A very early ranking of players with many, many more to come obviously...
Berry's Top 150 for 2014
By Matthew Berry | ESPN.com
Don't get too attached. If rankings were a relationship, this is a casual quick drink after work with someone your buddy is setting you up with, not a six-month girlfriend or boyfriend, ya dig? Much, much will change between now and the time you sit down to draft your first team, but because it's never too early to think about next season, here's my first stab at a top 150 for 2014.
The rankings are done in present time, which is to say, until further notice, I am ranking as the league is today. Knowshon Moreno is still on the Denver Broncos. Sammy Watkins hasn't been drafted. David Wilson is still expected to play in 2014. And so on. As news develops, players change teams, coordinators get hired and rookies get drafted, these rankings will change, update and ultimately be expanded to at least a top 200.
The rankings are based on ESPN standard league, which is to say 10-team, no point-per-reception, and you start one quarterback, two each of running backs and wide receivers, a tight end, a flex (RB/WR/TE) and a team defense. You also play a kicker but I didn't rank kickers because, let's face it, if you're the type of player who drafts a kicker before the last round, you're not reading fantasy football rankings in February. I did, however, rank more than you'd need at any certain position for a 10-team league since I know many play in larger-size leagues or leagues with different position requirements.
The wide receiver and quarterback positions are very deep and running back has more names than usual, but many are question marks. So, the scarcity (or depth) of positions was taken into account when doing these rankings. I surprised myself in that I actually ranked a few defenses; usually I subscribe to the wait-on-defense theory, but this year there are a few (at least before free agency) that I feel are worth drafting before the second-to-last round.
In general, when I have players of the same position right next to each other, it means I value them the same and they are just in order of personal preference, but it's close. That's a good rule of thumb for rankings overall, these and any others. Use them as a general guideline, but your ultimate decision should be greatly influenced by team needs and how the draft is progressing. I may have C.J. Spiller ahead of DeSean Jackson, but if you went running back-running back in your first two rounds, and you want D-Jax over another running back, then that's what you should do.
Now, when do mock drafts start?
Matthew Berry's Top 200 for 2014
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Berry's Top 150 for 2014
By Matthew Berry | ESPN.com
Don't get too attached. If rankings were a relationship, this is a casual quick drink after work with someone your buddy is setting you up with, not a six-month girlfriend or boyfriend, ya dig? Much, much will change between now and the time you sit down to draft your first team, but because it's never too early to think about next season, here's my first stab at a top 150 for 2014.
The rankings are done in present time, which is to say, until further notice, I am ranking as the league is today. Knowshon Moreno is still on the Denver Broncos. Sammy Watkins hasn't been drafted. David Wilson is still expected to play in 2014. And so on. As news develops, players change teams, coordinators get hired and rookies get drafted, these rankings will change, update and ultimately be expanded to at least a top 200.
The rankings are based on ESPN standard league, which is to say 10-team, no point-per-reception, and you start one quarterback, two each of running backs and wide receivers, a tight end, a flex (RB/WR/TE) and a team defense. You also play a kicker but I didn't rank kickers because, let's face it, if you're the type of player who drafts a kicker before the last round, you're not reading fantasy football rankings in February. I did, however, rank more than you'd need at any certain position for a 10-team league since I know many play in larger-size leagues or leagues with different position requirements.
The wide receiver and quarterback positions are very deep and running back has more names than usual, but many are question marks. So, the scarcity (or depth) of positions was taken into account when doing these rankings. I surprised myself in that I actually ranked a few defenses; usually I subscribe to the wait-on-defense theory, but this year there are a few (at least before free agency) that I feel are worth drafting before the second-to-last round.
In general, when I have players of the same position right next to each other, it means I value them the same and they are just in order of personal preference, but it's close. That's a good rule of thumb for rankings overall, these and any others. Use them as a general guideline, but your ultimate decision should be greatly influenced by team needs and how the draft is progressing. I may have C.J. Spiller ahead of DeSean Jackson, but if you went running back-running back in your first two rounds, and you want D-Jax over another running back, then that's what you should do.
Now, when do mock drafts start?
Matthew Berry's Top 200 for 2014
| Rank | Player, '13 team | Pos. Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaal Charles, KC | RB1 |
| 2 | LeSean McCoy, PHI | RB2 |
| 3 | Adrian Peterson, MIN | RB3 |
| 4 | Matt Forte, CHI | RB4 |
| 5 | Peyton Manning, DEN | QB1 |
| 6 | Drew Brees, NO | QB2 |
| 7 | Jimmy Graham, NO | TE1 |
| 8 | Eddie Lacy, GB | RB5 |
| 9 | Calvin Johnson, DET | WR1 |
| 10 | Marshawn Lynch, SEA | RB6 |
| 11 | Aaron Rodgers, GB | QB3 |
| 12 | Zac Stacy, STL | RB7 |
| 13 | Demaryius Thomas, DEN | WR2 |
| 14 | Le'Veon Bell, PIT | RB8 |
| 15 | A.J. Green, CIN | WR3 |
| 16 | Brandon Marshall, CHI | WR4 |
| 17 | Dez Bryant, DAL | WR5 |
| 18 | Josh Gordon, CLE | WR6 |
| 19 | Knowshon Moreno, DEN | RB9 |
| 20 | Alfred Morris, WSH | RB10 |
| 21 | Doug Martin, TB | RB11 |
| 22 | Arian Foster, HOU | RB12 |
| 23 | Alshon Jeffery, CHI | WR7 |
| 24 | Randall Cobb, GB | WR8 |
| 25 | Jordy Nelson, GB | WR9 |
| 26 | Julio Jones, ATL | WR10 |
| 27 | Cam Newton, CAR | QB4 |
| 28 | DeMarco Murray, DAL | RB13 |
| 29 | Vincent Jackson, TB | WR11 |
| 30 | Reggie Bush, DET | RB14 |
| 31 | C.J. Spiller, BUF | RB15 |
| 32 | Antonio Brown, PIT | WR12 |
| 33 | Pierre Garcon, WSH | WR13 |
| 34 | Giovani Bernard, CIN | RB16 |
| 35 | DeSean Jackson, PHI | WR14 |
| 36 | Wes Welker, DEN | WR15 |
| 37 | Andrew Luck, IND | QB5 |
| 38 | Nick Foles, PHI | QB6 |
| 39 | Rob Gronkowski, NE | TE2 |
| 40 | Ray Rice, BAL | RB17 |
| 41 | Andre Johnson, HOU | WR16 |
| 42 | Keenan Allen, SD | WR17 |
| 43 | Roddy White, ATL | WR18 |
| 44 | Matthew Stafford, DET | QB7 |
| 45 | Larry Fitzgerald, ARI | WR19 |
| 46 | Eric Decker, DEN | WR20 |
| 47 | Frank Gore, SF | RB18 |
| 48 | Chris Johnson, TEN | RB19 |
| 49 | Ryan Mathews, SD | RB20 |
| 50 | Reggie Wayne, IND | WR21 |
| 51 | Andre Ellington, ARI | RB21 |
| 52 | Michael Crabtree, SF | WR22 |
| 53 | Julius Thomas, DEN | TE3 |
| 54 | Percy Harvin, SEA | WR23 |
| 55 | Victor Cruz, NYG | WR24 |
| 56 | Torrey Smith, BAL | WR25 |
| 57 | Vernon Davis, SF | TE4 |
| 58 | Shane Vereen, NE | RB22 |
| 59 | Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | RB23 |
| 60 | T.Y. Hilton, IND | WR26 |
| 61 | Marques Colston, NO | WR27 |
| 62 | Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN | WR28 |
| 63 | Michael Floyd, ARI | WR29 |
| 64 | LeGarrette Blount, NE | RB24 |
| 65 | Julian Edelman, NE | WR30 |
| 66 | Chris Ivory, NYJ | RB25 |
| 67 | David Wilson, NYG | RB26 |
| 68 | Kendall Wright, TEN | WR31 |
| 69 | Ben Tate, HOU | RB27 |
| 70 | Jeremy Maclin, PHI | WR32 |
| 71 | Mike Wallace, MIA | WR33 |
| 72 | Greg Olsen, CAR | TE5 |
| 73 | Tom Brady, NE | QB8 |
| 74 | Robert Griffin III, WSH | QB9 |
| 75 | Matt Ryan, ATL | QB10 |
| 76 | DeAndre Hopkins, HOU | WR34 |
| 77 | Steven Jackson, ATL | RB28 |
| 78 | Montee Ball, DEN | RB29 |
| 79 | Andre Brown, NYG | RB30 |
| 80 | Danny Woodhead, SD | RB31 |
| 81 | Russell Wilson, SEA | QB11 |
| 82 | Jordan Reed, WSH | TE6 |
| 83 | Jason Witten, DAL | TE7 |
| 84 | Jordan Cameron, CLE | TE8 |
| 85 | Seattle Seahawks, SEA | DEF1 |
| 86 | Trent Richardson, IND | RB32 |
| 87 | Riley Cooper, PHI | WR35 |
| 88 | Fred Jackson, BUF | RB33 |
| 89 | Darren Sproles, NO | RB34 |
| 90 | Lamar Miller, MIA | RB35 |
| 91 | Justin Blackmon, JAC | WR36 |
| 92 | Cecil Shorts, JAC | WR37 |
| 93 | Colin Kaepernick, SF | QB12 |
| 94 | Rueben Randle, NYG | WR38 |
| 95 | Jay Cutler, CHI | QB13 |
| 96 | Tony Romo, DAL | QB14 |
| 97 | James Jones, GB | WR39 |
| 98 | Terrance Williams, DAL | WR40 |
| 99 | Dwayne Bowe, KC | WR41 |
| 100 | Dennis Pitta, BAL | TE9 |
| 101 | Pierre Thomas, NO | RB36 |
| 102 | Rashad Jennings, OAK | RB37 |
| 103 | Bobby Rainey, TB | RB38 |
| 104 | Steve Johnson, BUF | WR42 |
| 105 | Philip Rivers, SD | QB15 |
| 106 | Emmanuel Sanders, PIT | WR43 |
| 107 | Kyle Rudolph, MIN | TE10 |
| 108 | Anquan Boldin, SF | WR44 |
| 109 | Danny Amendola, NE | WR45 |
| 110 | Steve Smith, CAR | WR46 |
| 111 | Doug Baldwin, SEA | WR47 |
| 112 | Joique Bell, DET | RB39 |
| 113 | Marvin Jones, CIN | WR48 |
| 114 | Carolina Panthers, CAR | DEF2 |
| 115 | Stevan Ridley, NE | RB40 |
| 116 | Greg Jennings, MIN | WR49 |
| 117 | Hakeem Nicks, NYG | WR50 |
| 118 | Andy Dalton, CIN | QB16 |
| 119 | Darren McFadden, OAK | RB41 |
| 120 | Charles Clay, MIA | TE11 |
| 121 | Martellus Bennett, CHI | TE12 |
| 122 | Tavon Austin, STL | WR51 |
| 123 | Bilal Powell, NYJ | RB42 |
| 124 | Bernard Pierce, BAL | RB43 |
| 125 | Ahmad Bradshaw, IND | RB44 |
| 126 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis, CIN | RB45 |
| 127 | Donald Brown, IND | RB46 |
| 128 | James Starks, GB | RB47 |
| 129 | Rashard Mendenhall, ARI | RB48 |
| 130 | Kenny Stills, NO | WR52 |
| 131 | San Francisco 49ers, SF | DEF3 |
| 132 | Brian Hartline, MIA | WR53 |
| 133 | Delanie Walker, TEN | TE13 |
| 134 | Cincinnati Bengals, CIN | DEF4 |
| 135 | Kendall Hunter, SF | RB49 |
| 136 | Marcus Lattimore, SF | RB50 |
| 137 | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | QB17 |
| 138 | Ryan Tannehill, MIA | QB18 |
| 139 | Alex Smith, KC | QB19 |
| 140 | Justin Hunter, TEN | WR54 |
| 141 | Mike Williams, TB | WR55 |
| 142 | Da'Rick Rogers, IND | WR56 |
| 143 | Denarius Moore, OAK | WR57 |
| 144 | Antonio Gates, SD | TE14 |
| 145 | Knile Davis, KC | RB51 |
| 146 | Christine Michael, SEA | RB52 |
| 147 | Lance Dunbar, DAL | RB53 |
| 148 | Jacquizz Rodgers, ATL | RB54 |
| 149 | Roy Helu, WSH | RB55 |
| 150 | Marcel Reece, OAK | RB56 |
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