Fantasy Football Rankings 2018: Top 20 players at each position

Running Backs

1. Le’Veon Bell

As long as Le’Veon Bell is in a Steelers uniform, he will continue to be forced-fed the ball through both air and ground. The best all-around back in the league is poised to have another high-scoring season in what is one of the league’s best offenses.

2. Ezekiel Elliott

With Dez Bryant out of the picture, Elliott is favored to see more targets through the air, only adding value to him. Zeke has as good of a chance to lead the league in rushing as anybody else, and will look to carry the Cowboys to the playoffs once again.

3. David Johnson

What do people have against DJ? Is it because Arizona doesn’t participate in daylight savings time? Regardless of your feelings, Johnson is a top-3 fantasy back when healthy, doing everything Bell does, but out west. Johnson is fully recovered from his wrist injury and will look to stamp his name back on the national scene.

4. Todd Gurley

Gurley being at four will make a lot of people mad, and I get it. Arguably the best back in the league and was compensated as such this off-season. Will the Rams lean on Goff more as he grows and progresses? Can Gurley string together two dominant seasons in a row? The room between Bell and Gurley is smaller than these paragraphs, as Gurley has the talent to end up No. 1 again.

5. Saquon Barkley

If Saquon lives up to even half the hype, he will be worth a first round pick in your league. Think of a slightly bigger and better version of LeSean McCoy coming out of college. Barkley has plans to take over the league with his home-run hitting ability on any play, and I’m absolutely here for it.

6. Alvin Kamara

Kamara was 2017’s biggest surprise in fantasy football, as he burst on the scene and has secured his spot as one of the top backs in the league… for now. Will the sophomore-slump strike Kamara? Mark Ingram is out for the first four games of the 2018 season, leaving prime room for Alvin to boogie solo with his New Orleans chipmunks.

7. Melvin Gordon

Gordon, after a disappointing rookie campaign, has steadily been working his craft and has earned great value as a fantasy football back. Melvin’s pass-catching abilities makes him attractive in PPR leagues, and shows no signs of slowing down entering his fourth season. With the Chargers passing game only able to get better, Gordon should have room for more growth.

8. Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook was on his way to a fantastic rookie season before tearing his ACL just four weeks into the season. In the small sample size we got, Cook proved to be a threat on both offensive fronts, which is something to be really excited for. Can Cook rebound like former Viking Adrian Peterson? Probably not to those extents, yet Cook should bounce back with ease.

9. Kareem Hunt

Kareem hit the ground running in 2018, popping off in the season opener and never looking back. With a new QB at the helm, it will be interesting to see what Mahomes does to Hunt’s production. Will the Chiefs continue to heavily rely on the run game? Every Andy Reid team says so, thus we will follow the trend.

10. Leonard Fournette

Fournette’s volume of touches is something to dream of as a fantasy owner, and the touches should keep coming in 2018. Losing a guy like Allen Robinson bodes will for Fournette’s value, as Bortles will continue to be inconsistent in his play. Fournette will once again be a top option due to his role as an every-down back.

11. Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey is rumored to get between 20-25 touches a game, or so says his hopeful head coach. Should this be the case, McCaffrey has the potential to find himself in the upper-echelon on backs in fantasy. His role was reduced with Jonathan Stewart carrying the ball last season, and that might be the case this year with CJ Anderson. At minimum, his catches still give him high value.

12. LeSean McCoy

On paper, McCoy doesn’t have a whole lot going for him as of now. Between him hitting the dreaded age of 30 and his off the field issues, it’s entirely possible to see McCoy have a down season. However, LeSean finds himself still in one of the friendliest rushing attacks in the league, and will look to carry the load in hopes of aiding his rookie quarterback Josh Allen.

13. Jordan Howard

Howard has potential to be a great workhorse back in Matt Nagy’s offense, and at minimum, a three down back. With Tarik Cohen eating up most of his catches, Howard will again rely on his strong running style to keep him going.

14. Devonta Freeman

If it weren’t for Tevin Coleman, I’m confident Freeman would undeniably be a top-ten fantasy back due to his high volume of usage. Freeman still has what it takes to score points for your team, yet his value can only be so high with Coleman having found himself a nice niche in the Falcons offense.

15. Derrick Henry

Everybody has been pegging Henry to break-out since his arrival to the league in 2016. With DeMarco Murray gone, Henry will take over the lead-back role, only to have Dion Lewis as option 1B to his 1A. Tennessee wouldn’t have thrown serious money at Lewis if they didn’t plan to use him, but it’s clear Henry is poised to break out at some point in his career. Is this the year?

16. Mark Ingram

Even with the explosion of Kamara, Ingram still managed to score significant amounts of points in what is the most balanced offense built-in the league. Ingram serving a four game suspension does hurt his value, but once he’s ready to go, he should find himself a plethora of carries and touchdowns.

17. Joe Mixon

Mixon was well favored among fantasy owners last year to take over the Bengals backfield and never look back… which didn’t happen. Jeremy Hill is now a Patriot, and Mixon’s role just became bigger. Is he capable of taking the next step? If so, Mixon will be a steady 10 points a game in PPR formats.

18. Alex Collins

Collins is all set to lead the Ravens rushing attack in 2018 with Buck Allen right behind him. Collins is too good of a back not to see significant touches, as good as Allen is. Baltimore has two solid backs in their arsenal, but Collins should be their guy moving forward. With favorable match-ups in 2018, Collins is the guy who everybody knows but nobody is talking about among the best.

19. Kenyan Drake

Drake’s story is a great one, and his numbers speak for themselves. Miami as a whole offensive unit, however, scares many fantasy owners, including myself. Drake showed he was capable of running the ball effectively, but will the Dolphins limitations hold Drake back from a consistent pool of points? Until otherwise, be weary but hopefuly of Drake.

20. Jay Ajayi

Speaking of Miami, the former-Dolphin and now-Eagle Ajayi finds himself in a crowded backfield. What the defending Super Bowl champions plan on doing with their backfield is as mysterious as anything else. Can Ajayi assert himself out of the Bermuda triangle of a committee approach? His talent says yes, but the coaching staff might have other plans.