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

QUARTERBACK MOVEMENT

Sam Darnold, New York Jets

There was a lot of preseason buzz with Darnold, and outside of one bad throw he played a great game against the Cowboys, completely turning around what had been a moribund offense. With Darnold as the triggerman there’s actually some usable talent in Gotham, so I’m moving him into the top 20.

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

Mayfield did some good things against the Seahawks on Sunday, including making a couple of plays with his legs, but he continued to make far too many mistakes with his third multi-interception game of the season to give him 11 INTs for the year. It feels like Cleveland’s best move right now is more Nick Chubb and less Mayfield.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

I had Rodgers set for a more significant decline in my rankings, but he played an excellent game on Monday night even if his final line doesn’t bear that out as he was undermined by multiple dropped passes, including a wide-open touchdown for Aaron Jones. I think these reps without Davante Adams are going to help the Packers, and Rodgers, in the long run.

Others of note

I’m a little worried about Patrick Mahomes in the short term, but the extra rest he’ll get after Thursday night should help him get his ankle issue sorted out so I’m keeping him atop the rankings … I don’t feel like I can drop Jameis Winston any lower right now based on the talent outside and the big yardage numbers he’s putting up. Still, it’s hard to spin five INTs … Everything seems hunky dory in Minnesota right now, and Kirk Cousins has played much better football the last two weeks. While I’m retaining some skepticism I’m moving back into solid QB2 territory … It sounds like A.J. Green could be back this week. That moves Andy Dalton up a bit … There’s still no word on whether the move to Ryan Tannehill over Marcus Mariota was for more than Week 6, but I don’t like either guy regardless … It sounds like Cam Newton will start practicing after the bye. Is there a scenario where the Panthers stick with Kyle Allen over Newton?

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

RUNNING BACK MOVEMENT

Le’Veon Bell, New York Jets

I’ve been waiting for Darnold to return to see what the Jets offense looked like, and it featured a lot of three-wide sets and surprisingly little from Bell (against a defense that got gashed by the run during the previous week). It’s not enough to drop him from the top 10 yet, but I moved him down a couple pegs and will be watching closely this next week or two to see if another adjustment is warranted.

Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams

I was surprised to see Todd Gurley miss Week 6 with a quad injury from the previous Thursday night, and I was even more surprised how terrible the Rams looked. I’m not making major adjustments to any of their skill players, but if they can’t get going against the Falcons in Week 7 there will be changes.

Others of note

A week ago it seemed like Saquon Barkley was on the cusp of returning. As of now, however, his status for Week 7 remains up in the air. As such, I’m keeping Barkley where he is with the caveat that I’d slide him right into my starting lineup if he’s active against Arizona … Chris Carson is a beast, and Rashaad Penny can’t stay healthy. Up goes Carson … I liked what I saw from Devonta Freeman this week. I won’t be adjusting him, though, using the loophole “it was against the Cardinals” … It looks like Washington’s post-Gruden plan is to feature Adrian Peterson and sprinkle in a little Case Keenum. That worked against Miami. Will it work against San Francisco, Minnesota and Buffalo? Color me skeptical … Jamaal Williams is a player, and Matt LaFleur prefers to use multiple backs. He’s going to continue to get looks… Kerryon Johnson has now rushed for fewer than 50 yards in four of his five games. At this point I feel like he’s more of an RB3.

WIDE RECEIVERS

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

WIDE RECEIVER MOVEMENT

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

Part of the reason Hopkins sat atop my ratings was consistency. Week in and week out, you knew that Deshaun Watson was going to get Nuk his. That doesn’t seem true anymore. Yes, he saw 12 targets on Sunday, but he averaged 6.1 yards per reception, dropping his season average to 10.1. He also hasn’t caught a TD since Week 1. I still think he’s a must-start WR1, but Watson’s maturation and willingness to spread the ball around means I can’t continue carrying him as my No. 1 overall fantasy receiver.

Others of note

Davante Adams missed his second straight game with a toe injury, and the team doesn’t seem to want to rush him back. I’m not dropping him far, though, as Adams is far and away the top guy in Green Bay when he’s healthy … I don’t think Chris Godwin is a better receiver than Mike Evans, but at this stage I do think Godwin is a better fantasy receiver … I’m not moving JuJu Smith-Schuster unless Mason Rudolph somehow isn’t ready to play when the team next takes the field on Oct. 28 … Tyreek Hill returned and immediately scored two TDs. As I’ve said before, he and Travis Kelce are the only surefire fantasy plays outside of Patrick Mahomes in KC … It appears that Amari Cooper suffered a thigh bruise and might sit in Week 7. Unless a more prognosis comes out, I’m not adjusting him down … Josh Gordon‘s knee injury doesn’t sound serious. That’s good. Gordon has 20 total receptions this season. That’s bad … I moved up all three of the Jets top receivers following the successful return of Darnold. More tweaks are likely to be coming as I get a better feel for the pecking order … With Golden Tate back I’m moving him up a little and Sterling Shepard down a smidge … Emmanuel Sanders‘ knee injury appears minor. Whether or not he can play on Thursday could be another matter … Am I the only one wondering why it’s taking DeSean Jackson so long to return? I thought he’d be back in Week 5 … I’m moving up DK Metcalf due to the Will Dissly injury. I could see him being a serious red-zone weapon.

TIGHT ENDS

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

TIGHT END MOVEMENT

Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

Returning after a four-game absence, Henry was a beacon of light in an otherwise dismal performance from the Chargers on Sunday night. There aren’t many tight ends capable of putting up 100 yards and two scores in game so I’m moving him right back into a solid TE1 zone.

Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks

It certainly appears that Dissly suffered a torn Achilles’ in Week 6, so he’ll be removed from the rankings entirely. I’m adding Luke Willson, but I have six-plus years of evidence that say he’s not worth owning regardless of format.

Others of note

Jordan Reed is now officially on IR. If you were holding out hope, it’s time to move on … On a day that Winston threw the ball 54 times, O.J. Howard caught two passes (or the same number as Carolina CB James Bradberry) … Another week, another TD for Jared Cook … Chris Herndon returned from suspension only to injure his hamstring. He didn’t play Sunday and is expected to miss Week 7, as well. Still, I like his upside enough to leave him where he is … Jimmy Graham is getting multiple red zone looks seemingly every week. Eventually that might pay off.

DEFENSE

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