NOTE: These player rankings track a player’s value for the remainder of the season and are intended to be used as a tool, not necessarily a definitive guide to player valuation. The scoring system is performance PPR.

There is no exact science behind season-long rankings, considering all of the variables and situational uncertainties at work. Defensive teams have been added but will not have analysis.

QUARTERBACKS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team	Bye
1		Patrick Mahomes	KC	12
2		Deshaun Watson	HOU	10
3		Aaron Rodgers	GB	11
4		Matt Ryan	ATL	9
5		Lamar Jackson	BAL	8
6		Carson Wentz	PHI	10
7	11	Tom Brady	NE	10
8	4	Baker Mayfield	CLE	7
9		Dak Prescott	DAL	8
10	7	Jared Goff	LAR	9
11		Russell Wilson	SEA	11
12		Cam Newton	CAR	7
13		Kyler Murray	ARI	12
14		Philip Rivers	LAC	12
15		Jameis Winston	TB	7
16		M. Stafford	DET	5
17	24	Jacoby Brissett	IND	6
18		Kirk Cousins	MIN	12
19		Josh Allen	BUF	6
20	17	Andy Dalton	CIN	9
21		Jimmy Garoppolo	SF	4
22	16	Derek Carr	OAK	6
23		Drew Brees	NO	9
24		M. Trubisky	CHI	6
25		Daniel Jones	NYG	11
26		Gardner Minshew	JAC	10
27		Mason Rudolph	PIT	7
28	25	Joe Flacco	DEN	10
29	27	Marcus Mariota	TEN	11
30		Teddy Bridgewater	NO	9
31		Sam Darnold	NYJ	4
32	NR	Kyle Allen	CAR	7
33		Josh Rosen	MIA	5
34		Dwayne Haskins	WAS	10
35		Case Keenum	WAS	10
36	34	R. Fitzpatrick	MIA	5
37		Nick Foles	JAC	10
38		Ryan Tannehill	TEN	11
39		Eli Manning	NYG	11

QUARTERBACK MOVEMENT

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Danny Dimes had a tremendous debut, but I’m not moving him for three reasons: 1) I moved him into Eli Manning’s slot on the cusp of QB2 status to begin with, 2) Barkley’s injury and the team’s deficit led to an unsustainable run/pass balance, and 3) I’m not convinced the Bucs aren’t terrible. Upcoming games against the Vikings and Patriots should provide a much stiffer test.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Another player I’m not moving yet is Rodgers, who hasn’t exactly lit up the NFL. I look at Green Bay’s schedule thus far and see three top defenses, all of which have tremendous familiarity with Rodgers (Denver via HC Vic Fangio) and potent pass rushers. The schedule lightens considerably on that front in the coming weeks, so if Rodgers doesn’t pick it up statistically I’ll revisit.

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

A week ago I dropped Newton and said he looked hurt. Due to that adjustment I won’t be moving him again despite already having been ruled out for Week 4. Head coach Ron Rivera said there’s no timeline for Newton, so I’ll be looking to reassess next week. Kyle Allen looked great and enters the rankings, though it did come against the Cardinals. Houston won’t be as easy.

Others of note

I’m moving Baker Mayfield down a bit. I don’t like what I’ve seen from the offensive line or Freddie Kitchens’ play-calling… Russell Wilson had a huge game, but it came primarily in garbage time and was the antithesis of how the Seahawks want to play offense… Sean McVay’s refusal to use his backs in the passing game is an issue for Jared Goff… I can’t knock Carson Wentz given the health of his WRs and the ongoing problems with drops… I like what I’m seeing from Jacoby Brissett. He’s a solid No. 2 fantasy QB at this stage… My antenna is up on Deshaun Watson. He’s getting absolutely pounded. Make sure you have a quality backup on standby… Case Keenum turned the ball over four times Monday night. It’s only a matter of time before Dwayne Haskins takes over… The Jets are off this week so hopefully they’ll have some good news on Sam Darnold‘s condition when they reconvene for Week 5.

RUNNING BACKS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team	Bye
1		C. McCaffrey	CAR	7
2		Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	8
3		Dalvin Cook	MIN	12
4		Alvin Kamara	NO	9
5	12	Nick Chubb	CLE	7
6		Joe Mixon	CIN	9
7		Todd Gurley II	LAR	9
8		Le’Veon Bell	NYJ	4
9	13	Aaron Jones	GB	11
10	8	James Conner	PIT	7
11	6	David Johnson	ARI	12
12	25	Marlon Mack	IND	6
13	23	Mark Ingram II	BAL	8
14		Josh Jacobs	OAK	6
15		Chris Carson	SEA	11
16	18	L. Fournette	JAC	10
17		Kerryon Johnson	DET	5
18		Derrick Henry	TEN	11
19		Sony Michel	NE	10
20		Devonta Freeman	ATL	9
21	24	Austin Ekeler	LAC	12
22		D. Montgomery	CHI	6
23		James White	NE	10
24		Duke Johnson	HOU	10
25		Phillip Lindsay	DEN	10
26	20	M. Gordon III	LAC	12
27		Damien Williams	KC	12
28		Matt Breida	SF	4
29	35	Miles Sanders	PHI	10
30		D. Singletary	BUF	6
31		Carlos Hyde	HOU	10
32		Peyton Barber	TB	7
33	2	Saquon Barkley	NYG	11
34		Royce Freeman	DEN	10
35		LeSean McCoy	KC	12
36		Kenyan Drake	MIA	5
37	33	Tarik Cohen	CHI	6
38	36	Latavius Murray	NO	9
39		Rashaad Penny	SEA	11
40	45	Ronald Jones II	TB	7
41	50	Raheem Mostert	SF	4
42		A. Mattison	MIN	12
43		Jordan Howard	PHI	10
44	49	Frank Gore	BUF	6
45	41	Malcolm Brown	LAR	9
46		Kareem Hunt	CLE	7
47	56	Jamaal Williams	GB	11
48		Jaylen Samuels	PIT	7
49	53	Chris Thompson	WAS	10
50		Adrian Peterson	WAS	10
51	40	Tevin Coleman	SF	4
52	72	Wayne Gallman	NYG	11
53		Justice Hill	BAL	8
54	54	Justin Jackson	LAC	12
55		Tony Pollard	DAL	8
56		Nyheim Hines	IND	6
57		Darwin Thompson	KC	12
58		Ito Smith	ATL	9
59	46	Kalen Ballage	MIA	5
60		D. Henderson	LAR	9
61		Dion Lewis	TEN	11
62	NR	Jeff Wilson	SF	4
63		Jalen Richard	OAK	6
64		Derrius Guice	WAS	10
65		Darren Sproles	PHI	10
66		Ty Montgomery	NYJ	4
67		Giovani Bernard	CIN	9
68	NR	Rex Burkhead	NE	10
69		R. Armstead	JAC	10
70		T.J. Yeldon	BUF	6
71	NR	Ty Johnson	DET	5
72		Chase Edmonds	ARI	12
73		Mike Davis	CHI	6
74		Jordan Scarlett	CAR	7

RUNNING BACK MOVEMENT

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

By far the biggest injury of the NFL weekend, Barkley will reportedly miss between four and eight weeks with the longer timeline being more likely. That means a possible Barkley return in Week 12 for the final six games. For now I’m dropping him into the 30s, but he’s someone you should retain as a fresh Barkley could be a late-season beast. Wayne Gallman, who was decent as a rookie in 2017, comes way up and is worth grabbing.

San Francisco 49ers

Through three weeks the 49ers have had three RBs with at least six carries and none with more than 14 in each game. Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert are getting the most touches and yards, but Jeff Wilson has all four of the team’s rushing touchdowns. It’s a mess for fantasy owners, and one that figures to get worse whenever Tevin Coleman returns. I’ll keep tweaking things until I find the sweet spot, but right now I feel like Breida is the best bet for consistent value.

Others of note

I’m pretty sure Le’Veon Bell ran against an 11-man front in Week 3. Despite that, I’m not moving him until we hear a Darnold update after the team’s upcoming bye… Austin Ekeler continues to make the most of his opportunities, and there’s been no movement on the Melvin Gordon front despite LA’s shaky start so I’m officially moving Ekeler ahead of Gordon… I’m not concerned about Jamaal Williams getting more touches than Aaron Jones in Week 3. Williams was playing well, and it felt like the Packers wanted to limit Jones ahead of a Thursday night game. Both backs showed up on Monday’s injury report as limited participants… I dropped James Conner and David Johnson from solid RB1s to low-end RB1/high-end RB2s. Johnson is not excelling in the Cardinals offense like I thought, and I wasn’t encouraged by Conner’s performance in Mason Rudolph’s first start… I’m pleasantly surprised by Mark Ingram. All those years of splitting carries has kept him fresh for his age.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team	Bye
1		DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	10
2	3	Julio Jones	ATL	9
3		Davante Adams	GB	11
4		Michael Thomas	NO	9
5		O. Beckham Jr.	CLE	7
6		Mike Evans	TB	7
7	10	Keenan Allen	LAC	12
8	5	J. Smith-Schuster	PIT	7
9		Brandin Cooks	LAR	9
10		Adam Thielen	MIN	12
11		Cooper Kupp	LAR	9
12		Amari Cooper	DAL	8
13		Chris Godwin	TB	7
14		Kenny Golladay	DET	5
15	18	Julian Edelman	NE	10
16		Tyler Lockett	SEA	11
17		Robert Woods	LAR	9
18		Tyreek Hill	KC	12
19		DJ Moore	CAR	7
20		Tyler Boyd	CIN	9
21		Stefon Diggs	MIN	12
22		T.Y. Hilton	IND	6
23		Mike Williams	LAC	12
24		L. Fitzgerald	ARI	12
25		Calvin Ridley	ATL	9
26	31	S. Shepard	NYG	11
27	36	Josh Gordon	NE	10
28		A. Robinson II	CHI	6
29		Sammy Watkins	KC	12
30	33	Marquise Brown	BAL	8
31	30	Tyrell Williams	OAK	6
32		Robby Anderson	NYJ	4
33		A.J. Green	CIN	9
34		Jarvis Landry	CLE	7
35	41	Christian Kirk	ARI	12
36		E. Sanders	DEN	10
37		Will Fuller V	HOU	10
38		Alshon Jeffery	PHI	10
39	34	Dede Westbrook	JAC	10
40		Curtis Samuel	CAR	7
41	48	Terry McLaurin	WAS	10
42		Corey Davis	TEN	11
43		M. Valdes-Scantling	GB	11
44	51	John Brown	BUF	6
45		DeSean Jackson	PHI	10
46		John Ross	CIN	9
47		C. Sutton	DEN	10
48		Michael Gallup	DAL	8
49	52	DJ Chark Jr.	JAC	10
50	65	Nelson Agholor	PHI	10
51		Jamison Crowder	NYJ	4
52		DK Metcalf	SEA	11
53	56	Deebo Samuel	SF	4
54		Kenny Stills	HOU	10
55		M. Jones Jr.	DET	5
56	62	Golden Tate	NYG	11
57		J. Washington	PIT	7
58	73	Mecole Hardman	KC	12
59	78	P. Dorsett II	NE	10
60		Tre’Quan Smith	NO	9
61		Dante Pettis	SF	4
62	58	G. Allison	GB	11
63	57	Anthony Miller	CHI	6
64		DeVante Parker	MIA	5
65	70	P. Richardson Jr.	WAS	10
66	72	KeeSean Johnson	ARI	12
67	76	Hunter Renfrow	OAK	6
68		Mohamed Sanu	ATL	9
69		Randall Cobb	DAL	8
70		Chris Conley	JAC	10
71	63	Trey Quinn	WAS	10
72		Rashard Higgins	CLE	7
73	NR	Demarcus Robinson	KC	12
74		Danny Amendola	DET	5
75		Adam Humphries	TEN	11
76	89	Taylor Gabriel	CHI	6
77	80	A.J. Brown	TEN	11
78	NR	Diontae Johnson	PIT	7
79		Willie Snead IV	BAL	8
80	74	Keke Coutee	HOU	10
81		Zay Jones	BUF	6
82	60	Donte Moncrief	PIT	7
83		Albert Wilson	MIA	5
84		Robert Foster	BUF	6
85		Ted Ginn Jr.	NO	9
86		M. Goodwin	SF	4
87		Miles Boykin	BAL	8
88		B. Perriman	TB	7
89		D. Hamilton	DEN	10
90		P. Williams	MIA	5
91		Chad Beebe	MIN	12
92		Andy Isabella	ARI	12
93		Jalen Hurd	SF	4
94		D. Thomas	NYJ	10
95		Devin Funchess	IND	6
96	8	Antonio Brown	FA	—

WIDE RECEIVER MOVEMENT

New England Patriots

With the release of Antonio Brown I’m making a few changes. First, Brown is falling to the bottom of the rankings until someone picks him up, which seems far from a guarantee (free advice: stop tweeting). I’m also moving Julian Edelman up as Tom Brady’s most reliable target — Brady seemed optimistic that Edelman wouldn’t miss time with his rib injury — along with Josh Gordon. Phillip Dorsett has also done enough to warrant fringe relevancy with the chance for more.

Carolina Panthers

I’m keeping my eye on the situation in Carolina after D.J. Moore was targeted just twice with Allen under center compared to seven for Curtis Samuel. It’s just one game, and minus any idea how long Newton will be sidelined, it seems premature to make adjustments.

Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles

You know you’ve had an uneven couple of weeks when you have 16 receptions and three TDs but are getting called out for dropping balls by a man rescuing babies from a burning building. That, combined with the injuries to Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson, creates a dilemma with ranking Agholor, who should be in Week 4 lineups but may hold little week-to-week value after that. I’m playing it safe and putting Agholor in the WR4/WR5 area.

Others of note

Michael Thomas didn’t have a huge game, but everything broke New Orleans’ way and that allowed them to play conservatively. If he gets held in check by Dallas I’ll reassess… JuJu Smith-Schuster falls a few spots after Rudolph looked shaky and did almost nothing outside of two long completions… I dropped Stefon Diggs last week and he responded with three catches for 15 yards. I need to see more in Week 4 or he’s ticketed for WR3 territory… I’d bump T.Y. Hilton if not for the uncertainty surrounding his quad… As with Bell, I’m waiting for an update on Darnold heading into Week 5 before I mess around with Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder… Mecole Hardman has some serious wheels, but I maintain that Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins are the only reliable plays in KC. Beyond that I expect things to fluctuate wildly from week to week.

TIGHT ENDS

Rk	Mv	Player	Team
1		Travis Kelce	KC
2		Zach Ertz	PHI
3		Evan Engram	NYG
4		George Kittle	SF
5		Mark Andrews	BAL
6		Austin Hooper	ATL
7		Vance McDonald	PIT
8		Darren Waller	OAK
9	13	Delanie Walker	TEN
10	16	Greg Olsen	CAR
11	7	O.J. Howard	TB
12	8	Jared Cook	NO
13		T.J. Hockenson	DET
14		Hunter Henry	LAC
15		Eric Ebron	IND
16	23	Will Dissly	SEA
17	14	Jimmy Graham	GB
18		Trey Burton	CHI
19		Jason Witten	DAL
20		Kyle Rudolph	MIN
21		Jack Doyle	IND
22	28	Tyler Eifert	CIN
23	36	Vernon Davis	WAS
24		Mike Gesicki	MIA
25		Dallas Goedert	PHI
26		Chris Herndon	NYJ
27		Noah Fant	DEN
28	NR	Jordan Akins	HOU
29		Cameron Brate	TB
30		Gerald Everett	LAR
31	22	Jordan Reed	WAS
32	17	David Njoku	CLE
33	NR	Demetrius Harris	CLE
34		Matt LaCosse	NE
35	37	Hayden Hurst	BAL
36		Jonnu Smith	TEN
37		Tyler Higbee	LAR
38		Nick Vannett	SEA
39		C.J. Uzomah	CIN

TIGHT END MOVEMENT

Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins

It sounds like Reed’s career might be over. He was already ranked low, but I’m dropping him even further and bringing Vernon Davis up into TE2 territory.

Others of note

Vance McDonald hurt his arm, e-i-e-i-nooooooo. Technically, it was his shoulder, but I couldn’t help myself. Until there’s an update on his health I’m keeping him where he is… David Njoku was placed on IR, and it’s probably safe to cut him loose… Earlier I wrote that Delanie Walker and Jimmy Graham still carried some value. I was half right. Walker is back as a central part of Tennessee’s passing game. Graham is banged up and hasn’t caught a pass since Week 1… I was probably too aggressive in moving T.J. Hockenson up after he lit up the Cardinals… Jared Cook might be the position’s second-most disappointing performer this season. I expected much more from him… Despite the injury risk Greg Olsen should be owned in all formats at this point.

DEFENSE

Rk	Mv	Team	Team	Bye
1		Bears	CHI	6
2		Rams	LAR	9
3	4	Patriots	NE	10
4		Ravens	BAL	8
5		Vikings	MIN	12
6		Chargers	LAC	12
7		Cowboys	DAL	8
8	10	Packers	GB	11
9		Texans	HOU	10
10		Jaguars	JAC	10
11	23	Bills	BUF	9
12		Eagles	PHI	10
13		Seahawks	SEA	11
14		Saints	NO	9
15		Chiefs	KC	12
16		Browns	CLE	7
17		Broncos	DEN	10
18	28	Steelers	PIT	6
19		Titans	TEN	11
20		Lions	DET	9
21	14	49ers	SF	4
22		Panthers	CAR	6
23		Colts	IND	6
24		Falcons	ATL	5
25	19	Jets	NYJ	4
26		Cardinals	ARI	5
27	24	Raiders	OAK	11
28		Buccaneers	TB	7
29	27	Redskins	WAS	10
30		Bengals	CIN	12
31		Giants	NYG	7
32		Dolphins	MIA	7