The NFL Network's "Top 100 Players of 2016" series has returned. Tune in each Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network to see the next set of 10 players revealed on the list!
The draft confetti has been cleaned up. Free agency is well in our rearview mirror. While we have this lull before mini-camps and training camp, it seems like the perfect time to figure out the top 100 players heading into the new season. And yes, let me stop you there ... I know it's only May (I can hear some of you warming up your Twitter fingers to grouse). But if you want to be ahead of the curve, you've got to start preparing early. In the meantime, I'm sure plenty of you will have some beef with some of the rankings. I welcome your concerns. Hit me @MarcasG and I can try to soothe some of your fears -- or stoke your anger more. Whichever floats your boat.
- Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
- Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
- Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants
- Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
- David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
- Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
- Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons
- Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
- Lamar Miller, RB, Houston Texans
- Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints
- Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
- Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
18. Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers - A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
- Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears
- Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills
- C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos
- LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills
- Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks
- Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Jets
When I look at my top 10 and see five different pass-catchers in the group, I'd like to say the times are a-changing. I guess they are somewhat, since it's hard to imagine something like that happening even five seasons ago. Then I see that three of the top four are running backs and you realize that some things aren't likely to ever change. Perhaps the one big difference is that there isn't a consensus No. 1 pick. I went with Gurley because of a combination of talent and youth. Having a rookie quarterback makes it a little dicey, but I'd expect Jeff Fisher and the offense to lean on Gurley until Jared Goff can get his feet under him.
There are a couple of running backs that I'm optimistic about this season. Hopefully Houston gives Lamar Miller the type of workload he deserves -- and that he never got in Miami. I'm also expecting to see the C.J. Anderson that we saw at the end of last season when he finally got healthy. Thomas Rawls' injury has me a little nervous about putting him in my top 25, but if he's ready to go for the start of the year, he'll be a workhorse in Seattle.
- Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers
27. Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans SaintsÂ
28. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay BuccaneersÂ
29. Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay PackersÂ
30. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay PackersÂ
31. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina PanthersÂ
32. Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland RaidersÂ
33. Matt Forte, RB, New York JetsÂ
34. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver BroncosÂ
35. Julian Edelman, WR, New England PatriotsÂ
36. Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami DolphinsÂ
37. Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ersÂ
38. Ryan Mathews, RB, Philadelphia EaglesÂ
39. Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina PanthersÂ
40. Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami DolphinsÂ
41. Jeremy Langford, RB, Chicago BearsÂ
42. Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati BengalsÂ
43. Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina PanthersÂ
44. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis ColtsÂ
45. Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland RaidersÂ
46. Jeremy Maclin, WR, Kansas City ChiefsÂ
47. Jordan Reed, TE, WashingtonÂ
48. Matt Jones, RB, WashingtonÂ
49. DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee TitansÂ
50. Eric Decker, WR, New York Jets
Welcome to the "remember when" portion of my top 100 list. Remember when Eddie Lacy was a surefire first-round pick? Remember when Demaryius Thomas was an unquestioned WR1? Remember when we thought Jeremy Hill was going to blossom into a solid RB1? Remember when T.Y. Hilton was destined for fantasy stardom? Remember when DeMarco Murray was the best running back in fantasy football? Man, those were the days. In other news, this section also sees our first quarterbacks come off the board. I get the feeling that Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton will be fairly interchangeable in plenty of drafts. For me, the Packers signal-caller is still the gold standard.
51. Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati BengalsÂ
52. Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona CardinalsÂ
53. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle SeahawksÂ
54. Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina PanthersÂ
55. Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver BroncosÂ
56. Dion Lewis, RB, New England PatriotsÂ
57. Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay PackersÂ
58. John Brown, WR, Arizona CardinalsÂ
59. Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle SeahawksÂ
60. Golden Tate, WR, Detroit LionsÂ
61. Melvin Gordon, RB, San Diego ChargersÂ
62. Jordan Matthews, WR, Philadelphia EaglesÂ
63. Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland BrownsÂ
64. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona CardinalsÂ
65. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh SteelersÂ
66. Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis ColtsÂ
67. T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville JaguarsÂ
68. DeSean Jackson, WR, WashingtonÂ
69. Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee TitansÂ
70. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans SaintsÂ
71. Michael Floyd, WR, Arizona CardinalsÂ
72. Coby Fleener, TE, New Orleans SaintsÂ
73. Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville JaguarsÂ
74. Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders
75. Allen Hurns, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
There's a very good chance that the Fantasy Comeback Player of the Year could come from this group. Kelvin Benjamin, Dion Lewis and Andrew Luck were among the front-line fantasy players whose seasons were cut short (or completely erased) by injury. All three should be poised for solid numbers in 2016 if they can stay healthy. Melvin Gordon's numbers might have made it look like he didn't play a full season, but there is reason to believe that the Chargers young running back will show some improvement this season. I'm probably a little higher on his potential than a lot of other people. But no risk, no reward, right?
76. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami DolphinsÂ
77. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
78. Justin Forsett, RB, Baltimore RavensÂ
79. Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland RaidersÂ
80. Ladarius Green, TE, Pittsburgh SteelersÂ
81. Tom Brady, QB, New England PatriotsÂ
82. Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis ColtsÂ
83. Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati BengalsÂ
84. Rashad Jennings, RB, New York GiantsÂ
85. Duke Johnson, RB, Cleveland BrownsÂ
86. Danny Woodhead, RB, San Diego ChargersÂ
87. Charles Sims, RB, Tampa Bay BuccaneersÂ
88. Ameer Abdullah, RB, Detroit LionsÂ
89. Corey Coleman, WR, Cleveland BrownsÂ
90. Laquon Treadwell, WR, Minnesota VikingsÂ
91. Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota VikingsÂ
92. Donte Moncrief, WR, Indianapolis ColtsÂ
93. Theo Riddick, RB, Detroit LionsÂ
94. Julius Thomas, TE, Jacksonville JaguarsÂ
95. Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego ChargersÂ
96. Kevin White, WR, Chicago BearsÂ
97. Steve Smith Sr., WR, Baltimore RavensÂ
98. Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo BillsÂ
99. LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England PatriotsÂ
100. Marvin Jones, WR, Detroit Lions
Well hello there, Tom Brady! Were it not for the four-game suspension hanging over his head, he'd definitely be much higher up this list. But this could work in favor of fantasy enthusiasts with a chance to get two quality quarterbacks in or near the double-digit rounds. There are some potential steals in this group with the likes of Gio Bernard and a couple of rookie receivers hanging out from slots 83-90. We're still waiting to see what Kevin White can do with the Bears, but spending a 10th-round pick on him doesn't seem to terrible.
Why wait? CLICK HERE to get your 2016 NFL Fantasy season started.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarcasG.
