Fantasy Football Rankings 2017, Top 101 PPR Players: No. 68-66
By Dan Thomas
Today we get players No. 68-66 on our list of the fantasy football’s top 101 PPR players of 2017. Who on the list should be higher?
As we get further into the list of the top 101 PPR players, the bigger the names get. Today’s list features three players who have all been selected to at least one Pro Bowl. As early as 2015, two of the three players had top-three or better finishes in fantasy football. Should I have any of these three players ranked higher going into 2017 or are their rankings justified?
To be clear, the top 101 PPR players are for re-draft leagues only. Here’s a look at players ranked No. 68-66:
68. DeSean Jackson, WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Believe it or not, DeSean Jackson is entering his 10th year in the NFL. It doesn’t seem that long ago when the Eagles spent a second-round pick on the speedster out of Cal, but it was. Yet, despite being 30 years old (31 in December), D-Jax doesn’t appear to have lost a step. Last season with the Redskins, Jackson posted the fifth 1,000-yard season of his career.
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Going into 2017, Jackson will open the season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers No.2 wide receiver opposite of Mike Evans. He has a good opportunity at posting his sixth career 1,000 yard season but if he does, he probably won’t do it on many catches.
In nine years in the NFL, Jackson has only averaged 55 receptions per season. Last year, his 56 receptions tied for 50th in the NFL among wide receivers. Those numbers could increase in Dirk Koetter’s offense but if they do, it won’t be by much. It’s also hard to believe Jackson will make much of an impact in the redzone. Quarterback Jameis Winston has weapons like Mike Evans, Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard to throw the ball to and they all stand at 6-5 or taller.
I’ll be honest with you, as I’m writing this, I realize maybe the 68th spot is too generous for the three-time Pro Bowl selection. Don’t be shocked if you find him lower on the list when the updated rankings come out in July.
67. Jordan Reed, TE – Washington Redskins
Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is one of the most dynamic tight ends in the NFL. His athleticism is off the charts and he’s a matchup nightmare. The problem with Reed is it’s only a matter of time before he misses time with an injury. Since entering the league in 2013, Reed has missed a total of 18 games and has never played an entire regular season.
The most alarming issue with Reed is he has missed a lot of those games due to concussions. With his history of concussions, if/when Reed suffers one in 2017, he could be out for multiple weeks. Reed is the definition of a “risk vs. reward” player because if can somehow manage to stay healthy for all 16 games, he could be this year’s No. 1 PPR tight end. In 2015, he was the second-best PPR tight end despite missing two games.
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Over his last 26 regular season games, Reed has averaged six receptions for 63 yards. He’s also managed to score 17 touchdowns over those last 26 games. With the Redskins losing both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in free agency, Reed has a good chance of bettering those averages.
66. Russell Wilson, QB – Seattle Seahawks
Last year was the worst fantasy season of Russell Wilson’s five-year career. He set a career high in interceptions (11) while his 21 touchdowns were the second-lowest of his career. He also had a career-low 259 rushing yards. Even with all of this working against him, he was still a top-10 fantasy quarterback.
Last season, Wilson suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. He also suffered a knee and chest injury later in the season. Wilson was never 100 percent healthy at any point during the season and with two of his injuries being to the lower-body, he wasn’t able to utilize his legs as well as we’ve seen in the past.
Next: Fantasy Football Rankings, Top 101 PPR Players: No. 71-69
Wilson is a great bounce-back candidate in 2017. I fully expect him to be the quarterback he was in 2014-15 when he was top-three at his position in back-to-back years.