2014 FANTASY FOOTBALL QB RANKINGS

With the 2013 fantasy football season in the books, let's take our first very early look at the 2014 QB rankings as we go through all the positions before we put things to bed for awhile.

1.  Peyton Manning:  55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards.  Allow that to sink in all offseason.  Wow.
2.  Aaron Rodgers:  Yeah this past season was a bit rough with injury and not having the Packers QB for the playoff weeks but on talent alone Rodgers is still as good as it gets.
3.  Drew Brees:  Eventually age will take a toll as Brees turns 35 but so far there are no signs of slippage.  Playing in a Dome and in a West Coast system helps.
4. Nick Foles:  This is not a misprint.  Foles proved a natural for Chip Kelly's system and a 27/2 TD/INT ratio says it all.
5.  Tony Romo:  Will likely be undervalued again but not by me.  Give the guy his due already.
6.  Matt Ryan:  I will likely wind up with Ryan again next season as his price slipped due to the injuries around the Falcons offense.  This passing attack can be extremely explosive though so take advantage of the discount.
7.  Tom Brady:  Brady is getting up there now in age and with Rob Gronkowski no sure bet to ever stay healthy,  the 25 TD's he tossed last season are more where he stays now instead of his days in the 30's.
8. Andrew Luck:  Look for yet more improvement by this future star. 
9.  Philip Rivers:  Rivers proved to be a sweet bargain in 2013 as he proved he is not done yet with 4.478 yards and 32 touchdowns.  Loves the Mike Riley system.
10. Matthew Stafford:  The guy was terrific all season until December when he decided to throw more to the other team than his own receivers.  Extremely dependent on Calvin Johnson staying healthy which is always dicey.
11. Cam Newton:  You all like him more than me.  Terrific athlete and player but the fantasy football numbers don't match up with many of the guys listed earlier in this list.
12. Russell Wilson:  The guy has a knack for touchdowns which is all that matters in most leagues despite a middling yardage total.  Also ran for more than 500 yards last season which is not to be overlooked.
13. Andy Dalton:  A guy I like more than you.  On paper had a career-year with 33 touchdowns and 4,296 yards.  However the 20 touchdowns led to more than a few hair pulling moments.  Tremendous weaponry at Dalton's disposal.
15. Ben Roethlisberger:  Few realize how good Big Ben was in 2013 as he threw 28 touchdowns due to the Steelers missing the playoffs.  I have been a critic in the past but the Steelers are now clearly a passing offense which has me selling off on an investment. 
16. Colin Kaepernick:  Lots of flash last season and in Week 1 this season but not so much from that point on.  Overrated by many which I said was the case last summer.
17. Ryan Tannehill:  Showed marked improvement in his second full season with 23 touchdowns and he too can help a bit on the ground.
18. Jay Cutler:  Never a fan due to interception-heavy ways and injuries.  Also a free agent whose new locale is imperative as far as projecting his future.
19. Mike Glennon:  Quietly had a terrific rookie season.  Has nice weapons around him and a cannon arm.  Good value.
20. Carson Palmer:  Not a guarantee Palmer is back with Arizona next season but if he doesn't get released, a carbon copy of 2013 is likely.
21. Robert Griffin III:  Hope you all listened when I told to stay far away from Griffin last season.  His skills look a bit diminished and his attitude is horrible.  Move on.
22. Alex Smith:  Solid and steady but never lights up the stat sheet.
23. Eli Manning:  Listen Eli Manning is not nearly as bad as he looked all of 2013.  Sure he throws interceptions but the Giants didn't block for him one bit.  Look for a decent rebound.
24. Joe Flacco:  Never a numbers guy to begin with which means he is not someone who wasn't to invest in next season.
25. Sam Bradford:  Saw some good things out of Bradford before he got hurt but time is running out.
26. E.J. Manuel:  Some potential here but Manuel has a long way to go before we try this.

There you have it.  As always let us hear what you think.  Post your thoughts below.  Let us get a debate going on all of this.

2013 FANTASY FOOTBALL ALL BUST TEAM

We already discussed our 2013 fantasy football All Pro team a few days ago and the flip side of that is the All Bust team.  Players that failed to come close to their expected level of performance whether through injury, slumps, or a combination of the two.  Let's see who ruined more teams this season.

QB (3)

Robert Griffin III/Colin Kaepernick/Aaron Rodgers:  Correctly called both Griffin and Kaepernick busts before the season as they both went along with the script.  Both guys grossly underperformed from what was expected, while Rodgers makes the list simply for being absent for the most crucial weeks of the season due to injury.  Was all set to put Andrew Luck here until a nice finish.

RB (3)

Ray Rice/Arian Foster/C.J. Spiller/Doug Martin:  I was right on with my bust picks this season as I also wrote preseason pieces telling you all to avoid Foster and Spiller.  Foster worried me due to declining yards per carry and a very heavy workload the previous few seasons while Spiller was a guy I never envisioned being able to handle a full allotment of carries.  Meanwhile Rice shocked me at how awful he was from start to finish.  He could be looking at an early fade to his career due to his slight and stocky build taking a lot of pounding.  Yes I included a fourth runner in Martin as it was impossible not to include him since he played poorly before being lost for the season with a shoulder issue.

WR (5)

Julio Jones/Danny Amendola/Reggie Wayne/Mike Wallace/Roddy White:  Tough year to be a Falcons wide receiver as both Jones and White made the list.  Jones was put on like with Reggie Wayne due to missing the majority of the season with injury, while White himself was hobbled all year and played poorly when in the lineup.  He did finish strong however but by that time his original owners likely cut him loose and saw someone else benefit from that run.  Meanwhile I also called both Amendola and Wallace preseason busts and they came through in a major way with the former dealing with more injuries and the latter having issues connecting with a very young passer.

TE (2)

Jason Witten/Rob Gronkowski:  Yeah Witten caught 8 touchdowns but his 61 receptions were a vast drop in numbers which could be a sign he is aging.  Meanwhile Gronkowski was very good in the month that he played but he missed 3/4's of the season with more injuries. 

K (1)

Garrett Harley:  You would think investing in a kicker in one of the best offenses in the NFL would be profitable but Hartley destroyed that notion by getting cut last week.

DEF (1)

Dallas Cowboys:  With so many big games on this unit, they were historically bad.  Nothing good to say at all about this awful group.

There you have it.  Let us hear your thoughts below.

FANTASY FOOTBAL LWEEK 16 TIGHT END RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 16 tight end rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  Jimmy Graham
2.  Julius Thomas
3.  Jason Witten
4.  Delanie Walker
5.  Vernon Davis
6.  Charles Clay
7.  Greg Olsen
8.  Tony Gonzalez
9.  Martellus Bennett
10. Heath Miller
11. Zach Miller
12. Antonio Gates
13. Coby Fleener
14. Ryan Griffin
15. Tim Wright
16. Andrew Quarless
17. Zach Ertz
18. Scott Chandler
19. Tyler Eifert
20. Jared Cook
21. Marecedes Lewis
22. Brandon Myers
23. Brandon Pettigrew

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 16 WIDE RECEIVER RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 16 wide receiver rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  Calvin Johnson
2.  Josh Gordon
3.  A.J. Green
4.  Dez Bryant
5.  Brandon Marshall
6.  Alshon Jeffery
7.  Demaryuis Thomas
8.  Antonio Brown
9.  Julian Edelman
10. Keenan Allen
11. Pierre Garcon
12. Jordy Nelson
13. DeSean Jackson
14. Andre Johnson
15. Eric Decker
16. Torrey Smith
17. Danny Amendola
18. Mike Wallace
19. Michael Crabtree
20. Roddy White
21. Marques Colston
22. Rod Streator
23. Larry Fitzgerald
24. Vincent Jackson
25. Steve Smith
26. T.Y. Hilton
27. Anquan Boldin
28. Riley Cooper
29. Dwayne Bowe
30. James Jones
31. Reuben Randle
32. Brian Hartline
33. Hakeem Nicks
34. Harry Douglas
35. Emmanuel Sanders
36. Doug Baldwin
37. Jarrett Boykin
38. Greg Jennings
39. Golden Tate
40. Cordarelle Patterson

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 16 RUNNING BACK RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 16 running back rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  Jamaal Charles
2.  LeSean McCoy
3.  Matt Forte
4.  DeMarco Murray
5.  Marshawn Lynch
6.  Eddie Lacy
7.  Rashad Jennings
8.  Zac Stacy
9.  Alfred Morris
10. Adrian Peterson
11. Frank Gore
12. Ryan Matthews
13. Knowshon Moreno
14. Le'Veon Bell
15. Reggie Bush
16. Jordan Todman
17. Shane Vereen
18. Giovani Bernard
19. Chris Johnson
20. Ray Rice
21. Bobby Rainey
22. DeAngelo Williams
23. C.J. Spiller
24. Fred Jackson
25. Dennis Johnson
26. Steven Jackson
27. Montee Ball
28. Danny Woodhead
29. Andre Brown
30. Chris Ivory
31. Pierre Thomas
32. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
33. Andre Ellington
34. Lamar Miller
35. Donald Brown
36. Rashard Mendenhall
37. Trent Richardson
38. Daniel Thomas
39. Joquie Bell
40. Stevan Ridley

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 16 QB RANKINGS

Here are the fantasy football Week 16 QB rankings based on opposing matchups.

1.  Peyton Manning
2.  Jay Cutler
3.  Nick Foles
4.  Drew Brees
5.  Philip Rivers
6.  Ben Roethlisberger
7.  Tony Romo
8.  Andy Dalton
9.  Russell Wilson
10. Matthew Stafford
11. Kirk Cousins
12. Andeew Luck
13. Joe Flacco
14. Colin Kaepernick
15. Tom Brady
16. Cam Newton
17. Jason Campbell
18. Alex Smith
19. Matt Flynn
20. Matt Cassel
21. Ryan Tannehill
22. Matt Schaub
23. Mike Glennon
24. Matt Ryan
25. Eli Manning
26. Carson Palmer
27. Matt McGloin
28. Ryan Fitzpatrick
29. Kellen Clemens

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 16 FRIDAY INJURY REPORT

     

The Super Bowl week is upon us in fantasy football 2013 and those who are still in the running for their league's championship should be sure to keep track of every bit of injury news.  With that in mind here is a quick rundown on the key players and their injury statuses for Week 16.

-Denver Broncos WR Wes Welker is done for the 2013 regular season due to the second concussion he suffered back in Week 13.  The team wants to rest Welker up for the playoffs and not risk yet another concussion since he clearly came back too soon from the first.  This is an issue that has to be looked at closely with Welker's fantasy football stock going forward into next season.

-Cleveland Browns breakout tight end Jordan Cameron is going to be ruled out for Week 16 with his own concussion problems.  Cameron has not practiced all week which includes missing Friday's session.  Delanie Walker or Zack Ertz would be replacement to look at.

-Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton returned to practice on Friday from the shoulder injury that kept him out the previous sessions.  Pencil Hilton in for Week 16.

-Although he hasn't been officially ruled out yet, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will not play Sunday.  Matt Flynn will once again get the start in Rodgers' place and is a decent QB 2 option.

-Dallas Cowboys rookie WR Terrance Williams is iffy for Sunday due to a balky hamstring but he is trying to return to practice on Friday.  Williams is not worth using in fantasy football terms due to his play going south since Miles Austin returned.

-New York Giants WR Victor Cruz is finished for 2013 as well due to the concussion he suffered to go along with a knee problem which required surgery.  It was a bit of an off year for Cruz this season as his fantasy football stock slipped from a WR 1 to a 2.

-Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald will start in Week 16 despite a concussion of his own last Sunday.  Fitzgerald looked very iffy after having trouble in the locker room after the game but he made a quick recover that got him to pass the NFL concussion protocols.

-Washington Redskins rookie tight end Jordan Reed was put on injured reserve with a concussion that he never recovered from back in Week 11.  Reed is a very intriguing sleeper for 2014 due to the fact he was playing great before he took the head shot.

-Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson could be headed for a game-time decision after missing practices late in the week.  Peterson missed last week's game with a foot injury.

-Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew is not going to play on Sunday as he missed all the team's practices once again with hamstring issues.

-New England Patriots WR Aaron Dobson is returning to the field this week after missing time with a foot injury.  He has clear WR 3 status with Rob Gronkowski out.  Get him in there.

As always be sure to keep track of all the latest news right here on the site.  Post your comments below.