Early Fantasy Football 2014 Big Board (Top 280)

Author:
Mark Ross
Publish date:
Jul 29, 2014

NFL training camps are in full swing now and even though the games that count are still more than a month away, that doesn’t mean what’s happening on the practice field doesn’t impact fantasy football. For example, injuries have already made their mark, both in a good and bad way, which has resulted in some shuffling on Athlon Sports’ Fantasy Football Big Board (Top 280).

From the “good” standpoint, there has been no more welcome sight in Foxboro, Mass., than a healthy Rob Gronkowski on the field. It’s still early, but Gronk appears to be progressing in his recovery from the torn ACL and MCL he suffered last December. There’s still plenty of risk when it comes to Gronk’s fantasy value, but the potential reward is enough to move him up in our rankings.

Unfortunately, the news has not been as optimistic in other camps. Running backs Vick Ballard (Achilles) and Kendall Hunter (ACL) already have seen their 2014 seasons come to an abrupt end due to season-ending injuries, while several others are dealing with other ailments of varying degrees. Regardless of the severity, these injuries and other happening on or off of the field (such as suspensions or retirements) have a twofold effect as it relates to fantasy. Not only do they potentially change the outlook for teammates on their respective teams, but they also necessitate numerous adjustments to our Big Board. And keep in mind that preseason action has yet to begin. More changes are sure to come.

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Early 2014 Fantasy Football Big Board (Top 280)

(Last updated on 7/29/14)


Rank	Player	Team	Pos	Comment
1	LeSean McCoy	PHI	RB
2	Jamaal Charles	KC	RB	Shortest training camp holdout ever?
3	Adrian Peterson	MIN	RB	Says Vikes' O no longer "predictable."
4	Matt Forté	CHI	RB
5	Calvin Johnson	DET	WR
6	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	RB	How long will Beast Mode hold out?
7	Jimmy Graham	NO	TE	TE and contract status no longer in doubt.
8	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	WR
9	Peyton Manning	DEN	QB
10	A.J. Green	CIN	WR
11	Julio Jones	ATL	WR	Being brought along slowly.
12	Eddie Lacy	GB	RB
13	Brandon Marshall	CHI	WR
14	Dez Bryant	DAL	WR
15	Arian Foster	HOU	RB	If healthy, he should see plenty of work.
16	Doug Martin	TB	RB
17	DeMarco Murray	DAL	RB
18	Zac Stacy	STL	RB
19	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	RB	Could be big beneficiary of improved O-line.
20	Montee Ball	DEN	RB
21	Antonio Brown	PIT	WR
22	Jordy Nelson	GB	WR	Short-term future secure with 4-year extension.
23	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	WR
24	Andre Johnson	HOU	WR	Appears to be on board w/ team's direction.
25	Vincent Jackson	TB	WR
26	Randall Cobb	GB	WR	Ready to prove he's worthy of new deal.
27	Alfred Morris	WAS	RB
28	Giovani Bernard	CIN	RB
29	Reggie Bush	DET	RB
30	Ryan Mathews	SD	RB
31	Drew Brees	NO	QB	Wants to play 10 more years.
32	Aaron Rodgers	GB	QB
33	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	WR
34	Victor Cruz	NYG	WR
35	Pierre Garcon	WAS	WR
36	Keenan Allen	SD	WR
37	Roddy White	ATL	WR
38	Wes Welker	DEN	WR
39	Percy Harvin	SEA	WR
40	Matthew Stafford	DET	QB
41	Julius Thomas	DEN	TE
42	Rob Gronkowski	NE	TE	So far, so good.
43	DeSean Jackson	WAS	WR
44	Michael Crabtree	SF	WR
45	T.Y. Hilton	IND	WR
46	Torrey Smith	BAL	WR
47	Frank Gore	SF	RB	Team already down one back (Hunter, ACL).
48	C.J. Spiller	BUF	RB	Says his ankle is 100 percent.
49	Ben Tate	CLE	RB
50	Julian Edelman	NE	WR
51	Vernon Davis	SF	TE	Wants new contract, but he's in camp.
52	Jordan Cameron	CLE	TE
53	Michael Floyd	ARI	WR
54	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	WR	Expanded role in Turner's O coming?
55	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	WR
56	Andre Ellington	ARI	RB	Added weight in the offseason.
57	Trent Richardson	IND	RB	Played hurt last season. Bounce back coming?
58	Chris Johnson	NYJ	RB	Reportedly looking "explosive" in camp.
59	Ray Rice	BAL	RB	Don't forget he will miss the first 2 games.
60	Toby Gerhart	JAC	RB	Don't discount him as an every-down back.
61	Steven Jackson	ATL	RB
62	Rashad Jennings	NYG	RB
63	Reggie Wayne	IND	WR	Looking good in his return from ACL tear.
64	Marques Colston	NO	WR
65	Sammy Watkins	BUF	WR	Has yet to play a game and already on "Hot Seat."
66	Shane Vereen	NE	RB
67	Stevan Ridley	NE	RB
68	Joique Bell	DET	RB
69	Andrew Luck	IND	QB
70	Russell Wilson	SEA	QB
71	Bishop Sankey	TEN	RB
72	Pierre Thomas	NO	RB
73	Cam Newton	CAR	QB
74	Robert Griffin III	WAS	QB	RG3 likes what he's seen from Gruden, new O so far.
75	Jason Witten	DAL	TE
76	Greg Olsen	CAR	TE
77	Dennis Pitta	BAL	TE	Healthy Pitta could be difference-maker for Ravens.
78	Jordan Reed	WAS	TE
79	Knowshon Moreno	MIA	RB	Starting job may not be his to lose in first place.
80	Maurice Jones-Drew	OAK	RB
81	Darren Sproles	PHI	RB
82	Fred Jackson	BUF	RB
83	Nick Foles	PHI	QB
84	Colin Kaepernick	SF	QB	New contract leaves plenty of room for growth still.
85	Matt Ryan	ATL	QB
86	Kendall Wright	TEN	WR
87	Mike Wallace	MIA	WR	Knows he needs to better this season.
88	Golden Tate	DET	WR
89	Eric Decker	NYJ	WR
90	Tom Brady	NE	QB	Healthy Gronk could mean return to vintage Brady.
91	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	RB
92	Danny Woodhead	SD	RB
93	Lamar Miller	MIA	RB	Reportedly already ahead of Moreno.
94	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	WR
95	Cecil Shorts	JAC	WR	Expected to miss 2 weeks b/c of hamstring injury.
96	Riley Cooper	PHI	WR
97	Anquan Boldin	SF	WR
98	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	TE	Pending FA no longer after signing 5-year extension.
99	Tony Romo	DAL	QB
100	Philip Rivers	SD	QB
101	Jay Cutler	CHI	QB
102	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	QB	OL and WRs both could be better this season.
103	Charles Clay	MIA	TE
104	Martellus Bennett	CHI	TE
105	Delanie Walker	TEN	TE
106	Zach Ertz	PHI	TE
107	Heath Miller	PIT	TE
108	Bernard Pierce	BAL	RB	Will have 2 games to make strong impression.
109	Khiry Robinson	NO	RB
110	David Wilson	NYG	RB	Got medical clearance (neck) to return to field.
111	Chris Ivory	NYJ	RB	Injured hamstring keeping him out of camp.
112	Terrance Williams	DAL	WR
113	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	WR
114	Antonio Gates	SD	TE
115	Ladarius Green	SD	TE
116	Seahawks	SEA	DST
117	Shonn Greene	TEN	RB	Won't give up starting job w/o a fight.
118	Tre Mason	STL	RB
119	Darren McFadden	OAK	RB
120	Danny Amendola	NE	WR
121	Dwayne Bowe	KC	WR	Reported to camp in great shape.
122	Hakeem Nicks	IND	WR
123	Greg Jennings	MIN	WR
124	Steve Smith	BAL	WR
125	James Jones	OAK	WR
131	49ers	SF	DST
132	Andy Dalton	CIN	QB
133	Eli Manning	NYG	QB
126	Carson Palmer	ARI	QB
127	Tavon Austin	STL	WR
128	Marvin Jones	CIN	WR
129	Rueben Randle	NYG	WR
130	Justin Hunter	TEN	WR
134	Christine Michael	SEA	RB	Lynch's holdout increases appeal.
135	Mark Ingram	NO	RB
136	Jeremy Hill	CIN	RB	Rookie off to good start in camp.
137	Andre Brown	HOU	RB
138	Donald Brown	SD	RB
139	Coby Fleener	IND	TE
140	Bengals	CIN	DST
141	Cardinals	ARI	DST
142	Panthers	CAR	DST
143	Broncos	DEN	DST
144	Jarrett Boykin	GB	WR
145	Brandin Cooks	NO	WR	Lots to like, but still a rookie.
146	Eric Ebron	DET	TE
147	Dwayne Allen	IND	TE
148	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	CIN	RB
149	LeGarrette Blount	PIT	RB
150	James Starks	GB	RB
151	Roy Helu	WAS	RB
152	Mike Evans	TB	WR
153	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	WR	Will miss some of camp due to a bone bruise.
154	Denarius Moore	OAK	WR
155	Doug Baldwin	SEA	WR
156	Markus Wheaton	PIT	WR
157	Rams	STL	DST
158	Chiefs	KC	DST
159	Kenny Stills	NO	WR
160	Aaron Dobson	NE	WR	Still recovering from foot surgery.
161	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	WR
162	Rod Streater	OAK	WR
163	Marqise Lee	JAC	WR	Ace Sanders taking leave of absence for personal reasons.
164	Josh McCown	TB	QB
165	Joe Flacco	BAL	QB
166	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	QB
167	Johnny Manziel	CLE	QB	No rookie under more scrutiny than Johnny Football.
168	Patriots	NE	DST
169	Bills	BUF	DST
170	Buccaneers	TB	DST
171	Browns	CLE	DST
172	Alex Smith	KC	QB
173	Sam Bradford	STL	QB	May not play in first preseason game as precaution.
174	Tyler Eifert	CIN	TE
175	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	WR	Off to sluggish start due to hamstring injury.
176	Brian Hartline	MIA	WR
177	Knile Davis	KC	RB
178	Latavius Murray	OAK	RB
179	C.J. Anderson	DEN	RB
180	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	RB	Can't seem to shake injury bug.
181	Carlos Hyde	SF	RB	Hunter's (ACL) loss could be Hyde's gain.
182	Terrance West	CLE	RB
183	Jonathan Dwyer	ARI	RB
184	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	RB	Vick Ballard (Achilles) out for season.
185	Miles Austin	CLE	WR
186	Stevie Johnson	SF	WR
187	Jerricho Cotchery	CAR	WR
188	Owen Daniels	BAL	TE
189	Jared Cook	STL	TE
190	Matt Prater	DEN	K
191	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	K
192	EJ Manuel	BUF	QB
193	Jake Locker	TEN	QB	Says his foot (Lisfranc injury) is completely healed.
194	Geno Smith	NYJ	QB	Thinks he'll be a top 5 QB in 2 years.
195	Matt Schaub	OAK	QB
196	Jordan Todman	JAC	RB
197	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	TE
198	Jace Amaro	NYJ	TE	Sustained minor knee injury early in camp.
199	Robert Woods	BUF	WR
200	Marlon Brown	BAL	WR
201	Jerome Simpson	MIN	WR
202	Jermichael Finley	FA	TE	If he signs, he could shoot up rankings.
203	Ryan Griffin	HOU	TE
204	Steven Hauschka	SEA	K
205	Justin Tucker	BAL	K
206	Phil Dawson	SF	K
207	Mason Crosby	GB	K
208	Dan Bailey	DAL	K
209	Texans	HOU	DST
210	Saints	NO	DST
211	Ka'Deem Carey	CHI	RB
212	Devonta Freeman	ATL	RB
213	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	RB
214	Chris Polk	PHI	RB
215	Brandon LaFell	NE	WR
216	Kenny Britt	STL	WR
217	Nate Burleson	CLE	WR
218	Harry Douglas	ATL	WR
219	Mike Williams	BUF	WR
220	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	WR	Sidney Rice's retirement creates opportunity.
221	Jordan Matthews	PHI	WR
222	Andre Roberts	WAS	WR
223	Dexter McCluster	TEN	WR
224	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	WR
225	Chris Givens	STL	WR
226	Lance Moore	PIT	WR
227	Steelers	PIT	DST
228	Ravens	BAL	DST
229	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	QB
230	Chad Henne	JAC	QB
231	Brian Hoyer	CLE	QB	Has reportedly taken early lead over Manziel in camp.
232	Michael Vick	NYJ	QB
233	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	QB
234	Matt Cassel	MIN	QB
235	Garrett Graham	HOU	TE
236	Andrew Quarless	GB	TE
237	Scott Chandler	BUF	TE
238	Marcedes Lewis	JAC	TE
239	Bears	CHI	DST
240	Packers	GB	DST
241	Alex Henery	PHI	K
242	Nick Novak	SD	K
243	Adam Vinatieri	IND	K
244	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	TE
245	Levine Toilolo	ATL	TE
246	Stepfan Taylor	ARI	RB
247	Mike James	TB	RB
248	Andre Williams	NYG	RB
249	Jacquizz Rodgers	ATL	RB
250	Robbie Gould	CHI	K
251	Shayne Graham	NO	K
252	Mike Glennon	TB	QB
253	Shaun Hill	STL	QB
254	Kirk Cousins	WAS	QB
255	Blair Walsh	MIN	K
256	Matt Bryant	ATL	K
257	Marcel Reece	OAK	RB
258	Robert Turbin	SEA	RB
259	Bryce Brown	BUF	RB
260	Mike Tolbert	CAR	RB
261	DuJuan Harris	GB	RB
262	Brandon Bolden	NE	RB
263	Charles Sims	TB	RB
264	Marcus Lattimore	SF	RB	49ers taking their time w/ Lattimore.
265	Joseph Randle	DAL	RB
266	Jason Avant	CAR	WR
267	Paul Richardson	SEA	WR
268	Davante Adams	GB	WR
269	Allen Robinson	JAC	WR	Missed parts of OTAs b/c of hamstring injury.
270	Cody Latimer	DEN	WR
271	Jarvis Landry	MIA	WR
272	Kenbrell Thompkins	NE	WR
273	Blake Bortles	JAC	QB
274	Brandon Pettigrew	DET	TE
275	Rob Housler	ARI	TE
276	Travis Kece	KC	TE
277	Mark Sanchez	PHI	QB
278	Lance Dunbar	DAL	RB
279	Bobby Rainey	TB	RB	He and Mike James could battle for roster spot.
280	Brandon Weeden	DAL	QB

Athlon Sports' 2014 Fantasy Football magazine is now available for purchase at newsstands everyone or online. The ultimate draft-day resource, this year's edition features 419 in-depth player reports, informative features, a 20-round mock draft, team-by-team analysis from NFL beat writers and much more. Whether your fantasy league is head-to-head, roto, PPR or IDP, this magazine has all the stats and insight you need to help you get ready for the upcoming season. Click here to purchase you copy today!