Callen's Week Zero 2021 Power Rankings
Uncle Cral's Little Dogs | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
Carl is good where it counts and weak where it doesn't. This is exactly what you want from your fantasy team. He's got three starting RBs that are likely to be workhorses for their teams (Henry/Robinson/Edwards), one of the few elite TE options in Waller, and he's got a roster full of receivers that shouldn't have any problems putting up consistent points. The QB situation here is interesting. Burrow is coming off an injury, and his receivers have had a shakeup, getting rid of Green and bringing in Chase in the draft. They have struggled a bit in the preseason, but either they'll fix those issues, or Carl can pivot to another QB without much issue. He is set up with a balance, high-upside squad to start the year.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Jalen Hurts | PHI-QB | 1 |
| Derrick Henry | TEN-RB | 1 |
| James Robinson | JAX-RB | 1 |
| Keenan Allen | LAC-WR | 1 |
| Cooper Kupp | LAR-WR | 1 |
| Darren Waller | LV-TE | 1 |
| Brandon Aiyuk | SF-WR | 1 |
| Kenny Golladay | NYG-WR | 1 (Q) |
| Washington Football Team | WAS-DEF |
These rankings are trash | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
The top end of Andrew's roster stacks up as well as Carl's, but there are a couple of factors he'll need to fight through to keep the team performing. First, a healthy CMAC is the best player in fantasy and is worth an easy 10+ advantage on everyone else each week. That is huge. Then to follow him up with two other starters in Davis and Gibson is also great to build the RB corp. I also think Mike Evans and Adam Thielen will be their consistent selves, and Justin Herbert should have no problems putting up points. However, this team does have some question marks that add to the risk. First, spending a third-round pick on Kyle Pitts could either win this league or make this team average before the season even starts. We just don't know yet. Second, while Mike Davis is a starter, we have never seen him in a starting role. He'll have the opportunity to show off, which is huge in fantasy, but he still has to perform. But I think the biggest potential issue for this team is Michael Thomas. He is an awesome player, but Drew has to carry a dead roster spot for at least six weeks. This could make bench management very tricky.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | LAC-QB | 1 |
| Christian McCaffrey | CAR-RB | 1 |
| Antonio Gibson | WAS-RB | 1 |
| Mike Evans | TB-WR | 1 |
| Adam Thielen | MIN-WR | 1 |
| Kyle Pitts | ATL-TE | 1 |
| Mike Davis | ATL-RB | 1 |
| Michael Pittman | IND-WR | 1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | BAL-DEF |
FEED ME 🥄 | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
In this draft, I think there are 3 or 4 tiers. Carl and Andrew are on top, and then Mark starts tier 2 in my mind. As an FYI, I am building the Dobbins injury into consideration here. With him on the team, this roster would have been ranked at least one spot higher. But even with that injury, this roster is still crazy good. The RB core did thin out with Dobbins missing the year, but Travis just rode Dalvin Cook to two championships, and Nick Chubb is a top 5 RB in fantasy. The roster also includes one of those few elite TEs, and if Dak plays even 90% as well as he did to start last season, this team could put up a great season. The WR group & bench do fall off a little fast for my liking, but Mark should be able to find two startable receivers each week from his options, and I also think we'll see more James Conner playtime than most expect. Solid team overall.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Dak Prescott | DAL-QB | 1 |
| Dalvin Cook | MIN-RB | 1 |
| Nick Chubb | CLE-RB | 1 |
| Chase Claypool | PIT-WR | 1 |
| DeVante Parker | MIA-WR | 1 |
| George Kittle | SF-TE | 1 |
| James Conner | ARI-RB | 2 |
| Tee Higgins | CIN-WR | 1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | SEA-DEF |
Glizzy Guzzlers | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
My team is sitting in a fairly similar situation to Mark's. Both teams had two great RB keepers and are dealing with injuries. Hopefully, Ekeler won't be out long, but those hamstring injuries tend to linger. Otherwise, I think my RB squad can match up with anyone in the league. Most rankings had Kamara, Jones, and Ekeler in the top 10-12 range, so there is no shortage of upside. However, my receivers are definitely a step down (unless CeeDee does break out this season), and I have a bad feeling that I'll be pretty much streaming TEs all season, unfortunately. If I can avoid more injuries and get at least decent play out of Tannehill this year, though, streaming one position isn't the worst possible outcome to start the year. Happy with my post-draft team for sure.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Tannehill | TEN-QB | 1 |
| Austin Ekeler | LAC-RB | 1 (Q) |
| Ronald Jones | TB-RB | 1 |
| Odell Beckham | CLE-WR | 1 (Q) |
| CeeDee Lamb | DAL-WR | 1 |
| Mike Gesicki | MIA-TE | 1 |
| Alvin Kamara | NO-RB | 1 |
| Aaron Jones | GB-RB | 1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB-DEF |
All Gaskin No Breaks | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
In my mind, this team has four top-tier, sure-fire stars. Those being Taylor, Brown, Diggs, and JJ. How successful the team will be as a whole will depend on what you think of the other starters. Gaskin, who didn't finish as a top 25 RB last year. Edmonds, who wasn't even the RB1 on this team last year and has never had 100 rush attempts in a season. Noah Fant, who has never finished as a top 12 TE. Brady, who will be playing his age 44 this season. These are all players who have great opportunities this year and could be huge, but they carry many risks, in my opinion. I do like Scottie's approach to the back end of his draft a lot. He went with young, high-upside players. Waddle, Stevenson, and Callaway could all work into starting roles on their teams. All looked great in the preseason too. Callaway's two TDs from Jameis were maybe the best catches of the entire preseason.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | TB-QB | 1 |
| Jonathan Taylor | IND-RB | 1 |
| Chase Edmonds | ARI-RB | 1 |
| A.J. Brown | TEN-WR | 1 |
| Stefon Diggs | BUF-WR | 1 |
| Noah Fant | DEN-TE | 1 (Q) |
| Deebo Samuel | SF-WR | 1 |
| Justin Jefferson | MIN-WR | 1 |
| New England Patriots | NE-DEF |
Jordan '96 '97 | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
Just like I thought my team and Mark's had similarities, I also think Travis and Scottie's teams do too. Just like Scooter's team, Travis' squad is locked into some very high upside and then starts filling out with questions. Barkley, Ridley, Cooper, and Allen are all going to contribute in a huge way, I think. But after those guys, we get into more questions again. I think Swift showed flashes of talent last year for the Lions, but can a Lions RB actually be a top-end fantasy RB? Javontae Williams was one of the best college RBs in the country last year, but can he beat out Gordon for touches? Same thing for Sermon in San Fran. Ultimately this team is looking pretty mediocre to me, and I had to put them behind Scottie's roster because the bench doesn't look like it has quite as much upside, and we don't know for sure if Barkley will be able to stay healthy. If he is, this team could jump into a top 5 spot easily, but until we see him play a few games it's still hard to be sure about him.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Allen | BUF-QB | 1 |
| Saquon Barkley | NYG-RB | 1 (Q) |
| D'Andre Swift | DET-RB | 1 |
| Amari Cooper | DAL-WR | 1 |
| Calvin Ridley | ATL-WR | 1 |
| Logan Thomas | WAS-TE | 1 |
| DeVonta Smith | PHI-WR | 1 |
| Corey Davis | NYJ-WR | 1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | SF-DEF |
Zeke Squad | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
When I look at John's team, I keep asking myself the same type of question: "This guy is good...right?". Josh Jacobs is still going to own that backfield in LV, right? Dionte Johnson is going to lead the Steeler's WR group in targets, right? Will Fuller is going to stay healthy, right? Zeke is going to bounce back after a down year; it was only because Dak was out, right? I think the answer to all of those is actually 'Yes.' And I think at the very least Mahomes will be good enough to keep this team a threat most weeks. Not to mention the new contract that Baltimore just gave Mark Andrews means they are committing to keeping him fed. This team has plenty of upside with those top picks, but I still find myself looking at the roster and needing to convince myself everything will be fine. And I think it will be just fine, right?
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | KC-QB | 1 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | DAL-RB | 1 |
| Josh Jacobs | LV-RB | 1 (Q) |
| Tyler Lockett | SEA-WR | 1 |
| Marquise Brown | BAL-WR | 1 |
| Mark Andrews | BAL-TE | 1 |
| Courtland Sutton | DEN-WR | 1 |
| Diontae Johnson | PIT-WR | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | PIT-DEF |
Moore Cowbell | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
This team gave me almost the opposite problem that I had when evaluating John's roster. When I look at the names, I almost expect this team to be better, but when I start picking at it a little bit, things look much shakier. A couple of guys in here will be great for sure. Kelce. McLaurin. Stafford. All-time goats, for sure. But then I look at DJ Moore, who is talented, but he now has to catch passes from The Darnold. Ja'Marr Chase is talented, but literally today, he's publishing headlines on why he's having a hard time seeing the football - and he hasn't actually played the sport in like two years. Michael Carter was great in college, but he plays for the Jets and isn't even listed as their starter. Curtis Samuel is still dealing with preseason injuries. The list goes on and on. I think those top dudes I mentioned, plus David Montgomery will keep this team from being bad, but my confidence in them being good is pretty shook.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | LAR-QB | 1 |
| David Montgomery | CHI-RB | 1 |
| Damien Harris | NE-RB | 1 |
| D.J. Moore | CAR-WR | 1 |
| Terry McLaurin | WAS-WR | 1 |
| Travis Kelce | KC-TE | 1 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | CIN-WR | 1 |
| Jakobi Meyers | NE-WR | 1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | IND-DEF |
Runnin Gunnin Nunnin | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
Maybe I'm just a full-on chalk boy, but if you cut my rankings into thirds, you'll notice that 1-4 had the first four draft slots, 5-8 had the same draft slots, and 9-12 have the last third. Caleb has a squad here that doesn't look like you'd say, "Oh, they'd come in the bottom third of the power rankings," when you glance at it, but I'm not convinced this is a playoff team when I dig deeper. Najee is a good piece, but he's a rookie RB, and we don't know how Pittsburgh will use him quite yet. Allen Robinson is a beast, but he's going to start the year with Andy Dalton throwing him the ball. And these are the star players. There is still upside here to keep the team inside the top 10. Godwin is good, but that Tampa offense might have too many mouths to feed. He did finish as the WR2 a couple of years back, but that was also his only time to finish inside the top 25 at WR. Boyd, Lindsey, Green? There are just many names that I don't expect to see on the list of "most commonly players on championship teams" that we'll see in December.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | GB-QB | 1 |
| Chris Carson | SEA-RB | 1 |
| Najee Harris | PIT-RB | 1 |
| Chris Godwin | TB-WR | 1 |
| Allen Robinson | CHI-WR | 1 |
| Robert Tonyan | GB-TE | 1 |
| Melvin Gordon | DEN-RB | 1 |
| Jarvis Landry | CLE-WR | 1 |
| Denver Broncos | DEN-DEF |
Fresh Prince of Helaire | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
Chris' team starts off the remaining tier of rosters, which lacks both the high upside and depth of fantasy RBs needed to compete for a championship. While I think DK, Bobby Trees, and Russ will be great, the rest of the lineup looks average to below-average to me. I'm not ready to write off CEH yet, but he's definitely worse than he should be, given the offense he plays for. Myles Sanders struggled to finish as a startable RB last season, and he's the RB2 on this team. Things only get uglier from there. Fournette, Drake, and Williams are all backups on their teams. Chark did not look amazing last year and now has a rookie throwing to him. AB is well past his prime. TE is nothing to brag about. Just those few solid guys at the top, then this roster drops off quickly. Gonna take some fancy moves to get this team competing.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Wilson | SEA-QB | 1 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC-RB | 1 |
| Miles Sanders | PHI-RB | 1 |
| DK Metcalf | SEA-WR | 1 |
| Antonio Brown | TB-WR | 1 |
| Dallas Goedert | PHI-TE | 1 |
| D.J. Chark | JAX-WR | 1 |
| Robert Woods | LAR-WR | 1 |
| Buffalo Bills | BUF-DEF |
You Shenault Pass | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
In last year's ranking, I put Logan as the #11 team. He took offense to this and changed his team name to "These rankings are trash" before finishing as the #10 team in the league. Unfortunately, I am not expecting a huge leap this year. I do expect Nuk to keep this team somewhat steady with his typical 100+ targets this year, but other than that, it all just looks sus to me. Mixon is amazing when he plays, but at best, he's the Julio of the RB room - very boom or bust on a weekly basis. At worst, he's just injured all the time. Or at least injured enough that it makes managing him a weekly stressor of "should I start banged up Mixon or some other bench guy?" I will also say if Kyler can replicate what he did last year, it will go a very long way to helping Logs climb the rankings.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Kyler Murray | ARI-QB | 1 |
| Joe Mixon | CIN-RB | 1 |
| Raheem Mostert | SF-RB | 1 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | ARI-WR | 1 |
| Laviska Shenault | JAX-WR | 1 |
| Tyler Higbee | LAR-TE | 1 |
| Jerry Jeudy | DEN-WR | 1 |
| Darrell Henderson | LAR-RB | 1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | LAR-DEF |
Mom’s Volkswagen | 0-0W/L | 0PF
Week Zero Points: 0
Another year, another Trond last-place ranking. While I usually try to separate the roster from the owner, in Trond's case, it's just too much to ignore. This roster is not horrible. It's a good, auto-drafted team with some nice pieces. If anything, the fact that this is the bottom-ranked team shows me how much more competitive our league is getting every year. Given the right circumstances, I wouldn't be shocked if Trond took a game off Carl this season with this roster. It might be the best group of WRs I can remember on a single roster in league history. But two things will mess this roster beyond hope. 1). It has nothing literally in the way of RBs. Time has shown RBs are required to win championships. Until the NFL changes or fantasy scoring is updated, this will continue to be the rule. This is nearly impossible to overcome. 2). Trond is the owner of the team. Not sure I need to expand much beyond that.
| Name | Team | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Lamar Jackson | BAL-QB | 1 |
| Kareem Hunt | CLE-RB | 2 |
| Nyheim Hines | IND-RB | 2 |
| Davante Adams | GB-WR | 1 |
| Tyreek Hill | KC-WR | 1 |
| T.J. Hockenson | DET-TE | 1 |
| Julio Jones | TEN-WR | 1 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT-WR | 1 |
| Carolina Panthers | CAR-DEF |