Eliminate the Suck

Footballguys Staff's Eliminate the Suck Footballguys Staff Published 08/27/2019

Let me start off by saying this article is likely going to ruffle some feathers. Like all things in life, there are winners and losers. And some of you homers are rooting for teams and players that simply suck.

Value-Based Drafting shows you that every player has value. But we all know that really isn't the case. You can't load up with players from Miami, Buffalo, and Tennessee (even if they are value picks) and expect to win your league. Suck In...equals guess what...Suck Out.

In an effort to eliminate the suck from my Top 300 players, I have chosen to implement the following rules:

  1. All players on the worst eight offenses have been eliminated. Worst offenses are calculated looking at my team projections using standard PPR scoring. These teams did not make the cut in 2019: Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, and the New York Jets. Conversely, the top eight offenses (New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and New England Patriots) keep their players on the abbreviated draft list.

  2. Of the remaining 16 teams, the four with the worst playoff matchups (Week 14-16) have been removed. Say goodbye to the Dallas Cowboys (who play at CHI, vs LAR and at PHI), Green Bay Packers (vs WAS, vs CHI, and at MIN), San Francisco 49ers (at NO, vs ATL, and vs LAR), and the Oakland Raiders (vs TEN, vs JAC, and at LAC) on the abbreviated cheatsheet.

  3. Players with average draft positions (ADP) 40+ points higher than my rank get the ax too. Let's face it, you were never getting these guys anyway so why clutter your mind with these overpriced options.

  4. Old players suck. They get hurt a lot and offer minimal upside. Some of these players are still pretending to have skills, but many will likely disappoint.

  5. Unless you are in a league that does not allow transactions, you should not be drafting multiple kickers and defenses. Go ahead and cross off kickers and defense outside of the top 12.

  6. I am going to add back any player where I rank him 50 points higher than his average draft position.

  7. And finally, the Top 20 players on my board are exempt. Even on bad teams and bad situations, the stars usually get their stats.

Instead of highlighting possible steals, I have grayed out those that suck.

Here's to not sucking on draft day...

Rank
Pos
Player
Team/Bye
ADP
Diff
Rule
1
RB
Saquon Barkley
NYG/11
1
0
Exempt - Rule 7
2
RB
Christian McCaffrey
CAR/7
2
0
Exempt - Rule 7
3
RB
Alvin Kamara
NO/9
3
0
Exempt - Rule 7
4
RB
David Johnson
ARI/12
6
2
Exempt - Rule 7
5
WR
DeAndre Hopkins
HOU/10
5
0
Exempt - Rule 7
6
RB
Le'Veon Bell
NYJ/4
7
1
Exempt - Rule 7
7
WR
Julio Jones
ATL/9
9
2
Exempt - Rule 7
8
WR
Davante Adams
GB/11
8
0
Exempt - Rule 7
9
RB
Ezekiel Elliott
DAL/8
4
-5
Exempt - Rule 7
10
WR
Odell Beckham Jr
CLE/7
12
2
Exempt - Rule 7
11
TE
Travis Kelce
KC/12
13
2
Exempt - Rule 7
12
RB
Joe Mixon
CIN/9
17
5
Exempt - Rule 7
13
WR
Michael Thomas
NO/9
10
-3
Exempt - Rule 7
14
WR
Tyreek Hill
KC/12
14
0
Exempt - Rule 7
15
RB
Nick Chubb
CLE/7
18
3
Exempt - Rule 7
16
WR
JuJu Smith-Schuster
PIT/7
16
0
Exempt - Rule 7
17
RB
Dalvin Cook
MIN/12
19
2
Exempt - Rule 7
18
RB
James Conner
PIT/7
11
-7
Exempt - Rule 7
19
WR
Mike Evans
TB/7
21
2
Exempt - Rule 7
20
RB
Todd Gurley
LAR/9
15
-5
Exempt - Rule 7
21
WR
Adam Thielen
MIN/12
24
3
22
RB
Damien Williams
KC/12
30
8
23
TE
George Kittle
SF/4
33
10
Eliminated - Rule 2
24
WR
Keenan Allen
LAC/12
25
1
25
RB
Aaron Jones
GB/11
35
10
Eliminated - Rule 2
26
WR
Antonio Brown
OAK/6
22
-4
Eliminated - Rule 2
27
TE
Zach Ertz
PHI/10
26
-1
28
WR
Stefon Diggs
MIN/12
34
6
29
RB
Kerryon Johnson
DET/5
23
-6
30
QB
Patrick Mahomes II
KC/12
20
-10
31
WR
Amari Cooper
DAL/8
32
1
Eliminated - Rule 2
32
RB
Leonard Fournette
JAX/10
28
-4
Eliminated - Rule 1
33
WR
Julian Edelman
NE/10
38
5
Eliminated - Rule 4
34
RB
Devonta Freeman
ATL/9
31
-3
35
RB
Marlon Mack
IND/6
37
2
36
WR
Kenny Golladay
DET/5
45
9
37
RB
Chris Carson
SEA/11
42
5
38
WR
Tyler Lockett
SEA/11
49
11
39
RB
Josh Jacobs
OAK/6
36
-3
Eliminated - Rule 2
40
WR
T.Y. Hilton
IND/6
29
-11
41
WR
Brandin Cooks
LAR/9
39
-2
42
RB
Derrick Henry
TEN/11
40
-2
Eliminated - Rule 1
43
RB
Austin Ekeler
LAC/12
74
31
44
WR
Tyler Boyd
CIN/9
57
13
45
RB
Phillip Lindsay
DEN/10
50
5
Eliminated - Rule 1
46
WR
Robert Woods
LAR/9
41
-5
47
RB
Duke Johnson Jr
HOU/10
108
61
Exempt - Rule 6
48
WR
Calvin Ridley
ATL/9
54
6
49
WR
Chris Godwin
TB/7
48
-1
50
RB
Sony Michel
NE/10
46
-4
51
RB
Melvin Gordon III
LAC/12
27
-24
52
WR
Robby Anderson
NYJ/4
73
21
Eliminated - Rule 1
53
TE
Evan Engram
NYG/11
55
2
54
RB
Tevin Coleman
SF/4
65
11
Eliminated - Rule 2
55
WR
Cooper Kupp
LAR/9
51
-4
56
TE
Hunter Henry
LAC/12
67
11
57
RB
James White
NE/10
52
-5
58
WR
A.J. Green
CIN/9
58
0
59
QB
Deshaun Watson
HOU/10
44
-15
60
RB
Mark Ingram II
BAL/8
43
-17
Eliminated - Rule 1
61
WR
D.J. Moore
CAR/7
60
-1
62
WR
Mike Williams
LAC/12
66
4
63
RB
Kenyan Drake
MIA/5
71
8
Eliminated - Rule 1
64
TE
Vance McDonald
PIT/7
92
28
65
WR
Allen Robinson
CHI/6
72
7
66
WR
Jarvis Landry
CLE/7
64
-2
67
QB
Aaron Rodgers
GB/11
47
-20
Eliminated - Rule 2
68
RB
David Montgomery
CHI/6
53
-15
69
TE
Jared Cook
NO/9
70
1
Eliminated - Rule 4
70
QB
Baker Mayfield
CLE/7
59
-11
71
WR
Alshon Jeffery
PHI/10
63
-8
72
RB
Tarik Cohen
CHI/6
61
-11
73
WR
Corey Davis
TEN/11
87
14
Eliminated - Rule 1
74
RB
Peyton Barber
TB/7
111
37
75
WR
Dede Westbrook
JAX/10
96
21
Eliminated - Rule 1
76
RB
Latavius Murray
NO/9
93
17
77
TE
O.J. Howard
TB/7
56
-21
78
WR
Marvin Jones Jr
DET/5
95
17
79
RB
Royce Freeman
DEN/10
101
22
Eliminated - Rule 1
80
WR
Sammy Watkins
KC/12
83
3
81
WR
Christian Kirk
ARI/12
80
-1
82
QB
Matt Ryan
ATL/9
62
-20
Eliminated - Rule 4
83
TE
Austin Hooper
ATL/9
106
23
84
RB
Kareem Hunt
CLE/7
112
28
85
WR
Sterling Shepard
NYG/11
91
6
86
RB
Derrius Guice
WAS/10
76
-10
Eliminated - Rule 1
87
QB
Carson Wentz
PHI/10
79
-8
88
WR
Courtland Sutton
DEN/10
100
12
Eliminated - Rule 1
89
WR
Larry Fitzgerald
ARI/12
90
1
Eliminated - Rule 4
90
QB
Lamar Jackson
BAL/8
120
30
Eliminated - Rule 1
91
RB
Miles Sanders
PHI/10
75
-16
92
WR
Emmanuel Sanders
DEN/10
105
13
Eliminated - Rule 1
93
QB
Russell Wilson
SEA/11
94
1
94
RB
LeSean McCoy
BUF/6
102
8
Eliminated - Rule 1
95
WR
Golden Tate
NYG/11
139
44
Exempt - Rule 6
96
RB
Dion Lewis
TEN/11
128
32
Eliminated - Rule 1
97
QB
Cam Newton
CAR/7
81
-16
98
WR
Will Fuller V
HOU/10
78
-20
99
RB
Rashaad Penny
SEA/11
85
-14
100
WR
Michael Gallup
DAL/8
151
51
Exempt - Rule 6
101
QB
Drew Brees
NO/9
82
-19
Eliminated - Rule 4
102
TE
David Njoku
CLE/7
88
-14
103
RB
Adrian Peterson
WAS/10
133
30
Eliminated - Rule 1
104
QB
Jared Goff
LAR/9
97
-7
105
WR
Tyrell Williams
OAK/6
140
35
Eliminated - Rule 2
106
RB
Chris Thompson
WAS/10
169
63
Exempt - Rule 6
107
QB
Kyler Murray
ARI/12
98
-9
108
TE
Kyle Rudolph
MIN/12
141
33
109
WR
Josh Gordon
NE/10
135
26
110
RB
Matt Breida
SF/4
122
12
Eliminated - Rule 2
111
QB
Ben Roethlisberger
PIT/7
104
-7
112
RB
Jalen Richard
OAK/6
193
81
Exempt - Rule 6
113
TD
Chicago Bears
CHI/6
86
-27
114
WR
Keke Coutee
HOU/10
129
15
115
QB
Jameis Winston
TB/7
107
-8
116
WR
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
GB/11
109
-7
Eliminated - Rule 2
117
RB
Giovani Bernard
CIN/9
191
74
Exempt - Rule 6
118
WR
Curtis Samuel
CAR/7
99
-19
119
QB
Josh Allen
BUF/6
164
45
Exempt - Rule 6
120
RB
Darrell Henderson
LAR/9
103
-17
121
RB
Nyheim Hines
IND/6
143
22
122
WR
Donte Moncrief
PIT/7
123
1
123
WR
Dante Pettis
SF/4
89
-34
Eliminated - Rule 2
124
QB
Kirk Cousins
MIN/12
137
13
125
RB
Justin Jackson
LAC/12
161
36
126
TE
Delanie Walker
TEN/11
117
-9
Eliminated - Rule 1
127
RB
Ito Smith
ATL/9
167
40
Exempt - Rule 6
128
QB
Dak Prescott
DAL/8
118
-10
Eliminated - Rule 2
129
TE
Trey Burton
CHI/6
146
17
130
WR
DK Metcalf
SEA/11
130
0
131
TE
Jordan Reed
WAS/10
136
5
Eliminated - Rule 1
132
WR
Mohamed Sanu
ATL/9
179
47
Exempt - Rule 6
133
QB
Mitchell Trubisky
CHI/6
147
14
134
RB
C.J. Anderson
DET/5
190
56
Exempt - Rule 6
135
WR
DeSean Jackson
PHI/10
121
-14
Eliminated - Rule 4
136
RB
Jordan Howard
PHI/10
84
-52
Eliminated - Rule 3
137
QB
Tom Brady
NE/10
110
-27
Eliminated - Rule 4
138
WR
Jamison Crowder
NYJ/4
160
22
Eliminated - Rule 1
139
TD
Los Angeles Rams
LAR/9
119
-20
140
TE
Jimmy Graham
GB/11
155
15
Eliminated - Rule 2
141
RB
Kalen Ballage
MIA/5
116
-25
Eliminated - Rule 1
142
WR
Anthony Miller
CHI/6
144
2
143
QB
Jimmy Garoppolo
SF/4
153
10
Eliminated - Rule 2
144
TE
Mark Andrews
BAL/8
154
10
Eliminated - Rule 1
145
RB
Jaylen Samuels
PIT/7
126
-19
146
TD
Jacksonville Jaguars
JAX/10
124
-22
Eliminated - Rule 1
147
WR
Kenny Stills
MIA/5
189
42
Exempt - Rule 6
148
RB
Tony Pollard
DAL/8
166
18
Eliminated - Rule 2
149
QB
Philip Rivers
LAC/12
127
-22
Eliminated - Rule 4
150
TE
Eric Ebron
IND/6
77
-73
Eliminated - Rule 3
151
WR
John Brown
BUF/6
158
7
Eliminated - Rule 1
152
WR
Zay Jones
BUF/6
221
69
Exempt - Rule 6
153
TE
Dallas Goedert
PHI/10
186
33
154
QB
Derek Carr
OAK/6
171
17
Eliminated - Rule 2
155
RB
Devin Singletary
BUF/6
145
-10
Eliminated - Rule 1
156
WR
Quincy Enunwa
NYJ/4
265
109
Exempt - Rule 6
157
PK
Greg Zuerlein
LAR/9
113
-44
Eliminated - Rule 3
158
RB
Mike Davis
CHI/6
200
42
Exempt - Rule 6
159
TD
Los Angeles Chargers
LAC/12
142
-17
160
TE
Jack Doyle
IND/6
184
24
161
WR
Geronimo Allison
GB/11
114
-47
Eliminated - Rule 2
162
TD
Minnesota Vikings
MIN/12
132
-30
163
QB
Matthew Stafford
DET/5
181
18
164
WR
James Washington
PIT/7
125
-39
165
RB
Justice Hill
BAL/8
175
10
Eliminated - Rule 1
166
QB
Jacoby Brissett
IND/6
265
99
Exempt - Rule 6
167
TE
Greg Olsen
CAR/7
148
-19
Eliminated - Rule 4
168
WR
Tre'Quan Smith
NO/9
199
31
169
RB
Alexander Mattison
MIN/12
170
1
170
WR
Paul Richardson Jr
WAS/10
265
95
Exempt - Rule 6
171
PK
Harrison Butker
KC/12
138
-33
172
TD
Photos provided by Imagn Images
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