CHI 96 Tony Romo, DAL 97 James Jones, GB 98 Terrance Williams, DAL 99 Dwayne Bowe, KC 100 Dennis Pitta, BAL To learn more about our fantasy football draft boards, please contact us right away! We would be happy to answer any questions or concerns that you might have about a particular product.
Matthew Berry is one of the top analysts at ESPN, and with nearly 600,000 followers on Twitter, his opinions and reviews carry a lot of weight in the fantasy world. Recently, Matthew Berry released his top 200 NFL players for the 2014 Fantasy Football season over on ESPN.com. Today, we will analyze Matthew Berry's rankings from number 101 to 125. Feel free to catch up on our last post, in which we analyzed Matthew Berry's Rankings from 151-200.
105 Phillip Rivers, SD
Although it would be wise not to think that Rivers can match his 2013 performance, dropping him to 105 was a bit shocking. The Chargers have a very talented offense along with a very young and promising Tight End (L. Green), and Rivers could easily finish in the top 10 for QB's in 2014. Matthew Berry has Rivers ranked as the 15th QB as we head into 2014. We think that's a bit low, and would take Rivers over: Tony Romo and Jay Cuter, both of which are ranked above him.
106 Emmanuel Sanders, DEN
Emmanuel Sanders could finish as a top 20 WR, based on Peyton Manning alone. Although Sanders does not have the same hands or physical attributes as Decker, and he will be battling for playing time with Caldwell, Sanders should be ranked MUCH higher than the 43rd WR. We think Sanders should be ranked much higher, perhaps in the top 75.
124 Bernard Pierce, BAL
This is a guy that a lot of experts are starting to like, as we get closer to 2014, and the situation with Ray Rice becomes more clear. Following the worst season of his career, Ray Rice is in some legal trouble. Bernard Pierce is a talented young running back, and could be named the starting RB in Baltimore before long.
109 Danny Amendola, NE
This is a guy that nearly every fantasy football analyst wants to rank in their top 20 WR's for 2014. The problem is that Amendola can't stay on the field! An injury plagued career continued in 2013, as Amendola battled through a groin issue. His talent combined with Tom Brady could be lethal, but his durability is a HUGE question. We agree with Berry's rankings, but understand that Amendola could finish much higher in 2014 if he stays healthy...
The rankings from 101-125 can be found below:
101 Pierre Thomas, NO 102 Rashad Jennings, OAK 103 Bobby Rainey, TB 104 Steve Johnson, BUF 105 Philip Rivers, SD 106 Emmanuel Sanders, DEN 107 Kyle Rudolph, MIN 108 Anquan Boldin, SF 109 Danny Amendola, NE 110 Steve Smith, CAR 111 Doug Baldwin, SEA 112 Joique Bell, DET 113 Marvin Jones, CIN 114 Carolina Panthers, CAR 115 Stevan Ridley, NE 116 Greg Jennings, MIN 117 Hakeem Nicks, NYG 118 Andy Dalton, CIN 119 Darren McFadden, OAK 120 Charles Clay, MIA 121 Martellus Bennett, CHI 122 Tavon Austin, STL 123 Bilal Powell, NYJ 124 Bernard Pierce, BAL 125 Ahmad Bradshaw, IND We will be back next week analyzing more of Matthew Berry's rankings for the 2014 Fantasy Football season. Our fantasy football blog covers everything from rumors and rankings to injury updates and depth chart news. To stay updated with the latest news, simply subscribe to our blog via your favorite RSS reader. Our website is also a premier online store to buy a fantasy football draft board for your live draft! If you would like to learn more about us, please don't hesitate to fill out an online form. You can also learn more about our products by heading over to the shopping page!
To view Matthew Berry's entire top 200 list for 2014, head over to this ESPN article. We're not going to waste our time with the Kickers and Defenses... With the exception of Seattle and San Francisco, these positions are a dime-a-dozen. There are, however, a number of players that we are intrigued with as we enter the 2014 NFL season.
177 Harry Douglas, ATL
We're not sure that Harry Douglas will play more than 5 snaps / game in 2014. With the return of Julio Jones and Roddy White, Douglas will struggle to find playing time next year. We wouldn't rank Douglas in the top 200, let alone above breakout candidates Rod Streater and Andrew Hawkins.
172 Robert Woods, BUF
If you find yourself wondering, "How is Robert Woods ranked so low", you aren't the only one. Woods was one of the most explosive players in a Bills uniform in 2013, and is poised for a huge year in 2014. When you consider that Woods has an entire offseason to prepare with EJ Manuel, we're not sure why Matthew Berry has Woods ranked so low.
170 Brandon LaFell, NE
Tom Brady can make any receiver elite. LaFell is a big / strong man, and should be an asset to the New England offense in 2014.
169 Denard Robinson, JAC
One of the most explosive players in College football, but did not make much of an impact in the NFL during his rookie year. We're not sure what Matthew Berry is thinking ranking Robinson above Ace Sanders, Robert Woods, and Jerrel Jernigan.
161 Ladarius Green, SD
Green might be one of the great young Tight Ends in 2014. Remember how Julius Thomas exploded onto the scene in 2013? We think Green could do the same thing in 2014. Green is a big body, has excellent hands, and is a matchup nightmare.
156 Marcus Lattimore, SF
We believe that Marcuc Lattimore could be be an elite fantasy grab in 2014. It remains to be seen, however, how he will play following his second devastating knee injury. We were a bit surprised to see teammate Kendall Hunter one spot above him, given the ceiling that each player has.
Entire List from Matthew Berry 151-200
151 Justin Hunter, TEN 152 Jordan Todman, JAC 153 Greg Jennings, MIN 154 Antonio Gates, SD 155 Kendall Hunter, SF 156 Marcus Lattimore, SF 157 Knile Davis, KC 158 Christine Michael, SEA 159 Jermaine Kearse, SEA 160 Heath Miller, PIT 161 Ladarius Green, SD 162 Garrett Graham, HOU 163 Lance Dunbar, DAL 164 Stephen Hill, NYJ 165 Denarius Moore, OAK 166 Mike Williams, TB 167 Jacquizz Rodgers, ATL 168 Roy Helu, WSH 169 Denard Robinson, JAC 170 Brandon LaFell, NE 171 Jerrel Jernigan, NYG 172 Robert Woods, BUF 173 Ace Sanders, JAC 174 Peyton Hillis, NYG 175 Marcel Reece, OAK 176 Benny Cunningham, STL 177 Harry Douglas, ATL 178 Antone Smith, ATL 179 Andrew Hawkins, CIN 180 Vick Ballard, IND 181 Rod Streater, OAK 182 Denver Broncos, DEN 183 Arizona Cardinals, ARI 184 Kansas City Chiefs, KC 185 New Orleans Saints, NO 186 Baltimore Ravens, BAL 187 St. Louis Rams, STL 188 New York Giants, NYG 189 Matt Prater, DEN 190 Stephen Gostkowski, NE 191 Justin Tucker, BAL 192 Adam Vinatieri, IND 193 Steven Hauschka, SEA 194 Dan Bailey, DAL 195 Blair Walsh, MIN 196 Matt Bryant, ATL 197 Phil Dawson, SF 198 Mason Crosby, GB 199 Nick Novak, SD 200 Robbie Gould, CHI