RosterWatch FINAL 2017 Pre-NFL Draft Rankings: RB and WR
Once the 2017 NFL draft comes to a close, it will, as always, mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of another for RosterWatch Nation. Like you, we’ll be out of the evaluation business and back into the fantasy business with our first of many industry dynasty drafts coming as early as next Monday.
The first of the early 2017 redrafts will kick off in earnest at the June FSTA conference, and before we know it, it will be time for the RosterWatch training camp tour. From there, we won’t come up for breath again until January, where we’ll have a few “lighter” weeks of DFS-centric content leading up to another Senior Bowl. So, with this annual late-spring shifting in gears comes some excitement, but also a tinge of sadness as the NFL draft and business season has actually become one of our favorite times of calendar around here.
During the lead-up to one of our favorite weekends of the year, it’s time to finally get our official rankings in for the running backs and wide receivers of the incoming class. Please note that these are our own RW staff composite prospect grades based solely on talent. Every player rated here is one that RosterWatch has seen and evaluated in at least one live setting, and if we were an NFL team, this is how the top of our boards would shape up.
Please note, however, that these rankings will change — likely significantly — the minute the draft is over when our focus shifts entirely to fantasy. Situations, team fits and opportunity will become every bit as important as level of talent in identifying who we will and won’t be targeting in our dynasty, redraft and keeper leagues. In the week following the draft, we’ll have our initial breakdown of team fits at each position and the initial post-draft fantasy rankings. Updates to the legendary PRO cheat sheet tools will come shortly thereafter. We’ll also round out the last few rookie spotlights for a few bigger-name RBs with this prevailing focus on team-fit becoming more central to the evaluation.
As always, we thank you for going through the adventure of another offseason with us and supporting our maniacal travels/travails for our PRO community and all of RosterWatch Nation. Enjoy the draft, and get ready to kick ass in fantasy again in 2017. So many thousands in our growing NATION stand as proof that we will always come out victorious.
RECEIVERS TOP 20 (find more in the rookies section)
1. John Ross, WR Washington – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
2. Mike Williams, WR Clemson – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
3. Corey Davis, WR Western Michigan – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
4. Zay Jones, WR East Carolina – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
5. Cooper Kupp, WR Eastern Washington – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
6. Carlos Henderson, WR Louisiana Tech – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
T7. Josh Reynolds, WR Texas A&M – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT – PRO DAY FOOTAGE
T7. Chris Godwin, WR Penn State – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
9. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR USC – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
10. Malachi Dupre, WR LSU – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT – PRO DAY FOOTAGE
11. Dede Westbrook, WR Oklahoma – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
12. Taywan Taylor, WR Western Kentucky – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
13. Curtis Samuel, WR/RB Ohio State – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
14. K.D. Cannon, WR Baylor – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
15. Ryan Switzer, WR North Carolina – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
16. Amara Darboh, WR Michigan – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
T17. Noah Brown, WR Ohio State – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
T17. Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
19. Chad Williams, WR Grambling – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
20. Travis Rudolph, WR Florida State – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
RUNNING BACKS TOP 10 (find more in the rookies section)
1. Leonard Fournette, RB LSU – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT (forthcoming) – PRO DAY FOOTAGE
2. D’Onta Foreman, RB Texas – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT (forthcoming) – PRO DAY FOOTAGE
3. Christian McCaffrey, RB Stanford – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
4. Joe Mixon, RB Oklahoma – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT (forthcoming)
T5. Samaje Perine, RB Oklahoma – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
T5. Dalvin Cook, RB FSU – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
7. Alvin Kamara, RB Tennessee – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
8. Kareem Hunt, RB Toledo – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
9. Jamaal Williams, RB BYU – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
10. Jeremy McNichols, RB Boise State – ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT (forthcoming)