Welcome to the next round of analyzing our 2016 fantasy football rankings here at RotoBaller, as our best and brightest have put their minds (and numbers) together to drop some serious knowledge on the world. The rankings come from Nathan Powell, Zach Wilkens, Bill Dubiel, Frankie Soler and myself, Nick Mariano.

This will be the first look at the overall PPR rankings, where we’ll analyze some tiers and check in on some polarizing names and trends as draft season descends upon us. More in-depth breakdowns by position will follow for both standard and PPR formats, so don’t touch that dial after this episode ends!

First order of business - for those that want to play along, you can also click here to access our rankings assistant page (for all types of formats). I've pasted the entire table in this article below, but it's a long list. Our handy rankings tool shows you all of our staff rankings, player news, ADPs, tiers, target rounds and more. You can easily filter, sort, and export all sorts of ranks – standard, half-PPR and PPR leagues, tiers, rookies, dynasty formats, keeper values and more. It's all in one place, and all free.

2016 Fantasy Football Preseason PPR Rankings Analysis: Overall

Tier One is comprised of six names, with DeAndre Hopkins joining the five that we had in the top tier within our standard ranks. Hopkins is simply a volume-based beast, who obviously is no slouch when it comes to scoring either, but in PPR formats he really closes the gap. The top three target totals for wide receivers belong to Julio Jones (203), Antonio Brown (193) and Hopkins (192), then Demaryius Thomas checked in with 177 in fourth place. Yes, Hopkins had 25 less receptions than Jones or Brown, but the groundwork is here for the jump.

Tier Two starts with A.J. Green, who not only benefits from a healthy Andy Dalton, but also from the departure of Mohamed Sanu and the reports that Tyler Eifert will miss the beginning of the season. That leaves Green as the unquestioned go-to guy for Dalton and the Bengals offense. Jamaal Charles is the last name here, with the ceiling of an RB1 but the obvious floor of a guy who has quite a few red marks on his bill of health. “Going Gronk” in the first round has always been a question to ponder, and being Tom Brady-less through the first four weeks only increases the opposition to doing so. I still see him as a steady target who provides stability in a world of chaos, though his durability hasn’t been 100% either.

Tier Three sees Ezekiel Elliott drop into it from standard’s Tier Two, as most don’t see him being heavily involved in the passing game. Mike Evans has a real chance at greatness this season if he can rein in the drops, as second-year QB Jameis Winston is down 20 pounds and showed lots of potential in his first season. Keenan Allen is a PPR stud, providing a trigger-happy Philip Rivers with a steady outlet to move the chains while racking up the yards. Brandon Marshall’s stock is obviously contingent on the Jets’ QB situation, but his talent level will play in any scenario.

Tier Four begins with Amari Cooper, who has proven to be fairly polarizing as 2016 approaches. On the one hand, he’s a very talented receiver that’s only 22 years old in a pass-heavy offense, but on the other hand he’s still a young player whose game needs further refining (especially with drops/consistency). Lots of his upside is baked into the price tag at first glance, but that doesn’t make him a bad choice at all. Another intriguing name is Jarvis Landry, who is a known PPR asset but now has Devante Parker breathing down his neck for "wide-receiver workhorse" duties. Adam Gase and the Dolphins should generate plenty of volume though, so he’s still a mighty safe investment here.

Tier Five houses one of the flashiest players of 2015, Dion Lewis. Before his ACL injury, Lewis caught 36 of 50 targets for 388 yards (55.4 yards per game) alongside averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Of course, it’s difficult to project how New England will utilize its weapons outside of Gronk and Julian Edelman, but Lewis’ upside as an effective runner/pass-catcher in a potent Patriots offense cannot be ignored. Jordan Matthews is another name not to be forgotten, because despite underwhelming in his sophomore campaign, he still posted an 85-997-8 line. The Eagles offense will undoubtedly have a different look, but Matthews’ ceiling in PPR formats is still very high as he enters his third season.

Tier Six is where we find some standard-type running backs for those going “zero-RB” to open their drafts, namely Ryan Mathews and Jonathan Stewart. Both should chip in solid value, but their pass-catching opportunities are not great. Travis Kelce and Delanie Walker are both solid, with Kelce’s high ceiling and Walker’s high floor really buoying their ADP here. Giovani Bernard is another beneficiary from the aforementioned “lack of playmakers to open the season” issue in Cincinnati.

Tier Seven sees Danny Woodhead and Duke Johnson rise up, as they are the significant pass-catchers out of their respective backfields. Woodhead obviously has the trust of Rivers, and Johnson now has Robert Griffin at the helm, who could really prosper with a fresh start. DeSean Jackson is a sneaky high-upside option, though he falls in PPR formats with his game relying on big strikes rather than volume. All the same, he makes for a nice flex play due to his game-breaking abilities.

Tier Eight has two older running backs in Frank Gore and Chris Ivory, though Gore is obviously higher within the tier due to his starting and having a healthy Andrew Luck at the helm. Ivory makes for a nice passing-down and red-zone threat out of the Jacksonville backfield, with a very high ceiling should T.J. Yeldon get hurt. Aside them are three young RBs, as Ameer Abdullah and Melvin Gordon come off of disappointing rookie campaigns while Charles Sims surged upwards with 51 catches on 70 targets (4.9 YPC as well!) in his first full season. Abdullah and Gordon will need to show growth early, but could become decent RB2s out of the eighth/ninth round for owners.

Tier Nine holds three tight ends, two quarterbacks and one huge wide receiver in Dorial Green-Beckham. DGB is pretty much synonymous with “raw” at this point, as the 23-year-old has tremendous intangibles but was called out on many mental errors by his coaches. Zach Ertz came on strong in the final three weeks, tallying 30 receptions on 39 targets for 352 yards and a TD in that stretch, but the loss of Chip Kelly has to be factored in here. All the same, he’s a huge target for Philly and showed why he should be heavily involved entering his fourth season in the NFL.

Tier 10 is home to “running back” Theo Riddick, whose receiving stats on pro-football-reference are listed before his rushing stats, pointing to his wild 80 receptions (tied with Woodhead for most as an RB) on 99 targets last season. While his 697 receiving yards and three TDs aren’t up to Woodhead’s 755 yards and six TDs (plus Woodhead is a more effective rusher), getting Riddick late in deeper PPR formats can really pay off.

Notable Names from Lower Tiers:

Tier 11: Willie Snead, Torrey Smith, Rashad Jennings.

Tier 12: Sterling Shepard, Isaiah Crowell, Travis Benjamin, Josh Doctson.

Tier 13: Tyrod Taylor, Javorius Allen, Jason Witten, Eric Ebron, Michael Thomas, Justin Forsett.

Tier 14: C.J. Prosise, Bilal Powell, DeAngelo Williams, Shane Vereen.

Tier 15: Kendall Wright, Arian Foster, Mohamed Sanu, Jimmy Graham, Ryan Tannehill.

Tier 16: Jordan Howard, Martellus Bennett, Devontae Booker, Kamar Aiken, Zach Miller.

Tier 17: Pierre Garcon, Darren Sproles, Phillip Dorsett, Charles Clay, Seattle Seahawks.

Tier 18: Jerick McKinnon, Chris Thompson, James White, James Starks, Denver Broncos.

Tier 19: Will Fuller, Ted Ginn, Rueben Randle, Jordan Cameron.

Tier 20: Clive Walford, Chris Johnson, DeAndre Washington.

Tier 21: Tyler Boyd, Alfred Morris, Wendell Smallwood, Kyle Rudolph.

Tier 22: Los Angeles Rams, Chris Hogan, Andre Ellington, Justin Hardy, Steve Johnson.

Tier 23: C.J. Spiller, Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New England Patriots.

Tier 24: Jamison Crowder, Josh Gordon, Jaelen Strong, Shaun Draughn, Sam Bradford.

Tier 25: Tim Hightower, Robert Griffin, Ka’Deem Carey, Seth Roberts, Jace Amaro, Lance Dunbar.

Tier 26+: Jermaine Kearse, DeAndre Smelter, Cole Beasley, Pharoh Cooper, Leonte Carroo.

PPR League Rankings (August)

Rank Tier Player Name Pos 1 1 Antonio Brown WR 2 1 Odell Beckham Jr. WR 3 1 Le'Veon Bell RB 4 1 Julio Jones WR 5 1 DeAndre Hopkins WR 6 1 Todd Gurley RB 7 2 A.J. Green WR 8 2 David Johnson RB 9 2 Rob Gronkowski TE 10 2 Dez Bryant WR 11 2 Adrian Peterson RB 12 2 Allen Robinson WR 13 2 Lamar Miller RB 14 2 Jamaal Charles RB 15 3 Devonta Freeman RB 16 3 Jordy Nelson WR 17 3 Ezekiel Elliott RB 18 3 Alshon Jeffery WR 19 3 Brandon Marshall WR 20 3 Mike Evans WR 21 3 Keenan Allen WR 22 3 Demaryius Thomas WR 23 3 Doug Martin RB 24 3 Mark Ingram RB 25 3 Brandin Cooks WR 26 4 Eddie Lacy RB 27 4 Amari Cooper WR 28 4 LeSean McCoy RB 29 4 Julian Edelman WR 30 4 Matt Forte RB 31 4 Sammy Watkins WR 32 4 Randall Cobb WR 33 4 T.Y. Hilton WR 34 4 Golden Tate WR 35 4 Jarvis Landry WR 36 4 Cam Newton QB 37 4 Aaron Rodgers QB 38 4 C.J. Anderson RB 39 5 Kelvin Benjamin WR 40 5 Jordan Reed TE 41 5 Dion Lewis RB 42 5 Carlos Hyde RB 43 5 Jeremy Maclin WR 44 5 Greg Olsen TE 45 5 Latavius Murray RB 46 5 Thomas Rawls RB 47 5 Jordan Matthews WR 48 5 Andrew Luck QB 49 5 Russell Wilson QB 50 5 Eric Decker WR 51 5 Doug Baldwin WR 52 6 Larry Fitzgerald WR 53 6 Ryan Mathews RB 54 6 Jonathan Stewart RB 55 6 Emmanuel Sanders WR 56 6 Michael Floyd WR 57 6 DeMarco Murray RB 58 6 Ben Roethlisberger QB 59 6 Jeremy Langford RB 60 6 Devante Parker WR 61 6 Travis Kelce TE 62 6 Jay Ajayi RB 63 6 Drew Brees QB 64 6 Donte Moncrief WR 65 6 Delanie Walker TE 66 6 Giovani Bernard RB 67 6 John Brown WR 68 6 Allen Hurns WR 69 7 Jeremy Hill RB 70 7 Matt Jones RB 71 7 Danny Woodhead RB 72 7 T.J. Yeldon RB 73 7 Michael Crabtree WR 74 7 Tyler Eifert TE 75 7 Duke Johnson RB 76 7 DeSean Jackson WR 77 8 Carson Palmer QB 78 8 Frank Gore RB 79 8 Ameer Abdullah RB 80 8 Gary Barnidge TE 81 8 Tom Brady QB 82 8 Marvin Jones WR 83 8 Tyler Lockett WR 84 8 Charles Sims RB 85 8 Kevin White WR 86 8 Melvin Gordon RB 87 8 Chris Ivory RB 88 8 Corey Coleman WR 89 9 Ladarius Green TE 90 9 Zach Ertz TE 91 9 Blake Bortles QB 92 9 Julius Thomas TE 93 9 Eli Manning QB 94 9 Dorial Green-Beckham WR 95 10 Coby Fleener TE 96 10 Theo Riddick RB 97 10 Karlos Williams RB 98 10 Laquon Treadwell WR 99 10 Tony Romo QB 100 10 Derek Carr QB 101 10 Philip Rivers QB 102 10 Andy Dalton QB 103 10 Markus Wheaton WR 104 10 Stefon Diggs WR 105 11 Steve Smith WR 106 11 Willie Snead WR 107 11 Antonio Gates TE 108 11 Tavon Austin WR 109 11 Torrey Smith WR 110 11 Rashad Jennings RB 111 12 Derrick Henry RB 112 12 Sterling Shepard WR 113 12 Isaiah Crowell RB 114 12 Kenneth Dixon RB 115 12 Travis Benjamin WR 116 12 Josh Doctson WR 117 13 Tevin Coleman RB 118 13 Tyrod Taylor QB 119 13 Vincent Jackson WR 120 13 Javorius Allen RB 121 13 Jason Witten TE 122 13 Eric Ebron TE 123 13 Michael Thomas WR 124 13 Justin Forsett RB 125 14 Devin Funchess WR 126 14 Jameis Winston QB 127 14 C.J. Prosise RB 128 14 Bilal Powell RB 129 14 LeGarrette Blount RB 130 14 Marcus Mariota QB 131 14 DeAngelo Williams RB 132 14 Kirk Cousins QB 133 14 Shane Vereen RB 134 15 Matt Ryan QB 135 15 Paul Perkins RB 136 15 Kendall Wright WR 137 15 Arian Foster RB 138 15 Mohamed Sanu WR 139 15 Jimmy Graham TE 140 15 Ryan Tannehill QB 141 16 Jordan Howard RB 142 16 Dwayne Allen TE 143 16 Martellus Bennett TE 144 16 Nelson Agholor WR 145 16 Devontae Booker RB 146 16 Kamar Aiken WR 147 16 Breshad Perriman WR 148 16 Zach Miller TE 149 16 Terrance Williams WR 150 16 Matthew Stafford QB 151 17 Pierre Garcon WR 152 17 Darren McFadden RB 153 17 Rishard Matthews WR 154 17 Austin Seferian-Jenkins TE 155 17 Darren Sproles RB 156 17 Phillip Dorsett WR 157 17 Charles Clay TE 158 17 Seattle Seahawks DST 159 18 Jerick McKinnon RB 160 18 Zach Miller TE 161 18 Chris Thompson RB 162 18 Jay Cutler QB 163 18 Kenyan Drake RB 164 18 James White RB 165 18 James Starks RB 166 18 Sammie Coates WR 167 18 Denver Broncos DST 168 19 Benjamin Watson TE 169 19 Will Fuller WR 170 19 Ted Ginn WR 171 19 Ronnie Hillman RB 172 19 Carolina Panthers DST 173 19 Arizona Cardinals DST 174 19 Rueben Randle WR 175 19 Will Tye TE 176 19 Jordan Cameron TE 177 19 Mike Wallace WR 178 19 Houston Texans DST 179 20 Jeff Janis WR 180 20 Clive Walford TE 181 20 Ryan Fitzpatrick QB 182 20 Victor Cruz WR 183 20 Joe Flacco QB 184 20 Chris Johnson RB 185 20 DeAndre Washington RB 186 21 Tyler Boyd WR 187 21 Alfred Morris RB 188 21 Wendell Smallwood RB 189 21 Charcandrick West RB 190 21 Jared Cook TE 191 21 Kyle Rudolph TE 192 22 Alex Smith QB 193 22 Los Angeles Rams DST 194 22 Chris Hogan WR 195 22 Brock Osweiler QB 196 22 Davante Adams WR 197 22 Andre Ellington RB 198 22 Danny Amendola WR 199 22 Justin Hardy WR 200 22 Steve Johnson WR 201 23 Vance McDonald TE 202 23 C.J. Spiller RB 203 23 Spencer Ware RB 204 23 Kansas City Chiefs DST 205 23 New York Jets DST 206 23 New England Patriots DST 207 24 Jamison Crowder WR 208 24 Austin Hooper TE 209 24 Josh Gordon WR 210 24 Teddy Bridgewater QB 211 24 Kenny Britt WR 212 24 Richard Rodgers TE 213 24 Mark Sanchez QB 214 24 Jaelen Strong WR 215 24 Shaun Draughn RB 216 24 Sam Bradford QB 217 24 Christine Michael RB 218 24 Cincinnati Bengals DST 219 25 Brandon LaFell WR 220 25 Cameron Artis-Payne RB 221 25 Tim Hightower RB 222 25 Robert Griffin QB 223 25 Anquan Boldin WR 224 25 Tyler Ervin RB 225 25 Ka'Deem Carey RB 226 25 Zach Zenner RB 227 25 Seth Roberts WR 228 25 Tre Mason RB 229 25 Buffalo Bills DST 230 25 Brandon Coleman WR 231 25 Robert Woods WR 232 25 Stephen Gostkowski K 233 25 Colin Kaepernick QB 234 25 Blaine Gabbert QB 235 25 Khiry Robinson RB 236 25 Jace Amaro TE 237 25 Lance Dunbar RB 238 25 Minnesota Vikings DST 239 25 Jared Goff QB 240 26 Jermaine Kearse WR 241 26 Jacob Tamme TE 242 26 Lance Kendricks TE 243 26 DeAndre Smelter WR 244 26 Brian Quick WR 245 26 Robert Turbin RB 246 26 Maxx Williams TE 247 26 Eddie Royal WR 248 26 Hunter Henry TE 249 26 Keith Marshall RB 250 26 Cole Beasley WR 251 26 Paxton Lynch QB 252 26 Ty Montgomery WR 253 26 Green Bay Packers DST 254 26 Pharoh Cooper WR 255 26 Carson Wentz QB 256 26 Leonte Carroo WR 257 26 Nate Washington WR 258 26 Pittsburgh Steelers DST 259 27 Jeff Heuerman TE 260 27 Chandler Catanzaro K 261 27 Dan Bailey K 262 27 Mason Crosby K 263 27 Justin Tucker K 264 27 Oakland Raiders DST 265 27 Roberto Aguayo K 266 27 David Cobb RB 267 27 Graham Gano K 268 27 Adam Vinatieri K 269 27 Philadelphia Eagles DST 270 28 Josh Brown K 271 28 Geno Smith QB 272 28 Steven Hauschka K 273 28 Alfred Blue RB 274 28 Miami Dolphins DST 275 28 Josh Lambo K 276 28 Cleveland Browns DST 277 28 Josh McCown QB 278 28 San Francisco 49ers DST 279 28 Matt Bryant K 280 28 Philly Brown WR 281 28 Dan Carpenter K 282 28 Chris Boswell K 283 28 Jacksonville Jaguars DST 284 29 Phil Dawson K 285 29 Baltimore Ravens DST 286 29 Brandon McManus K 287 29 Jimmy Garoppolo QB 288 29 Brian Hartline WR 289 29 Braxton Miller WR 290 29 Detroit Lions DST 291 29 Cairo Santos K 292 29 Greg Zuerlein K 293 29 Marques Colston WR 294 29 Nick Novak K 295 29 Blair Walsh K 296 29 Marqise Lee WR 297 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST 298 29 Connor Barth K 299 29 New York Giants DST 300 29 Antonio Andrews RB 301 29 Washington Redskins DST 302 29 Tennessee Titans DST 303 29 Cody Latimer WR 304 30 Indianapolis Colts DST 305 30 Chicago Bears DST 306 30 Robbie Gould K 307 30 Albert Wilson WR 308 30 Chris Conley WR 309 30 Josh Hill TE 310 30 Atlanta Falcons DST 311 30 Cecil Shorts WR 312 30 Jason Myers K 313 30 Owen Daniels TE 314 30 Benny Cunningham RB 315 30 Denard Robinson RB 316 30 Kenny Stills WR 317 30 Caleb Sturgis K

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