Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings Review 41-60

What began as a review of the top 20 players of our consensus dynasty fantasy football rankings has expanded to an overview of the top 100 players, which means we have two more articles headed your way after this one.

For those who missed the initial installments, here’s the top 20 players followed by those listed in spots 21 through 40.

Since most of you probably won’t read this intro anyway (thanks to those of you who did), let’s get right into it with players 41 through 60.

41) Donte Moncrief, WR, IND

This upcoming season feels like a swing year for Moncrief. A favorite of the dynasty community as soon as he shredded the combine and landed in a nice spot with the Colts, Moncrief hasn’t yet turned his mouth-watering potential into juicy on-field numbers. Despite that, his value has held pretty steady as we keep waiting for his explosion. Entering his age-24 season, another disappointing campaign could send his value tumbling, but a big jump in production this year would likely blast him up the rankings.

42) Davante Adams, WR, GB

Adams was a bust until he wasn’t, putting together a 75-997-12 line in a breakout season last year. Heading into his age-25 campaign, it’s easy to make the argument Adams should be higher on this list as he’s become the number two option for Aaron Rodgers, with his sights set on the top role once Jordy Nelson vacates that post. While he has a bright future, he’s probably due for some negative touchdown regression at some point after hauling in 12 scores on 75 catches. Then again, this offense is going to put up a lot of points for the foreseeable future.

43) Jamison Crowder, WR, WAS

Much like Adams, Crowder broke out in 2016, totaling 67 catches for 847 yards and seven touchdowns. Through two seasons, he is averaging 63 receptions, 725 yards and 4.5 scores per year. There are some question marks here — Kirk Cousins may not be in Washington for long, and with Terrelle Pryor, Jordan Reed and Josh Doctson in the fold, there are a lot of mouths to feed. At a minimum, Crowder has proven himself to be a valuable, safe commodity who could have a bigger ceiling than we think if he keeps improving.

44) Tyler Eifert, TE, CIN

Eifert has immense touchdown upside. He’s a tight end in a good offense, and the former Notre Dame star has scored 18 times in 21 games over the last two years. Of course, the problem is he’s played just 21 games since the start of 2015. He suited up for a serviceable 27 total games in 2013 and 2015, but he took the field just three total times across 2014 and 2016. Oh, and he might not be ready for training camp due to offseason back surgery. He’s also never averaged more than 4.0 catches or 49.3 yards per game in a single season. Eifert’s value is almost entirely tied to his touchdown prowess, and when you factor in the red flags, it’s hard to feel too warm and fuzzy about him at this price.

45) Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN

Sanders may be boring and lack upside because of Denver’s quarterback situation, but he’s still a solid fantasy producer with a pretty set-in-stone role. Sanders has seen 141, 136 and 137 targets, respectively, in the past three seasons, and over the past two years — covering the time when Peyton Manning was bad and Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch took over — Manny has averaged 77 grabs, 1,083 yards and 5.5 touchdowns per year. Entering his age-30 season, he should have a few more years of good production ahead of him, and his upside could get a lift if Siemian or Lynch proves to be an above-average passer.

46) Derrick Henry, RB, TEN

The fact Henry is the 14th-ranked running back in our rankings is a testament to how much the community loved him coming out of college, and how much upside he has if he gets ahold of the lead role in the future. However, with DeMarco Murray (you’ll hear more about him in a second) leading the way for a quality Titans rushing attack, Henry is going to be relegated to a backup role for at least 2017 barring an injury to Murray, and Henry doesn’t offer much in the way of pass-catching ability to prop up his PPR value. He saw 110 carries last season while making 13 grabs, and his market share could increase as Tennessee looks to keep Murray healthy while getting value out of their 2016 second-round pick. Henry’s long-term upside is through the roof, but he’ll be hard to start on a weekly basis until Murray is out of the way.

47) DeVante Parker, WR, MIA

Parker has a lot of similarities to Moncrief in that he’s also valued pretty highly despite disappointing thus far in his career. After posting a 26-494-3 line as a rookie, Parker racked up 56 catches for 744 yards and four scores in 2016. Athleticism isn’t an issue and neither is locking down a starting role (his 87 targets were second on Miami), but Parker is still a pretty raw wideout. He’s going to have to take another step forward this fall to justify his current value, although he’s certainly capable of doing just that.

48) DeMarco Murray, RB, TEN

Murray had a resurgent campaign last year, and with his nightmare stint in Philly being the exception, he’s amassed at least 1,100 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards in three of his past four seasons. Murray handled 293 carries and 67 targets last year, and he’s heading into 2017 with a firm grip on Tennessee’s lead role. Even if the Titans want to get Henry more involved, Murray’s receiving ability will give him a nice floor in PPR leagues. While this is going to be Murray’s age-29 season and his backup is a supremely talented player in whom the team has invested a lot of draft capital, Murray is still extremely valuable as a highly productive running back. There’s never a bad time to own one of those.

49) Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT

Bryant has ascended the rankings in short order since being reinstated from his year-long suspension, but he may be one of dynasty’s most overvalued players, at least in my eyes. An uber-talented 6-foot-4 wideout playing in a high-powered offense, I get why he’s an appealing asset. At the same time, he hasn’t played since January of 2016, and he’s destined to be a distant third option behind Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. Bryant is also entering his age-26 campaign with single-season career highs of 50 receptions for 765 yards. Yes, his talent is extremely enticing, but he’s going to have a difficult time producing on-field numbers worthy of being a top-50 asset. Once you take into account he could be one off-field mistake away from another lengthy ban, it’s a lot of risk to stomach for a player whose ceiling probably isn’t what everyone dreams it can be.

50) Mike Williams, WR, LAC

As a bigger wideout who did well in contested-catch situations in college but struggled to gain separation, Williams is cut from the same cloth as Kelvin Benjamin and Laquon Treadwell, a pair of similar receivers who were also taken in the first round. Comparing Williams to those two isn’t a glowing endorsement, but it’s not a death sentence, either. With 98 catches, 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns last year for Clemson, Williams proved he was fully recovered from his scary 2015 injury. He also balled out in the title game with an 8-94-1 line against a good Alabama defense. Together, Williams, Hunter Henry, Tyrell Williams and (if he’s healthy) Keenan Allen could be the core of a potent passing attack in San Diego. It is worth noting Mike Williams is currently dealing with a back injury that may impact his readiness for training camp (or worse).

51) Randall Cobb, WR, GB

A borderline top-10 asset after his 91-1,287-12 line in 2014, Cobb has disappointed since the breakout campaign. In fact, he has a mere 1,439 yards and 10 total scores across his past two seasons combined, bottoming out last year with a 60-610-4 line in 13 games. Playing with Aaron Rodgers will do wonders for one’s value, though, and it has kept Cobb near the top-50 overall dynasty players despite his drop in production. With Nelson still dominating and Adams coming on, Cobb is a clear third option in Green Bay, and he may be a bit overvalued right now as the market is still trying to come to grips with his two-year swoon.

52) Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI

Matthews is another receiver who has seen a pretty significant drop in value. Per our July 2016 ADP data, Matthews was the 30th player off the board 12 months ago, and he’s fallen quite a bit from that perch. That arrival of Alshon Jeffery dings Matthews’ value a bit, but he really hasn’t done much on the field to show he’s a player dynasty owners should covet. However, what he lacks in ceiling (yet to break the 1,000-yard mark) he makes up for in consistency (between 804 and 997 yards in all three seasons), and his numbers could increase as Carson Wentz and the Eagles’ offense improves. Jeffery is on a one-year deal, so Matthews may be the team’s top target again as soon as 2018.

53) Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN

Cook lags behind the three top-tier rookie backs — Leonard Fournette, Joe Mixon and Christian McCaffrey — all of whom sit inside the top 40, but as the 16th-ranked running back, the dynasty community still has big expectations for him. Minnesota, on paper, isn’t a great landing spot. The offensive line had major issues in 2016, and the team signed Latavius Murray this off-season. With that said, Cook, a back who averaged 1,728 yards and 19 touchdowns per year over his final two collegiate seasons, is an explosive producer with a flawless on-field track record.

54) Carlos Hyde, RB, SF

Hyde settles in right in the range of running backs who aren’t very exciting but are currently projected to hold starting roles. While he’s played a meager 20 games across the past two seasons, Hyde has fared pretty well on a bad San Francisco offense, averaging 72.9 yards per game since the start of 2015. He finished with 988 yards and six touchdowns last season, and new 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has directed good rushing attacks in his time. If Hyde holds onto a starting gig (and can stay healthy), he’ll return good value at this price.

55) Cam Newton, QB, CAR

We haven’t been getting it right with Newton. After his ridiculous 2015 MVP season, he was coming off the board 32nd overall, per our July 2016 ADP data. Carolina’s offense, as a whole, regressed in a big way last season, and now we’ve put a small canyon between Newton and the other elite passers (Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson). We probably overreacted to his 2015 season, and we’re likely overreacting the other way now, although whenever the Panthers decide to slow down Newton’s goal-line running, it’ll have a big impact on his fantasy output.

56) Golden Tate, WR, DET

Any player ranked in this range is here for a reason — they have some flaws. Tate, though, offers a very high floor, especially in PPR leagues, and he has the ability to make big plays after the catch. For the second time in his three seasons in the Motor City, Tate went over 1,000 yards last year, and he’s caught at least 90 balls in each of the three years with the Lions. Since 2011, Tate has played in all 16 games in every year but one, when he played 15 games in 2012. There’s a ton of value in his floor, and while the touchdown upside probably isn’t there (14 scores in his last 48 games), you’re not paying for a speck of it at this valuation.

57) C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN

At this point, it’s really hard to tell if Anderson is overrated and the product of a great half-season in 2014, or if he’s a good runner who has caught some bad breaks the past two years. All we can go by is the numbers. Over the past three seasons, Anderson has averaged 4.6 yards per carry, which is eighth among backs with at least 300 carries in that timeframe. At the same time, he missed nine games last year, Denver’s offense is subpar and Jamaal Charles is in town. No matter how you feel about Anderson — whether you love him or loathe him — you could probably convince me you’re right, but I’ll invest at this cost, which puts him on the edge of the top-20 running backs.

58) Terrelle Pryor, WR, WAS

At one point, it was kind of laughable that Pryor was going to try to transition to playing wide receiver, but he turned heads with a really good season last year, finishing with a 77-1,007-4 line. He did garner an eye-popping 140 targets, a number which he will likely have trouble matching when he’s actually surrounded by legit NFL players in Washington. But the upgrade in offense should afford him some touchdown upside he didn’t have in Cleveland. Considering 2016 was his first chance seeing meaningful snaps in a full-time wideout role, Pryor’s upside is very enticing, but he’s also entering his age-28 campaign and may never see 140 targets again.

59) Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN

Mariota has just about everything you could ask for in a young fantasy quarterback. Not only is he really good throwing the rock, he’s also a gifted runner who has rushed for 601 yards and four touchdowns through two seasons. The red flags are his injury history (he’s missed four total games across 2015 and 2016) and the Titans’ lack of perimeter playmakers. Tennessee addressed the latter by drafting Corey Davis in the first round and landing Eric Decker in free agency. Mariota should keep progressing on the field, and he could be valued as one of dynasty’s elite signal callers if he has a big 2017 campaign.

60) Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK

Crabtree has checked in as the PPR WR12 and WR15 in his two seasons in Oakland, and it’s pretty hard to believe he’s not ranked higher. Sure, he’s going into his age-30 season, which isn’t ideal, but he’s paired with an up-and-coming quarterback and won’t be the focus of opposing defenses as long as Amari Cooper is on the field. Crabtree is a pretty safe bet for another one or two years of solid production (maybe more), and he costs quite a bit less than dudes like Moncrief and Parker, who have been in the league for multiple years and we still don’t know if they’re any good or not.