The Colosseum ep. 13: 2018 Fantasy Big Board

It is that time again.
As of the writing of this edition of The Colosseum, all the NFL Preseason games have been played and the regular season is less than a week away.
The NFL is not only the most popular sport in America, but it features the most popular fantasy game in the country as well.
On my YouTube channel which goes by the same name (Area 83) as my Medium… page??… I participate in fantasy football for the world to see each week with my weekly video series Draft Day, detailing the best picks in Draft Kings/Fan Duel.
This Big Board is different because it mostly accounts for year long leagues on ESPN, NFL.com, etc. It does have some crossover effect for the weekly sites, but for this case, these will be who I believe are the tops at their position.
QB

#1: Aaron Rodgers — Rodgers became $60 million richer with the stroke of the pen a few days ago and he deserved it. He is the best QB in the league and though he lost Jordy Nelson, he added Jimmy Graham and the Packers are a favorite to go to the Super Bowl despite Green Bay giving him nearly zero help.

#2: Cam Newton — I am a huge Cam Newton fan, and am of the opinion that he is possibly the greatest athlete in the NFL. 6'5, 250, runs a 4.4 and has a cannon attached to his shoulder. At any given time he can score on the ground and through the air, and on any given year he could be an MVP caliber QB. Add Christian McCaffery and DJ Moore and you have the potential for a very, very good season.

#3: Drew Brees — Brees is one of the greatest statistical QBs of all-time, and with Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and eventually Mark Ingram, Brees has one of his best supporting casts of his career.
#4: Ben Roethlisburger
#5: Deshaun Watson
RB

#1: Todd Gurley — LA is rocking. LeBron joins the Lakers, a #1 overall draft pick QB in Jared Goff, and as of last year, a legitimate MVP candidate in Todd Gurley. This year should be even more of a coming out party for him than last with the hype coming in and a big contract to boot. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and dominate on the ground makes him the best in the league at this time.

#2: Ezekiel Elliot — Zeke doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield himself, and I think because of that guys like LeVeon Bell will get selected over him. However, he is the most pure running back in the NFL and will be fed the ball by the truckload in the run and pass game. As we know, when you feed Zeke, good things happen.

#3: David Johnson — Injuries can be such a strange thing in the NFL. It seems as if guys vanish off the face of the Earth because of them, and the further back it was, the more so that happens. In this case, you’re talking about a guy who was being taken first or second overall in most drafts. He had a wrist injury. He is fine. And he will dominate again.
#4: LeVeon Bell
#5: Kareem Hunt
WR

#1: Antonio Brown — Well this needs little explanation. AB just makes plays. All day every day. And he is the best, most dominating, most stat stuffing WR in the league.

#2: Odell Beckham Jr — Speaking of guys who have gotten PAID. Odell finally got the monkey of his contract off of his back, and he is ready to attack the season with the approach of the a guy coming off of an injury and needing to prove himself. With Saquon Barkley, and added protection for Eli Manning in Nate Solder, OBJ is poised for his best season yet.

#3: Deandre Hopkins — This dude is something special, but most importantly, unique. The way he runs his routes is almost aggressive in nature, and so is the way he goes up and gets the ball. With Deshaun Watson returning, expect both Hopkins and Will Fuller to light up the fantasy boards.
#4: Michael Thomas
#5: Julio Jones
TE

#1: Rob Gronkowski — This is about as much of a surprise as AB. With the Pats essentially completely out of WRs, he will be that much more important. That may lead to some double teams, but regardless, he is the runaway best TE option in all leagues.

#2: Travis Kelce — Gronk Jr has a new toy to throw him the ball in Pat Mahomes, and benefits more than anybody else on that offense from the attention paid to Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt. For those reasons, you could argue at taking Kelce above Gronk as well.

#3: Trey Burton — Burton will be an absolute target machine in Chicago for Mitch Trubisky. Coming off his best year yet with the Eagles, the former Florida Gators QB could have a breakout deal after being sought out by the Bears this offseason.
#4: Delanie Walker
#5: Eric Ebron
Defense

#1: Jacksonville Jaguars — Jalen Ramsey is the main reason this team is pushed over the edge into elite, but make no mistake, the entire front seven is loaded too. In fantasy, this comes down to takeaways, and the team which forced Big Ben into five picks last year can definitely do that.

#2: Tennessee Titans — The Titans are loaded on defense at every spot. The only reason they aren’t number one is their lack of tape to prove that they will be one of the most ferocious defenses in the league next year. Adoree Jackson, Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Kenny Vaccaro, and the reigning NFL interception king Kevin Byard back up Jurrel Casey, Brian Orakpo, and newly acquired Reshaun Evans up front. Jackson returning punts makes this unit one to get high in fantasy drafts.

#3: Minnesota Vikings — I am a big believer in Xavier Rhodes, and is ability to lock down one side of the field while Harrison Smith patrols the middle is what makes this teams so dynamic on defense. Add a great pass rush and you have the recipe for plenty of turnovers and coverage sacks, as they had last year.
#4: Houston Texans
#5: Los Angeles Rams
Top 12 Overall:
#1: Todd Gurley
#2: Ezekiel Elliot
#3: David Johnson
#4: Antonio Brown
#5: LeVeon Bell
#6: Odell Beckham Jr
#7: Kareem Hunt
#8: Deandre Hopkins
#9: Aaron Rodgers
#10: Cam Newton
#11: Alvin Kamara
#12: Leonard Fournette
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your support.
- Logan Hyder
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