We have five Yahoo rankers every week, and this column will look at five of the buzziest names of the week. I’m looking for players where there is real disagreement, and I’m using a little something called “coefficient of variation” to help me find just that. These rankings will be tinkered all the way until kickoff, so please check back in on our weekly rankings pages and Sunday AM sit/start show for the absolute latest.
These blurbs are also in The Blueprint, which is my weekly rankings and analysis column. The RB version is out on Wednesdays, while the WR version and the QB/TE/K/DEF version are each out on Thursdays before Thursday Night Football.
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Tucker Kraft (at TB) – 41.5 proj. yards
AVG Positional Ranking
Highest Rank
Lowest Rank
Difference
9.8
6
13
7
Kraft is playing nearly every snap at this point, and they could really use him as a third target with Jayden Reed (neck) out for the season and with the RB room in as bad of a spot as I can remember. Kraft is getting used (TE12 usage and TE10 targets per game), but he’s made an unreal amount of critical mistakes. The drops are wild to watch, and he’s also been a mess as a run blocker in terms of grasping his assignment. He’s typically awesome in both categories, so hopefully things regress positively for him. His straight-line speed looked good back in Week 1 when he leaked out for a pair of explosives.
Jalen Hurts (vs. LAR) – 15.5 proj. points
AVG Positional Ranking
Highest Rank
Lowest Rank
Difference
7.6
6
11
5
Aaron Jones Sr. (vs. MIA) – 90.5 proj. total yards
AVG Positional Ranking
Highest Rank
Lowest Rank
Difference
15.2
10
19
9
As the clear-cut starter without Jordan Mason (finger), Jones is the RB15 on RB22 usage over the past two games despite the Vikings ranking dead last in success rate (28%) while scoring just 16.0 points per game. Kyler Murray struggled against an aggressive Bucs defense last week, and Carson Wentz struggled in the rain in Week 2. Things change this week at home against the Dolphins’ extremely raw and inexperienced defense. The Vikings have a 24.5-point team total (12th) as 10.5-point favorites. This is the game script that could send Jones’ RB2 status up multiple tiers. Miami is third-worst against fantasy RBs to open the year.
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Saquon Barkley (vs. LAR) – 89.5 proj. total yards
AVG Positional Ranking
Highest Rank
Lowest Rank
Difference
14.8
11
18
7
The Eagles’ RB runs really worked early on against a porous Bears’ run defense, and Barkley looks fantastic on tape to me. There is the burst, spin moves and quick decision-making that made him an elite fantasy asset before. Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn’t carry that over in short yardage last week, so Barkley failed on his two goal-line opportunities. That’s the difference between being a fantasy RB1 or not, as he’ll always lose some goal-line TDs to Jalen Hurts. He’s hard to trust as a top-10 fantasy RB right now because the receiving role just isn’t there. He’s the RB42 in receptions per game (1.0). Barkley was the RB20 and RB26 in expected half PPR points in his two healthy games this year. Ugghhhh.
The matchup leans difficult, too. The Rams don’t have Myles Garrett right now, but Aaron Donald is rounding into form and the rest of the DL can’t be slept on. They’ve allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to RBs this year, holding CMC to 88 scoreless years and all other RBs to under 8.0 half PPR points. The Eagles are also only projected for 20.25 points, which is 26th and sandwiched between the Steelers and Jets.
Rashee Rice (at LV) – 54.5 proj. receiving yards
AVG Positional Ranking
Highest Rank
Lowest Rank
Difference
19.4
15
23
8
Rice only had 3.3 expected half PPR points in Week 1 and back-doored into an okay showing in Week 2 with a “free” explosive with no time remaining, but last week was a real sign of life. He has 12.1 expected half PPR points (WR24) on eight targets. A couple of them were designed looks, while others were easy completions underneath against an inexperienced Dolphins defense. Rice doesn’t look fully healthy on tape, yet he’s playing at a high-enough level to be a must-start fantasy asset with Patrick Mahomes looking great. The key for Rice will be the Chiefs going away from all those Weeks 1-2 manufactured targets to Xavier Worthy and Kenneth Walker. Those didn’t happen in Week 3 when Rice broke out again. Rice has a 19% target share through three weeks. Hopefully, this WR23 on WR50 usage is the floor.
You can view the original article HERE.
