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Fantasy Football Rankings 2017, Top 101 PPR Players: No. 101-99
Fantasy football rankings will be changing a lot between now and September. Yet, here"s an early look at where some of the players stand today.
We're still over two months away from the start of even the NFL preseason, much less the regular season. Yet, the preparation for fantasy football should never stop. And especially when it comes to the always tricky PPR rankings.
While doing my rankings, I realized there are a lot of players I'm both higher and lower on than others. Instead of throwing out a list of 101 players in one article with no explanation for their rankings, I wanted to give reasons why I view the players like I do. To do that, I'll be doing an article a day until all 101 players are listed.
To be clear, the top 101 PPR players are for re-draft leagues only. Here's a look at players ranked 101-99:
Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) catches a pass for a touchdown from quarterback Andy Dalton (not pictured) in the first half against the St. Louis Rams at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
101. Tyler Eifert, TE – Cincinnati Bengals
Nothing like starting off the list with a little controversy.
As you can see, I'm not high on Tyler Eifert. A part of the reason for that is because the tight end position is not something I value all that much. If I can't get my hands on a top-five tight end, I'll just wait and take one towards the end of the draft. That's because finding a viable starter at the tight end position without having to spend a high draft pick is easier than at most other positions.
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Every year there are two-to-three tight ends who finish in the top 10 that are either drafted late or not drafted at all. Last year it was Kyle Rudolph, Cameron Brate and Dennis Pitta. In 2015 it was Gary Barnidge and Ben Watson. In 2014 it was Coby Fleener, Travis Kelce and Delanie Walker. Trust me, it'll happen again in 2017.
The bigger reason I'm so low on Eifert is due to his injuries. Since coming into the league in 2013, Eifert has played in 37 out of a possible 64 games. He has missed nearly 50 percent of his career due to elbow, head, neck, ankle and back injuries.
Eifert does have a high ceiling because when he's on the field — the dude scores touchdowns. Over his last 21 games, he has caught a ridiculous 18 touchdowns. However, he also has a rock-bottom floor. In four years, he has only been a top-24 fantasy football tight end just once. Personally, I would rather look for value and draft a guy like Colts tight end Jack Doyle. He's a player owners can get five-to-seven rounds after where they would have had to draft Eifert.
Last season, Doyle finished with 59 receptions, 584 yards and five touchdowns across 16 games. That was with Dwayne Allen on the team, who is now in New England. Eifert has never notched more than 52 receptions in a season or played an entire 16-game regular season. Eifert is a touchdown-dependent, often injured tight end who will never rack up a ton of receptions or yards. This is why he's at 101.
Jan 3, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) rushes with the football during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Minnesota won 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
100. Adrian Peterson, RB – New Orleans Saints
Here's another guy I'm a pretty low on compared to others: Adrian Peterson. I'll be up-front and say right away I wouldn't be shocked if he finishes ahead of a few running backs I have listed ahead of him. However, part of my ranking process is based on a player's upside and with Peterson, I don't see a ton.
The 32-year old is coming off a season where he only played in three games due to a knee injury. On his 37 rushing attempts in 2016 he averaged a pathetic 1.9 yards per carry (YPC). Now he goes to New Orleans where he'll be the backup to Mark Ingram. The Saints also drafted University of Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara in the third-round. The rookie is expected to have a role in the Saints passing game.
As it stands right now, Peterson is projected to finish second on the team in carries behind Ingram and third on the team among running backs in receptions behind both Ingram and Kamara.
A 32-year old who is only expected to see 10-12 touches a week with minimal work in the passing game doesn't seem appetizing to me. If Ingram were to go down with an injury Peterson would vault up the rankings. With Ingram's injury history that wouldn't surprising. Then again, it's just as likely Peterson himself goes down with an injury.
Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman (19) catches a touchdown pass as Baltimore Ravens cornerback Shareece Wright (24) defends during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
99. Corey Coleman, WR – Cleveland Browns
Last year as a rookie, Corey Coleman got off to a great start to his NFL career. In Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens he finished with five receptions, 104 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Coleman would go on to miss the next six games due to a broken hand. His final eight games were mostly underwhelming as he only averaged 30 yards per game.
Going into 2017, Coleman is locked in as the team's No. 2 wide receiver opposite of free agent addition Kenny Britt. Coleman is a speedy playmaker who has the ability to get behind a defense. He might not rack up a ton of receptions — which we don't like in PPR — but his big play ability could help him lead the team in receiving yards.
The Browns aren't strong at the quarterback position. But then again they weren't last year when Terrelle Pryror finished with 77 receptions, 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. Also, the team should be playing from behind in most games in 2017, and the negative game script would benefit Coleman. The upside for Coleman is why he's such a great value pick in double-digit rounds.
