A few things are becoming clear: the NFL is completely back to being a RB heavy league, and the top RBs have now all become pass-catching mavens.
#1 Overall
I think Todd Gurley has done sufficiently enough to retain his #1 overall standing, but there's a shakeup among the next tier:
#2-#5
It's hard not to put Saquon Barkley as the #2 overall player after his monstrous rookie year. It would even be hard to fault someone for taking him #1 overall. Alvin Kamara may no longer have UFA Mark Ingram to kick around (although I'm sure someone will sprout up), so he's still an easy top bet. Christian McCaffrey has emerged as an uber-stud and is a Top 4 lock. Melvin Gordon has become a week-in, week-out reliable stud who catches passes and scores TDs.
#6-#10
Ezekiel Elliott keeps chugging along, but his receiving yardage is starting to fall behind the top backs. Kareem Hunt is in a high-powered offense which sometimes leaves him short of work, but he's still a Top 10 back easy. James Conner should have the PIT job all to himself next year and has done Le'Veon Bell-esque things this year. Speaking of Le'Veon Bell, he could end up with the Jets or Bills or similar bad offense which could possibly damage his upside -- and then there's the fact he sat out an entire year. David Johnson is starting to resemble the David Johnson of old under new OC Byron Leftwich, but he could slide further than this spot.
#11-#17
This is where the WRs start to come into play. Tyreek Hill, Adam Thielen, Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham and Davante Adams all have to be considered here.
#18-#27
The up and coming bellcow RBs like Nick Chubb, Phillip Lindsay, Sony Michel & Joe Mixon, the injury-ravaged Leonard Fournette, elite WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans and Stefon Diggs, and QB extraordinaire Patrick Mahomes should all fall into this tier.
#28-#36
Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski, Keenan Allen, Brandin Cooks, Kerryon Johnson, AJ Green, Aaron Jones & Marlon Mack should be in this latter part of the third round.
TOP THREE ROUNDS (UPDATED, 3/13)
TIER ONE
1 - Barkley
2 - McCaffrey
3 - Elliott
4 - Kamara
TIER TWO
5 - Bell
6 - Gordon
7 - Conner
8 - Gurley
TIER THREE
9 - J. Jones
10 - M. Thomas
11 - D. Adams
12 - T. Hill
13 - Smith-Schuster
14 - Thielen
15 - A. Brown
16 - Beckham
17 - Hopkins
TIER FOUR
18 - Henry
19 - Cook
20 - Mixon
21 - Lindsay
22 - D. Johnson
23 - Evans
24 - Fournette
25 - Mahomes
26 - Diggs
27 - Michel
TIER SIX
28 - Kelce
29 - Ertz
30 - Allen
31 - Mack
32 - Chubb
33 - A. Jones
34 - Kittle
35 - Woods
36 - Cooper
#1 Overall
I think Todd Gurley has done sufficiently enough to retain his #1 overall standing, but there's a shakeup among the next tier:
#2-#5
It's hard not to put Saquon Barkley as the #2 overall player after his monstrous rookie year. It would even be hard to fault someone for taking him #1 overall. Alvin Kamara may no longer have UFA Mark Ingram to kick around (although I'm sure someone will sprout up), so he's still an easy top bet. Christian McCaffrey has emerged as an uber-stud and is a Top 4 lock. Melvin Gordon has become a week-in, week-out reliable stud who catches passes and scores TDs.
#6-#10
Ezekiel Elliott keeps chugging along, but his receiving yardage is starting to fall behind the top backs. Kareem Hunt is in a high-powered offense which sometimes leaves him short of work, but he's still a Top 10 back easy. James Conner should have the PIT job all to himself next year and has done Le'Veon Bell-esque things this year. Speaking of Le'Veon Bell, he could end up with the Jets or Bills or similar bad offense which could possibly damage his upside -- and then there's the fact he sat out an entire year. David Johnson is starting to resemble the David Johnson of old under new OC Byron Leftwich, but he could slide further than this spot.
#11-#17
This is where the WRs start to come into play. Tyreek Hill, Adam Thielen, Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham and Davante Adams all have to be considered here.
#18-#27
The up and coming bellcow RBs like Nick Chubb, Phillip Lindsay, Sony Michel & Joe Mixon, the injury-ravaged Leonard Fournette, elite WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans and Stefon Diggs, and QB extraordinaire Patrick Mahomes should all fall into this tier.
#28-#36
Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski, Keenan Allen, Brandin Cooks, Kerryon Johnson, AJ Green, Aaron Jones & Marlon Mack should be in this latter part of the third round.
TOP THREE ROUNDS (UPDATED, 3/13)
TIER ONE
1 - Barkley
2 - McCaffrey
3 - Elliott
4 - Kamara
TIER TWO
5 - Bell
6 - Gordon
7 - Conner
8 - Gurley
TIER THREE
9 - J. Jones
10 - M. Thomas
11 - D. Adams
12 - T. Hill
13 - Smith-Schuster
14 - Thielen
15 - A. Brown
16 - Beckham
17 - Hopkins
TIER FOUR
18 - Henry
19 - Cook
20 - Mixon
21 - Lindsay
22 - D. Johnson
23 - Evans
24 - Fournette
25 - Mahomes
26 - Diggs
27 - Michel
TIER SIX
28 - Kelce
29 - Ertz
30 - Allen
31 - Mack
32 - Chubb
33 - A. Jones
34 - Kittle
35 - Woods
36 - Cooper
Comment