Overall PPR rankings for 2020 fantasy football (8/31 Update)

August 31st update: Since we last talked, Leonard Fournette has been released, Jalen Reagor will miss a week or two of the regular season and Alvin Kamara is currently a holdout. At this point, Fournette’s release will have the biggest impact on rankings. He was already pretty low, so we aren’t looking at huge movement, but he’s likely to go from 250 or more touches to a possible backup role wherever he lands. Ryquell Armstead gets the biggest bump, as he will get the first shot at lead back work while Devine Ozigbo gets a bump as his likely backup. Chris Thompson gets a bump, but I had already bumped him after good reports. He’s likely going to stick to his receiving role.

Reagor’s injury helps DeSean Jackson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward to start the season, but if Reagor only misses a couple games, he still can be a useful player. and until we know Kamara is gpoing to miss time, we can’t drop him much.

August 28th update: With just two weeks until the season opener between the Chiefs and Texans, your fantasy football drafts are closing in fast. So far, knocking on wood while crossing my fingers, no prominent offensive stars have gone down with season-ending injuries in training camp. That will likely change, as it always seems to happen, but we haven’t had to make any drastic changes in the rankings.

There are injuries though and they will impact rankings, especially as we get closer to Week 1. Some of the more prominent players have been David Montgomery, Tyrell Williams, Mike Williams, Miles Sanders, Darrell Henderson, D’Andre Swift, A.J. Green, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel. Thankfully, the majority of these injuries shouldn’t linger too far into the season, if at all.

Joe Mixon and Dalvin Cook will both likely play, but there is a chance that one or both could holdout if they don’t get new contracts. It’s something to keep an eye on, but I’m still drafting them if they fall.

This update moves Montgomery, Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams down, as their injuries could slow them down to start the season,.

Ronald Jones, Jalen Reagor, Jerry Jeudy, Chris Herndon, Damien Harris, Trey Burton, Nyheim Hines, Logan Thomas, Chase Claypool, Joe Reed, Jordan Akins, Keelan Cole, Parris Campbell, Van Jefferson, and Auden Tate have been too good in training camp not to give them a slight bump.

Check out our printable drafting tiers!

The NFL season is fast approaching. With no preseason games and limited media coverage due to Covid-19, it is going to be tougher to evaluate camp battles, but it’s never been that easy either. That makes fantasy football draft preparations a little different than in recent seasons.

Below you will find our overall PPR fantasy football rankings. Training camp is meaningful and what we learn over the next 20-plus days will help us rank these players more accurately. But, the bulk of evaluation has been done already. We don’t need to reevaluate Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, but we do need to learn more about the battle between Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack.

News will change these rankings, but the bulk should be close to set.

Tier 1

Your top running backs remain Tier 1 fantasy players due to their big usage both on the ground and through the air. Christian McCaffrey is the epitome of the do it all back, but Saquon Barkley is the most likely to reach for that No. 1 spot in PPR leagues.

Michael Thomas is the No. 1 fantasy PPR receiver after his huge 2019. Emmanuel Sanders may cut into his huge reception numbers, but he’ll only help get him open for more touchdown chances. Davante Adams has the best chance to usurp Thomas if he can stay healthy. With the Packers not adding to their receiver room in the draft, expect Adams be a league leader in targets and of course fantasy points.

Tier 2

Tier 2 is fluid, as there are a strong set of players that have the upside of Tier 1, but have a question or two that could keep them from reaching those heights. Tier 2 starts with Tyreek Hill and goes to Nick Chubb at 15th overall. Henry’s floor is still too low for Tier 1, as he doesn’t catch enough passes, but in standard leagues he is right up there.

Tier 3

Running backs like Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, Kenyan Drake and Austin Ekeler land in Tier 3, but have upside for more and are players I’ll be happy to grab early this season. Most of Tier 3 has a real shot of playing themselves up into the top two tiers without being a major upset.

Quarterbacks

Choosing between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes for the No. 1 spot isn’t easy. Jackson was the superior fantasy player last season and would have been even if Mahomes had been healthy. The trouble is, Jackson will have an uphill battle to reach a nine percent passing touchdown rate again this season. That puts them about even for me if both remain healthy, but I trust Mahomes a little more to keep his touchdown rate up while I see Jackson having more uncertainty for passing and rushing touchdown numbers from year to year.

Rookies

There won’t be a huge push of rookie players into the top tiers of these rankings, but the running backs have the best shot, as Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jonathan Taylor have the best opportunities and upside. Both could end up as league winners if they can take the bulk of the touches early on in the season.

There were a ton of great receivers taken in this year’s draft, but none that landed in obvious high target spots. All of the top rookie receivers have the ability to contribute early on, but they’ll need to win targets as the season progresses.