A New Look at Dynasty Rankings

One of my favorite things about dynasty fantasy football is the rankings that come with it. These not only spark great debates and immense amount of learning, but also bring together tons of different perceptions and perspectives. Everyone views the world from a different scope, and most approach the game differently.

I first started posting my dynasty rankings in the shark pool at footballguys.com (username = wiscstlatlmia). It was initially terrifying to put my thoughts out there, but after a while you realize they’re just that, thoughts. Your opinion of players and strategy should be constantly evolving and with those changes in perception come shifts in your rankings. When looking at and evaluating someone’s personal rankings, you should have an understanding of the biases the person is predisposed too. Some like big receivers, some like small. Some people like the AFC West, others like the NFC South. Some like Tim Tebow, others wallow in shame…. I recommend doing some research on the ranker, so you have the necessary context before evaluating. I’m not saying everyone is applicable, but it’s very real and something to look out for. I bring this up because I’ve spent a ton of time thinking about what potential biases I have and I want you to know it’s extremely important (to me) that I give you the most honest and genuine view.

Potential Roadblocks to Fantasy Enlightenment

• Rams fan (NFC West Bias)
• Live in Massachusetts (AFC East Bias/anti bias)
• Wisconsin Badgers fan (Big Ten bias/ anti-bias)
• Started writing in 2009, started playing in 2006 (generational bias)

Those are the big four I’m aware of. With those things considered, you may proceed.

You’re probably saying,  “Hey, I’m almost a full page into this and there’s no rankings” right now. Unfortunately, you’ll have to deal with even more words, complaints and ideas before you get to my precious rankings. These words are a necessary evil because I have to explain why I’m doing things the way I am, changing the game. I started doing dynasty rankings in 2009 and while I love doing them, they’re easily the most frustrating thing aspect of fantasy football.

Not only do I hate ranking anyone outside the top 30 at any position, but I also don’t find justice in ranking players 1, 2, 3 etc. in general. Sometimes players fall together in a row and they match value, other times one is clearly ahead of the other. There’s no context. sure, tiers straighten things out a little bit, but they still don’t give you the entire picture. I always feel/felt lacking when I submit rankings and at the end of it all, it feels like a big mess that doesn’t describe fully how I feel.

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Sure, I have Robert Woods ranked higher than most, but how high do I have to rank him to get my point across? There are tons of players right around him I value similarly, but it’s a very large group. The difference between my WR40 and WR60 is not that large, yet in rankings, that looks like a HUGE difference. For instance, I like Markus Wheaton as well, but not as highly as Woods. I like him almost as much as Woods, but not quite. Well, there are quite a few players in between the two. If I like ten players between Woods and Wheaton, it ends up looking like this:

40. Robert Woods

41. ——

42. ——

43. ——

44.——-

45.——-

46.——-

47.——-

48.——-

49.——-

50. Markus Wheaton

I know it’s only ten spots, you know it’s only ten spots. But, for whatever reason, this makes it appear that I like Woods a lot more than Wheaton, which isn’t the case.

Another main issue is at the top of the rankings

1. Calvin Johnson
2. AJ Green
3. Dez Bryant
4. Julio Jones
5. Demaryius Thomas
6. Jordy Nelson
7. Antonio Brown

These are my top seven as of now.

What this looks like to me is a bunch of really good players, the cream of the crop, which it is, sort of. This doesn’t represent trade value, even if I separate into tiers, it doesn’t give you an accurate idea of how highly I feel about each player, either. I have Jordy Nelson one spot below Demaryius, but they aren’t close in value, nor do I value them that way. There’s a huge drop off from five to six, but there’s no way to explain that in a ranking other than a tier, but as I said, that still doesn’t give you an idea of how much of a drop off it is.

These are two of the main beefs I’ve had with rankings along the way and I’ve ran into them every single time I’ve attempted an update. I Believe there’s a more accurate way to get my point across.

I’m not sure about you, but when I was a kid, one of the more exciting times of the year was when Madden came out. I loved the gameplay, but I would usually dive straight into franchise mode and check out all the new rankings! I’d go through all the rosters checking out all the rookies and also, who they bumped up/down from the previous year. It was glorious and how I wish dynasty rankings worked. So, why not make it a reality?

Below are my first crack at a new way of ranking players. Here’s how it’s going to work:

1. Players rated 1-99
2. No tiers, no numerical rankings, just player names and the rating
3. Talent, situation, immediate value and long term value will all be a part of how I do things, but you already knew that
4. Based on PPR dynasty leagues
5. Rating is based on the rating of the player at the individual position.

WARNING: EACH POSITION IS RATED FOR THAT POSITION ONLY.  RATINGS DO NOT TRANSLATE TO OTHER POSITIONS.

EX.  Andrew Luck being a 98 ≠ Dez Bryant being a 98

With this way of ranking Robert Woods/Markus Wheaton situation would look like this:

(This example was done before I gave ratings, these may not be accurate)

Robert Woods – 78

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Markus Wheaton – 75

And then we go back top players situation:

1. Calvin Johnson – 99
2. AJ Green- 98
3. Dez Bryant – 98
4. Julio Jones – 95
5. Demaryius Thomas – 95
6. Jordy Nelson- 89
7. Antonio Brown- 88

Ahhh, that feels great, look at that. It’s beautiful and exactly how I feel.

I’m going to start off with top 25 at each position and share my work on a part two 26-50 soon after.

Now that you know how the game is being played, without further adieu, my first rating style dynasty rankings are as follows:

Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers – 98
2. Andrew Luck – 96
3. Drew Brees – 93
4. Cam Newton – 89
5. Matthew Stafford – 88
6. Russell Wilson – 86
7. Robert Griffin – 86
8. Matt Ryan – 85
9. Colin Kaepernick – 83
10. Peyton Manning – 82
11. Tony Romo – 81
12. Tom Brady – 80
13. Nick Foles – 80
14. Andy Dalton- 78
15. Ryan Tannehill – 77
16. Johhny Manziel – 77
17. Phillip Rivers – 74
18. Jay Cutler – 74
19. Teddy Bridgewater – 73
20. Ben Roethlisberger – 71
21. Jake Locker – 71
22. Blake Bortles – 70
23. Joe Flacco –  69
24. Eli Manning – 67
25. Alex Smith – 67

Running Backs

1. LeSean McCoy – 98
2. Jamaal Charles – 98
3. Eddie Lacy – 92
4. Demarco Murray – 91
5. Adrian Peterson – 90
6. Trent richardson – 84
7. Giovani Bernard – 84
8. CJ Spiller – 84
9. Matt Forte – 83
10. Montee Ball – 83
11. Doug Martin- 83
12. Alfred Morris- 82
13. Ryan Mathews- 82
14. Andre Ellington- 82
15. Zac Stacy – 81
16. Le’Veon Bell – 81
17. Bishop Sankey – 80
18. Marshawn Lynch – 80
19. Ray Rice – 80
20. Shane Vereen –  80
21. Christine Michael – 80
22. Jeremy Hill – 78
23. Carlos Hyde – 78
24. Reggie Bush – 77
25. Lamar Miller – 74

Wide Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson – 99
2. AJ Green – 98
3. Dez Bryant – 98
4. Julio Jones – 95
5. Demaryius Thomas – 95
6. Jordy Nelson – 90
7. Antonio Brown- 89
8. Brandon Marshall- 89
9. Alshon Jeffery – 88
10. Michael Floyd – 86
11. Sammy Watkins – 86
12. Mike Evans – 86
13. Percy Harvin- 85
14. Larry Fitzgerald – 84
15. Victor Cruz – 82
16. Randall Cobb – 82
17. Michael Crabtree – 82
18. Keenan Allen – 82
19. Pierre Garcon – 82
20. Kendall Wright – 81
21. Justin Hunter – 81
22. Vincent Jackson- 80
23. Cordarrelle Patterson – 80
24. Torrey Smith – 80
25. DeSean Jackson – 80

Tight End

1. Jimmy Graham – 99
2. Rob Gronkowski – 96
3. Julius Thomas -91
4. Vernon Davis – 89
5. Kyle Rudolph -84
6. Zach Ertz – 84
7. Jordan Cameron – 84
8. Ladarius Green – 82
9. Jordan Reed – 80
10. Eric Ebron – 80
11. Travis Kelce – 80
12. Tyler Eifert – 80
13. Jason Witten – 78
14. Dennis Pitta – 78
15. Greg Olsen – 77
16. Martellus Bennett – 76
17. Jared Cook – 74
18. Charles Clay – 73
19. Austin Seferian-Jenkins – 71
20. Dwayne Allen – 71
21. Coby Fleener – 71
22. Jace Amaro – 70
23. Heath Miller – 70
24. CJ Fiedorowicz – 70
25. Gavin Escobar – 68

What do you think of a rating system like this?  Do you do anything similar with your own set of dynasty rankings?

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