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

QUARTERBACK MOVEMENT

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Obviously Mahomes’ injury is the biggest news from Week 7, and with Andy Reid offering no timeline for a return all I can do is take what’s out there and base my outlook off of that. Three weeks has been floating around as a best-case scenario, which would mean a Week 11 return against the Chargers. That seems unlikely, though, since Week 12 is Kansas City’s bye. That would put Mahomes back on the field Dec. 1 against Oakland for the final five games. Of course, that could all change based on any number of factors: Mahomes’ recovery speed, Matt Moore’s performance, the state of the AFC West and more. For now, I’m dropping Mahomes into the teens amid loads of uncertainty.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Ryan suffered an injury of his own this week, hurting his ankle and not returning against the Rams. It’s not believed to be serious, and with Atlanta’s bye coming Week 9 it seems unlikely that Ryan would miss more than one game. As such, I’m keeping him in my top five even after losing Mohamed Sanu.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Last week I wrote how impressed I was by Rodgers’ play on Monday night, even if the stats weren’t off the page. Well, he accounted for six TDs Sunday without his top receiver. The numbers are starting to come around.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina made the announcement that Kyle Allen will start in Week 8 and Cam Newton (foot) will continue to rehab. At this point you have to wonder how long Newton’s “rehab” will last.

Others of note

I don’t like anything I’m seeing in Philadelphia right now, and though the problems aren’t all on Carson Wentz, he sure isn’t doing much to inspire confidence … Drew Brees (thumb) hopes to return this Sunday, though as well as Teddy Bridgewater has played it makes sense to give Brees another two weeks to heal up since the Saints’ bye comes in Week 9 … I’m dropping Jimmy Garoppolo, though it has nothing to do with Sunday’s mud-travaganza in DC. He’s been playing a pure game manager role most of this season and just isn’t putting up meaningful fantasy numbers. (Update: He will be revisited next week with the recent acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders) … Sam Darnold looked awful Monday night, but that was not a surprise with Bill Belichick on the other side. Maybe next time, though, don’t talk about being “unstoppable” after one game with the No. 1 defense on your schedule.

RUNNING BACKS

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

RUNNING BACK MOVEMENT

David Johnson/Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals

Although I still expect Johnson to be the lead back whenever he’s recovered from his ankle injury, there’s no way the Cardinals are going to put Edmonds in mothballs after what he did against the G-Men on Sunday. Edmonds was already flashing his potential, scoring in Weeks 5 and 6, and I expect him to be a significant part of the game plan each week. I’m staying conservative with my Edmonds ranking, but there’s some real upside there.

David Montgomery/Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears

I haven’t given up on Montgomery as a talent, but I can no longer justify carrying him in the RB2 area. The Bears’ offense has been highly dysfunctional this year, and the fact that the bye week changed nothing is a major concern. I’d drop Cohen as well except that I already had him pretty low, and he did have nine receptions (for 19 yards!?!?) against the Saints.

Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions

Kerryon Johnson (knee) has rushed for less than 50 yards in five of six games this season, and now he’s dealing with a knee injury. There’s been no meaningful update — Matt Patricia said that Johnson told him he was “fine” — but regardless of health, Johnson is being moved down

Update: Johnson was placed on IR and is one of Detroit’s two players with eligibility to return this year. Ty Johnson has RB4 value for now with matchup-play value. J.D. McKissic has a hint of appeal in deep PPR leagues.

Others of note

Saquon Barkley is officially back and, as such, is back in my top five … Latavius Murray‘s big game against the Bears might serve as a reminder to the Saints that he’s actually a decent back. They signed him to fill the Mark Ingram role, so perhaps they’ll start distributing carries more evenly between him and Alvin Kamara moving forward … Speaking of Ingram, he’s slowed considerably after a hot start and is being moved into RB2 territory for now … Austin Ekeler is better than Melvin Gordon in this version of the Chargers’ offense; as such I’m moving Ekeler up and Gordon down … Joe Mixon has 12 yards on 18 carries in the last two weeks. That isn’t a typo. The Bengals are just awful, and they’re dragging Mixon down with them … It looks like Frank Gore is still operating ahead of Devin Singletary in Buffalo. I’ve moved both into the flex area … I added Mark Walton to the rankings after he got more work than Kenyan Drake. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dolphins deal Drake before the trade deadline.

WIDE RECEIVERS

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

WIDE RECEIVER MOVEMENT

Keenan Allen/Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

Despite the Bolts’ complete inability to run the ball, Allen has pretty much disappeared over the past month. Williams has been decent, but it certainly appears that the passing game currently flows through Hunter Henry and Austin Ekeler. Unless the Chargers start getting the ball to their receivers with more consistency I’m viewing Allen as a WR2 and Williams as a WR3 in the weeks ahead.

Denver Broncos

Lost in the ineptitude of Denver’s offense has been the play of Courtland Sutton. He has topped 75 yards receiving in five of seven games this season and could be in line for more action if Emmanuel Sanders is traded. Sutton is close to joining my top 20.

Update: Sanders was dealt to the 49ers, which helps make DaeSean Hamilton a borderline fantasy option. There is just enough volume to be found outside of Sutton to give the second-year slot receiver a peak if depth is a concern. His ranking will be addressed in the next update.

Houston Texans

Will Fuller (hamstring) suffered what is believed to be a major hamstring injury that will sideline him for multiple games. That’s been the story of Fuller’s career, unfortunately, and you can bet he won’t be rushed back. Fuller’s absence should mean more looks for Kenny Stills and Keke Coutee.

New England Patriots

Mohamed Sanu was acquired in exchange for a second-round pick, which is a steep price for 30-year-old receiver with a history of being a role player. The Patriots tried to land him in a trade during the draft, but Atlanta wasn’t interested. The veteran receiver gives Tom Brady another weapon, but one of the possession variety. Where Sanu’s game will be most felt is in the running game. He’s among the best blockers in the league at his position. Sanu was Atlanta’s chief slot receiver, so it will be interesting to see where New England opts to play him. In this systems, Sanu is big enough to be a hybrid tight end in the Gronk flex role.

San Francisco 49ers

Updated for Emmanuel Sanders trade: After landing Sanders from Denver, San Francisco should immediately make him the focus after tight end George Kittle. The learning curve for a Kyle Shanahan offense is known to be steep, although it could be much faster for Sanders after playing half a season under Rich Scangarello (2018 SF QBs coach) and having prior experience in offense that employ elements of the West Coast offense. Building chemistry with Jimmy Garoppolo is the primary concern, and San Fran’s injuries at offensive tackle are a close second. Deebo Samuel (groin), when healthy, is the only San Fran receiver worthy of a roster spot. Rankings changes will be reflected in the next update.

Others of note

Tyrell Williams (foot) falls into the 40s with plantar fasciitis that Jon Gruden said doesn’t seem to be getting better … Golden Tate is a nice fit for a young QB and has always been good after the catch. I’m moving him up as the top Giants receiver to own and moving Sterling Shepard (concussion) down, especially after missing a second game with a concussion … Marvin Jones had a huge game after being mostly quiet over the first month-plus. I’m moving him up into flex range as Detroit’s offense seems to be getting further and further away from the run (yet again) … Chicago didn’t seem to fix much (anything?) during the bye, but I did see more of Anthony Miller … Much like I did with Michael Thomas following the Brees injury, I’m keeping Tyreek Hill as a top WR. He’s the type of player they’ll find ways to get him the ball. All the other KC receivers go down.

TIGHT ENDS

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

TIGHT END MOVEMENT

Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders

There aren’t a lot of options outside for the Raiders, but Waller is having a strong season and should continue to be the focal point of the passing game. I’m moving him into the top five, and he’s actually outperformed most of the names above him to this point. Rookie Foster Moreau is also being added to the rankings. He’s caught nine of his 10 targeted passes the last three games and scored twice.

Others of note

I feel the same way about Travis Kelce that I do about Tyreek Hill: he’s gonna get his no matter who is under center … Evan Engram‘s first three games: 23 receptions, 277 yards, 2 TDs. Engram’s last three games: 11 receptions, 102 yards, 0 TDs. With Tate and Barkley back, I’m dropping Engram a bit … I’m adding Jacob Hollister to the rankings as it appears he’s stepping into Will Dissly’s pass-catching role and not Luke Willson.

DEFENSE

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