These fantasy football rankings for 2015 were very tricky to produce, especially for the Top 25 players. You can make an argument for anybody to go No. 1 (even Gronkowski). My No. 1 player to draft would have been Le’Veon Bell but his suspension made me rank him one or two spots lower. My No. 1 overall pick this year is Adrian Peterson, but Jamaal Charles was also a great candidate and definitely a Top 3 RB. Eddie Lacy is a strong candidate for No. 1 on ESPN, but I strongly disagree — Lacy doesn’t have as much upside as the other players.
I will be posting new rankings as we get closer to the the start of the regular season. I included some more analysis and insight below these fantasy football rankings 2015, so make sure to keep scrolling down.
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings
Overall Rankings for Standard Leagues
1. Adrian Peterson RB (MIN, 5)
2. Le’Veon Bell RB (PIT, 11)
3. Jamaal Charles RB (KC, 9)
4. Eddie Lacy RB (GB, 7)
Low risk
5. Marshawn Lynch RB (SEA, 9)
High risk because he has 1,166 touches the past 3 years (including the postseason)
6. C.J. Anderson RB (DEN, 7)
CJ Anderson is going in the 2nd round in a lot of drafts, so you probably don’t have to take him this early. I expect him to have an amazing year playing under Kubiak and alongside the aging Peyton Manning.
7. Antonio Brown WR (PIT, 11)
8. Rob Gronkowski TE (NE, 4)
9. Arian Foster RB (HOU, 9)
Foster is a good pick, but you absolutely have to handcuff him with Alfred Blue
10. LeSean McCoy RB (BUF, 8)
11. DeMarco Murray RB (PHI, 8)
12. Matt Forte RB (CHI, 7)
13. Calvin Johnson WR (DET, 9)
14. Dez Bryant WR (DAL, 6)
15. Demaryius Thomas WR (DEN, 7)
16. Julio Jones WR (ATL, 10)
17. Jordy Nelson WR (GB, 7)
18. Odell Beckham Jr. WR (NYG, 11)
19. A.J. Green WR (CIN, 7)
Last of the elite WRs
20. Jeremy Hill RB (CIN, 7)
21. Aaron Rodgers QB (GB, 7)
22. Andrew Luck QB (IND, 10)
23. Justin Forsett RB (BAL, 9)
24. Lamar Miller RB (MIA, 5)
25. Ty Hilton WR (IND, 10)
26. Alshon Jeffery WR (CHI, 7)
27. Randall Cobb WR (GB, 7)
28. Mark Ingram RB (NO, 11)
29. Mike Evans WR (TB, 6)
30. DeAndre Hopkins WR (HOU, 9)
31. Melvin Gordon RB (SD, 10)
32. Jimmy Graham TE (SEA, 9)
Even though Jimmy is going from a team that passed a whole bunch to a team that runs a whole bunch, I could see him getting drafted as high as #23 overall. I would rather make sure I got my RB, WR and maybe even QB position locked up before going for Graham (the No. 2 TE) in this year’s draft
33. Carlos Hyde RB (SF, 10)
There are a lot of unknowns and risks here, but the ceiling is very high for this young RB
34. Alfred Morris RB (WAS, 8)
35. Jonathan Stewart RB (CAR, 5)
An underrated RB2
36. Brandin Cooks WR (NO, 11)
Stills & Graham are gone, and Cooks & Spiller are the ones expected to see all those targets from Brees. In a 14-man or 16-man league, Nick Toon could be a creative handcuff for Cooks
37. Emmanuel Sanders WR (DEN, 7)
38. Kelvin Benjamin WR (CAR, 5)
39. Latavius Murray RB (OAK, 6)
Very high ceiling for this guy
40. Russell Wilson QB (SEA, 9)
41. Peyton Manning QB (DEN, 7)
Peyton Manning could easily be ranked higher than Russell Wilson in leagues where pass TDs are awarded 6 fantasy points (opposed to 4)
42. Drew Brees QB (NO, 11)
Underrated
43. Jordan Matthews WR (PHI, 8)
44. Todd Gurley RB (STL, 6)
45. DeSean Jackson WR (WAS, 8)
46. T.J. Yeldon RB (JAC, 8)
47. Frank Gore RB (IND, 10)
48. Andre Ellington RB (ARI, 9)
49. Brandon Marshall WR (NYJ, 5)
As long as the Jets aren’t dead last in pass offense and Marshall stays healthy, he will have a great year. Marshall has shown he can beast on any team with any quarterback. But yes, there is a risk here.
50. Julian Edelman WR (NE, 4)
51. Greg Olsen TE (CAR, 5)
52. Vincent Jackson WR (TB, 6)
Mike Evans is the better WR in Tampa Bay, but Vincent Jackson was the Bucs’ most targeted receiver last year. Vincent Jackson should be able to convert some of those targets into touchdowns this year. Last year he only had 2 TDs (his lowest since his rookie year)
53. Ben Roethlisberger QB (PIT, 11)
Big Ben is a great value pick for your QB1
54. Amari Cooper WR (OAK, 6)
A very risky pick but who doesn’t like this guy? A must-draft if he falls a round
55. Sammy Watkins WR (BUF, 8)
56. Golden Tate WR (DET, 9)
57. Keenan Allen WR (SD, 10)
58. Travis Kelce TE (KC, 9)
Some owners reach as far as to grab Kelce as their No. 3 overall pick — don’t do that. Kelce is a sexy pick, but I wouldn’t reach to get him
59. Joique Bell RB (DET, 9)
60. C.J. Spiller RB (NO, 11)
Will be overlooked in some PPR leagues, and if that’s the case, draft him. I wouldn’t go out of my way to draft him in standard leagues though
61. Cam Newton QB (CAR, 5)
You’re banking on the rush yds and rush TDs with this guy, but he is a great running QB
62. Matt Ryan QB (ATL, 10)
A great value pick as your QB1 this year. Hopefully the o-line can stay healthy in 2015
63. Andre Johnson WR (IND, 10)
Very risk pick at WR. There are too many sleeper WRs to target Andre early
64. Martavis Bryant WR (PIT, 11)
I really like this guy, but he is being drafted a bit too early for my taste
65. Martellus Bennett TE (CHI, 7)
An underrated TE
66. Zach Ertz TE (PHI, 8)
Ertz is considered a Top 10 TE just because he is in an uptempo Philadelphia offense that runs the most offensive snaps every year. Ertz should see more snaps this year as well. A great value-pick with upside.
67. Jeremy Maclin WR (KC, 9)
Maclin is supposed to help Alex Smith and the Chiefs throw the ball deeper down the field. Maclin will help that happen, but one guy won’t transform this KC offense overnight.
68. LeGarrette Blount RB (NE, 4)
A solid pick in non-PPR leagues. Blount should see plenty of work on first and second down and also in the red zone
69. Tony Romo QB (DAL, 6)
I expect Romo to put up slightly bigger numbers than he did in 2014
70. Tom Brady QB (NE, 4)
71. Matthew Stafford QB (DET, 9)
Underrated QB2 or low-end QB1 in deep leagues
72. Giovani Bernard RB (CIN, 7)
73. Roddy White WR (ATL, 10)
74. Tevin Coleman RB (ATL, 10)
Good value for an RB that might slip in drafts
75. Isaiah Crowell RB (CLE, 11)
76. Joseph Randle RB (DAL, 6)
77. Michael Floyd WR (ARI, 9)
78. Jarvis Landry WR (MIA, 5)
79. Brandon LaFell WR (NE, 4)
Draft LaFell only if he falls a couple rounds (he often does)
80. Christopher Ivory RB (NYJ, 5)
81. Eric Decker WR (NYJ, 5)
82. Mike Wallace WR (MIN, 5)
83. Kevin White WR (CHI, 7)
A very risky pick
84. Anquan Boldin WR (SF, 10)
A very underrated WR in other rankings
85. Steve Smith WR (BAL, 9)
86. Ryan Tannehill QB (MIA, 5)
87. Eli Manning QB (NYG, 11)
88. Allen Robinson WR (JAC, 8)
A sleeper that might slip in your draft
89. Jason Witten TE (DAL, 6)
He will put up slightly better numbers than he did in 2014. After Witten, the TE selection starts to get very risky
90. Philip Rivers QB (SD, 10)
91. Ameer Abdullah RB (DET, 9)
92. Torrey Smith WR (SF, 10)
93. Rashad Jennings RB (NYG, 11)
I’m avoiding the NYG RB situation this year — I smell a 3-headed monster
94. Larry Fitzgerald WR (ARI, 9)
95. Jordan Cameron TE (MIA, 5)
96. Julius Thomas TE (JAC, 8)
Going from one of the best QBs to one of the worst is going to severely hurt Orange Julius’ production
97. Nelson Agholor WR (PHI, 8)
If he falls all the way to the last few rounds, draft him
98. Delanie Walker TE (TEN, 4)
99. Tre Mason RB (STL, 6)
A great handcuff for Gurley
100. Charles Johnson WR (MIN, 5)
101. Devonta Freeman RB (ATL, 10)
102. Marques Colston WR (NO, 11)
103. Owen Daniels TE (DEN, 7)
If you waited to draft a TE and got a QB earlier in the draft, it doesn’t get much better than this guy. Peyton Manning makes all his tight ends shine and HC Gary Kubiak loves him.
104. Darren McFadden RB (DAL, 6)
105. Davante Adams WR (GB, 7)
106. Charles Sims RB (TB, 6)
107. Shane Vereen RB (NYG, 11)
108. Ryan Mathews RB (PHI, 8)
109. Doug Martin RB (TB, 6)
110. Colin Kaepernick QB (SF, 10)
111. Teddy Bridgewater QB (MIN, 5)
112. Larry Donnell TE (NYG, 11)
113. Breshad Perriman WR (BAL, 9)
114. John Brown WR (ARI, 9)
115. Percy Harvin WR (BUF, 8)
116. Victor Cruz WR (NYG, 11)
117. Bishop Sankey RB (TEN, 4)
118. Kendall Wright WR (TEN, 4)
119. Sam Bradford QB (PHI, 8)
120. Devante Parker WR (MIA, 5)
121. Kenny Stills WR (MIA, 5)
122. David Cobb RB (TEN, 4)
David Cobb and Theo Riddick are 2 RBs that I often target in the late rounds
123. Jay Cutler QB (CHI, 7)
124. Pierre Garcon WR (WAS, 8)
125. Antonio Gates TE (SD, 10)
His 4 game suspension severely hurts his ranking. He likely won’t put up the numbers he did in 2014, but Gates is still a very solid TE1
126. Dwayne Allen TE (IND, 10)
127. Joe Flacco QB (BAL, 9)
128. Carson Palmer QB (ARI, 9)
129. Seattle Seahawks DST (SEA, 9)
I’m likely not going to be the first owner to select a defense this year. Lots of great picks several rounds later
130. Terrance Williams WR (DAL, 6)
131. Coby Fleener TE (IND, 10)
132. Knile Davis RB (KC, 9)
A must-handcuff for Jamaal Charles owners
133. Tyler Eifert TE (CIN, 7)
Another sleeper TE
134. Duke Johnson RB (CLE, 11)
135. David Johnson RB (ARI, 9)
136. Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE (TB, 6)
A decent sleeper at TE
137. Rueben Randle WR (NYG, 11)
138. Cody Latimer WR (DEN, 7)
139. Andre Williams RB (NYG, 11)
140. Brian Quick WR (STL, 6)
Another WR that often gets forgotten. Quick is likely to be the No. 1 receiving option for the Rams
141. Doug Baldwin WR (SEA, 9)
142. Marvin Jones WR (CIN, 7)
Sleeper alert
143. Heath Miller TE (PIT, 11)
He isn’t that much worse than Witten, but drafted much later
144. Josh Hill TE (NO, 11)
The only reason Hill is ranked so low is that we don’t know how often Ben Watson and the tight end position will be used in the passing game for the Saints
145. Robert Griffin III QB (WAS, 8)
146. Reggie Bush RB (SF, 10)
Only worth considering in deep/PPR leagues
147. Andy Dalton QB (CIN, 7)
148. Terrance West RB (CLE, 11)
149. Dwayne Bowe WR (CLE, 11)
150. Jay Ajayi RB (MIA, 5)
An RB that’s often overlooked except in deep/keeper leagues. At worst, he’s a decent handcuff to Miller
151. Kyle Rudolph TE (MIN, 5)
152. Danny Woodhead RB (SD, 10)
153. Malcom Floyd WR (SD, 10)
154. Vernon Davis TE (SF, 10)
A very risky TE, but this late in the draft, it’s well worth taking the risk. Several defenses will be off the board before owners think about drafting Vern
155. Buffalo Bills DST (BUF, 8)
Rex Ryan should have fun this year
156. Houston Texans DST (HOU, 9)
High risk, high reward
157. Montee Ball RB (DEN, 7)
158. Roy Helu RB (OAK, 6)
Not worth considering unless you’re in deep, PPR league
159. Fred Jackson RB (BUF, 8)
160. Jameis Winston QB (TB, 6)
161. St. Louis Rams DST (STL, 6)
Sacks, sacks, sacks and more sacks
162. DeAngelo Williams RB (PIT, 11)
A great late-round handcuff for the suspended Le’Veon Bell
163. Theo Riddick RB (DET, 9)
With Reggie Bush gone, Riddick is an amazing pick in PPR leagues
164. Dorial Green-Beckham WR (TEN, 4)
165. Maxx Williams TE (BAL, 9)
Rookie tight ends almost never put up big numbers, but Maxx Williams is definitely a candidate that has a shot at being a TE1 this year
166. Kenny Britt WR (STL, 6)
167. Jordan Reed TE (WAS, 8)
168. Eric Ebron TE (DET, 9)
A decent TE2 with some breakout potential but absolutely do not reach for him
169. Donte Moncrief WR (IND, 10)
Moncrief’s value will skyrocket with an injury to the aging Andre Johnson
170. Nick Foles QB (STL, 6)
171. Jerick McKinnon RB (MIN, 5)
172. Marcus Mariota QB (TEN, 4)
173. Devin Funchess WR (CAR, 5)
174. Steve Johnson WR (SD, 10)
175. Michael Crabtree WR (OAK, 6)
176. Stevan Ridley RB (NYJ, 5)
177. Derek Carr QB (OAK, 6)
178. Darren Sproles RB (PHI, 8)
179. Josh Huff WR (PHI, 8)
180. Lorenzo Taliaferro RB (BAL, 9)
181. Alfred Blue RB (HOU, 9)
A must-handcuff for Foster owners
182. New York Jets DST (NYJ, 5)
High risk
183. Miami Dolphins DST (MIA, 5)
184. James White RB (NE, 4)
185. Arizona Cardinals DST (ARI, 9)
The Seahawks traded for Jimmy Graham to help attack this amazing Arizona defense.
186. Daniel Herron RB (IND, 10)
187. Denver Broncos DST (DEN, 7)
I love the Broncos D this year, but DO NOT reach for them
188. James Starks RB (GB, 7)
A great handcuff for Lacy owners, especially if they drafted him as a Top 3 pick
189. Marqise Lee WR (JAC, 8)
190. Branden Oliver RB (SD, 10)
191. Cole Beasley WR (DAL, 6)
192. Denard Robinson RB (JAC, 8)
193. Alex Smith QB (KC, 9)
194. Cecil Shorts WR (HOU, 9)
195. Stedman Bailey WR (STL, 6)
196. Charles Clay TE (BUF, 8)
197. Jaelen Strong WR (HOU, 9)
198. Hakeem Nicks WR (TEN, 4)
199. Greg Jennings WR (MIA, 5)
200. Matt Jones RB (WAS, 8)
201. Marlon Brown WR (BAL, 9)
202. Tavon Austin WR (STL, 6)
203. Nick Toon WR (NO, 11)
A deep league sleeper
204. Jared Cook TE (STL, 6)
205. Detroit Lions DST (DET, 9)
206. Justin Hunter WR (TEN, 4)
207. Mychal Rivera TE (OAK, 6)
208. Jace Amaro TE (NYJ, 5)
209. Javorius Allen RB (BAL, 9)
210. Trent Richardson RB (OAK, 6)
211. Cordarrelle Patterson WR (MIN, 5)
212. Phillip Dorsett WR (IND, 10)
213. Baltimore Ravens DST (BAL, 9)
214. Kansas City Chiefs DST (KC, 9)
215. Toby Gerhart RB (JAC, 8)
Antonio Brown has to be the best wide receiver this year, not only because of the amount of targets (347) and receptions (239) he got the past two season, but also because he played all 16 games during that span. Only Demaryius Thomas had more targets (184) last year compared to Brown (182). If Calvin Johnson can stay healthy, I believe he has the best shot at being the being the best fantasy WR other than AB.
Rob Gronkowski put more separation between him and Jimmy Graham. Graham went from a Saints team that attempted the second most passes last year (659) to the Seahawks who attempted the least amount of passes (454). Zach Ertz, Owen Daniels and Austin Seferian-Jenkins are great tight ends to target later in the draft.
I reached to draft the Seahawks D/ST in 2013 and did the same in 2014. It worked out quite well for me the first time, but last year, it destroyed my team. In this 2015, I likely won’t be the first owner to select a defense off the board. There are far too many value picks later in the draft to reach for a defense this year, and this will likely be the case most years.
I will be coming out with several draft videos and tools, so make sure to stay tuned and subscribe to our email list. You can get my free ebook, The 10 Commandments of Drafting Fantasy Football, so you don’t make the same mistakes that these other owners are making on draft day. Have a great 2015 draft!
Top banner photo credit: Tony Webster
