Fantasy football tiers: Diving deeper into the rankings
There is more to a list of rankings than just a list of 1-32. Let’s see where the gaps in consensus emerge.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Having players ranked is helpful. Even if you don’t trust our SB Nation rankings (and really, why don’t you? We’re awesome), you look at someone’s rankings, and there’s information there. Yeah, you know Aaron Rodgers is a better fantasy option than EJ Manuel, but how do players like Ben Roethlisberger and Ryan Tannehill stack up?
You know this stuff. It’s why you’re clicking around the site. But one thing that rankings don’t do well is tell you how much one guy is ahead of another. Sure, Player 2 is ahead of Player 3, and Player 3 is ahead of Player 4, but is the gap between 2 and 3 the same as 3 and 4?
With our consensus rankings finalized, I thought I’d go through and look at those gaps. By assigning a point to each rank (a No. 1 ranking is worth 33 or 51 points, depending on what position we’re discussing), we can total the points across the seven rankers and see how the rankings break down.
Basically, we’re looking for tiers. If the first six guys are ranked really close to one another, and then the seventh guy has a consensus total well below that of the first six, we can comfortably deem the first six a tier.
When it comes to draft time, this information can help you determine where the next value pick is. If you’ve crossed the threshold from Tier 2 to Tier 3 among wide receivers, maybe just wait a bit, and get a guy deeper in Tier 3, because guys who all live in a tier together aren’t going to be that different. Wait on that receiver and take another running back.
Find the gaps. That’s what we’re doing today:
Quarterbacks
The first tier is easy: It's just Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers. They are clearly in a class to themselves among quarterbacks this year. The next tier is a little tougher to define; it's either four guys deep or eight, depending on your impression of the gap between Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton. For my purposes, I'll call the second tier among quarterbacks eight deep, ranging from Russell Wilson at No. 3 to Eli Manning at No. 10. After that, you have a few guys who could be your starter, but you aren't excited about them, followed by the desperation plays and not-even-then guys.
Here are the tiers as I see them:
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 |
| Andrew Luck Aaron Rodgers | Russell Wilson | Ryan Tannehill Philip Rivers Tom Brady Matthew Stafford | Colin Kaepernick | Jameis Winston Marcus Mariota Derek Carr Blake Bortles Nick Foles Ryan Fitzpatrick Brian Hoyer Josh McCown Geno Smith |
Running backs
There is a clear top group here that runs five deep, with Adrian Peterson, Eddie Lacy, Jamaal Charles, Le’Veon Bell and Marshawn Lynch towering above the others. After that, we have a little group, then LeSean McCoy and Justin Forsett each appear to be individual tiers all to themselves. The next tier comes around running back 18, then 26, then 32. Looking at the names in question, those all make sense to me. I like when things I try appear to work out.
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 | Tier 6 | Tier 7 | Tier 8 |
| Adrian Peterson Eddie Lacy Jamaal Charles Le'Veon Bell Marshawn Lynch | C.J. Anderson DeMarco Murray Jeremy Hill Matt Forte | LeSean McCoy | Justin Forsett | Lamar Miller Mark Ingram Melvin Gordon Alfred Morris Carlos Hyde Frank Gore Jonathan Stewart | Joseph Randle Todd Gurley Andre Ellington Latavius Murray T.J. Yeldon Rashad Jennings LeGarrette Blount Joique Bell | Tevin Coleman C.J. Spiller Ameer Abdullah Chris Ivory Giovani Bernard Isaiah Crowell | Shane Vereen David Cobb Tre Mason Arian Foster Doug Martin Devonta Freeman Ryan Mathews Charles Sims Bishop Sankey Alfred Blue Duke Johnson Danny Woodhead Reggie Bush Knile Davis Fred Jackson Jerick McKinnon David Johnson Roy Helu |
Wide receivers
At wide receiver, it's another two-man tier to start things off, with Dez Bryant and Antonio Brown sitting above the others. After that, A.J. Green marks the end of another tier that goes about six deep. The third tier takes you through WR13, and Jordan Matthews marks the next dropoff at 18. Interestingly, we were really close on a big group after that, indicating no huge separation among those guys. Depending on your preference, the next tier either ends after Allen Robinson at 30 or Steve Smith at 32, indicating the end of the guys you really want to be relying on entering the season.
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 | Tier 6 |
| Dez Bryant Antonio Brown | Demaryius Thomas Julio Jones Calvin Johnson Odell Beckham Jr. Jordy Nelson A.J. Green | Alshon Jeffery Mike Evans T.Y. Hilton Randall Cobb DeAndre Hopkins | Emmanuel Sanders Kelvin Benjamin Brandin Cooks DeSean Jackson Jordan Matthews | Keenan Allen Andre Johnson Amari Cooper Golden Tate Jeremy Maclin Julian Edelman Brandon Marshall Martavis Bryant Vincent Jackson Sammy Watkins Eric Decker Allen Robinson Roddy White Steve Smith | Jarvis Landry |
Tight ends
I expected Rob Gronkowski to form his own tier, but with Jimmy Graham the consensus No. 2, it didn't work out that way as much as I expected. Still, I'd say most would agree Gronk is in a realm unto himself. After that, the obvious next tier is after No. 4, with Graham, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen making the No. 2 group. Through TE10 (Julius Thomas), everything stays close, then it plummets, marking the end of tier three. The fourth tier goes through TE18, indicating what I think is the end of guys you'd even consider using as your starter.
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 |
| Rob Gronkowski | Jimmy Graham Travis Kelce Greg Olsen | Martellus Bennett Jason Witten Jordan Cameron Zach Ertz Delanie Walker Julius Thomas | Owen Daniels Larry Donnell Coby Fleener Antonio Gates Dwayne Allen Josh Hill Tyler Eifert Kyle Rudolph | Austin Seferian-Jenkins Vernon Davis Charles Clay Eric Ebron Heath Miller Jordan Reed Ladaruis Green Jared Cook Jace Amaro Maxx Williams Mychal Rivera Jacob Tamme Niles Paul Virgil Green |
