NFL DRAFT DFS: 2018 Best Ball Rankings (Final Update!) (DRAFT.com)

Why do you need another DFS site? Because DRAFT combines the excitement of a season-long draft into one set of games! Available from now until the start of the NFL season are “Best Ball” drafts. If you have seen them in the lobby and have not tried them out yet, this article has some pre-draft rankings all set for you to jump into some NFL DRAFT DFS action!

Welcome to the final update to my rankings for NFL DRAFT DFS, covering best ball drafts on DRAFT.com from FantasyCPR. Now that we have the ins and the outs of best ball drafts out of the way, it is time to move ahead with some rankings. I am done with twenty drafts at this point, and my focus moving ahead now that the preseason is wrapping up, will be breaking down week one of the regular season. Be on the lookout for week one rankings and targets coming soon! If you missed the first part of this best ball series, it can be found here.

NFL Best Ball Drafts:

A best ball draft is a season-long league on DRAFT. Simply draft 18 players for the whole season. No trades or waivers. DRAFT automatically takes your highest scorers of the week to give you a weekly score. All scores are accumulated throughout the season over the 16 weeks, and payouts follow at the end of the season.

So now that my drafts are complete, my final rankings will be posted here, and it will be my top 216 overall. For a 12-team league, there are 216 players drafted, so my expectation is for these rankings to cover the larger field drafts completely. I will go 36 deep at quarterback and tight end, and 72 at running back and wide receiver. Let’s proceed to the rankings!

Final Rankings Update:

The preseason is in the books and the final 53-man rosters are set. This has done quite a bit to shore up these rankings one last time, as we have a week or so left to draft our best ball teams. Some veterans such as Martavis Bryant, who were once in the top 216, have been cut, and wait to hear from other teams. Dez Bryant is still without a team as the regular season begins, although he does still expect to sign with some team at some point this season. Longtime Chargers tight end Antonio Gates is expected to re-sign with his old team this week, and he is now getting super late draft consideration from me.

The first massive blow to best ball drafters was delivered this week as well, as we learned late second / early third round pick Jerick McKinnon has torn his ACL, and will miss the 2018 season. We saw an ADP surge over the last week or so with new Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, who has made the squad, and figures to be in the regular first and second down rotation in a cluttered backfield. This week, expect that ADP surge to happen with the two running backs left standing in San Francisco. Matt Breida is a great talent, and he already should have been considered a top 50 back, but add Alfred Morris to that mix now as well. Peterson’s ADP was around 190 or so after he signed, and it now sits at 104.6. Morris’ sits at 196.3 at this moment, and it will be very interesting to see where that sits come game time.

NFL DRAFT DFS: QB Rankings

My rankings should be pretty easy to follow. I have ranked the top 216 overall. Rankings are broken down into positions by slides, starting here with quarterbacks. Following each players name will be their overall ranking in parenthesis. These rankings are now final, as we have finished up the preseason, and final rosters are set. Without further delay, I present to you the quarterback rankings!

Not a whole shaking up as far as changes go on the quarterback front. All teams seemed to have escaped the preseason with no significant injuries from the signal callers. I would say most notable for me is that I dropped Aaron Rodgers down a few spots, as I just don’t see myself ever drafting a QB before round four. On the other hand, DeShaun Watson has moved up, due to the talent he displayed before injury last season. They say he is 100%, and if he is, I love what he can do with DeAndre Hopkins, and an also healthy Will Fuller V. After these two though, who I am not reaching to get, it is still ninth or tenth round QB’s after that. I still love the upside on guys that can be taken late. Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, and Jimmy Garrapolo remain at the top of my want list for this format. With all considered, here are the final best ball quarterback rankings.

QB Rankings: 

1. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – (34)

2. Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – (52)

3. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – (56)

4. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – (66)

5. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – (75)

6. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – (90)

7. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – (91)

8. Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – (94)

9. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – (97)

10. Jimmy Garoppolo – San Francisco 49ers – (98)

11. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – (99)

12. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – (104)

13. Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – (123)

14. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – (124)

15. Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans – (126)

16. Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams – (129)

17. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – (138)

18. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – (142)

19. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – (143)

20. Case Keenum – Denver Broncos – (153)

21. Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars – (159)

22. Alex Smith – Washington Redskins – (166)

23. Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears – (170)

24. Eli Manning – New York Giants – (171)

25. Tyrod Taylor – Cleveland Browns – (172)

26. Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (177)

27. Sam Bradford – Arizona Cardinals – (181)

28. Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins – (182)

29. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – (184)

30. Sam Darnold – New York Jets – (187)

31. Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns – (192)

32. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens – (193)

33. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens – (203)

34. Josh Rosen – Arizona Cardinals – (207)

35. Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills – (211)

36. AJ McCarron – Buffalo Bills – (216)

NFL DRAFT DFS: RB Rankings:

Quite a bit going on the running back position as far as rankings go. I touched briefly on the McKinnon injury in the overview, and it is truly just the first major blow of the season. If you have not done best ball drafts before, just remember, the healthier your team stays, the more likely you are to finish in the money when it is all said and done.

Most notable at this position for me, is the slide of Ezekiel Elliott. Once ranked second overall, Zeke has slid down to six overall. No knock whatsoever on Elliott, but the offensive line has proven to be shadow of what was once among the best in the league. The lack of receiving threats on the outside also means that defenses will stuff that box against him all season.

So who moved up? Most notable is that I have now slid Alvin Kamara in the #2 spot, and I have a feeling that when it is all said and done, Kamara has a chance to be the top fantasy scorer in the league. The second year back will likely be on the field quite a bit for the first four games with the suspension to Mark Ingram. and I look for him to capitalize on his opportunity. Todd Gurley is still the #1 pick, and nothing looks to be getting in the way of that from now until the season kicks off on Thursday.

RB Rankings:

1. Todd Gurley – Los Angeles Rams – (1)

2. Alvin Kamara – New Orleans Saints – (2)

3. David Johnson – Arizona Cardinals – (3)

4. LeVeon Bell – Pittsburgh Steelers – (4)

5. Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys – (6)

6. Melvin Gordon – Los Angeles Chargers – (7)

7. Kareem Hunt – Kansas City Chiefs – (8)

8. Saquon Barkley – New York Giants – (9)

9. Leonard Fournette – Jacksonville Jaguars – (10)

10. Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers – (12)

11. Dalvin Cook – Minnesota Vikings – (13)

12. Devonta Freeman – Atlanta Falcons – (18)

13. Joe Mixon – Cincinnati Bengals – (20)

14. Jordan Howard – Chicago Bears – (23)

15. Royce Freeman – Denver Broncos – (29)

16. Derrick Henry – Tennessee Titans – (30)

17. Lamar Miller – Houston Texans – (38)

18. Alex Collins – Baltimore Ravens – (39)

19. Rex Burkhead – New England Patriots – (44)

20. Jay Ajayi – Philadelphia Eagles – (45)

21. LeSean McCoy – Buffalo Bills – (49)

22. Mark Ingram – New Orleans Saints – (50)

23. Dion Lewis – Tennessee Titans – (51)

24. Kenyan Drake – Miami Dolphins – (54)

25. Marshawn Lynch – Oakland Raiders – (55)

26. Tevin Coleman – Atlanta Falcons – (62)

27. Kerryon Johnson – Detroit Tigers – (65)

28. Tarik Cohen – Chicago Bears – (69)

29. Jamaal Williams – Green Bay Packers – (70)

30. Ronald Jones – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (74)

31. Rashaad Penny – Seattle Seahawks – (76)

32. Isaiah Crowell – New York Jets – (77)

33. Chris Thompson – Washington Redskins – (78)

34. Peyton Barber – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (81)

35. Chris Carson – Seattle Seahawks – (84)

36. Carlos Hyde – Cleveland Browns – (86)

37. James White – New England Patriots – (87)

38. Sony Michel – New England Patriots – (88)

39. CJ Anderson – Carolina Panthers – (92)

40. Adrian Peterson – Washington Redskins – (101)

41. Duke Johnson – Cleveland Browns – (103)

42. Ty Montgomery – Green Bay Packers – (107)

43. Marlon Mack – Indianapolis Colts – (109)

44. Nick Chubb – Cleveland Browns – (110)

45. Ty Montgomery – Green Bay Packers – (112)

46. Giovani Bernard – Cincinnati Bengals – (116)

47. Corey Clement – Philadelphia Eagles – (120)

48. Jordan Wilkins – Indianapolis Colts – (121)

49. Aaron Jones – Green Bay Packers – (122)

50. Latavius Murray – Minnesota Vikings – (125)

51. Matt Breida – San Francisco 49ers – (127)

52. Alfred Morris – San Francisco 49ers – (128)

53. Bilal Powell – New York Jets – (130)

54. Chris Ivory – Buffalo Bills – (133)

55. Devontae Booker – Denver Broncos – (145)

56. LeGarrette Blount – Detroit Lions – (149)

57. Frank Gore – Miami Dolphins – (150)

58. Nyheim Hynes – Indianapolis Colts – (151)

59. Javorius Allen – Baltimore Ravens – (152)

60. Spencer Ware – Kansas City Chiefs – (155)

61. Doug Martin – Oakland Raiders – (158)

62. Rob Kelley – Washington Redskins – (164)

63. Samaje Perine – Washington Redskins – (169)

64. Theo Riddick – Detroit Lions – (175)

65. Austin Ekeler – Los Angeles Chargers – (185)

66. Kenneth Dixon – Baltimore Ravens – (196)

67. TJ Yeldon – Jacksonville Jaguars – (197)

68. Darren Sproles – Philadelphia Eagles – (198)

69. CJ Prosise – Seattle Seahawks – (206)

70. Kalen Ballage – Miami Dolphins – (208)

71. Chase Edmonds – Arizona Cardinals – (209)

72. James Connor – Pittsburgh Steelers – (210)

NFL DRAFT DFS: WR Rankings:

A little shake up at the top of the WR rankings but not too much going here. I moved DeAndre Hopkins up a bit, while Odell Beckham Jr. and Adam Thielen slide a little bit. Much like Zeke at the running back position, this is not a dig at Thielen at all, but his ADP keeps dropping, and I am simply adjusting to the mean. Only reason to do this really is to remind myself that I can get him later than I have been drafting him.

I actually still prefer Thielen in this offense compared to Stefon Diggs, but most experts will disagree with me on that one. Thielen will likely lead this team in targets when it is all said and done, as he proved to be one of the best in the league at picking up first downs. Dalvin Cook out of the backfield and Diggs on the outside should open up plenty of targets for tight end Kyle Rudolph and Thielen across the middle this season.

Two big names jumping way up the rankings who I am starting to believe in are the other Texans receiver Will Fuller V, who should benefit from a healthy DeShaun Watson, and Jets top threat Robby Anderson. Rookie Sam Darnold has been named the starter in New York, and backup Teddy Bridgewater was shipped to New Orleans for a third round pick, so Darnold will get plenty of run at this starting job right out of the gate. If Darnold wants to have any success, he will target Anderson early and often. I also like the extra upside this Jets combo also possesses, due to the fact they will be playing catch-up most games. Simply put, there could be plenty of fantasy goodness in garbage time in this spot.

WR Rankings:

1. Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers – (5)

2. DeAndre Hopkins – Houston Texans – (11)

3. Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons – (14)

4. Odell Beckham – New York Giants – (15)

5. Keenan Allen – Los Angeles Chargers – (16)

6. Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints – (17)

7. Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers – (19)

8. AJ Green – Cincinnati Bengals – (22)

9. Stefon Diggs – Minnesota Vikings – (25)

10. Mike Evans – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (26)

11. TY Hilton – Indianapolis Colts – (27)

12. Adam Thielen – Minnesota Vikings – (28)

13. Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs – (31)

14. Juju Smith-Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers – (33)

15. Brandin Cooks – Los Angeles Rams – (35)

16. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – (36)

17. Chris Hogan – New England Patriots – (37)

18. Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos – (40)

19. Doug Baldwin – Seattle Seahawks – (41)

20. Amari Cooper – Los Angeles Raiders – (42)

21.  Jarvis Landry – Cleveland Browns – (43)

22. Allen Robinson – Chicago Bears – (46)

23. Golden Tate – Detroit Lions – (47)

24. Marquise Goodwin – San Francisco 49ers – (48)

25. Josh Gordon – Cleveland Browns – (53)

26. Marvin Jones – Detroit Lions – (57)

27. Alshon Jeffery – Philadelphia Eagles – (59)

28. Will Fuller – Houston Texans – (61)

29. Sammy Watkins – Kansas City Chiefs – (63)

30. Michael Crabtree – Baltimore Ravens – (64)

31. Corey Davis – Tennessee Titans – (67)

32. Emmanuel Sanders – Denver Broncos – (71)

33. Randall Cobb – Green Bay Packers – (73)

34. Robby Anderson – New York Jets – (82)

35. Cooper Kupp – Los Angeles Rams – (83)

36. Robert Woods – Los Angeles Rams – (85)

37. Pierre Garcon – San Francisco 49ers – (89)

38. Jordy Nelson – Oakland Raiders – (93)

39. Kelvin Benjamin – Buffalo Bills – (95)

40. Devin Funchess – Carolina Panthers – (96)

41.  Jamison Crowder – Washington Redskins – (100)

42. Sterling Shepard – New York Giants – (102)

43. Julian Edelman – New England Patriots – (107)

44. Nelson Agholor – Philadelphia Eagles – (108)

45. Kenny Golladay – Detroit Lions – (114)

46. Allen Hurns – Dallas Cowboys – (115)

47. DeVante Parker – Miami Dolphins – (117)

48.  Anthony Miller – Chicago Bears – (118)

49. Kenny Stills – Miami Dolphins – (119)

50. Mike Williams – Los Angeles Chargers – (131)

51. John Ross – Cincinnati Bengals – (132)

52. Rishard Matthews – Tennessee Titans – (134)

53. Tyler Lockett – Seattle Seahawks – (135)

54. DJ Moore – Carolina Panthers – (137)

55. Cameron Meredith – Chicago Bears – (140)

56. Chris Godwin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (141)

57. Michael Gallup – Dallas Cowboys – (144)

58. Calvin Ridley – Atlanta Falcons – (146)

59. Mohamed Sanu – Atlanta Falcons – (154)

60. Dez Bryant – *Free Agent* – (157)

61. Ted Ginn – New Orleans Saints – (162)

62. DeSean Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (163)

63. Geronimo Allison – Green Bay Packers – (165)

64. James Washington – Pittsburgh Steelers – (167)

65. Josh Doctson – Washington Redskins – (168)

66. Paul Richadson – Washington Redskins – (173)

67.  Tyrell Williams – Los Angeles Chargers – (179)

68. Dede Westbrook – Jacksonville Jaguars – (183)

69. Danny Amendola – Miami Dolphins – (193)

70. Albert Wilson – Miami Dolphins – (194)

71. Courtland Sutton – Denver Broncos – (202)

72. John Brown – Baltimore Ravens – (205)

NFL DRAFT DFS: TE Rankings:

Not a whole lot of change here at this position either, but there are certainly a few things to note. One player I have warmed up a bit to after simply overlooking him due to him being a Chicago Bear is Trey Burton. The guy is a pretty freakish athlete, and made some incredible TD grabs for the Eagles last season. Burton was only benefiitng in Philly while stud starter Zach Ertz was injured, so he has moved on to Chicago. This offensive line should be bottom tier, and young Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky may be looking for his tight end quickly on hot routes early and often. The defense will be better with the acquisition of Khalil Mack, so they will likely use the run game more often than most teams. But I have the feeling on many third down and red zone chances, Trubisky will be looking for Burton.

The other item of note for me at this position is the announcement that the Chargers have finally re-signed veteran Antonio Gates. Many thought this was a given after the injury to Hunter Henry, but it took the whole preseason to get a deal done. Maybe that was intentional? Not sure, but either way, you still have to look at Gates as a red zone threat. If you take three tight ends in your best ball drafts, Gates could slot in as great late round pick, as he should still have a few TD’s if he stays healthy in this offense.

TE Rankings:

1. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – (21)

2. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – (24)

3. Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – (32)

4. Jimmy Graham – Green Bay Packers – (58)

5. Greg Olson – Carolina Panthers – (60)

6. Evan Engram – New York Giants – (68)

7. Delanie Walker – Tennessee Titans – (72) 

MORE FROM FANTASY CPR

• NFL DFS Player Pool: Preseason Week 2 (Saturday, 8/18)
• DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown – Saturday, August 18
• Fantasy Football 2018 Debate: Dak Prescott or Philip Rivers
• MLB DFS Picks and Pivots – Saturday August 18
• DraftKings Main MLB Picks August 18: Will Price dominate Fenway?

8. Trey Burton – Chicago Bears – (79)

9. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – (80)

10. Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins – (105)

11. George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers – (106)

12. David Njoku – Cleveland Browns – (111)

13. Jack Doyle – Indianapolis Colts – (113)

14. Tyler Eifert – Cincinnati Bengals – (136)

15. OJ Howard – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (139)

16. Eric Ebron – Indianapolis Colts – (147)

17. Vance McDonald – Pittsburgh Steelers – (148)

18. Benjamin Watson – New Orleans Saints – (156)

19. Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (160)

20. Ricky Seals-Jones – Arizona Cardinals – (161)

21. Charles Clay – Buffalo Bills – (174)

22. Jared Cook – Oakland Raiders – (176)

23. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins – Jacksonville Jaguars – (178)

24. Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons – (180)

25. Mike Gesicki – Miami Dolphins – (186)

26. Vernon Davis – Washington Redskins – (188)

27. Antonio Gates – Los Angeles Chargers – (189)

28. Hayden Hurst – Baltimore Ravens – (190)

29. Jaylen Samuels – Pittsburgh Steelers – (195)

30. Tyler Kroft – Cincinnati Bengals – (199)

31. Ed Dickson – Seattle Seahawks – (200)

32. Jake Butt – Denver Broncos – (201)

33. Garrett Celek – San Francisco 49ers – (212)

34. Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles – (213)

35. Josh Hill – New Orleans Saints – (214)

36. Virgil Green – Los Angeles Chargers – (215)

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all of your DFS needs, even College football! We will have the breakdown of the Fantasy CPR Writers league draft as well and you don’t want to miss that! Also be on the lookout for the DRAFT rankings and targets for week one of the NFL season coming soon!