Power Rankings - Week 10

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Power Rankings - Week 5

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Power Rankings - Week 4

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Power Rankings - Week 3

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Power Rankings - Week 2

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Draft Grades (New England)

The Great CornJulios

B+

Best Pick: Julio Jones ($57)
Recently, Julio has become widely considered the consensus #1 receiver in fantasy for 2015. There's a good chance it has to do with his 189 and 259 yard efforts late in the season last year. With Roddy hobbled and Ryan enamored by his #1 target, expect Atlanta to force feed the ball to Julio. Hard to put a price on this guy. Mike was willing to pay whatever it took to get him.

Best Value: Ben Roethlisberger ($4)
Of all the quarterback value buys, this was the best. Mike landed a top 5 quarterback in an offense really focused on airing it out and putting points on the board. Mike's patience paid off in a big way as he got one of the best buys and the lowest cost.

Future Focus: Jordy Nelson ($13), Matt Jones ($2)
Not ideal to close off your IR spot before the draft even ends, but when there's Jordy Nelson available to keep next year at $18, who could blame the kid? This was a future play that cost him some in the current year, but Jordy is going to have a high trade value come the second half of the season. Expect Mike to use that to his advantage. Also, Matt Jones looks really good on tape. Like, freakishly good.

Worst Pick: David Cobb ($2)
At the time of the draft, this was a sensible pick. Unfortunately for the CornJulios, Cobb went down with an injury and has since been designated to IR.

Biggest Gamble: Carlos Hyde ($26)
The Niners fell far from grace almost as fast as Ray Rice after his elevator ride. Half the team quit, retired, got arrested or injured. All in all there is a lot of uncertainty in San Fran. Could Hyde produce in a big way for the Niners? Sure. But until we see this squad on Sunday, we have no idea what to expect from Hyde.

Gurley Manning

B

Best Pick: Brandin Cooks ($34)
At $34, Cooks was remarkably Team Gurley Manning's largest investment. The value boys zigged why the rest of the league zagged, which resulted in them accumulating a pretty solid, young squad. I drove the Cooks bandwagon last offseason. It took him a little while longer to get acclimated to the NFL than I anticipated, but he seems poised for a breakout year as Brees' #1 target.

Best Value: The Entire Team (minus Chris Ivory)
Gurley Manning trusted their limits and didn't look back. It left them with a pile of cash deep into the draft and the ability to value buy the whole way. Do they have any real big hitters? Not on paper just yet. But there's potential there. They also have a boat full of trade bait. For the record, I'm a big Chris Ivory fan, I just know they paid more than they wanted to.

Future Focus: Todd Gurley ($15)
Mason and Jagoda can't be thrilled to hear Gurley could be out until Week 5, but they have more than enough options to weather the storm until Gurley makes an impact on the Rams. He's the best talent of any running back in the 2015 draft class. Can't fault this team for taking a chance on him.

Worst Pick: Peyton Manning ($7)
I expect people to be highly contentious about my opinion here, but given the fact they had already invested $12 in Russell Wilson, it made the most sense to pass on Peyton. They can't start both these guys. Does it take one of them out of their war path? Yes. Could they potentially trade one of them? Yes. But every purchase comes with consequence in auction and its never easy to swing a QB trade deal. At this moment, I don't think it was the smartest move, but I also know they can turn the pick into something better.

Biggest Gamble: Victor Cruz ($7)
Gurley knew this was a gamble and they had money to blow at this point in the draft, but coming off an injury that has a history of ending careers, ailed by another calf injury, Cruz is far from a safe bet at $7. I bet Mason and Jagoda wish they had better utilized this $7 when they folded their cards during a few early draft bid wars.

Peyton Top / Eli Bottom 

B

Best Pick: DeMarco Murray ($54)
Manning beat out yours truly in a bidding war for Murray. DeMarco is no stranger to offensive lines that part the seas for him. Chip Kelly's offense should provide Murray with a lot of room to run. Getting spells from Matthews and Sproles actually makes him more appealing in my eyes, because he's less of a threat to break down after being run into the ground in Dallas. Expect Murray to see the end zone a ton.

Best Value: Isiah Crowell ($5)
Granted Cleveland is in the news every day rumored to be inquiring about free agent running backs, but that doesn't bother me. Crowell was highly productive in limited opportunities last season and he'll be running behind an offensive line that is quietly, one of the best in the league. For $5, why not?

Future Focus: James White ($1)
This marks the second straight season we've heard good things about James White coming out of camp/preseason. Belichick was willing to part ways with Shane Vereen, handing the keys to the 3rd down role over to James White. There could be some potential there. Worth the $1 investment.

Worst Pick: Andre Ellington ($14)
Ellington is always surrounded by injury concern and there seem to be mixed reports about his production this offseason. He's a boom or bust running back in a good offense. Assuming he can fight off the suitors gunning for his role, Ellington could be relatively productive. However, it seems Bruce Arians is hoping to preserve him, which will ultimately drive down his touches in 2015.

Biggest Gamble: Jeremy Maclin ($16)
Maclin is coming off of a career year in Philly, but he's in a much different offense. His talent is unquestioned, but Alex Smith literally went an entire season without throwing a TD to a wide receiver. That blows my mind. As such, its a gamble.

Kindergarden Naptime

B- 

Best Pick: Dez Bryant ($56)

The auction format requires the occasional significant investment. As such, its best to make sure the investment is dollars well spent. Dallas’ X-Factor should compete for the top WR spot this year. Dez is as passionate and driven as they come.

Best Value: Jarvis Landry ($10)

Jarvis Landry quickly emerged as a fantasy favorite this offseason, yet his auction value has remained relatively steady. It’s not every day you find a WR1 catching upwards of 90 balls at a mere $10. You really can’t beat that value.

Future Focus: Bishop Sankey ($4)

Bishop Sankey flopped as a rookie, but there is still some optimism surrounding him down in Tennessee. Naptime chose not to sleep on Sankey and is hoping he rewards them both now and in the future.

Worst Pick: Reggie Wayne ($2)

Joe and Sean’s Patriots bias got the best of them, spending a few bucks on Reggie Wayne, a receiver that was over the hill two years ago. With the news Wayne was waived by the Patriots early this week, Kindergarden Naptime finds itself surfing the waiver wire before the season even kicks off.

Biggest Gamble: Joseph Randle ($21)
Dallas' offensive line is the best in the business. In fact, it may be even better than last year with the addition of rookie La'el Collins. With that said, reports out of Dallas suggest the Cowboys plan to use a full committee at running back, with Randle, McFadden, Dunbar and even Christine Michael splitting carries. With so many hands to feed, Randle's production could be inconsistent and unpredictable. There's still a chance the Cowboys are merely throwing shade our way, but its a big risk nonetheless. 

Skinny Pete(rson)

B-

Best Pick: Adrian Peterson ($62)

Peterson is on the wrong side of 30, but he's coming off a year of rest. He's the best running back in the game. Plain and simple. He's finally got a quarterback that can move the chains. We may not have seen the best of AP yet.

Best Value: Greg Olsen ($8)

Don't be surprised to see Olsen getting 10-15 targets a game this year. With his hands, that should lead to some pretty gawdy numbers for a tight end. If Gronk is worth $48 and Jimmy is worth $32, Olsen should be worth more than $8.

Future Focus: Teddy Bridgewater ($11)

The price tag was higher than expected for Teddy, but no young QB has generated more buzz this preseason than Teddy. He really seems to be commanding the offense and with AP back and young, talented wide receivers emerging, Teddy could be in for a big year and an even bigger future.

Worst Pick: Reuben Randle ($1)

As a Giants fan, Randle rubs me the wrong way. He seems to lack hustle and intensity. Pretty much just goes through the motions during his routes. Hobbled by an injury, I don't know Randle is even worth a stash this year.

Biggest Gamble: Rob Gronkowski ($48)

There's nobody better at the position than Gronk. And you could argue he's essentially a WR1. But strategically, investing that much in a tight end for auction is risky. Frank's wide receiving core isn't as sexy as a result. The 2-TE set Frank might run is intriguing, but whether that gives him enough offensive fire power receiving remains in question.

Team Kremheller

C-

Best Pick: Jamaal Charles ($58) 
I never expected Jamaal Charles to go for less than $60, so for Mark to grab him for less seemed like a solid value. He took a gamble and went all in on Marshawn Lynch as well, which may have set him back financially, but he certainly has an intimidating 1-2 punch at running back.

Best Value: Drew Brees ($12) 
Even with the loss of a few weapons, Drew Brees is too talented and Sean Payton is too brilliant for Brees' numbers to suffer significantly. Armed with rising star, Brandin Cooks, expect Brees to remain near the top of scoring leaderboards. Given some of the other QB price tags, Mark escaped with a pretty solid value.

Future Focus: Breshad Perriman ($12) 
Perriman is a bit of a raw talent, but his measurables made him a hot commodity on draft day. With 4.24 speed and decent size, he's the ideal candidate to take Torrey Smith's spot in an offense that likes to go deep, with a QB that can air it out as far and as accurate as anyone in the game.

Worst Pick: Breshad Perriman ($12)

Kremheller seemed a little reckless with his $12 bid on Perriman early on. He made significant investments at running back, so it made sense for him to be a little frugal at WR. Perriman, unproven and injured, was an aggressive play at $12.

Biggest Gamble: Jimmy Graham ($32)

A lot of people have concerns about Jimmy's new role in Seattle. Graham has been quoted saying he was anticipating being used as a blocker 70% of the time. Even so, Jimmy stands to be a go-to red zone target. With Russell Wilson at the helm, one of the league's most accurate QBs, I think Jimmy's fantasy value will endure.

Draft Grades (NY/NJ)

The Inflators

A- 

Best Pick: Mike Evans ($34)

Evans has a WR1 ceiling with a WR2 floor. Oh, and he's only 22 years old. He only stands to get better as both him and quarterback Jameis Winston mature. At $34, Melanson has a no-brainer keeper candidate for the next two years.

Best Value: Ameer Abdullah ($12)

There were too many values to choose from here, but rookie spark plug Ameer Abdullah might be the best of the bunch. The rookie has juked and dazzled his way up ADP boards, drawing Barry Sanders comparisons from the likes of Todd Bowles. Melanson caught the league by surprise with an early Abdullah nomination, and walked away with one of the top young commodities before anyone knew what hit them.

Future Focus: Jeremy Langford ($2)

Melanson continued his savvy play with a $2 add of Jeremy Langford late in the draft. Knowing Matt Forte was in a contract year, coming off a ton of touches two years in a row, Langford was a great low-cost flier to take a chance on. If Forte can't sustain another year of heavy work, or if he departs next offseason, Langford becomes the likely heir to the throne in Chi-town.

Worst Pick: Lorenzo Taliaferro ($2)

The Inflators clearly have concerns about Justin Forsett's durability with the add of Taliaferro, But sidelined with an MCL sprain for the next few weeks, it seems odd to spend money on an injured player in hopes he'll take over for a guy in the event of an injury.

Biggest Gamble: Melvin Gordon ($21)

Gordon is a highly-touted rookie and $21 is hardly a huge chunk of change, but it does go a long way in any auction draft. The Chargers have also failed to produce an elite running back since Ladanian Tomlinson left town and rookies always come with a boom or bust tag. Melanson has solid depth to combat a Gordon flop, but the investment still remains his biggest gamble.

Heyyy Janis!

 

B

Best Pick: Jordan Matthews ($31) 
The WR1 in Chip Kelly’s offense produced 82 catches for 1,332 yards and 9 TDs in 2013 (Desean Jackson) and 85 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 TDs in 2014 (Jeremy Maclin). Insert Jordan Matthews into the role, a guy that amassed 67 catches for 872 yards and 8 TDs as a rookie, and Matthews becomes a guy that could easily finish in the Top 5 or Top 10 at his position.

Best Value: Matt Ryan ($6) 
With a ton of quarterbacks costing a good chunk of change (Luck ($42), Rodgers ($36), Brady ($18) Rivers ($15), Bridgewater ($11)), Talbot smartly waited for the league money to dry up and nabbed a potential top 5 quarterback for one of the lowest prices at the position.

Future Focus: DeVante Parker ($8) 
Talbot had to outmuscle Zavodsky for Parker, paying a few more bucks than anticipated. But given the upside of one of college football’s elite prospects, this could be a steal within the keeper format.

Worst Pick: Nick Foles ($1)

Even for a dollar, this pick was pretty weak. Foles is a chump, moving to an offense nothing like Chip Kelly’s. It’s no surprise Foles was dropped the next day.

Biggest Gamble: Alshon Jeffrey ($46)

Jeffrey was a value as far as #1 wide receivers go, but a huge gamble nonetheless. The Bears have been silent regarding the “day-to-day” injury that has kept Jeffrey out almost 4 weeks. If the injury is more serious than first thought, “Heyyy Janis!” instantly loses its fear factor.

Dastardly and Bastardly

B-

Best Pick: Doug Martin ($11)
The Muscle Hamster has been a shadow of his rookie self the past two years, but he's starting to really turn heads again in Tampa. In an offense featuring three 6'5" receivers that demand attention, Martin is starting to see some daylight. If he pans out as expected, $11 is a steal for a 3-down back in any offense.

Best Value: Sammy Watkins ($9)
Watkins is an elite talent that was hampered by injury and bad quarterback play last season. Healthy, with Tyrod Taylor playing well at the helm, Watkins could show fantasy owners he deserves to be listed in the same class as Odell Beckham and Mike Evans. Two players going for $25 and $38 more, respectively.

Future Focus: Kelvin Benjamin ($3)
Baker and Schiele will have to stash Benjamin on IR for an entire season, but if they can do so without it compromising their lineup, they'll be keeping a sure-fire WR2 for only $8 next year. At $3, that's a great bargain.

Worst Pick: Philip Rivers ($15)
Dastardly and Bastardly let their strategy of "setting the market" blow up in their faces on this pick, forcing themselves to take on Philip Rivers for $15. A decision that has to hurt after seeing Brees go for $13, Wilson go for $12, Manning go for $7, Ryan go for $6 and Big Ben go for $4. The decision to add Sam Bradford on top of that for $10 was equally questionable.

Biggest Gamble: Alfred Blue ($9)
Blue should be a great value for the first few weeks, but its likely to end there. If Arian Foster returns healthy and stays that way, was Blue really worth the investment?

Team Casazza/Lund 

C+

Best Pick: C.J. Anderson ($50)
Anderson stands to be a large focal point of Gary Kubiak's offense; a zone-blocking scheme perfect for Anderson's one-cut style of running. After amassing close to 1,200 yards and 10 TDs in less than a half season of work as the starter, its safe to say Anderson could be in for a huge year.

Best Value: Joique Bell ($9)
Even with Ameer Abdullah hot on his tails, Bell will be a factor in the Lions offense no matter what. He's been a consistent family producer year-in and year-out and he's a lock to get the goal line touches in Detroit. At $9, Bell was a great value.

Future Focus: Martavis Bryant ($7)
Bryant might be sidelined for 4 games, but his production this preseason cannot be ignored. In fact, Bryant was arguably the most dominant preseason force, nabbing 7 catches, for 205 yards and 2 TDs in 3 games of action. If Martavis can keep his head right off the field, he stands to be a great value on the field for Caz and PL the next few years.

Worst Pick: Montee Ball ($5)
There's nothing wrong with handcuffing your #1 pick, but Caz & PL handcuffed the wrong guy. Ball was cut from the Broncos this week, leaving this squad wondering how they could have better used that $5.

Biggest Gamble: Aaron Rodgers ($36)
Rodgers production comes at no gamble, but spending upwards of $35 on a QB in an auction format is a gamble in itself. It's easy to see the benefit Rodgers brings, but it will be difficult to determine the impact of the cost associated with nabbing him.

Beats by Ray

C

Best Pick: Antonio Brown ($59)
Antonio Brown is worth every penny. Unlike some of the other top tier receivers, Brown's elite quickness in and out of routes makes him virtually un-coverable. He's undoubtedly the safest bet of any player in fantasy. You can't fault Beats for building their team around him.

Best Value: Golden Tate ($12)
Golden Tate broke out in Calvin Johnson's absence last year and has continued to dominate in preseason action this year. People will look to Tate's stats with Calvin on the field and show concern, but the Lions will be forced to feed him the ball with or without Johnson. His talent can't be ignored.

Future Focus: Arian Foster ($32)
Fortunately for Beats, they may not have to look too far in the future to see Arian Foster back in their lineup. Recent reports indicate Foster could return before the end of September. Arian might have gone for more money than anticipated, but its still a steal and a half if he returns to full health and can sustain it. He's a top-10 back acquired for the price of an RB2.

Worst Pick: Dan Herron ($3)
Herron was an odd pick with Beats having already rostered Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton. As a backup to Frank Gore, his carries were expected to be limited anyway. To make matters worse for Beats, Herron went down with a season-ending injury this week, and is destined for IR. Looks like Beats will have to look elsewhere before the season even starts.

Biggest Gamble: Andrew Luck ($42)
Drafting Andrew Luck in an auction requires a big sacrifice at other positions. Beats learned this the hard way, spending more money than anyone on the quarterback position, leaving them scrambling for running backs early on in the season. Foster can't return soon enough for Beats by Ray.

FLARE PASS TO COMELLA

C-

Best Pick: Matt Forte ($49)
Forte's durability is always a question mark, given his early-career injury history and the outrageous number of touches he's received the last few years. But he's still an absolute workhorse that should see a huge focus in the Bears post-Marshall offense. At $49, that's a pretty solid value for an RB1 that's finished in the top 5 the last two years.

Best Value: Eddie Royal ($2)
Landing the WR2 on an offense that loves to air it out is a flat out bargain. All signs point to Eddie Royal having a career year, paired with the quarterback that connected with him a career-high 91 times as a rookie. With Alshon's status in question as well, there's more reason to love Eddie this year. Great low-risk, value pick for Special Teams.

Future Focus: Amari Cooper ($21)
Following up a season that introduced us to Odell Beckham, Mike Evans and Jordan Matthews (among others), Cooper is the early favorite to breakout as a rookie wide receiver. Him and Derek Carr have shown great chemistry throughout the preseason. The talent there is unquestionable. Cooper is likely to produce in a big way as a rookie and should be a great keep the next two years.

Worst Pick: Julian Edelman ($35)
Special Teams admitted their significant up-bid was a mistake, but unfortunately, they can't go back and change it. Edelman emerged as an un-guardable asset in the 2015 playoffs and stands to impress again this year. But Special Teams could have landed him at a much better value. They could have used the extra cash elsewhere.

Biggest Gamble: Davante Adams ($36)
Adams certainly carries a high-ceiling, but we still don't know what to expect from him. He's got a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He very well could have a huge year, but until we see him in this offense week 1, we won't know for sure. At $10 less than his counterpart, Randall Cobb, the price may have been a little steep for Adams.