Fantasy Football Rankings Update: Tight Ends & Quarterbacks

Not too much movement in either groups rankings so I combined them.

Tier 1: Elite

1)      Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (1)

2)      Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (2)

3)      Petyon Manning, Denver Broncos (3)

4)      Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (4)

Clearly the top four from the past three years scoring and going into 2014.

Tier 2: Good QBs Not Much Seperation

5)      Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles (5)

6)      Tom Brady, New England Patriots (6)

7)      Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (7)

8)      Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (8)

9)      Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (9)

10)  Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (10)

11)  Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (15)

12)  Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (11)

13)  Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins (12)

14)  Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (13)

15)  Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (14)

Rivers rebounded last season to a level he was previously at and with Mike McCoy and company still there I think Rivers continues his rejuvenation.

Tier 3: Alright, but Meh

16)  Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (19)

17)  Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (16)

18)  Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (17)

19)  Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (18)

20)  Eli Manning, New York Giants (20)

21)  Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (22)

22)  Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams (23)

23)  Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns (21)

24)  Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (32)

25)  Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (24)

26)  Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (25)

Romo can give you weeks of elite upside but he’s getting older and injured more and he has frustratingly bad weeks without warning. Locker hasn’t been that bad the last couple of years and certainly is a good enough but uninspired pick. Hoyer moves down just a touch because he’s unproven and coming off a knee injury and I didn’t properly rate that.

Tier 4: Only if You Have to

27)  Matt Schaub, Oakland Raiders (26)

28)  Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (27)

29)  Josh McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28)

30)  E.J. Manuel, Buffalo Bills (29)

31)  Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings (30)

32)  Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (31)

33)  Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns (33)

34)  Matt Cassel, Minnesota Vikings (34)

35)  Geno Smith, New York Jets (35)

36)  Michael Vick, New York Jets (36)

37)  Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars (37)

38)  Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans (38)

Some changes in TE ranks, because I was woefully unprepared the first time.

Tier 1: Jimmy Graham

1)      Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints (1)

Tier 2: Very Good

2)      Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (2)

3)      Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns (3)

4)      Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (7)

5)      Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos (4)

6)      Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers (5)

7)      Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (6)

Witten gets bumped up for consistently performing at a high level each year.

Tier 3: Good but Questions

8)      Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (8)

9)      Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins (9)

10)  Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers (13)

11)  Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens (10)

12)  Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears (11)

13)  Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (12)

14)  Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts (14)

15)  Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals (15)

16)  Zach Miller, Seattle Seahawks (16)

17)  Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals (17)

Gates gets the same bump as Witten, plus it gets a bit murkier after Rudolph and Clay.

Tier 4: Good Enough, but Nothing Exciting

18)  Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (18)

19)  Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills (23)

20)  Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams (22)

21)  Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts (19)

22)  Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (24)

23)  Andrew Quarless, Green Bay Packers (20)

24)  Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles (21)

25)  Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (28)

26)  Anthony Fasano, Kansas City Chiefs (25)

27)  Garrett Graham, Houston Texans (34)

28)  Owen Daniels, Baltimore Ravens (26)

29)  Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions (27)

30)  Jeff Cumberland, New York Jets (33)

31)  Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers (29)

Chandler and Cook have solo jobs, Ebron is a rookie but has great upside, Quarless isn’t too exciting but should be solid and Texans tight ends get yardage.

Tier 5: Unprovens/No Thank You

32)  Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars (30)

33)  Ladarius Green, San Diego Chargers (31)

34)  Adrien Robinson, New York Giants (32)

35)  Jace Amaro, New York Jets (35)

36)  Lance Kendricks, St. Louis Rams (36)

37)  Ryan Griffin, Houston Texans (37)

38)  David Ausberry, Oakland Raiders (38)

39)  Brandon Myers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (39)

40)  Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (40)

41)  Levine Toilolo, Atlanta Falcons (41)

42)  Jermichael Finley, Free Agent (42)

Fantasy Football Ranking Updates: Wide Receivers

One month after the orignals, here's an update.

Tier 1: Elite

1)      Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions (1)

2)      DeMaryious Thomas, Denver Broncos (2)

3)      A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (3)

4)      Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys (4)

5)      Brandon Marshall, Chicacgo Bears (5)

6)      Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers (6)

No changes here.

Tier 2: Very Good With Flaws

7)      Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers (7)

8)      DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins (8)

9)      Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (9)

10)  Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears (12)

11)  Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons (10)

12)  Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (11)

13)  Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15)

14)  Percy Harvin, Seattle Seahawks (13)

15)  Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (14)

Jeffery is young with an aging counterpart and what should be better QB play than much of last year. I bumped Jackson up over Harvin and Cobb because he’s the number one in Tampa with a rookie second on the depth chart, plus none of the injury concerns of the other two.

Tier 3: Injury, Youth and QB Questions

16)  Andre Johnson, Houston Texans (16)

17)  Victor Cruz, New York Giants (17)

18)  Julian Edelman, New England Patriots (19)

19)  Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers (20)

20)  Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans (40)

21)  Wes Welker, Denver Broncos (21)

22)  Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins (22)

23)  Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers (23)

24)  Golden Tate, Detroit Lions (24)

25)  T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (29)

26)  Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts (25)

27)  Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens (31)

28)  Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings (26)

29)  James Jones, Oakland Raiders (27)

30)  Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints (32)

31)  Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles (18)

32)  Jericho Cotchery, Carolina Panthers (28)

33)  Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins (30)

Kendall Wright is my biggest mover and it’s a combination of me trying to see through prejudice and a better look at his skills as I looked into my divisional rankings. He is the number one option on a team that doesn’t stand out at RB and with a quarterback that needs a big year to keep his job. Add that to his ten yards per catch and you have a receiver that is too often overlooked. Maclin is the biggest dropper of this group and it’s me coming to grips with the recovery from the knee injury and how that might affect his functionality. The rest is just some jostling as Hilton and Smith were way too low.

Tier 4: Good Players/Deepish Sleepers

34)  Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs (33)

35)  Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles (34)

36)  Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings (35)

37)  Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals (36)

38)  DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (37)

39)  Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks (38)

40)  Andre Hawksin, Cleveland Browns (47)

41)  Anquan Boldin, San Francsico 49ers (39)

42)  Eric Decker, New York Jets (41)

43)  Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys (56)

44)  Jacoby Jones, Baltimore Ravens (43)

45)  Marvin Jones, Cincinnati Bengals (44)

46)  Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville Jaguars (45)

47)  Hakeem Nicks, Indianapolis Colts (46)

48)  Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans (48)

49)  Marcus Wheaton, Pittsburgh Steelers (49)

50)  Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos (50)

51)  Chris Givens, St. Louis Rams (51)

52)  Mike Williams, Buffalo Bills (52)

53)  Denarius Moore, Oakland Raiders (53)

54)  Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills (54)

55)  Harry Douglas, Atlanta Falcons (55)

56)  Aaron Dobson, New England Patriots (57)

57)  Donnie Avery, Kansas City Chiefs (58)

58)  Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (59)

I started Williams too low because I was not familiar with him but he should be up in this range because he’s the number two on a fairly good offense that passes often. Hawkins moves up because he almost assuredly the best receiver on the Browns.

Tier 5: Options to Keep an Eye On

59)  Jarrett Boykin, Green Bay Packers (60)

60)  Brian Hartline, Miami Dolphins (61)

61)  Vincent Brown, San Diego Chargers (42)

62)  Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins (62)

63)  Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills (76)

64)  Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns (63)

65)  Steve Smith, Baltimore Ravens (64)

66)  Lance Moore, New Orleans Saints (75)

67)  Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints (65)

68)  Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints (66)

69)  Tavon Austin, St. Louis Rams (78)

70)  Kenny Britt, St. Louis Rams (67)

71)  Rod Streater, Oakland Raiders (68)

72)  Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans (80)

73)  Nate Burleson, Cleveland Browns (101)

74)  Reuben Randle, New York Giants (69)

75)  Mohamed Sanu, Cleveland Browns (70)

76)  Ryan Broyles, Detroit Lions (71)

77)  Cody Latimer, Denver Broncos (72)

78)  Danny Amendola, New England Patriots (73)

79)  Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers (74)

80)  Stevie Johnson, San Francisco 49ers (77)

81)  Stephen Hill, New York Jets (79)

82)  Jason Avant, Carolina Panthers (81)

83)  Jermaine Kearse, Seattle Seahawks (82)

84)  Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants (83)

85)  Quinton Patton, San Francisco 49ers (84)

86)  Dexter McCluster, Tennessee Titans (85)

87)  Kenbrell Thompkins, New England Patriots (86)

88)  Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars (88)

89)  Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles (89)

90)  Marquies Lee, Jacksonville Jaguars (90)

Tier 6: Need To Be Included but Only for the Deepest Leagues

91)  Ace Sanders, Jacksonville Jaguars (91)

92)  Josh Morgan, Chicago Bears (92)

93)  Mario Manningham, New York Giants (93)

94)  Malcolm Floyd, San Diego Chargers (87)

95)  Ted Ginn Jr., Arizona Cardinals (94)

96)  Jeremy Kerley, New York Jets (95)

97)  Austin Pettis, St. Louis Rams (96)

98)  Jerome Simpson, Minnesota Vikings (97)

99)  Dwayne Harris, Dallas Cowboys (98)

100) Keshawn Martin, Houston Texans (99)

101) Aldrick Robinson, Washington Redskins (100)

102) Jared Abbredaris, Green Bay Packers (102)

103) Brandon LaFell, New England Patriots (103)

104) Darius Heyward-Bey, Indianapolis Colts (104)

105) Andre Roberts, Washington Redskins (105)

106) Santana Moss, Washington Redskins (106)

107) Miles Austin, Cleveland Browns (107)

108) Sidney Rice, Seattle Seahawks (108)

109) Brandon Gibson, Miami Dolphins (109)

110) Davonte Bess, Miami Dolphins (110)

111) Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville Jaguars (111)

112) Santonio Holmes, Free Agent (112)

113) Robert Meachem, New Orleans Saints (113)

Brown and Floyd are oft-injured and should be better but they haven’t been able to stay healthy in San Diego and I couldn’t leave them up higher and feel comfortable about it. Austin is high upside and if Schottenheimer can better utilize him in ’14 he will breakout. Burleson is the second best WR and third best receiving threat on the Browns and Justin Hunter has great upside if he keeps the drops to a minimum and continues to refine his ridiculous athleticism.

Wide receiver is deep but there is definitely an elite group of six this year and you won’t see that change between now and the season without an injury among the group. Like the running backs the changes from here on out will be minor and associate with injuries or major camp surprises.F