Top 150 rest of season fantasy football rankings: Kyren Williams and Tank Dell enter the Top 30

The​​​​​​​​​​ Big Board takes into​​​​​​​​​ consideration​​​​​​​​​​ past​​​​​​​​​​ returns,​ current​​​​​​​​​ situation/performance​ and​​​​​​​​​ expected​ future gains​​​​​​​​​ in​​​​​​​​​​ determining​​​​​​​​​​ who​ should be included​​​​​​​​​ among​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ the​​ Top 150 fantasy football players. Essentially, the Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for a GM who is planning to participate in a draft today. Half-point PPR scoring settings are used as the baseline for the Big Board.

The Risers

• Before we leap headlong into this week’s ranks, my heartfelt thanks to everyone who threw their hats in the ring to interact with my initial Big Board Top 150 — I heard you loud and clear. The wisdom of the crowd wound up on full display as the people went 2-0 on our two most highly challenged slots. First up, my capitulation tour on Dallas’ quarterback situation — I was entirely too slow to pick up on how great Dak Prescott has played. Since the Cowboys’ Week 8 bye, he’s steadily building a case for MVP as the No. 1 QB in Fantasy Points (142.7), EPA/Dropback (+0.36), and Passer Rating (124.8) with 7 more TDs (+70%!) than the entire field.
  Whereas I knew I whiffed on Dak immediately, I did stand my ground a bit in the comment section on D’Andre Swift. During their bye, Philadelphia mentioned the desire to continue using three RBs (the fantasy death knell) but more than anything, I worried about securing the Eagles’ highest-value touches. At this point, we’ve all been sufficiently beaten over the head with the overuse of “Brotherly Shove” and “Tush Push.” However, the fact remains that Jalen Hurts has more goal-to-go rushes and nearly three times as many touchdowns than his starting RB.  That said, I did move Swift into The top 50 overall — where he belongs.
• I’ll spare you a second tirade on prioritizing utilization as a means to cut through the dishonesty and fog of NFL information warfare. With that out of my system, I’m totally fine chasing the elite usage bestowed on RB Kyren Williams by Sean McVay. Not to take anything away from Williams, as this year’s RB2 in FAN PPG (21.4) he’s been downright fantastic — it’s just no one thought a fifth round pick with 35 career carries entering the season would currently be 6th in Touches/Game (18.9). This most recent blowup performance in the desert versus the Cardinals (16-143-0; 6-62-2) makes it four separate Top 4 RB finishes in only seven games, landing him in my Top 10 at the position — with potential for climb even further.
• Apropos of the holiday season, 2023’s supply of tight ends is the fantasy gift that keeps on giving. The Steelers finally succumbed to the deafening chants of “Blame Canada,” axing the O.C. — and immediately paving the way for their first +400 yard offensive output in roughly a century (give or take). At the center of the action was former third-round pick Pat Freiermuth who led Pittsburgh across the board in receiving categories (9-120-0). Most importantly, Freiermuth worked the middle of the field as the primary slot receiver, where he racked up half his fantasy production. Any change in leadership means the team target etch-a-sketch gets a good shaking — and the former Nittany Lion could be fantasy’s main benefactor.
• Another usage spike is responsible for my largest riser, this time in Kansas City. Frankly, I’m upset at myself for ranking Rashee Rice as low as I did initially since he’s been a mainstay in our waiver piece since September. Sure, he put the fantasy universe on notice while earning double digit targets in a breakout game against the Raiders, but the question is whether or not we think it can sustain — and I do. For the first time all season Rice led all Chiefs WRs in route participation in two-wide sets (image below). Without getting too excited… if it continues, there’s a fighting chance this new utilization wrinkle spells a potential league-winning finish.

The Fallers

• We can divvy the most pronounced slides down the ranks into two baskets  — the wounded and the disappointing. The first basket’s pretty much self-explanatory. Sometimes it’s our players dealing with injuries who affect production themselves, like Cooper Kupp, Demario Douglas, or Tyjae Spears. Other times the ranking demotion reflects the subsequent impact of a teammate’s injury, like Amari Cooper, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. In any case, severe injuries resonate throughout fantasyland; especially when it’s a premier quarterback heading to the tent.
• The second bin brings together a virtual grab bag of fantasy disappointments. Some fooled us with combine numbers and draft capital like Kyle Pitts. The former first-round pick has now gone six weeks without securing 5 receptions, 56 receiving yards or a single TE1 fantasy finish. Yikes. Other players produced at unsustainable levels as more obvious sell-high targets like Adam Thielen. If you didn’t sell early during the Panthers’ bye week it’s probably too late. Carolina’s fantasy floor continues to make new all-time lows and more closely resembles a super cellar on the back of perhaps the single-worst deal in league history. Avoid starting any Panthers.

Top 150 ROS ranks

(Top photo: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)