Arguably the most popular piece of Fantasy Football content is Fantasy Football rankings. Rankings are easy to consume and typically get straight to the point as to how the author of those rankings feels about individual players compared to one another. Most Fantasy managers who consume content admit that they look at and seek rankings. You can find rankings on every Fantasy Football website, which will be different across the board.
A straight list is one thing when it comes to Dynasty Fantasy Football rankings, being able to separate that list by tiers is another. Using “tiers” involves listing players in order by how the author feels they should be ranked and grouping them within the rankings to show similar values. For example, if I were to rank colors as 1. Purple 2. Red 3. Green 4. Blue 5. Yellow, I can go even further by listing Tier 1: 1. Purple 2. Red then Tier 2: 3. Green 4. Blue then Tier 4: 5. Yellow. In this example, you can see how I rank the colors but I am saying that I feel Purple and Red should be in the same “tier” because they hold similar “value” and one may be able to interchange them due to that. I am saying I believe Purple is over Red for my rankings, but feel they are close and you can make an argument for either to be number 1. or number 2. I am also saying that both Purple and Red should be separated from Green and Blue not just by ranking, but by value tier in general. Hoping I did not talk you into a circle there.
Tiers in Dynasty Fantasy Football go beyond straight numbered rankings but help the consumer understand value at the end of the day. Understanding how players can be separated beyond straight number rankings, helps the consumer understand the author’s true valuation.
Within this article, I go through each position and outline my “elite tier” of players for that position. These are the players in the top possible tier when it comes to Fantasy Football, and the reason they are separated from other players of the same position. Dynasty Rankings will change all off-season as teams make transactions, the draft approaches, we reflect on the previous year, we break down the data, we hear from the organization and through other variables. Here is where I am at now for the elite Dynasty tiers:
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Dynasty Fantasy Football Positional Elite Tiers
Quarterbacks – Tier 1
1. Josh Allen (Bills)
When it comes to a Fantasy Football player who consistently performs at an elite level, one of the first to come to mind has to be Josh Allen. Consistent points per game (PPG) production has been heavily tied to Josh Allen for the last four years. 2023-2020 Allen has scored and ranked for the position:
- 2023: 24.2 PPG (#1)
- 2022: 24.3 PPG (#3)
- 2021: 24.6 PPG (#1)
- 2020: 25.4 PPG (#1)
Allen has averaged the most fantasy points per game in all of football in three of the last four seasons. He averaged 2.3 more PPG than any other quarterback in 2023. I struggle to see a way to argue against Allen being the #1 ranked Dynasty quarterback for Fantasy Football due to this.
Four straight seasons of over 4,300 passing yards paired with 29, 35, 36, and 37 passing touchdowns show plenty of upside through the air. Allen has also rushed for 524, 776, 763, 421, 510, and 631 yards through his career, and just tied the NFL single-season record of 15 quarterback rushing touchdowns in 2023.
Allen is the epitome of a high-upside, dual-threat quarterback which has translated great for Fantasy Football. Dalton Kincaid impressed in 2023 as a first-round rookie tight end, Stefon Diggs may have had a down stretch but still showed signs of being a top wide receiver in the league and Buffalo can continue building in 2024.
2. Jalen Hurts (Eagles)
Across 2020 – 2023, Jalen Hurts has definitely been a fast riser in Dynasty Fantasy Football. Hurts played 15 games in 2020, but was utilized creatively as the backup quarterback. In Hurts’ first season as a full-time starter in 2021, he ended up averaging 21.4 Fantasy PPG which ranked 6th for the position.
The Fantasy Football leap happened in 2022 when Hurts finished first in Fantasy PPG with 25.6 for the year. In 2023, Hurts regressed a bit for Fantasy scoring, averaging 21.9 PPG, but that still ranked second for the position. Back-to-back seasons as a top-two quarterback in Fantasy scoring speaks volumes for Hurts, who will continue operating as an overall QB1 candidate moving forward.
Hurts’ upside is tied directly to his rushing numbers. Hurts has rushed for 605, 760, and 782 yards over the last three seasons as a starter, and in 2023 he tied Josh Allen for that single-season 15 rushing touchdown record. The “tush push” play is tightly tied to Jalen Hurts and his ability to power forward behind an elite offensive line for yardage. Hurts may not have the passing upside that other quarterbacks do, but he finished 2023 with career highs in passing yards (3,858) and passing touchdowns (23). On top of a great offensive line, Hurts’ system of AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert is a huge boost to his Dynasty value.
Where is Patrick Mahomes? I have Mahomes in Tier 2 for my Dynasty Rankings, by himself. Mahomes is arguably the most talented quarterback in the NFL, but when it comes to Fantasy scoring he has finished #10 in 2023, #5 in 2021, and #6 in 2019 in PPG. These sorts of averages are not horrible by any means but show he has had a handful of years not being a top tier quarterback for Fantasy Football.
Runningbacks – Tier 1
1. Breece Hall (Jets)
The Jets selected Breece Hall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. In 2022 as a rookie, Hall instantly made an impact in the first two weeks despite playing under 50% of the snaps. He caught six passes in Week 1, then rushed for 50 yards and scored a receiving touchdown in Week 2. Come Week 3, Hall began playing above 50% of the snaps and seeing a bump his his work. Hall again caught six passes in Week 3, then went on in Weeks 4 through 7 to rush for 66, 97, 116, and 72 yards with a rushing touchdown in each of those games. Hall averaged 16.4 PPG during this span. Unfortunately, Hall ended up tearing his ACL in Week 7, which made 2023 murky to project.
Despite tearing his ACL the year prior; and despite Aaron Rodgers’ season ending in Week 1 due to injury; and despite the Jets being a poor offense in general, Breece Hall found a way to explode for Fantasy Football in 2023. Hall averaged 17.1 Fantasy PPG for the year, which ranked sixth for the position. Despite the rough situation, Hall rushed for 994 yards (#13), caught 76 passes (#1), produced 591 receiving yards (#1) and scored nine total touchdowns (#12). Hall ranked #3 in yards created, #5 in evaded tackles, #5 in juke rate, and #11 in yards per touch which shows great efficiency.
It is truly scary to see the season Hall had, following the season he tore his ACL. Even scarier to think he will be even healthier in 2024, and the Jets quarterback situation will improve. Knowing Hall was dominant, and knowing his future is even brighter puts him in this tier and at the top of it. True dual-threat talent, who will continue to dominate Fantasy Football.
🚨DYNASTY SPOTLIGHT🚨
– @Fantrax –
Breece Hall #FantasyFootball #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/vy9NDkrw9b
— Nick Skrip (@P2WFantasy) January 11, 2024
2. Bijan Robinson (Falcons)
Many tied the phrase “generational talent” to Bijan Robinson’s name as a prospect out of Texas. Through three seasons at Texas, Bijan produced 4,215 scrimmage yards, and 41 total scrimmage touchdowns. Through 31 college games, that averaged to 135.97 scrimmage yards and 1.32 touchdowns per game. This resulted in being selected eighth overall in 2023 by Atlanta. Robinson finished his rookie season with 976 rushing yards (#15), 58 receptions (#6), 487 receiving yards (#4), eight touchdowns (#20) and he averaged 14.5 Fantasy PPG (#17). This may not seem like an amazing rookie season from a birds-eye view, but seeing as though Robinson ranked #31 in opportunity share, that says a lot. Opportunity share via playerprofiler.com is defined as the “percentage of total team running back carries + targets for a particular back”.
Bijan Robinson showed plenty of upside in 2023. Looking specifically at Fantasy Football, Robinson scored 20.3 (Week 1), 21.2 9Week 2), 18.7 (Week 4), 17.6 (Week 10), 27.3 (Week 12), 19.8 (Week 14), 19.2 (Week 16) and 26.1 (Week 18) points. The down weeks were typically tied to poor usage, and Head Coach Arthur Smith has been criticized for not utilizing his first-round talents in Robinson, Drake London (2022), and Kyle Pitts (2021) appropriately. Smith was fired following the 2023 season.
I love to bank on talent, and that is exactly what Bijan Robinson is. The possibility that Atlanta hires a new head coach who will effectively use the team’s best playmakers along with Atlanta set to address the quarterback position in the off-season brings optimism for Robinson moving forward.
What about Christian McCaffrey? CMC has been elite for Fantasy Football and has thrived in San Francisco. Amazing talent, dual-threat upsides and a great system. I have CMC in his own tier, but Tier 2. A lot of this reasoning has to do with the age gap between him and these two running backs in Tier 1. Hall is 22 years old, Bijan is 21 and McCaffrey is 27.
Wide Receivers – Tier 1
1. Justin Jefferson (Vikings)
One of the wildest stats of the 2023 NFL Season is Justin Jefferson playing in just 10 games due to injury, on a Vikings team that featured four different starting quarterbacks and still producing over 1,000 receiving yards (1,074). In a short season, Jefferson averaged 10 targets, 6.8 receptions, and 107.4 receiving yards per game in 2023. 20.5 Fantasy PPG ranked fifth for the position. There were heavy expectations in 2023 following an explosive 2022 where Jefferson earned 185 targets, caught 128 of them for 1,809 receiving yards, scored eight touchdowns and averaged 21.7 Fantasy PPG (#2). In 2021, Jefferson produced 1,616 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns which meant 19.4 PPG (#4). As a rookie, Jefferson finished with 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 17.9 Fantasy PPG (#9).
In all four of Jefferson’s seasons, he has earned heavy volume, produced elite receiving yards, and been a Fantasy Football force. Jefferson has been the clear Dynaasty WR1 for years now following his rookie season. Even with the Vikings’ future quarterback situation in question, and the addition of both first-round 2023 rookie Jordan Addison along with TJ Hockenson, we can trust Jefferson for Fantasy Football more than any player at the position. Elite wide receiver, with future Hall of Fame implications.
2. Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals)
Back in 2019 at LSU, Joe Burrow threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns in a championship-winning season. Justin Jefferson, previously mentioned, produced 1,540 receiving yards that season with 18 touchdowns. Teammate Ja’Marr Chase, on the other hand, paced Jefferson in both receiving yards and touchdowns with 1,780 and 20 while playing a game less. Chase entered the league as a highly touted prospect, who eventually was paired up with Burrow via the first round of 2021. In his rookie season, Chase earned 128 targets, produced 1,455 receiving yards, and scored 13 touchdowns while averaging 17.9 Fantasy PPG (#5). 2022 was cut short to 12 games, but even in those 12 games Chase earned 134 targets, caught 87 of them for 1,046 yards, and scored nine touchdowns which translated to 20.2 Fantasy PPG (#4). In 2023 through 16 games, and Joe Burrow only playing in 10 games, Chase earned a career high145 targets, caught a career-high 100 of them, produced 1,216 receiving yards, scored seven touchdowns, and averaged 16.4 Fantasy PPG (#11).
Chase has screamed elite talent since he entered the league. Both Burrow and him missing time throughout his three-year career have had impacts on Chase’s ceiling, but he has had huge Fantasy Football impacts. Similar to Jefferson, you can count on heavy targets, elite receiving yard upside, and high levels of Fantasy Football production. Chase has also had plenty of upside in the touchdown department. Chase has yet to finish as the overall WR1 in a season, but that is coming at any point. The college connection to Burrow turned NFL connection gives Chase a huge boost in Dynasty, as this may arguably be the best QB-WR stack in Dynasty Fantasy Football to have.
3. CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)
I recently talked about CeeDee Lamb in a Fantrax article titled 10 Rising Wid Receivers for 2024 Fantasy Football. Instead of re-writing his portion of that piece, I encourage you to check that article out for the details on WHY Lamb is within Tier 1 for the position. Following his 2023 season, I think most would agree.
Who is in Tier 2? For me – Amon-Ra St. Brown and AJ Brown are the two receivers I currently rank in that specific tier.
Tight Ends – Tier 1
1. Sam LaPorta (Lions)
The Lions selected Sam LaPorta in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa. In LaPorta’s final two seasons at Iowa, he caught 53 then 58 passes for 670 and 657 receiving yards. The receiving profile, along with LaPorta’s draft capital, foreshadowed a successful rookie season to come. A successful rookie season is an understatement. LaPorta earned 120 targets (#5), caught 86 balls (#4), produced 889 receiving yards (#5) and scored 10 touchdowns (#1). LaPorta averaged the third most Fantasy PPG for the year with 14.1, but scored the most total Fantasy Points for the position. The narrative that tight ends take time to develop and translate for Fantasy Football was smashed by LaPorta in 2023. LaPorta broke the single-season tight end reception record in 2023 with 86 catches and ranks fourth all-time for rookie tight ends with 889 receiving yards.
Having the Fantasy Football impact LaPorta did as a rookie, makes it clear he should be the Dynasty TE1. When you score the most total Fantasy Points for the position in your first-ever season, it makes it extremely difficult to rank the 23 year-old anywhere lower than #1. For this reason, LaPorta should be in his very own tier for Dynasty tight ends.
https://x.com/p2wfantasy/status/1745177602245960040?s=46&t=NhvOlhHX-wUxIGwcTNPEWw
Who is in Tier 2? For me, Tier 2 for Dynasty tight ends consists of Trey McBride and Mark Andrews
Way more to come this off-season for Dynasty Fantasy Football. Be sure to check back on Fantraxhq.com for more content, and follow me for content in all forms through the off-season.