The WTBU Sports Fantasy Football League is ready for kickoff as we head into Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season. With that in mind, I’ve got the pre-season power rankings of the 10 overall rosters in this PPR league, along with each person’s biggest draft steal and biggest reach.
#10 The Ladies Love Sosi (Perry Sosi)
QB: Carson Wentz, Cam Newton
RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Mark Ingram, D’Andre Swift, Tevin Coleman
WR: Mike Evans, Allen Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Marvin Jones Jr., Mike Williams, Emmanuel Sanders
TE|Defense|K: Travis Kelce, Mike Gesicki | Broncos D/ST | Matt Prater
In a ten-team league, no roster is abhorrent. This roster simply looks the least strong. Carson Wentz has a high floor and low ceiling and Cam Newton has a low floor and high ceiling. Not an ideal QB duo. Mike Evans might be hurt to start the season. D’Andre Swift was his second RB selected and the depth pieces do not look great. Improvements might be possible through trading some of his WR depth, but for now, his roster sits at 10th.
Biggest Draft Steal: RB Mark Ingram II (BAL): Rd. 8, Pick 78
Biggest Reach: RB D’Andre Swift (DET): Rd. 6, Pick 58
#9 Philadelphia Pigeons (Ben Silver)
QB: Kyler Murray, Nick Foles
RB: Miles Sanders, Melvin Gordon, Jordan Howard, Duke Johnson, Latavius Murray
WR: Tyreke Hill, DJ Moore, Stefon Diggs, Will Fuller V, CeeDee Lamb
TE|Defense|K: Zach Ertz, Rob Gronkowski | 49ers D/ST | Justin Tucker
Ben’s two RB’s carry decent risk. Melvin Gordon has injury concerns and the risk of losing his job to an equally capable back in Philip Lindsay, and Miles Sanders will have to work behind an offensive line that will not have Brandon Brooks or Andre Dillard for the whole season. Taking a defense in Round 7, Rob Gronkowski and Nick Foles are all rather questionable picks as well. The roster has bright spots like Kyler Murray, Tyreek Hill and Zach Ertz, but it’s lacking in other areas.
Biggest Draft Steal: WR Stefon Diggs (BUF): Rd. 8, Pick 71
Biggest Reach: 49ers Defense (SF): Rd. 7, Pick 70
#8 Baby Chark (Ethan Fuller)
QB: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Brian Hoyer
RB: Austin Ekeler, Devin Singletary, Jonathan Taylor, Leonard Fournette, Boston Scott
WR: Michael Thomas, DJ Chark Jr., Michael Gallup, Christian Kirk, Robby Anderson
TE|Defense|K: Mark Andrews | Steelers D/ST | Younghoe Koo
Ethan’s team did improve through a trade just made with my team, which I’ll soon break down, but straight out of the draft, the roster is iffy. Devin Singletary continues to trend down, DJ Chark Jr. will need Gardner Minshew II to be equally good as last year on a team that will be relentlessly tanking, and the depth pieces are ‘meh.’ Plus, what on earth is he doing with Brian Hoyer (a third QB) on the roster?
Biggest Draft Steal: WR D.J. Chark Jr. (JAX): Rd. 7, Pick 68
Biggest Reach: RB Jonathan Taylor (IND): Rd. 6, Pick 52
#7 New York Danny Dimes (Daniel Multz)
QB: Dak Prescott, Daniel Jones
RB: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Josh Jacobs, Kareem Hunt, Zack Moss, Phillip Lindsay, James Robinson
WR: Kenny Golladay, Courtland Sutton, Cooper Kupp, Tyler Boyd, Sterling Shepard
TE|Defense|K: Noah Fant | Chargers D/ST | Zane Gonzalez
I will honestly rank myself here at No. 7. The RB duo has enormous upside, but the TE situation is not great, and there’s concern with each starting WR. Can Courtland Sutton continue to grow with Drew Lock and stay a top receiver with the addition of Jerry Jeudy and others? Will Kenny Golladay repeat as a 1,000 yard receiver? Can Cooper Kupp stay healthy? The bench might be the best in the league, but they can’t all start. My roster is boom or bust, as opposed to the more consistent rosters to come.
Biggest Draft Steal: WR Courtland Sutton (DEN): Rd. 4, Pick 34
Biggest Reach: WR Cooper Kupp (LAR): Rd. 5, Pick 47
#6 Flavortown Trash Can Lids (Akshai Wadhwani)
QB: Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo
RB: Nick Chubb, Kenyan Drake, Tarik Cohen, Marlon Mack
WR: Juju Smith-Schuster, Tyler Lockett, T.Y. Hilton, Julian Edelman, Sammy Watkins, John Brown
TE|Defense|K: Jared Cook, Tyler Higbee | Patriots D/ST | Rodrigo Blankenship
Akshai’s roster mirrors mine in the sense of its ‘boom or bust’ composition, but he has a higher floor. His RB pair is also quite strong. Jared Cook has more upside compared to Noah Fant simply because of the offense he plays in. Juju Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton had bad 2019 seasons, but have the track records to expect a bounceback. With a strong defense, and an equally deep bench, Akshai’s roster is a safer, but still risky, squad.
Biggest Draft Steal: WR Julian Edelman (NE): Rd. 9, Pick 89
Biggest Reach: TE Jared Cook (NO): Rd. 5, Pick 49
#5 Senior on JV (Chad Jones)
QB: Deshaun Watson, Joe Burrow
RB: Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Cam Akers, David Montgomery, Kerryon Johnson
WR: Adam Thielen, Calvin Ridley, Odell Beckham Jr., Deebo Samuel, Golden Tate, Darius Slayton
TE|Defense|K: Hunter Henry | Colts D/ST | Will Lutz
Chad’s roster features some major plusses, but also some question marks. With Deshaun Watson at the helm, and strong, reliable weapons at WR in Adam Thielen and Calvin Ridley, there’s a lot to like. Here’s where the risks come into play. Odell Beckham Jr. will only be as good as Baker Mayfield and the whole Browns’ offense is. Alvin Kamara wasn’t as productive as usual and lost a lot of work to Latavius Murray. Aaron Jones was insane last season, but he might not repeat that level of success. All told, Jonesy has a strong core, with lots of high-floor, high-ceiling pieces to complement them.
Biggest Draft Steal: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (CLE): Rd. 5, Pick 44
Biggest Reach: RB Cam Akers (LAR): Rd. 6, Pick 57
#4 Hannah’s Bananas (Hannah Yoshinaga)
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Christian McCaffery, James Conner, Antonio Gibson, Matt Breida, Darrell Henderson Jr., Nyheim Hines
WR: Julio Jones, A.J. Brown, Diontae Johnson, DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Curtis Samuel
TE|D/ST|K: George Kittle | Ravens D/ST | Robbie Gould
With the exception of QB, Hannah’s team boasts a fantastic set of skill-position players. Christian McCaffrey should remain the core of Carolina’s offense. James Conner, like the whole Steelers’ offense, is a solid bet to rebound this season. Julio Jones is still Julio Jones. A.J. Brown showed enormous upside towards the end of 2019, and she landed the No. 1 TE in George Kittle. The only let-downs are Matt Stafford as her only QB and a mediocre bench. Still, Hannah’s got a great-looking starting lineup.
Biggest Draft Steal: WR Julio Jones (ATL): Rd. 3, Pick 21
Biggest Reach: RB Antonio Gibson (WSH): Rd. 6, Pick 60
#3 Suh-Tang Clan (Patrick Donnelly)
QB: Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers
RB: Dalvin Cook, Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell, Ronald Jones, Sony Michel
WR: Davante Adams, Robert Woods, Jarvis Landry, Brandin Cooks, Henry Ruggs III
TE|Defense|K: Evan Engram, T.J. Hockenson | Bills D/ST | Chris Boswell
Truth be told, the top three are all fantastic squads, but there is some separation. Pat landed the QB with the highest floor in Patrick Mahomes. Dalvin Cook and Davante Adams are both on his team (that’s crazy). Robert Woods and Jarvis Landry are solid, and Todd Gurley might salvage some elite performances with his new team. With a solid TE in Evan Engram (when he’s active), a great defense and a stacked bench, Pat is set up to contend all season long.
Biggest Draft Steal: RB Todd Gurley II (ATL): Rd. 4, Pick 36
Biggest Reach: WR Jarvis Landry (CLE): Rd. 7, Pick 65
#2 The Catalina Wine Mixon (Joe Pohoryles)
QB: Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan
RB: Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Chris Carson, Raheem Mostert, Chris Thompson
WR: Amari Cooper, D.K. Metcalf, Marquise Brown, Jamison Crowder, Mecole Hardman, N’Keal Harry
TE|Defense|K: Hayden Hurst | Eagles D/ST | Greg Zuerlein
Despite a non-elite defense and starting TE, Joe has an elite QB, and untold riches at WR and RB. Even if Derrick Henry doesn’t repeat his 2019 season, he is still the best pure runner in the NFL. Joe Mixon is still only 24 and can be a huge component of an up-and-coming Bengals team. Chris Carson, who was a steal at pick No. 45, and Raheem Mostert are two other starters who are his main backups. At WR, Amari Cooper and D.K. Metcalf are backed up by to solid point-scorers in Jamison Crowder and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Joe is relying heavily on Seattle playmakers, but he’s still locked and loaded for the 2020 campaign.
Biggest Draft Steal: RB Raheem Mostert (SF): Rd. 7, Pick 66
Biggest Reach: None
#1 Brees Between the Knees (Brady Gardner)
QB: Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins
RB: Saquon Barkley, David Johnson, James White, J.K. Dobbins
WR: Chris Godwin, DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, A.J. Green, Desean Jackson, Jerry Jeudy
TE|Defense|K: Darren Waller, Chris Herndon | Lions D/ST | Harrison Butker
Brady took the No. 2 pick and drafted a roster with only one risky player. David Johnson is widely considered to be a past-his-prime RB whose best years are behind him. Other than that, Brady has a strong QB in Drew Brees, D-Hop and Chris Godwin at WR, Darren Waller at TE, Keenan Allen at FLEX, and Saquon Barkley as his other RB. He somehow landed A.J. Green at pick No. 89 to lead an equally deep bench accompanying that star-studded squad. I see his roster as the one with the fewest holes, and the one that has enough talent to get to the top of the league and stay there all season.
Biggest Draft Steal: WR A.J. Green (CIN): Rd. 8, Pick 79
Biggest Reach: TE Darren Waller (LV): Rd. 5, Pick 49
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