We break down the 2016 Sporting News Fantasy Top 200 rankings here, giving you potential breakouts, top rookies, running back handcuffs and late-round “Zero-RB Theory” answers. And, of course, we’ll be making updates throughout the preseason in response to injuries, position battles, cuts, trades, and whatever else happens between now and Week 1.
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Why 200? Well, your standard 12-team, 16-round draft rosters 192 total players. So, you will see, on average, at least 24 quarterbacks, 50 running backs, 65 wide receivers, 18 tight ends, 15 defense/special teams and 12 kickers selected. These are the essential fantasy football players to select.
It’s all here, so don’t get overwhelmed. Fantasy football is supposed to be fun, after all.
2016 fantasy football rankings, top picks, sleepers
- = more value in PPR leagues
Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers
Julio Jones, WR, Falcons
Todd Gurley, RB, Rams
Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, Giants
Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons*
David Johnson, RB, Cardinals*
Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots
Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Texans
A.J. Green, WR, Bengals
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys
Lamar Miller, RB, Texans*
Analysis: The wild card here is the rookie Elliott, who hasn’t played a down for the Cowboys yet – not even in the preseason. The Cowboys offensive line and expected focus on the ground game can be a huge boon for the rookie out of Ohio State, though, so you will see many reach for him even earlier than No. 11 overall.
For this writer’s money, Elliott is a very risky first-round pick. The No. 1 rookie running back going into the season has disappointed in recent years. Remember Melvin Gordon in 2015?
2016 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS BY POSITION: Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
LeSean McCoy, RB, Bills
Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars
Cam Newton, QB, Panthers
Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers
Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys
Alshon Jeffery, WR, Bears
Doug Martin, RB, Buccaneers
Mark Ingram, RB, Saints*
Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills
Analysis: Wait on quarterbacks, wait on quarterbacks and wait some more – that’s easily the most played-out draft strategy among fantasy analysts. Here’s fantasy’s reality: It doesn’t always work out well.
Come the second round, when you’re picking between a banged-up, aged-out running back and an older wide receiver playing with a shaky quarterback, you are better off taking the sure-thing: A star QB like Cam Newton or Aaron Rodgers.
DRAFT STRATEGY AND TIERS: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | D/STs | PPR
Brandon Marshall, WR, Jets*
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos*
Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers*
Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers
Brandin Cooks, WR, Saints*
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts
Andrew Luck, QB, Colts
Thomas Rawls, RB, Seahawks
Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders
Matt Forte, RB, Jets
Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Panthers
Analysis: The run on wide receivers won’t stop after the first couple of rounds. The dangers of running backs, the depth of quarterbacks, and the hodgepodge of tight ends will keep owners gobbling up the top 20 wideouts.
As we wrote in the wide receiver strategies, honing in on the players who get the majority of their team’s targets and do damage in the red zone is paramount. The last pick of this hypothetical third round, the Panthers’ Benjamin, is a huge breakout candidate because he is working with the No. 1 quarterback and has his draft value suppressed by a 2015 injury.
Had Benjamin not gotten hurt in his sophomore season, having him for his Year 3 breakout would likely have required picking him in Round 1. First-round value at the end of Round 3 is a beautiful thing.
SLEEPERS: 12 WRs | 7 QBs | 14 RBs | 9 TEs | One from each team
DeMarco Murray, RB, Titans
Eddie Lacy, RB, Packers
Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks
Carlos Hyde, RB, 49ers
Latavius Murray, RB, Raiders
Jeremy Langford, RB, Bears
Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals
Michael Floyd, WR, Cardinals
C.J. Anderson, RB, Broncos
Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots*
Randall Cobb, WR, Packers
Golden Tate, WR, Lions*
Analysis: With wideouts dominating the fantasy landscape through the first three rounds, expect to see a major running back run in Round 4. You will want to have at least one running back by the end of this round; failing to do so might make your wideouts strong, but you are going to be playing with some scraps at fantasy’s most difficult position – even if it is no longer fantasy’s keystone position.
It should be noted, through four rounds, your draft should feature just four quarterbacks and one tight end off the board, while the top 20 receivers and running backs will all be virtually dried up.
RELATED: Instant, customizable mock drafts | Experts Draft
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers
Greg Olsen, TE, Panthers
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals*
Michael Crabtree, WR, Raiders*
Drew Brees, QB, Saints
Jordan Reed, TE, Redskins
Allen Hurns, WR, Jaguars
Jeremy Maclin, WR, Chiefs
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seahawks
Jarvis Landry, WR, Dolphins*
Eric Decker, WR, Jets
Chris Ivory, RB, Jaguars
Analysis: We consider Round 5 the time to start considering the second tier of quarterbacks and tight ends, but only do so if you have your running backs and wide receivers in good shape. As we wrote in the tight end draft strategies , you are justified waiting a long, long time to pick your tight end if you don’t get Rob Gronkowski in the middle of Round 1.
BUSTS: Beware of these 20 players
Giovani Bernard, RB, Bengals*
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Broncos
Donte Moncrief, WR, Colts
Danny Woodhead, RB, Chargers*
Matt Jones, RB, Redskins
Tavon Austin, WR, Rams
Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles
Delanie Walker, TE, Titans*
Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars
DeSean Jackson, WR, Redskins
Arian Foster, RB, Dolphins*
Frank Gore, RB, Colts
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Lions
Ryan Mathews, RB, Eagles
Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
Carson Palmer, QB, Cardinals
John Brown, WR, Cardinals
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks
Gary Barnidge, TE, Browns
Coby Fleener, TE, Saints*
Markus Wheaton, WR, Steelers
Travis Benjamin, WR, Chargers
Melvin Gordon, RB, Chargers
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Steelers
Derek Carr, QB, Raiders
Eli Manning, QB, Giants
DeVante Parker, WR, Dolphins
Torrey Smith, WR, 49ers
Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers
Arizona Cardinals D/ST
Denver Broncos D/ST
Jay Ajayi, RB, Dolphins
Tevin Coleman, RB, Falcons
Duke Johnson, RB, Browns*
Seattle Seahawks D/ST
Julius Thomas, TE, Jaguars
Carolina Panthers D/ST
LeGarrette Blount, RB, Patriots
Tom Brady, QB, Patriots
Spencer Ware, RB, Chiefs
Analysis: Through Round 8 you will want to have at least one trustworthy backup at wide receiver and running back, if not a few of them. You shouldn’t even stress about not having a quarterback, tight end or defense/special teams. Having four wideouts and four running backs from the top 100 players is still a pretty good place to be.
MOCK DRAFTS: 12-team PPR | 14-team PPR | Experts League
Vincent Jackson, WR, Buccaneers
Derrick Henry, RB, Titans
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jaguars*
Rashad Jennings, RB, Giants
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Bills
Willie Snead, WR, Saints
Sterling Shepard, WR, Giants
Kansas City Chiefs D/ST
James White, RB, Patriots*
Kirk Cousins, QB, Redskins
Buck Allen, RB, Ravens*
Breshad Perriman, WR, Ravens
Mohamed Sanu, WR, Falcons
Paul Perkins, RB, Giants
Stefon Diggs, WR, Vikings
Houston Texans D/ST
Terrance Williams, WR, Cowboys
Josh Gordon, WR, Browns
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions
Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Bears
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Eagles
Michael Thomas, WR, Saints
Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers
Sammie Coates, WR, Steelers
Devin Funchess, WR, Panthers
Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals
Los Angeles Rams D/ST
Marcus Mariota, QB, Titans
Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers
Steve Smith Sr., WR, Ravens*
Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons
James Starks, RB, Packers
Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Panthers*
Dwayne Allen, TE, Colts
Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles
Jimmy Graham, TE, Seahawks
Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals
Pierre Garcon, WR, Redskins
Stephen Gostkowski, K, Patriots
Justin Tucker, K, Ravens
Steven Hauschka, K, Seahawks
Eric Ebron, TE, Lions
DeAndre Washington, RB, Raiders*
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Jets
Corey Coleman, WR, Browns
Laquon Treadwell, WR, Vikings
Minnesota Vikings D/ST
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Colts
Kamar Aiken, WR, Ravens*
Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals
Josh Doctson, WR, Redskins
Devontae Booker, RB, Broncos*
Theo Riddick, RB, Lions*
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Buccaneers
Martellus Bennett, TE, Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST
Reggie Bush, RB, Bills
Kenjon Barner, RB, Eagles
Darren Sproles, RB, Eagles*
Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Panthers
Rishard Matthews, WR, Titans
166. Tajae Sharpe, WR, Titans*
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Dolphins
Zach Miller, TE, Bears*
Bilal Powell, RB, Jets*
Robert Kelley, RB, Redskins
Justin Forsett, RB, Ravens (Note: Forsett is expected to sign with the Ravens prior to Week 1)
Chris Johnson, RB, Cardinals
Will Fuller, WR, Texans
New England Patriots D/ST
Alfred Morris, RB, Cowboys
Jay Cutler, QB, Bears
Justin Hardy, WR, Falcons
Danny Amendola, WR, Patriots*
Nelson Agholor, WR, Eagles
Brandon LaFell, WR, Bengals
Vance McDonald, TE, 49ers*
Robert Turbin, RB, Colts
Jared Cook, TE, Packers
Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys*
Mike Gillislee, RB, Bills
New York Jets D/ST
Chris Hogan, WR, Patriots
Virgil Green, TE, Broncos
Eli Rogers, WR, Steelers
Jaelen Strong, WR, Texans
Graham Gano, K, Panthers
Chandler Catanzaro, K, Cardinals
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST
Blair Walsh, K, Vikings
Cairo Santos, K, Chiefs
Brandon McManus, K, Broncos
Adam Vinatieri, K, Colts
Dan Bailey, K, Cowboys
Mason Crosby, K, Packers
Chris Boswell, K, Steelers
