It’s mid-October and it’s time to start our Shuffle Up series. What has happened so far is just an audition. The ranks and tiers below are what I would use if I were to enter a new Fantasy Football draft starting now (yes, there’s still time to draft another Yahoo Fantasy Football league).
Salaries are unscientific and are a tool to show where talent is concentrated. Players with the same annual salary are considered equal. Remember the golden rule. No player gains (or loses) extra value just because you register him.
Players who are currently injured will be placed at the bottom of the provisional ranking. They are not up for discussion. Everyone has their own ideas about injury and return.
The wideout shuffle was originally part of the content budget, but this week’s trades for Davante Adams and Amari Cooper made it more timely. Fantasy managers should be excited about these trades, as a week ago Adams and Cooper were in a winless offense. The Raiders, of course, don’t have a legitimate quarterback. The Browns are stuck with a terrible contract with Deshaun Watson.
Given Adams’ familiarity with Aaron Rodgers, his training in New York shouldn’t be difficult. Garrett Wilson is a high-end WR2 forward, and Adams is more of a mid-range WR2, but I think he could start in a healthy week. Cooper will need to catch up to Buffalo’s offense, but the Bills have every incentive to acquire their newest addition soon, given how mediocre the wideout’s play has been. It’s also important to note that Cooper was traded midway through the 2018 season and his production increased rapidly in Dallas. The shuffle up now takes into account Cooper being on the WR2/WR3 line.
Tier 1: Big Ticket
$44 Jamar Chase
$43 Justin Jefferson
$41 CeeDee Rum
$40 Amon Ra St. Brown
$38 Malik Nabers
$37 AJ Brown
$36 Tyreek Hill
$34 Deebo Samuel Sr.
$34 Chris Godwin
$33 Mike Evans
$32 Jaden Reid
$31 drake london
$31 DK Metcalfe
Life is good for Chase’s manager, but he still feels like he has some meat on his bones. After all, Chase is WR1 in all scoring formats, but he’s only tied for 20th in wideout targets (and the Bengals have yet to receive a bye). Joe Burrow gets a 138.5 rating for crying out loud when he targets Chase. Push a simple button, Cincinnati.
It was around this time last year (right after the bye) that the Cowboys threw out their game plan and basically started throwing to Lamb at a ridiculous pace. He has had nine or more targets in each of his last 11 starts, totaling a ridiculous 88-1186-9 over that span. Well, we’re back here again. It’s been a week since yet another embarrassing home loss in Dallas. Ram has been making a slow push after holding out in the summer, but I expect him to do well the rest of the way.
Do the Packers have too many good players? Jaden Reed has only reached the 10-goal mark once, with a modest 34 games played this year with six starts. That being said, Matt LaFleur’s scheme has always featured a lot of reads in the scoring area, and he also has one or two rushes per game. He’s basically Green Bay’s version of Deebo Samuel. A feature or a bug? I would like to think of it as a feature.
Godwin deserves a slight preference over Evans, as his production has increased since being back in the slot. These routes are often easier to win, and the throws are faster and more defined. Godwin has always provided upside, but he’s also building a solid foundation with five or more catches every game. The schedule is tough, but Baker Mayfield is playing well and Tampa Bay’s passing game has a narrow focus.
Tier 2: Legitimate building blocks
$29 DeVonta Smith
$27 Brandon Aiyuk
$27 Garrett Wilson
$27 Terry McLaughlin
$26 Marvin Harrison Jr.
$26 Stefon Diggs
$25 Diontae Johnson
$25 Zaiflower
$24 DJ Moore
$23 Tee Higgins
$22 Davante Adams
$22 Brian Thomas Jr.
$22 George Pickens
$20 jameson williams
$20 Jaylen Waddle
Smith is always going to play Robin to Brown’s batsman, but Jalen Hurts hasn’t had as much goal-line work this year, and Philadelphia’s passing game primarily only has those two options. TE Dallas Goedert has been inconsistent (he is battling a hamstring injury), and the rest of the wide receiver room is surprisingly thin. Smith may never be a true WR1, but he’s just as easy to find a WR2 punch on a weekly basis.
The Steelers have found a way to win four games with Justin Fields, but he’s only throwing for 184 yards per game and making some bad mistakes each week. A horrible pick in Week 6 was overturned by a questionable personal foul call. Pickens is a mercurial type, and Arthur Smith’s game calls are bound to get us fired up, but Pickens has been winning on deep routes very consistently, and it doesn’t matter who’s in what situation. Regardless, he’s one of those players who can make a good week with just one splash play. QB. We cannot let go of his theoretical advantages.
Johnson’s rank is certainly a hedge. If Andy Dalton is locked in to start a full season, he could move into the upper echelon, but things could fall apart quickly if (and when) Bryce Young returns. . At some point, the uncontested Panthers will likely have to give Young another try. Johnson was outside the top 70 in Young’s two starts this year using half-point PPR scores — which is just ridiculous. Since then, he’s been pretty good as a WR6, WR9, WR60, and WR12.
Level 3: discuss, talk down
$19 Amari Cooper
$17 tanque del
$17 Darnell Mooney
$14 Jackson Smith-Nijiva
Worth the $12 Xavier
$12 Josh Downs
$11 Christian Watson
$11 Christian Kirk
$11 Jordan Addison
$11 Calvin Ridley
$11 michael pitman jr.
$11 Cortland Sutton
$11 JuJu Smith Schuster
$10 Wandale Robinson
Despite Robinson’s solid 63.8% catch rate, he’s only gaining 4.8 yards per target, showing just how horizontal New York’s passing game is. The key to Robinson’s roster is having a league with a PPR or half-PPR component. He has five or more catches in five starts, but most weeks will be between 40 and 60 yards.
Posted by Ridley Last week’s historic bagelcatchless in eight chances. It was a common mistake as he had issues with drops, but Will Levis’ passes often went wide. The best thing I can say about Ridley at this point is that I’d rather draft him over DeAndre Hopkins.
The reason JuJu Smith-Schuster’s roster tag didn’t spike a week ago because the Chiefs had a bye is probably a fantasy mistake. He could be a player like Laci Rice, and Kansas City’s game plan was to go to overtime in Week 5 and find easy routes for JuJu to win. He is a top prospect who will likely be the team’s most targeted player until further notice.
Mooney had high targets and snap shares in a highly focused offense, and Kirk Cousins has completely shaken off the rust. Mooney has limited upside given the situation with his teammates, but his floor is higher than the market realizes.
Tier 4: Some plausible improvements
$9 Ladd McConkey
$9 Jacobi Meyers
$8 Khalil Shakil
$8 Roma Odunze
$8 DeAndre Hopkins
$8 Romeo Dube
$8 Jerry Judy
$8 Tyler Lockett
$7 Keenan Allen
$7 Xavier Leggett
$7 Jalen Tolbert
$7 Demario Douglas
$7 Alec Pearce
Pierce leads all receivers in yards per target, but Michael Pittman Jr. is back, as is Anthony Richardson. The Colts are doing the right thing with Richardson – they have to develop the future of the franchise – but it’s much easier for everyone in this receiver room to start with Joe Flacco under center, who is Quite quietly, a game where he has scored double-digit touchdown passes in his last eight games (20 games in that span).
Jeudy is currently the presumed No. 1 wideout in Cleveland, but as long as it’s Deshaun Watson’s show, does he really care? If they try a new quarterback, please let me know. It may take an injury or some public turmoil before the Browns are fully willing to move on.
Shaquille has always been a solid, low upside type of player, but now Cooper is coming to town as a hot target. He was a WR3 at his peak, but now he’s closer to a WR5.
Douglas became a quiet volume source in New England, and Drake Maye’s debut had more good times than bad. Perhaps he could become a poor man’s version of New England’s Wan Dale Robinson.
Tier 5: Bargain Box
$6 michael wilson
$6 Allen Lazard
$5 Keon Coleman
$5 Quentin Johnston
$4 Meaning of Babu
$4 Jawan Jennings
$4 Tre Tucker
$4 Rashod Bateman
$4 Jaylin Polk
$3 Gabe Davis
$3 Jordan Whittington
$3 DeMarcus Robinson
$3 Darius Slayton
$3 Tutu Atwell
$2 Joshua Palmer
$2 Greg Dortch
$2 Adonai Mitchell
$2 RayRay MacLeod III
$2 Noah Brown
$2 Jalen Naylor
$1 Mike Williams
$1 Andrey Iosivas
$1 Luke McCaffrey
$1 Jalen McMillan
$1 Curtis Samuel
$1 Ricky Pearsall
Even with the new congestion in the Jets’ receiving room, I still expect Lazard to maintain some fantasy value. He’s scored in four different weeks, giving Rodgers almost as much playing time as Adams. Mike Williams seems like a changed man.
Means was active in Spencer Rattler’s first start, but this time New Orleans’ two main receivers are injured. Means won’t play defense again, but he will likely lead the team in goal share for a week or two. As always, we want to chase possible volume.
Typically, conditional picks center around running backs, but Jennings embraces that theme, and if something happens to Samuel or Aiyuk, he’s a player I’d confidently start.
If Whittington has enough targets to qualify, he would top the success rate list among wide receivers, according to Pro Football Reference. He’s a priority streamer until the Rams get their primary option back.
Preliminary injury rankings — not up for debate
$26 Cooper Kupp
$25 Nico Collins
$24 puka nacua
$19 Chris Olave
$14 Rashid Shahid
$5 Don Tay Vion Wicks
$3 Brandin Cooks
$2 Elijah Moore
