Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............11
For years, Matt Ryan has been the epitome of a fringe QB1, but in 2015 he truly earned the nickname "Meh" Ryan. The veteran only scored 20 or more fantasy points twice while posting four outings with fewer than 10 points. This is all while playing on the same field as Julio Jones. It's true that the Falcons didn't have a lot of other receiving threats, but Ryan finished well behind players like Jameis Winston, Alex Smith and Ryan Tannehill in the fantasy quarterback standings. With some depth in the receiving corps, there's hope that things could get better, but after eight mediocre seasons, it'll be hard to expect anything big.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............8
Early in the season, Joe Flacco was unfairly maligned for a seemingly poor fantasy performance, but much of that criticism was a product of a combined 8.24 points scored against Denver and Pittsburgh in Weeks 1 and 4. However, outside of those two games, Flacco averaged over 17.08 points per game with five games over 20 points. Before going down in Week 11, the longtime Ravens starter was a fine streaming quarterback. Yet, that injury is the big rub in projecting him for 2016. Flacco tore both his ACL and MCL in that Week 11 win. With the injury coming so late in the season, it's fair to wonder what his availability and comfort level will be early in the coming NFL campaign. He'll likely work through a slow start, but once he's in rhythm, Flacco should have one of the best receiving corps of his career to work with. Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Mike Wallace, a hopefully healthy Breshad Perriman and a talented trio of tight ends make this passing offense quite interesting. At worst, Flacco will offer some high-upside streaming weeks down the stretch.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............5
Alex Smith well outperformed even the highest-end of his modest expectations. Of course, that meant he was just a painfully average fantasy passer. Indeed, Smith finished right in the middle of the road at QB15. If you needed to stream a quarterback, Smith was a great safe option for at least 14 points, and was almost always on the waiver wire. With Jeremy Maclin still in the fold, and Travis Kelce hopefully taking another step forward, Alex Smith might be able to kick into the 25-touchdown area. Unlikely to be drafted once again, streamers know they always have a safe landing spot with Smith.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............6
Teddy Bridgewater finished the season as the QB23, so no, he did not have the type of season some were hoping for. He wasn't necessarily hurting his team, but he wasn't asked to do much to help it. Bridgewater averaged just 27.9 attempts per game in 2015. It's hard to do much with that workload, and he cracked 18 fantasy points just four times last season. If you're placing a chip on Bridgewater taking a step forward as a fantasy player, you need to project him to take over more of the lead role in this offense than Adrian Peterson. With Norv Turner and a conservative offensive strategy still in place, that's merely a leap.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
While Jay Cutler received oddly widespread praise for the season he turned in for 2015, he still finished as just the 30th ranked quarterback in fantasy points per game. In truth, Cutler just cut back on the interceptions we grew so used to seeing from him. The Bears were a conservative offense in 2015, and even with the departure of Adam Gase as offensive coordinator, John Fox should ensure that is the case once again this year. Don't look for Cutler to be anything more than the occasional streamer this season.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
We had spent years waiting to see what Brock Osweiler could do and we finally got our chance last season. The tall quarterback stepped in for an injured Peyton Manning and mixed moments of mediocrity with flashes of slightly above average. His fantasy highlight came in Week 15 when Osweiler tallied nearly 30 points against the Steelers. In the end, it earned the former Arizona State Sun Devil a shiny new contract with the Houston Texans where he'll be the unquestioned starter. He'll also have some fun weapons with running back Lamar Miller and dynamic receiver DeAndre Hopkins. It might not be enough to make Osweiler a bonafide QB1 next season, but he'll have quite a bit of late-round draft value.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............4
There was much optimism that Bradford could regain his past glories playing in Chip Kelly's vaunted uptempo offense in Philadelphia. Not quite. The Eagles offense had a slew of problems last season -- not the least of which were Bradford's inconsistencies as he tossed 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. On the upside however, he played in 14 games which was the most he'd appeared in since 2012. Now with a new head coach (Doug Pederson) and offensive scheme, Bradford will be forced to adjust yet again. Maybe he makes a successful transition. But without any real track record of fantasy success, he'll find himself as waiver wire fodder in most leagues this year.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............8
By any measure, 2015 was a disaster for Colin Kaepernick. The man who once led the 49ers to within several yards of a Super Bowl championship found himself struggling and eventually benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert. That led to an offseason of uncertainty in which there was speculation that Kaepernick could be traded or released. The upside for Kap heading into 2016 is that (if he stays in San Francisco) he would play in an offense that figures to fit his skillset. The downside is that he could find himself in a heated competition for the starting job -- one that he's not a lock to win. Kaepernick will be no better than waiver wire fodder this season.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............8
Being the No. 1 overall pick comes with its own set of expectations, but being an immediate fantasy stud isn't one of them. At least not this season. The Rams hope that Goff is their quarterback of the future, but he lands in an offense that has no true identity beyond Todd Gurley's early brilliance. There is the potential for Goff to eventually become a coveted fantasy option, but it's not going to happen this season. Look for the Cal product to be available on the waiver wire in just about all seasonal leagues.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............13
What a long, strange trip it's been for Robert Griffin III. He took the football world by storm with an amazing rookie season. Since then, injuries and underperfomance led to a swift decline in both production and playing time. Things hit rock bottom last season when Griffin didn't play a single snap in Washington as Kirk Cousins eventually led the team to the postseason. After parting ways with the team that drafted him, it didn't take long for RG3 to sign with the quarterback needy Cleveland Browns who had just ended a rocky relationship with their own Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in Johnny Manziel. Working with noted QB whisperer Hue Jackson (who helped Andy Dalton to new heights), Griffin has an opportunity to resurrect his career. But first he needs to win the starting job, and then mine some production from a crop of largely rookie wideouts led by Corey Coleman.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............11
One of the surprises of the 2016 NFL Draft was the Broncos trading up into the first round to select Lynch with the 26th overall pick. It ostensibly answered the question about what Denver wanted to do about the quarterback position in the wake of Peyton Manning's retirement. Of course, Lynch won't just be handed the job since the Broncos also signed veteran Mark Sanchez in the offseason. But if the rookie can win the gig, he'll be surrounded by talent in an offense that boasts two quality receivers and a solid running back. Lynch isn't likely to have a major impact in most seasonal leagues, but he offers an intriguing possibility in dynasty leagues.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
For the second straight season, Garoppolo is in the position of being New England's starter for the season opening game. Last year, he was relegated back to the bench when Tom Brady's four-game suspension was overturned. This year, it doesn't look like Garoppolo is going to be denied. Alas we don't know much about the young man from Eastern Illinois. He's thrown a grand total of 31 passes in two NFL seasons (just four last season) but he does play for a head coach who excels at maximizing his player's strengths. Garoppolo could be a matchup-based starter for the first few weeks with more value in DFS leagues but his value will revert to zero once Brady returns.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............11
Last season, it appeared that Smith was set to once again be the Jets starter until one punch to the jaw changed everything. Instead it was Ryan Fitzpatrick leading Gang Green's offense while Smith spent the entire season on the sideline. Now the West Virginia product is spending the summer preparing as if he'll regain the starting job while Fitzpatrick holds out for a better offer from the team. Smith's preparation could all be for naught if Fitzpatrick re-signs with the team. But if he does indeed become the starter, his fantasy value will certainly be limited and could impact the production of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker as well.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............13
Every time it seems like the Browns are at the point of jettisoning McCown, he keeps coming back. He began last season as the starter and was temporarily replaced by Johnny Manziel. But as Manziel imploded, McCown regained the starting gig. Now the next challenger to the throne is Robert Griffin III, who was acquired in the offseason. McCown is slated to begin the year as a backup, which makes him undraftable. But he could be a name to remember if RGIII becomes the next Cleveland quarterback who fails to produce anything.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............8
Not too long ago, Blaine Gabbert was a fantasy football punchline. The former Jaguars quarterback entered the 2015 season with more career interceptions (24) than touchdowns (23) and couldn't even make the category of fantasy afterthought. Yet when Colin Kaepernick endured massive struggles and was sent to the bench, Gabbert got his shot and ... wasn't terrible. The high-water mark was a 25-point outing against the Bears in Week 13, but otherwise he remained solidly within the 13-15 point range most weeks. This season the Niners have new head coach (Chip Kelly) and a new offensive scheme. The new campaign also brings a likely competition with Kaepernick for the starting job. The winner will have the greater fantasy value, but even then that man isn't likely to be drafted.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............8
It wasn't all that long ago that Nick Foles was the toast of the fantasy world after having a phenomenal run with the Philadelphia Eagles. Of course, most astute observers recognized that it was a feat that would be nearly impossible to duplicate. However, things went so far south in 2015 that Foles eventually was benched for Case Keenum. In the offseason, the Rams tried unsuccessfully to trade Foles and eventually drafted Cal quarterback Jared Goff No. 1 overall. It'll take something major for Foles to see any real playing time this year. There's no reason to consider drafting him.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............11
Sanchez was an afterthought for much of last season with Sam Bradford being tasked to run Chip Kelly's offense in Philadelphia. But the veteran did make a handful of appearances -- including two starts -- though none of them were particuarly memorable. Sanchez now takes up residence in Denver where the Broncos are searching for a starting quarterback after the retirement of Peyton Manning and the departure of Brock Osweiler. Whether the former USC star ends up being that quarterback remains to be seen. If he wins the job, he'll have (very) limited value in most fantasy leagues.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
Well that was fun while it lasted. Hoyer went into training camp in a battle with Ryan Mallett for the Texans starting quarterback job. After a protracted back and forth that saw Hoyer pulled for Mallett in the first game of the season, the journeyman eventually won the gig longterm. Once the Texans sealed a deal with Brock Osweiler, it made Hoyer expendable. He landed in Chicago but will be firmly planted behind Jay Cutler. There's little need to consider him for fantasy purposes at this time.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............9
After not playing a single snap in 2014, McCarron got his shot last year after Andy Dalton's season ended early with a broken thumb. The Bengals backup was serviceable from an actual football standpoint but didn't offer much for fantasy managers. In his four regular season starts, McCarron never scored more than 16 points. Now that Dalton is back healthy for 2016, McCarron will once again be relegated to the bench which will sap him of the meager fantasy draft value he had.
Auction...............$1
Bye Week.............6
Just three short years ago, the Bucs drafted Glennon with the hope that he could be the solution at the quarterback position. That was before the team drafted Jameis Winston No. 1 overall in 2015. With Winston in tow, Glennon was relegated to the bench for the entirety last season with no indication that anything is going to change going forward. Winston showed flashes of potentially being a franchise quarterback which means Glennon will have a hard time getting off the bench and into anyone's lineup -- real or fantasy.
RB RANKINGS 1-16
