Back in the day, you might have purchased a “draft guide” magazine at your local grocery store. In the early days of the internet, it was all about subscribing for “draft kits.” In 2022, finding the best fantasy football cheat sheet is what it’s all about, and we’d humbly like to throw our hat in the ring. Here, you’ll eventually find our rankings (standard, PPR, superflex, IDP) rankings tiers, potential sleepers, breakouts, and busts, projected auction values, mock drafts, stat projections, draft strategy tips (snake, best ball, dynasty/keeper, auction), consistency ratings, team names, and much, much more.
Whether you play on CBS, Yahoo, ESPN, NFL.com, Sleeper, DraftKings, FanDuel — and no matter your preferred format or type of league — there’s something below that can help you win big. From the best ballers to the IDPers to the dynasty league crazies who bug you in March about whether they should trade Elijah Moore and Aaron Rodgers for a future first-round pick, we’re here for you. (Right now anyway…give us some time to ourselves in March, please.)
Week 1 gets underway on Thursday, Sept. 8 with the Bills and Rams, and we’ll continue producing new content and updating the articles below right up until kickoff, so bookmark and check back frequently for the latest links (or follow SN Fantasy on Twitter). We’ll be there every step of the way as you prepare to dominate your drafts.
Contents:
Cheat Sheet: Fantasy rankings (standard)
Top 200: We’ve updated and refined these rankings so often that we can spell “Okwuegbunam” without looking.
Quarterbacks: You know a position is good when a back-to-back MVP barely cracks the starter tier. (Click here for QB tiers)
Running backs: Chances are, the guys in the 35-50 range will matter more than 20-34. (Click here for RB tiers)
Wide receivers: As usual, the second-year guys and rookies create the most intrigue — and there’s a lot of intrigue at this position. (Click here for WR tiers)
Tight ends: Hey, Irv Smith Jr. is back! (Click here for TE tiers)
Defense/special teams: The same D/ST hasn’t finished No. 1 two years in a row this century, so we ranked last year’s No. 1 at No. 2. Smart, huh? (Click here for D/ST tiers)
Kickers: Look, if you wrote a fantasy kicker rankings article, we’d give it a click, so just return the favor, ok?
Superflex Top 200: Where Drew Lock is finally a top-125 fantasy player.
IDP: If Foye Oluokun isn’t on your rankings cheat sheet, is it even a cheat sheet, bro?!
Rookies: It’s a loaded WR class and a strong RB class, but which first-year players should you target in redraft and dynasty leagues?
Offensive lines: No, there aren’t leagues where you draft offensive linemen. (At least, we hope there isn’t.) But knowing good offensive line units can help with your actual fantasy picks.
Comparing Yahoo and ESPN rankings: Coming soon
Fantasy PPR rankings
Top 200: The differences between these and our standard Top 200 start at No. 2 and continue all the way through 200.
Running backs: Leonard Fournette gobbles up receptions like, well, like he apparently gobbled up everything else this offseason.
Wide receivers: Holy crap, it’s a Michael Thomas sighting!
Tight ends: Dawson Knox and Hunter Henry move down while Dallas Goedert and Mike Gesicki move up. What a time to be alive!
Superflex Top 200: Drew Lock likes these rankings, too, even if he’s not quite as high as the standard version. Man, big day for Drew Lock.
Fantasy sleepers
One from each team: Once again, our most shocking pick is Washington. You have to see it to believe it! (And, no, we’re not just saying that so you scroll to the end of the list and we get 32 pageviews. OK, we are, but still…)
Quarterbacks: There are three No. 1 overall picks on this list.
Running backs: We’ll just tell you now — you’re not gonna be happy Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on this list. You’ll like all the rookies, though!
Wide receivers: We just can’t quit you, Bryan Edwards.
Tight ends: Chances are, you’ve streamed all of these TEs at least once. Maybe this is the year they find a permanent home on your roster.
Defense/special teams: If you’re a D/ST streamer, you have to check out the section on under-the-radar teams with the best early-season schedules.
Draft-day steals: Coming soon
All-Sleeper Team: Get your rookies, get your sophomores, get your…Cameron Brate. Alright, he’s not very exciting, but some of his stats are.
Deep-Sleeper Team: Coming soon
Fantasy dollar value projections (standard and PPR)
Overall: We all love Jonathan Taylor, but who can afford him in our current recession?
Quarterbacks: Joe Burrow immediately jumps out as the best value on this list…unless you’re one of those Justin Fields truthers.
Running backs: We get it — Derrick Henry doesn’t catch passes, but he’s still too cheap in PPR.
Wide receivers: Would you rather have one Cooper Kupp or three Terry McLaurins? The beauty of auctions is you can have both!
Tight ends: The drop in price from the top-tier guys to the third- and fourth-tier guys is really remarkable.
Defense/special teams: This is a $1 position regardless of who’s valued at $2.
Kickers: Can you imagine clicking on this? Seriously, you can’t imagine, right? It’s almost crazy we wrote it….or did we? Maybe that link goes to a Youtube video of a cat playing ping-pong. Guess you won’t know unless you click it.
Fantasy tiers and draft strategy
Quarterbacks: Bold predictions: Someone from Tier 3 is finishing in the top five and someone from Tier 4 is finishing in the top 10. (Click here for a bonus breakdown of Josh Allen vs. Justin Herbert vs. Patrick Mahomes)
Running backs: We help you identify RBs to target regardless of how you like to draft the position. Be warned: If you “wait on RB,” you might not like the players available. (Click here for a bonus breakdown of Jonathan Taylor vs. Derrick Henry)
Wide receivers: Yes, this position is loaded, but with just 10 guys in the top two tiers, a couple of owners won’t be happy with their WR1s. (Click here for a bonus breakdown of Cooper Kupp vs. Justin Jefferson vs. Ja’Marr Chase)
Tight ends: So, if you don’t get one of the two top-tier TEs…what’s the plan? (Click here for a bonus breakdown of Mark Andrews vs. Travis Kelce)
Defense/special teams: D/ST tiers are more of a week-to-week thing than a seasonal thing, but we still do our best.
IDP guide: If you’re an IDP vet, you probably know most of these tips, but it never hurts to get a refresher. If you’re new to IDP…may God have mercy on your soul.
Snake draft strategy: We can’t tell you who to draft, but after reading this, you’ll definitely know how to draft.
Fantasy stat projections
Stat Projections: Coming soon
Fantasy mock draft
Mock Draft Simulator: Perfect your draft strategy in minutes with FantasyPros’ fully customizable mock draft simulator.
Fantasy busts
One bust from every team: There are some really good players on this list, but if you overdraft them, well…then they’re not gonna be that good, are they?
Do Not Draft List: We’re not saying you shouldn’t draft these guys if they fall to the 10th round, but they’re not going to fall to the 10th round, so stop being a smartass.
Boom-or-Bust Team: You’d be happy with most of these players on your fantasy team — you just shouldn’t be happy with all of them.
Fantasy consistency ratings
Quarterbacks: Yeah, we know, old pocket-passers aren’t as fun to draft, but…
Running backs: If you were leery of drafting Joe Mixon at the end of the first round this year, then you have good instincts.
Wide receivers: Finally — a pro-Allen Lazard piece!
Tight ends: The red flags are mounting for George Kittle.
Fantasy auction strategy
Auction draft tips: We lay out how to nominate, budget, and dominate your fantasy football auction.
Fantasy best ball strategy tips
Best Ball draft strategy: If you like not being able to field a starting lineup some weeks because of injuries and byes, then Best Ball is for you!
Fantasy dynasty strategy
Dynasty strategy tips: Whether you’re in win-now or rebuild mode, we have tips for how to manage your team.
Best fantasy team names
Best team names: We have classics like “Fresh Prince of Helaire” and “Cobra Kyler” to go along with some new ones for the rookies (“Better Call Hall,” “Pickett & Flick It,” “Garretteed Satisfaction,” etc.)
Best fantasy punishments
Best (or worst) Punishments: You don’t want to do any of these, so just win your league, OK? We’re sorry for even suggesting them.
More fantasy football help
RB handcuff chart: The best part about clicking on this article is that you’re either in a bad situation or expecting to be in a bad situation.
Available targets and touches: It’s all about opportunities in fantasy football, and this list breaks down those available for all 32 teams.
New coaches and play-callers: This is quietly one of the most important pieces we publish every year.
Bye-week strategies: Ignore ’em? Stack ’em? Before you decide how to attack the bye weeks, you need to know every team’s and the worst for each position.
Injury Predictor Tool: Coming soon
Who to Draft? Tool: It’s like having a fantasy football expert next to you during your draft!
College fantasy football rankings
Top 200: Coming soon
Quarterback: Coming soon
Running back: Coming soon
Wide receiver: Coming soon
Tight end: Coming soon
D/ST: Coming soon
Kicker: Coming soon
Sleepers: Coming soon
NFL Picks Advice
Pick ’em pool strategy tips: Coming soon
Survivor pool strategy tips: Coming soon
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