I first got into fantasy football by joining a seasonal re-draft league with friends. And professionally I spend most of my time researching the daily fantasy market for FantasyLabs.
But if I’m being honest, my favorite fantasy football format is dynasty, because it forces me to have a long-term perspective and to be willing to live for years with the consequences of my decisions.
Below are my 2019 dynasty fantasy football rankings for point-per-reception (PPR) scoring. In general, though, scoring format doesn’t have much impact on a player’s long-term value relative to other players, so these rankings are still useful for standard and half-point PPR leagues.
For my takeaways on notably high- and low-ranked players, and for details on my ranking methodology, see my notes below the table.
2019 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings
Higher-Ranked Players in My Dynasty Rankings
Here are my thoughts on a few players I like, most of whom I’m high on relative to most dynasty analysts.
- QB Patrick Mahomes: In just his first season as a starter, Mahomes had the greatest fantasy campaign of all-time at the position. I tend to devalue quarterbacks, but Mahomes is a league-winning player.
- RB Saquon Barkley: He’s a top-three talent at the position, just 22-years-old and an elite receiver out of the backfield. Barkley is the hands-down No. 1 dynasty player.
- WR Will Fuller: Although he’s recovering from a season-ending knee injury, Fuller is an elite athlete who is just turning 25. In his 11 games with quarterback Deshaun Watson over the past two years, Fuller has averaged 17.3 PPR points.
- TE George Kittle: He set an NFL record for a tight end last year with 1,377 yards receiving and is the youngest high-end player at a position with few elite options. He’s easily my No. 1 tight end and a top-20 player.
Lower-Ranked Players in My Dynasty Rankings
Relative to other dynasty rankers, I’m low on these players.
- QB Aaron Rodgers: He might be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but Rodgers is aging and is surrounded by uncertain pass-catching talent aside from wide receiver Davante Adams. I wouldn’t be surprised if he retired within three years.
- RB Dalvin Cook: When healthy, Cook has flashed some playmaking ability, but he’s struggled to stay on the field through two seasons. I’m unconvinced he will ever be a lead back.
- WR Antonio Brown: You might have heard this before, but Brown’s 2018 production was misleading. For 2019, I’m projecting Brown for 1,150 to 1,250 yards and 7-8 touchdowns, which would give him his worst season since 2012.
- TE Travis Kelce: I still like Kelce and view him as a top-25 asset, but he turns 30 this year and plays a physically demanding position. He has more present value than Kittle but less long-term potential.
My Dynasty Ranking Methodology
Here are some general notes on my ranking process and perspective.
- Age: I place a premium on youth, which correlates with longevity and degree of future production. If a veteran doesn’t currently have starter-caliber value, I probably have him ranked lower than younger players, even if he has more current production: The younger players have more long-term upside.
- Positional scarcity: I tend to devalue players at a position of depth. In other words, quarterbacks are usually low in my rankings because there are so many viable options at the position.
- Longevity: Everything else equal, I usually rank wide receivers ahead of running backs and tight ends because receivers as a group last longer in the league and maintain value deeper into their careers.
- Other factors for specific players: I’ve relied on the following primary data points for ranking these three types of players.
- Young players: Draft position, physical profile, college production, recent production and projected opportunity.
- Prime veterans: Long-term production, positional decline curve, recent production and projected opportunity.
- Aging veterans: Recent production, projected opportunity, positional decline curve and long-term production.
Matthew Freedman is the Editor-in-Chief of FantasyLabs. He has a dog and sometimes a British accent. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he’s known only as The Labyrinthian.
