Perhaps you heard the news, but future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers is no longer a member of the Green Bay Packers. He joined the New York Jets this offseason. It wasn't really in the news much, so it is quite understandable if you missed it. Some fantasy football managers may have, since Rodgers is not among the first 10 quarterbacks or 100 picks in ESPN average live drafts. OK, so Rodgers wasn't his normally awesome statistical self during last season, but he was far from bad. Rodgers was the No. 13 QB in PPR leagues!
Rodgers is well-positioned to be a top-10 quarterback this season, which is why I ranked him precisely this way. The good news is this is not a popular opinion, so Rodgers slips in drafts. I choose to wait on quarterbacks anyway, and Rodgers seems to be ending up on my teams around the spot others are choosing a defense. Hey, it works for me. Last season was the first full one in which Rodgers did not finish as a top-10 fantasy QB. He is 39 years old. Some believe he is done. Perhaps, but then again, perhaps not yet.
That is what the annual "Do Draft" column is about. Click here for the far more controversial "Do Not Draft" column, in which readers tend to ignore the premise and think I hate some of the top players in the sport. Nope! This is all about value in relation to expected statistical results. Some players slip well past the point of my expectations and how I rank them, for whatever reasons, and that makes for wise investing. Rodgers was a top-five fantasy QB in 2021 and 2022, winning league MVP honors each time. He is not too old. Expect greatness again.
The Jets won seven games last season despite truly terrible quarterback play, with Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White each starting four or more games. Someone named Chris Streveler started a game! Still, the Jets sniffed a playoff spot thanks to one of the stingiest defenses in the sport. It should be successful again and now the offense boasts a quarterback who, despite numerous obstacles in his final season in Green Bay, threw for 3,695 yards and 26 touchdowns. That was the worst full season of Rodgers' career. He had a running game, but no receiver caught more than 60 passes or approached 1,000 receiving yards.
That changes this season, as exciting Garrett Wilson becomes a top-10 wide receiver thanks to considerably better than competent quarterback play. Wilson caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns his rookie season. He saw 13 end zone targets, but caught only two of them. Not his fault. The Ohio State product is ready to emerge as a WR1 star. It is a huge upgrade for Wilson, and for Rodgers, who gets a top option to target again, like when he had Davante Adams. The Jets have a running game, with several excellent options. They can properly protect Rodgers. They are coached well, they defend well. This will be a positive situation.
Here are other players that keep showing up on my fantasy football teams, and I recommend they show up on yours as well.
Quarterback
In ESPN 10-team standard leagues, there is little reason to invest in a quarterback in the first five rounds. There are so many viable fantasy starters! Build proper depth at the flex-eligible positions first. Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is always one of my selections for this column, an annual top-10 statistical finisher few seem inclined to target. Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks seems unlikely to place among the top five in fantasy again, but he is slipping too far in drafts. So is the Denver Broncos' Russell Wilson and Detroit Lions' Jared Goff. These are established passers with solid options, and better situations surrounding them.
In superflex formats, or those in which a fantasy manager can (and should) utilize multiple active quarterbacks, the aforementioned options go earlier in drafts, as does Indianapolis Colts rookie Anthony Richardson. He is the first-year QB to target because of his running ability. Pittsburgh Steelers second-year option Kenny Pickett isn't exactly a Michael Vick-type runner, but he should surpass 400 rushing yards and score more rushing touchdowns, and new Packers starter Jordan Love boasts these skills as well. New Orleans Saints starter Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders' Jimmy Garoppolo are more than competent for multi-QB formats.
Running back
Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry is going in the first round of some, but hardly all, drafts. He belongs in Round 1 for all of them. Yes, the "R" in PPR stands for receptions and Henry is not prolific in that sense, but he caught more passes last season (a career-best 33) than notables Nick Chubb, Jonathan Taylor, Kenneth Walker III, Dameon Pierce and Miles Sanders, among others. Henry is durable, scores myriad touchdowns and still is somehow underrated in fantasy.
The Packers' Aaron Jones, Steelers' Najee Harris and New England Patriots star Rhamondre Stevenson seem to have settled nicely into the fourth round of ADP, a round after top-10 RB options, but I think each of them is worthy of being your first RB should you target wide receivers and TE Travis Kelce early. Volume and pass-catching is key. Jones caught 59 passes. Harris should bounce back to at least that number, as he did as a rookie. Stevenson caught 69 passes, and the team's recent acquisition of Ezekiel Elliott does not alter his expected volume. These are underrated players.
As for touchdown production, few believe Saints free agent acquisition Jamaal Williams will score another 17 touchdowns, but he should see enough volume to have another productive season, especially with Alvin Kamara suspended for the first three games. Williams has become quite a bargain after the first 10 rounds of ADP, as are overlooked but potential starters Samaje Perine (Broncos) and Khalil Herbert (Bears).
Kansas City Chiefs veteran Jerick McKinnon will catch more than 50 passes again. He was a top-20 RB last season, but he is going 38th in PPR formats. Reminds me of former Patriots pass-catcher James White. Fantasy managers crave numbers, but they do not need to come on rushing attempts. McKinnon should go several rounds earlier than he is currently going.
Wide receiver
Unlike at running back, where it is rather easy to poke holes in nearly every top-20 option, the top wide receivers come with fewer questions. This makes them safer and more reliable. Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase are the first players off my board in standard formats, and even if I invest in one, I remain likely to go wide receiver with at least one of the next two picks. Don't be afraid to double up on a specific team, either. Miami's Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are both awesome. So are Philadelphia Eagles wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Some overlook Denver Broncos veteran Jerry Jeudy because he has yet to catch as many as 70 passes in a season or reach 1,000 receiving yards, but this is the year. New coach Sean Payton will get veteran signal-caller Wilson on track. Jeudy will shine. I am also a big fan of Saints second-year option Chris Olave. There is WR1 upside with Jeudy and Olave. Stop relying on older options such as DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas.
Later on, I seem to be accumulating shares of the Steelers' Diontae Johnson (he will score at least five TDs this season), the Seahawks' Tyler Lockett (always underrated), the Dallas Cowboys' Brandin Cooks (hasn't failed to hit 1,000 receiving yards in his first season with a team yet!) and the Atlanta Falcons' Drake London (his QB will improve). If you must take a rookie, I go with the Los Angeles Chargers' Quentin Johnston.
Tight end
Travis Kelce is awesome, essentially a top-five wide receiver, and with little reason to expect lesser results this season. Still, I admit I tend to wait at tight end until after Round 10, since so many of the choices after the first several are so similar. Streaming is a solid option here. I like the value of the Houston Texans' Dalton Schultz, Chicago Bears' Cole Kmet and Rams' Tyler Higbee, and I think most are undervaluing the Titans' Chigoziem Okonkwo, whom I select as a second tight end in case the breakout talk is real.