We’ve finally chiseled our way to the top of fantasy football’s Mount Rushmore leading into the 2017 season. These four teams (teams Nos. 4-1) are the best of the best, and provide us fantasy footballers with the most value.
The rankings are based on our own 2017 player projections. The series assumes a 12-team standard league with a starting lineup of one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, and one flex position. Kickers and D/STs are not accounted for.
The list so far:
32-29 | 28-25 | 24-21 | 20-17 | ||||
No. 32 | Los Angeles Rams | No. 28 | Minnesota Vikings | No. 24 | Denver Broncos | No. 20 | Philadelphia Eagles |
No. 31 | Baltimore Ravens | No. 27 | Cleveland Browns | No. 23 | Jacksonville Jaguars | No. 19 | Miami Dolphins |
No. 30 | New York Jets | No. 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | No. 22 | Chicago Bears | No. 18 | Detroit Lions |
No. 29 | San Francisco 49ers | No. 25 | Houston Texans | No. 21 | Carolina Panthers | No. 17 | Cincinnati Bengals |
16-13 | 12-9 | 8-5 | |||||
No. 16 | Washington Redskins | No. 12 | New York Giants | No. 8 | Indianapolis Colts | ||
No. 15 | Oakland Raiders | No. 11 | Tennessee Titans | No. 7 | Arizona Cardinals | ||
No. 14 | Los Angeles Chargers | No. 10 | Buffalo Bills | No. 6 | New England Patriots | ||
No. 13 | Seattle Seahawks | No. 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No. 5 | New Orleans Saints |
No. 4: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons offer fantasy owners 63.2 percent more value than the average NFL team. Atlanta offers fantasy players Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, and Matt Ryan. Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, and Austin Hooper are all viable late-round fliers as well.
Jones is arguably the best wideout in football. His 3,280 yards over the past two seasons ranks first, but he has only scored 14 touchdowns in that span. (Still good, but not great.) Even without the touchdown production, Jones is as sure of a bet for a top-three fantasy finish among wideouts as anyone.
Freeman and Coleman form a tremendous backfield in Atlanta, and incredibly, both have fantasy value. It’s not often that a backfield-by-committee is as prosperous for fantasy purposes. Last year, Freeman ranked sixth among running backs (strong RB1) and Coleman ranked 18th (strong RB2). You can expect more of the same in 2017.
Believe it or not, but Ryan was actually undrafted in most fantasy leagues last year, or at the very least, he was one of the last quarterbacks taken. He went on to be the No. 3 quarterback in fantasy while averaging over 22 PPG. Ryan probably won’t replicate his MVP 2016 season (when you’re at the top, the only place to go is down), but he’s still primed for another QB1 season. His supporting cast hasn’t changed.
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