RB Dynasty Rankings - 16/03/12

Rankings based on 0.5 PPR scoring (more comments to be added shortly)


Tier 1

This is the position I find the most difficult to rank. So many of these players have been hampered by injuries and this is part of the reason I prefer to fill my teams with top quality WR's.

McCoy's an excellent dual threat.

1a. LeSean McCoy - He and Rice are almost inseparable. I've put McCoy as 1a partly because of Cam Cameron and his reluctance to fully run the offense through Rice. McCoy is an excellent receiver and continually finds yards where he has no business doing so.
1b. Ray Rice - see above

3. Arian Foster - Another very strong season from Foster, he was never going to repeat his 2010 stats. The only knock on Foster is that both Ben Tate and Derrick Ward posted good numbers while he was injured and there's an argument that a large part of Foster's production is down to the Kubiak/Texans system and not his talent.

Tier 2

Can Charles bounce back?

A lot of injuries in this group and while many of the players here could challenge the top 3 I just don't feel comfortable ranking them there yet.

 4. Trent Richardson (rookie) - I know some will criticise how high I have Richardson however I see this as similar to the situation with Luck. If he shows anything like what he is capable of your opportunity to get him will be gone.
5. Ryan Matthews - Quietly had a very good season in San Diego despite being bitten with the injury bug yet again. Finished the season as RB8 and with Tolbert a UFA I don't see how he doesn't improve on that next year.
6. Matt Forte - The No4 RB before his injury in week 12, Forte really was the Bears offense (his contribution worked out at 40% of their total offensive yards). The knee injury is a concern, as is the uncertainty over the direction of the Bears, however Forte has shown the talent to perform in less than ideal situations in the past.
7. Jamaal Charles - A lot will be nervous of Charles at this spot due to the horrific knee injury he suffered at the start of the year. I personally believe he's still young enough to come back and be productive, Haley is gone and the new Chiefs staff will hopefully unlock Charles' full potential.
8. Jonathan Stewart - Finished the season with two strong performances and still only 24 years old. Despite having been in the league for 4 years he's had a relatively low number of touches. DeAngelo Williams has failed to live up to his large contract and Stewart is talented enough to pass him in 2012
9. Chris Johnson - A huge disappointment this year as he didn't look interested for large parts of the season. He has too much talent to fall outside the top 10 just yet though. One worrying area is Johnson's reliance on his speed, he's had a lot of carries in the last few years and if he starts to slow down his production could come to a screeching halt.
10. Darren McFadden - Despite his huge talent has consistently missed time over the last few seasons. Would be higher if he could stay healthy.

 

Tier 3

.

11. Adrian Peterson - A terrible knee injury late in the year has put Peterson's 2012 in doubt and could have serious impacts on his long term future. Widely considered as the best RB prospect in years it'll be a shame if he's unable to play at that high level again.
12. Maurice Jones-Drew - Defied the critics and had his best season to date in 2011, however this offseason will again be filled with discussion of how long he can continue. Jones Drew has been in the league a long time and taken a lot of hits during that time, it's only sensible this into account when valuing him.
13. Demarco Murray - Ahead of schedule with his injury. With rumours of Felix being traded he should be 'the guy' in 2012.

Tier 4

14. Marshawn Lynch
15. Ahmad Bradshaw
16. C.J. Spiller - Fred Jackson is another year older and Spiller finally started to show his potential towards the tail end of last year. Look for this to be more of a 50-50 split in 2012.
17. Chris 'Beanie' Wells - Ryan Williams knee injury may well have saved his career. Looked great when healthy last year but continues to be plagued by knocks/niggles.
18. Mark Ingram - Everything went wrong for him last year. Could be mired in a RBBC for the forseeable future.

Tier 5


19. David Wilson
20. Doug Martin
21. Lamar Miller
22. Steven Jackson
23. Frank Gore
24. Rashard Mendenhall - Late season knee injury severly impacts his value.
25. Darren Sproles
26. Peyton Hillis
27. Reggie Bush

Tier 6

28. Michael Bush
29. Felix Jones
30. Fred Jackson

Tier 7

31. DeAngelo Williams
32. Pierre Thomas
33. Daniel Thomas
34. Jacquizz Rodgers
35. LeGarrette Blount
36. Roy Helu
37. Benjarvus Green-Ellis
38. Michael Turner
39. Shonn Greene
40. Jahvid Best - I think he may be done, such a shame as he had amazing talent.
41. Willis McGahee
42. Stevan Ridley
43. Bernard Scott





I welcome discussion on any of my rankings so please feel free to leave a comment.

QB Dynasty Rankings - 16/03/12

Here's my rough updated rankings:

Tier 1

 A clear top 4 and no chance from last time.



Newton surprised almost everyone this year.



 1. Aaron Rodgers - A clear #1 here due to his age and elite play

2. Drew Brees - Age is a factor however I wouldn't tend to look more than three years into the future and he should continue to produce top 5 numbers during that period.

3. Cam Newton - A totally unique prospect at the QB position. Far exceeded my expectations of what he could do in the NFL as a rookie. A capable passer with a huge run threat, if it wasn't for the risk of a Culpepper like regression he'd be higher.

4. Matthew Stafford - Concerned by his high no. of attempts but with Megatron's new deal he should be good for years to come, expect a regression though.

Tier 2

The next group of players are all ranked very closely for me.

The next Peyton Manning?

5. Andrew Luck (rookie) - The most hyped prospect since Elway. Obviously a huge risk at this position however if he shows even a glimpse of his potential this year he'll be almost impossible to acquire in most leagues.
6. Philip Rivers - A poor season by comparison last year however I expect him to bounce back next year, still young enough to have value for a long time to come.
7. Tom Brady - The oldest player in this tier and this is largely what leads to his lower ranking. Continues to put up strong numbers but is far more likely to retire in the next few years.
8. Robert Griffin III (rookie) - Washington's cap penalty might limit his weapons in the short term but Griffin has the potential to be very special.
9. Eli Manning - Just won a Superbowl and this year posted excellent numbers. No reason this can't continue with Cruz & Nicks.
10. Tony Romo - Great receiving weapons in Witten, Austin & Bryant. Robinson probably won't be back but that shouldn't matter with the other talent in Dallas.
11. Matt Ryan - A solid fantasy prospect, you know what you're going to get with Ryan. He had a good second half of the season and with a healthy Julio Jones could continue to improve going in to the 2012 season.

Tier 3

Difficult to separate any of these guys as nothing stands out.

12. Jay Cutler - Cutler receives a bump due to the acquisition of Marshall
13. Ben Roethlisberger
14. Joe Flacco
15. Josh Freeman - Addition of VJax , Nicks and potentially Richardson really helps him
16. Matt Schaub
17. Peyton Manning - With the news he's about the sign somewhere Peyton rejoins the rankings.


Tier 4
This tier is practically interchangeable, many of the players here are in flux and I'm waiting for clarity on their situations before separating them.

18. Sam Bradford - Suffering from Alex Smith/Jason Campbell syndrome. He'll be learning his third offensive system in three years.
19. Matt Flynn - So much of his value is linked to where he goes in FA.
20. Michael Vick
21. Alex Smith
22. Andy Dalton

Tier 5
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick
24. Ryan Tannehill
25. Christian Ponder
26. Tim Tebow
27. Jake Locker
Tier 6
28. Blaine Gabbert
29. Matt Moore
30. Carson Palmer
31. Mark Sanchez

Tier 7
32. Ryan Mallett
33. Matt Cassel
34. Brian Hoyer

I welcome discussion on any of my rankings so feel free to leave a comment.

TE Dynasty Rankings - 08/02/12

Tier 1

These guys are too close to call. It really comes down to personal preference but in all honesty if you've got either of these guys you're set for a long time to come. I've decided to put Gronk top due to the fact he's three years younger than Graham, however it's unlikely that he repeats his gaudy TD totals from 2011 so don't be surprised if Graham outperforms him next year.

1a Rob Gronkowski
1b Jimmy Graham

Tier 2

Watch out, we got a badass over here.

3. Vernon Davis - Coming off a strong end to the season and a couple of huge playoff performances, "VD" should pick up where he left off next season. He is Alex Smith's go to guy and with such blistering speed he's a mismatch nightmare.
4. Aaron Hernandez - It's unheard of for an offense to produce two Top 3 TE's but somehow New England has managed it. Hernandez is the Ying to Gronkowski's Yang and is really more of a WR. While he's nowhere near the blocker that "Gronk" is Hernandez offers amazing versatility, even lining up at RB during the playoffs. Still only 22 years old.
5. Antonio Gates - The old man on campus was the #3 TE during the second half of the season. His foot concerns will always be there and could flare up at any time but he should be good for another 2-3 years of elite TE production if he can stay healthy.
6. Jermichael Finley - A disappointing season for Finley, he had a couple of huge games but was MIA for large parts of the year. With so many receivers in Green Bay he's going to have these ups and downs and with the team looking at using the franchise tag on him it looks like this could continue into next year.

Tier 3

7. Jason Witten - Extremely consistent player, getting older however and as more weapons emerge in Dallas (Bryant, Robinson at WR and Murray at RB) he could see his share of the pie reduce. He hasn't really got any worse (Five top 5 seasons in a row) it's simply that the TE position as a whole has improved and young players have passed him.
8. Brandon Pettigrew -
9. Owen Daniels
10. Jermaine Gresham -
11. Jared Cook - Came on greatly at the end of the season, could finally be getting it together.
12. Fred Davis - PED suspension hurt him and is a red flag however it looks like Redskins will use the Franchise Tag on Davis ahead of Laron Landry, a signal of just how much they value him.

Tier 4

13. Brent Celek
14. Kyle Rudolph - Should be the starter in Minnesota next year, impressed last season as a rookie but was overshadowed by the performance of 2nd year TE's.
15. Ed Dickson
16. Dennis Pitta
17. Dustin Keller
18. Greg Olsen

Tier 5

19. Kellen Winslow
20. Marcedes Lewis
21. Heath Miller
22. James Casey
23. Tony Moeaki

Tier 6

24. D.J. Williams
25. Zach Miller
26. Chris Cooley
27. Dallas Clark
28. Tony Gonzalez - This will be his final season. If you need a one year option he can produce however that's really all you're going to get.

WR Dynasty Rankings - 08/02/12

Comments To Follow

Tier 1

1. Calvin Johnson - "Megatron" is probably the #1 Overall dynasty player at this moment in time and rightly so. He has better natural physical gifts than almost anyone in the league and a great Quarterback throwing him the ball. He slowed during the second half of the season before finishing with three 200 yard games in Detroit's last four. Still only 26, I don't see him moving from this spot for a while.

Tier 2

Future No1?

2. Larry Fitzgerald - Despite having a down year in receptions in 2011 Fitz posted his second highest yards total to date, this while dealing with some terrible QB play for the second straight year. Rumours are rife that the Cardinals are strongly interested in Peyton Manning and although unlikely, should he sign this would be the start of a great partnership.

3. A.J. Green - Highly touted out of college, Green still managed to greatly exceed expectations in 2011. His future value is linked to the progress of fellow first year player Andy Dalton however if last year was a sign of things to come Green has a very bright future.

4. Hakeem Nicks - Victor Cruz may have stolen the spotlight during the regular season with his spectacular breakout year, however Nicks reminded everyone who the real #1 receiver for the Giants was during the playoffs. His 444 Yards and 4 TD's in 4 games is 2nd only to Larry Fitzgerald in terms of postseason success. It should also be noted that although he was overshadowed by Cruz he still posted similar regular season numbers to 2010 with the only difference coming in the form of TD's.

Tier 3

5. Wes Welker - As long as Brady and BB are there Welker is guaranteed around 90 catches. He's getting older and definitely needs NE as much as they need him but you can't argue with his stats. It's scary to think he had a major knee injury only a few season ago.
6. Roddy White - You know what you get with Roddy White, consistent production. He's not the flashiest and has a lower ceiling than many on this list but there's something to be said for a player you can set your watch by.
7. Andre Johnson - He's never had the TD numbers a receiver of his quality should and injuries started to hamper him in 2011. Still a great player but not the fantasy option he once was.
8. Julio Jones - The Predator lookalike was certainly a beast on the field when healthy. The issue was that that was very rarely the case. Still, despite missing 5 games he had almost 1000 yards and 8 TD's with three multiple touchdown performances. He and Roddy White will continue to benefit from the others presence and if Jones can stay healthy there's very few players who can stop him.


Bryant upon finding out his diamonds were being repossessed.



9. Greg Jennings - Jennings is the one Green Bay receiver who is not limited by the play of his offense. While other weapons all seem to take turns having big weeks, Jennings consistently produced in 2011. With the potential departure of Jermichael Finley there could still be room for improvement.

10. Dez Bryant - Bryant has #1 receiver physical skills and all world talent. Why is he then ranked at #10? He's had a serious of off the field issues, most recently an incident in a Miami nightclub. These scream immaturity and hopefully he will grow up quickly. More concerning however, are the reports that Bryant struggled late in games due to a lack of conditioning and his understanding of the playbook. Having been with the team for two years these should not be an issue and are definite red flags.

Tier 4

11. Dwayne Bowe - Expected to resign with KC. Had another good season in 2011 despite failing to match his huge TD totals from the year before.
12. Percy Harvin - Had success with both Ponder and Webb, great dual threat weapon who could contribute at RB if Peterson starts 2012 on the PUP.
13. Mike Wallace - Big play threat. Boom/bust potential every week.
14. Victor Cruz - Nervous about a regression next year. Could quickly move up rankings
15. Jordy Nelson - See Mike Wallace
16. Vincent Jackson - Most likely won't be back with the Chargers, his destination should help determine where he belongs in this tier.
17. Antonio Brown - Emerged as Big Ben's go to guy during the second half of the year and should see this continue in 2012.

Tier 5

18. Steve Smith - Showed last year he can still play, getting on in terms of years though.
19. Marques Colston
20. Steve Johnson
21. Miles Austin
22. Jeremy Maclin
23. Brandon Marshall
24. Brandon Lloyd - If he links up with Josh McD in NE next year he value jumps dramatically.
25. Kenny Britt - Could move up 10 spots if he comes back healthy and dedicated after a brutal knee injury
26. Demaryius Thomas
27. Desean Jackson

Tier 6

28. Denarius Moore
29. Torrey Smith
30. Michael Crabtree
31. Mike Williams (TB)
32. Greg Little
33. Laurent Robinson
34. Austin Collie - Perhaps he'll get Luck-y next year and bounce back. Concussions still a concern.
35. Santonio Holmes
36. Reggie Wayne - Value depends on his next destination. See Vincent Jackson.

Tier 7

37. Jonathan Baldwin
38. Sidney Rice
39. Jacoby Ford
40. Randall Cobb
41. Eric Decker
42. Mario Manningham
43. Earl Bennett
44. Pierre Garcon
45. Damian Williams
46. Emmanuel Sanders
47. Santana Moss
48. Darrius Heyward-Bey
49. Nate Washington
50. Anquan Boldin

Tier 8

51. Lance Moore
52. Greg Salas
53. Titus Young
54. Brandon LaFell
55. Jordan Shipley
56. Doug Baldwin

RB Dynasty Rankings - 08/02/12

Rankings based on 0.5 PPR scoring (more comments to be added shortly)


Tier 1

This is the position I find the most difficult to rank. So many of these players have been hampered by injuries and this is part of the reason I prefer to fill my teams with top quality WR's.

McCoy's an excellent dual threat.

1a. LeSean McCoy - He and Rice are almost inseparable. I've put McCoy as 1a partly because of Cam Cameron and his reluctance to fully run the offense through Rice. McCoy is an excellent receiver and continually finds yards where he has no business doing so.
1b. Ray Rice - see above

3. Arian Foster - Another very strong season from Foster, he was never going to repeat his 2010 stats. The only knock on Foster is that both Ben Tate and Derrick Ward posted good numbers while he was injured and there's an argument that a large part of Foster's production is down to the Kubiak/Texans system and not his talent.

Tier 2

Can Charles bounce back?

A lot of injuries in this group and while many of the players here could challenge the top 3 I just don't feel comfortable ranking them there yet.

 4. Trent Richardson (rookie) - I know some will criticise how high I have Richardson however I see this as similar to the situation with Luck. If he shows anything like what he is capable of your opportunity to get him will be gone.
5. Ryan Matthews - Quietly had a very good season in San Diego despite being bitten with the injury bug yet again. Finished the season as RB8 and with Tolbert a UFA I don't see how he doesn't improve on that next year.
6. Jamaal Charles - A lot will be nervous of Charles at this spot due to the horrific knee injury he suffered at the start of the year. I personally believe he's still young enough to come back and be productive, Haley is gone and the new Chiefs staff will hopefully unlock Charles' full potential.
7. Matt Forte - The No4 RB before his injury in week 12, Forte really was the Bears offense (his contribution worked out at 40% of their total offensive yards). The knee injury is a concern, as is the uncertainty over the direction of the Bears, however Forte has shown the talent to perform in less than ideal situations in the past.
8. Darren McFadden - Despite his huge talent has consistently missed time over the last few seasons. Would be higher if he could stay healthy.

9. Chris Johnson - A huge disappointment this year as he didn't look interested for large parts of the season. He has too much talent to fall outside the top 10 just yet though. One worrying area is Johnson's reliance on his speed, he's had a lot of carries in the last few years and if he starts to slow down his production could come to a screeching halt.

Tier 3

10. Jonathan Stewart - Finished the season with two strong performances and still only 24 years old. Despite having been in the league for 4 years he's had a relatively low number of touches. DeAngelo Williams has failed to live up to his large contract and Stewart is talented enough to pass him in 2012.

11. Adrian Peterson - A terrible knee injury late in the year has put Peterson's 2012 in doubt and could have serious impacts on his long term future. Widely considered as the best RB prospect in years it'll be a shame if he's unable to play at that high level again.
12. Maurice Jones-Drew - Defied the critics and had his best season to date in 2011, however this offseason will again be filled with discussion of how long he can continue. Jones Drew has been in the league a long time and taken a lot of hits during that time, it's only sensible this into account when valuing him.

Tier 4

13. Marshawn Lynch
14. Demarco Murray - Ahead of schedule with his injury. With rumours of Felix being traded he should be 'the guy' in 2012.
15. Ahmad Bradshaw
16. C.J. Spiller - Fred Jackson is another year older and Spiller finally started to show his potential towards the tail end of last year. Look for this to be more of a 50-50 split in 2012.
17. Chris 'Beanie' Wells - Ryan Williams knee injury may well have saved his career. Looked great when healthy last year but continues to be plagued by knocks/niggles.
18. Mark Ingram - Everything went wrong for him last year. Could be mired in a RBBC for the forseeable future.

Tier 5

19. Steven Jackson
20. Frank Gore
21. Rashard Mendenhall - Late season knee injury severly impacts his value.
22. Darren Sproles
23. Reggie Bush

Tier 6

24. Michael Bush
25. DeAngelo Williams
26. Felix Jones
27. Fred Jackson

Tier 7

28. Pierre Thomas
29. Daniel Thomas
30. Jacquizz Rodgers
31. Peyton Hillis
32. LeGarrette Blount
33. Roy Helu
34. Benjarvus Green-Ellis
35. Michael Turner
36. Shonn Greene
37. Jahvid Best - I think he may be done, such a shame as he had amazing talent.
38. Willis McGahee
39. Stevan Ridley
40. Bernard Scott





I welcome discussion on any of my rankings so please feel free to leave a comment.

QB Dynasty Rankings - 08/02/12

Here's my rough first attempt at some QB rankings for dynasty leagues (6pts per passing TD)

Tier 1

 A clear top 4.



Newton surprised almost everyone this year.



 1. Aaron Rodgers - A clear #1 here due to his age and elite play

2. Drew Brees - Age is a factor however I wouldn't tend to look more than three years into the future and he should continue to produce top 5 numbers during that period.

3. Cam Newton - A totally unique prospect at the QB position. Far exceeded my expectations of what he could do in the NFL as a rookie. A capable passer with a huge run threat, if it wasn't for the risk of a Culpepper like regression he'd be higher.

4. Matthew Stafford - Recently voted AP Comeback Player of the Year (really?), Stafford threw for over 5000yds last season. He's paired up with the best WR in the game and if the Lions have any sense this should continue for years to come.

Tier 2

The next group of players are all ranked very closely for me.

The next Peyton Manning?

5. Philip Rivers - A poor season by comparison last year however I expect him to bounce back next year, still young enough to have value for a long time to come.
6. Andrew Luck (rookie) - The most hyped prospect since Elway. Obviously a huge risk at this position however if he shows even a glimpse of his potential this year he'll be almost impossible to acquire in most leagues.
7. Tom Brady - The oldest player on this list and this is largely what leads to his lower ranking. Continues to put up strong numbers but is far more likely to retire in the next few years.
8. Eli Manning - Just won a Superbowl and this year posted excellent numbers. No reason this can't continue with Cruz & Nicks.
9. Tony Romo - Great receiving weapons in Witten, Austin & Bryant. Robinson probably won't be back but that shouldn't matter with the other talent in Dallas.
10. Matt Ryan - A solid fantasy prospect, you know what you're going to get with Ryan. He had a good second half of the season and with a healthy Julio Jones could continue to improve going in to the 2012 season.

Tier 3

Difficult to separate any of these guys as nothing stands out.
11. Ben Roethlisberger
12. Jay Cutler
13. Joe Flacco
14. Matt Schaub

Tier 4

This tier is practically interchangeable, many of the players here are in flux and I'm waiting for clarity on their situations before separating them.
15. Matt Flynn - So much of his value is linked to where he goes in FA.
16. Michael Vick17. Alex Smith
18. Andy Dalton
19. Josh Freeman - Terrible 2011 but I'm convinced he can bounce back.
20. Robert Griffin III - Slightly concerned over RG3's transition from a spread system, however if he ends up with Mike Holmgren that should definitely help his chances of success.
21. Sam Bradford - Suffering from Alex Smith/Jason Campbell syndrome. He'll be learning his third offensive system in three years.

Tier 5

22. Tim Tebow
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick
24. Christian Ponder
25. Jake Locker

Tier 6

26. Blaine Gabbert
27. Matt Moore
28. Carson Palmer
29. Mark Sanchez

Tier 7

30. Ryan Mallett
31. Matt Cassel
32. Brian Hoyer

I welcome discussion on any of my rankings so feel free to leave a comment.

2012 Rookie Draft



Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)


Our yearly rookie draft will begin on Monday the 7th of May 2012. The Prestonpans Pirates have the first pick and seem sure to select Running Back Trent Richardson from Alabama. It's a lot less clear after that as team needs begin to come in to play however the next two picks are almost certainly going to be Andrew Luck (QB) and Justin Blackmon (WR).

The 1st round Draft Order in full (picks in bold accquired via trade):

1.01 Prestonpans Pirates
1.02 Melbourne Patriots
1.03 Jambo Broncos
1.04 Goldenacre Giants
1.05 Saughton Seahawks
1.06 Craigentinny Chargers
1.07 Inver Nessies
1.08 Craigentinny Chargers
1.09 Jambo Broncos
1.10 Dunedin Bucs
1.11 Inver Nessies
1.12 Jambo Broncos
1.13 Inver Nessies
1.14 Corstorphine Cowboys
1.15 Booboys Bengals
1.16 Craigentinny Chargers