For most of us, the 2019 fantasy football season is over. I’m in a league where Week 17 is an all-in free-for-all for a hundie-and-change for transaction fees that makes Week 17 worthwhile.
But, for most, the season is over and other things occupy your time moving forward. That process shouldn’t stop just because your current season is over. If anything, you should not the players that impressed you, those you think are a full off-season away from being a breakout star and those players your commitment is cooling on. As such, the countdown to 2020, where all vision is perfect, should take place now.
Here is the view from The Shop on how we start stacking our 2020 board.
QUARTERBACK – 1. Patrick Mahomes; 2. Lamar Jackson; 3. Deshaun Watson; 4. Aaron Rodgers; 5. Matt Ryan; 6. Russell Wilson; 7. Drew Brees; 8. Jameis Winston; 9. Dak Prescott; 10. Jared Goff. Sleeper: Josh Allen, Buffalo. On the Slide – Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady.
Given his running style, Jackson remains an injury risk, which keeps Mahomes, whose running style lends more to making good business decisions, at No. 1 in my rankings. Jameis may be a surprise here because his style is so reckless, he may not even be a starter next year, but if he stays in Tampa with the same talent around him, the huge days will continue. Goff has too many weapons not to succeed at a certain level.
RUNNING BACK – 1. Christian McCaffrey; 2. Saquon Barkley; 3. Josh Jacobs; 4. Ezekiel Elliott; 5. Aaron Jones; 6. Dalvin Cook; 7. Chris Carson; 8. Alvin Kamara; 9. Todd Gurley; 10. Leonard Fournette; 11. Derrick Henry; 12. Nick Chubb; 13. Kerryon Johnson; 14. Devin Singletary; 15. Mark Ingram. Sleeper: Miles Sanders. On the Slide: Le’Veon Bell, Joe Mixon, Devonta Freeman.
McCaffrey has earned the top spot. This may be a little aggressive for Jacobs, but he has proved he can be a workhorse for Jon Gruden. Jones and Cook could be divisional competitors for years. Kamara’s drop is significant…and justified. Johnson and Singletary make the biggest jump forward as value pick potential.
WIDE RECEIVER – 1. Michael Thomas; 2. DeAndre Hopkins; 3. Julio Jones; 4. Mike Evans; 5. Tyreek Hill; 6. Kenny Golladay; 7. Chris Godwin; 8. Odell Beckham; 9. Adam Thielen; 10. Keenan Allen; 11. Allen Robinson; 12. D.J. Moore; 13. Julian Edelman; 14. Amari Cooper; 15. T.Y. Hilton. Sleeper: D.K. Metcalf. On the Slide: A.J. Green, Alshon Jefferey, Emmanuel Sanders.
Wide receiver is probably the most subjective position of any rankings. It’s hard to imagine two Bucs going in the first seven wide receivers off the board, but both Evans and Godwin put up WR1 numbers. Some people may drop OBJ farther than I do. Moore is going to be a star in this league.
TIGHT END – 1. Travis Kelce; 2. George Kittle; 3. Zach Ertz; 4. Darren Waller; 5. Austin Hooper; 6. Hunter Henry; 7. Mark Andrews; 8. Jared Cook; 9. Evan Engram; 10. David Njoku. Sleeper: Noah Fant. On the Slide: Kyle Rudolph, Greg Olsen, Eric Ebron.
The tight end position is enjoying a resurgence with young emerging talent that is spreading throughout the league. Waller and Andrews made the biggest jump in 2019, but there are about 15-20 quality tight ends in the league that are going to make a difference in 2020.
By the type the preseason hype machine is in full force, the rankings of players will likely change dramatically from this year. But take a moment to remember the guys who impressed you the most and don’t let the nine months in between the start of the next fantasy season cloud those memories. Remember the guys you want now – whether a first-round talent or a sleeper and make a point to get them next year.
Here is the final Fantasy Market Report of the season:
RISERS
Jameis Winston – In his last 13 games, he has thrown for more than 300 yards 11 times and 400 or more three times. He also has nine games with two or more TD passes and five games with three or more. If you get penalized by interceptions, his 28 picks have killed you – as it has his team this season. But if you don’t get negative points, Winston has been hard to bench almost all season and has almost 5,000 passing yards and 31 TD passes to show for it.
Kenny Golladay – When the Lions drafted him, the pressure was on because he was touted as the “next Calvin Johnson” – a label impossible to live up to. But, Golladay has become that guy in many respects. Despite a revolving door at QB when Matthew Stafford first got hurt, Golladay is over 1,100 receiving yards, has 117 or more receptions, 11 touchdowns, and at least one TD in nine out of the 15 games he has played. He isn’t respected like he should be because he isn’t a high-volume receiver. When that comes, he could be unstoppable.
Matt Ryan – The Falcons weren’t close to being a playoff team, but it hasn’t been Ryan’s fault. In the 14 games he has played, he has topped 300 yards nine times and had eight games with two or more touchdowns. He has become the epitome of a franchise fantasy quarterback.
Kenyan Drake – In seven games with the Cardinals, he has rushed for almost 600 yards and caught 25 passes. In his last two games, he has been a fantasy playoff workhorse, rushing 46 times for 303 yards and six touchdowns and, for owners in need, he was the answer to a prayer.
Daniel Jones – There aren’t many quarterbacks who have at least one touchdown in every game they’ve started. Jones is one of them. There aren’t many quarterbacks who have accounted for four or more touchdowns in four games – much less four times in 11 starts. Jones is one of them. By the time the analytics crew starts breaking down Dow Jones in the offseason, his stock is going to rise. Don’t sleep on him next year with those weapons around him.
FALLERS
Will Fuller – He is blessed with talent, but simply can’t stay healthy. He has missed four games this season and knocked out of three other early on. In two games, he caught 21 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. In the other nine games of his 2019 season combined, he has caught 28 passes for 313 yards and no TDs, including six games with less than 45 yards. For all his talent, injuries have killed off much of the early part of his career.
Sony Michel – On Oct. 21, Michel had three rushing touchdowns against the Jets, giving him six touchdowns in seven games and letting owners know they had an every-week starter on their hands. In the eight weeks since, he has been a solid player – three games with 85 or more rushing yards, including the last two, but he hasn’t scored a touchdown and isn’t a factor in the passing game. He is a player who needs to count on TDs to pad his resume. He has none in the last eight games and those who had him this year, likely don’t want him next year.
Jack Doyle – Andrew Luck made him a star, but he and Jacoby Brissett have never found a rhythm together. Dyle is the team’s leading receiver in terms of targets (68), receptions (42) and yards (442), but the reality is that he has been limited to less than 30 yards in 10 of 15 games, including all three weeks of the fantasy playoffs when he didn’t have competition from Eric Ebron. He was supposed to have a big bounce-back season but has been a season-long disappointment.
Sammy Watkins – In the season-opener Watkins caught nine passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since, hasn’t hit 65 yards receiving since and hasn’t topped 50 in the last six games he’s played. That explosive first game hooked Watkins owners, who slowly drowned just about every time they played him.
Gardner Minshew – When he replaced an injured Nick Foles in Week 1, MinshewMania was running wild for a month or so. But, despite being given numerous opportunities to make his case to keep the starting job, he has done very little since to inspire confidence. In his last eight starts, he has one TD or less in six of them and, in his last four games since getting the starting job back, he has thrown for just 691 yards and five touchdowns and become a fantasy afterthought.