We’re flying through the 2017 fantasy football power rankings, and we’re now reaching the territory of elite teams. The teams highlighted today — rank Nos. 12-9 — feature plenty of fantasy firepower, but they still aren’t the best of the best.
The rankings are based on our own 2017 player projections. The series assumes a 12-team standard league with a starting lineup of one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, and one flex position. Kickers and D/STs are not accounted for.
The list so far:
| 32-29 | 28-25 | 24-21 | |||
| No. 32 | Los Angeles Rams | No. 28 | Minnesota Vikings | No. 24 | Denver Broncos |
| No. 31 | Baltimore Ravens | No. 27 | Cleveland Browns | No. 23 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| No. 30 | New York Jets | No. 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | No. 22 | Chicago Bears |
| No. 29 | San Francisco 49ers | No. 25 | Houston Texans | No. 21 | Carolina Panthers |
| 20-17 | 16-13 | ||||
| No. 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | No. 16 | Washington Redskins | ||
| No. 19 | Miami Dolphins | No. 15 | Oakland Raiders | ||
| No. 18 | Detroit Lions | No. 14 | Los Angeles Chargers | ||
| No. 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | No. 13 | Seattle Seahawks | ||
No. 12: New York Giants
The Giants offer fantasy owners 4.8 percent more value than the average NFL team. Aside from superstar Odell Beckham Jr., New York is also home to Brandon Marshall, Sterling Shepard, Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen, Evan Engram, and Eli Manning.
Manning has never been an elite fantasy option, but given the plethora of weapons at his disposal in 2017, it’s hard not to like his ceiling. But Manning is still far off from being consider a QB1 in fantasy. He was the 21st-highest-scoring fantasy quarterback last year, just ahead of Alex Smith and Sam Bradford. That’s not exactly elite company. He’s a streaming option this year.
Behind Manning are Perkins and Vereen. We know Vereen’s role, and he’s obviously more valuable in PPR formats. Perkins, on the other hand, is more of an unknown. He gained 456 yards on 112 attempts last year (4.1 YPC), and he figures to be the team’s workhorse in 2017. This will still be a pass-happy offense, but Perkins appears safe as a flex option with RB2 upside.
Beckham is a bona fide fantasy WR1, and there’s not much else to say about it. Remember when he had a slow start last year and everyone panicked? He finished as the No. 4 wideout in fantasy leagues anyway. Over the past three seasons, only Antonio Brown has more total fantasy point among wideouts.
Beckham’s new teammate, Marshall, is anyone’s guess. He clearly has upside (he’s just one season removed from a 1,500-yard, 14-touchdown season), but his disappointing 2016 campaign is difficult to overlook. Approach Marshall as a flex option with legitimate potential to put up WR2 numbers.
Shepard’s took a massive hit when Marshall signed and Engram was drafted. There are so many mouths to feed in New York this season, and Shepard and Engram will receive the scraps. You can avoid them on draft day, though Engram is worth a flier if that’s up your wheelhouse.
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