Fantasy Football Rankings 2017, Top 101 PPR Players: No. 23-21
By Dan Thomas
Today’s list of fantasy football’s top 101 PPR players of 2017 features a player coming out of a retirement and a receiver coming off a breakout season.
Two of the players we have on today’s list have some question marks around them. One is a 31-year old running back who wasn’t in the league last season. The other is a former quarterback who broke out as a top-20 PPR wide receiver in 2016.
How much faith should owners have in these two players going into 2017?
To be clear, the top 101 PPR players are for re-draft leagues only. Here’s a look at players ranked No. 23-21:
23. Marshawn Lynch, RB – Oakland Raiders
Last season, Marshawn Lynch didn’t provide owners with many fantasy points. Okay, Lynch didn’t contribute any fantasy points last season. The reason was because in February 2016, he retired from the NFL. A year later, Lynch is back in the NFL as a member of the Oakland Raiders.
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The last time fantasy owners saw Lynch, he played in seven measly games in 2015 and averaged less than 10 fantasy points per game. Lynch was dealing with a series of injuries and was running behind a putrid Seattle offensive line. In the end, he was one of the biggest busts in 2015 re-draft leagues. So why should we trust him now in 2017 when he’s been out of the league for an entire year? It’s because he’s running behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
At the end of the 2016 regular season, Pro Football Focus graded the Raiders offensive line as fourth-best in the NFL. Behind that beastly line, running back Latavius Murray ran for 12 touchdowns. He finished the season as the 13th PPR running back, even though he missed two games, had less than 200 carries and ran for less than 800 yards.
Do I think Lynch can run for at least 800 yards and reach double-digit touchdowns in 2017? You bet your sweet tuchus I do. Lynch doesn’t have to be the Beast Mode we saw in Seattle or anything remotely close to special. He just has to be slightly above-average and he’ll produce good-to-great numbers behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
22. Terrelle Pryor, WR – Washington Redskins
2016 was a coming out party for Terrelle Pryor as he hauled in 77 receptions, 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. Before last season Pryor had two career receptions despite entering the league in 2011. The reason was because Pryor came into the league as a quarterback and did not make the transition to wide receiver until 2015. Going into this season I expect Pryor to put up bigger numbers than in 2016.
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Last season Pryor was playing for the Cleveland Browns and was forced to catch passes from guys like Cody Kessler, Josh McCown and Robert Griffin III. This year he’ll be playing with the Washington Redskins and catching passes from Kirk Cousins. Last season Cousins fell 83 yards short from 5,000 yards passing and was sixth in the NFL in passing attempts (606). Yes Kirk, I do like that.
In 2016 Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson combined for 135 receptions, 2,046 yards and seven touchdowns on 214 targets. With the two of them no longer in Washington, there will be plenty of opportunities for Pryror who now finds himself at the top of the depth chart.
21. Doug Baldwin, WR – Seattle Seahawks
The former undrafted free agent out of Stanford may not get the respect he deserves across the NFL but in fantasy football, he’s been one of the best. In back-to-back seasons Doug Baldwin has been a top-nine PPR wide receiver or better. The only other wide receivers who can say that are Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones.
Next: Fantasy Football Rankings 2017, Top 101 PPR Players: No. 26-24
Baldwin continues to operate as the team’s No.1 wide receiver and has compiled 21 touchdown receptions over the last two seasons. Despite quarterback Russell Wilson dealing with injuries most of 2016, Baldwin still set career highs in targets (126), receptions (94) and receiving yards (1,128). Going into 2017 Baldwin will be a high-floor WR1/2 who should average 5-6 receptions per week with serious touchdown upside.