Fantasy Football: Rankings Series (Round Seven)

This will be the last article of the series, but don’t worry, I’ll leave you with more rankings. 

1. Matt Ryan, QB Atlanta Falcons: I’ve ended up with Matty Ice in a couple leagues already. I tend to stack at RB and WR before I go QB or TE. Matt Ryan is a steady and consistent quarterback. He has decent weapons, and with the lack of a proven running game, we’ll probably see him throw a little bit more. Ryan is one of my sleepers to make the top 5 QB talk, he’ll be a nice option most weeks this year.

2. Roddy White, WR Atlanta Falcons: Chances are that if you take this guy, you plan on playing him in your FLEX position. He’s a bit of a liability, so you’ll find yourself paying close attention to his health. Even with Julio Jones lining up on the other side, he’ll have decent games. Roddy White still got 122 targets last year, and scored seven touchdowns. He’ll have some nice games, I like White early seventh.

3. Eric Decker, WR New York Jets: Eric Decker’s value took a slight jump with Geno Smith’s broken jaw. Brandon Marshall will certainly get most of the looks, but Decker will get a fair share as well. The one thing Decker owners will see the most is garbage time points. If Marshall can’t stay healthy this season, Decker will get a huge boost in value. However, being on the Jets comes with some downside, which is why I’m holding off until early seventh to take him.

4. Larry Fitzgerald, WR Arizona Cardinals: I think this is quite low for Larry Fitzgerald, but you have to consider the questions surrounding not only him, but the team as well. The first question mark is his age, this will be his 12th season, he’s 32, we have to wonder how long can he continue to be proficient. The next question for me is Carson Palmer. I’m not questioning the talent, but the knee. Carson Palmer is coming of an ACL injury, and if he goes down again, Fitzgerald’s value will go down as well.

5. Doug Martin, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This is where we’re doing a little digging at this position. Doug Martin hasn’t been everything past owners hoped for, and maybe this year will be a little different. I don’t think he’s going to be outstanding, I just think the expectations have lowered to the point where he may actually meet or exceed them. I’m not crazy on Martin, but I’m not completely writing him off either.

6. Charles Johnson, WR Minnesota Vikings: I announced him as a breakout candidate on my show Wednesday (which airs 8:45 PM EDT/ 5:45 PDT on spreaker.com). Charles Johnson is currently the number one man in Minnesota, and Teddy Bridgewater has shown incredible accuracy thus far in preseason. The Vikings could collapse too, keep an eye Johnson, he may surprise you.

7. Steve Smith, WR Baltimore Ravens: He announced earlier this summer that this will be his last year. It’ll be a decent one, but probably not a memorable one. The Ravens have a good quarterback in Joe Flacco, but he’s not a regular season stud. The Ravens also have a running game to rely on as well. Steve Smith will be a nice FLEX option. Keep an eye on his matchups, and see what the experts are saying. I like Steve Smith mid seventh.

8. Tony Romo, QB Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys are going to be a good team this year, but the last time Romo played a full year without DeMarco Murray he scored 265 points, which is about middle of the road points for a quarterback. Without a reliable defense or a proven rushing attack (because we don’t know how good Joseph Randle really is) it’s tough to say how he’ll do. Tony Romo can perform well against great defenses, and then the next week struggle against a bad one. I feel above the seventh is too high for Romo, but eighth is too low. I like Romo at mid seventh.

9. Isaiah Crowell, RB Cleveland Browns: I typically rank starting running backs higher, but this is a crowded backfield and a horrible team. Isaiah Crowell can have some good games, but it’ll really depend on the matchup. He will have a handful of good games, but I don’t think it’ll be much to write home about. Despite all of that, there’s really no better option at running back behind Crowell.

10. Torrey Smith, WR San Francisco 49ers: Torrey Smith is another nice FLEX option for fantasy owners, but could turn into a nightmare depending on matchups. Ever since the Super Bowl loss, Kaepernick has struggled. You also have to wonder who will be the favorite target from week to week. Some weeks it may be Anquan Boldin, others it could be Vernon Davis. I think Torrey Smith is the more reliable option. I’ll wait until late seventh before I start looking his way.

11. Martavis Bryant, WR Pittsburgh Steelers: Prior to the suspension, I had Martavis as a low end WR2, and while he’s still that, we’ll have to wait four games for those points. One strategical part to this selection is having a nice FLEX option when he returns. I also like the late bye week, since the Steelers don’t go on a bye week until Week 11. I’ll wait until late seventh before I take Bryant.

12. Jordan Cameron, TE Miami Dolphins: I like the situation Jordan Cameron has fallen into. Not only did he go to a better team, but I think quarterback Ryan Tannehill is on the rise. Even with a lesser tight end last year, former Dolphin Charles Clay was targeted 14th most in the NFL among tight ends. I think that number will scoot up a little bit, but keep in mind Jarvis Landry is there and they also picked up Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings. I have him ranked as the 6th best tight end this year, and I’ll take him late seventh.

As I promised, here are some sequential rounds…