The trade deadline in ESPN standard leagues is the day before Thanksgiving at noon ET, which means depending on when you are reading this you either still have a little bit of time to make deals or you’ve already run out of time. Regardless, end-of-season rankings like the ones you see below aren’t merely about making trades. Sometimes they’re about free agent pickups and who to drop to make room for them. And sometimes they’re merely about checking out value and learning.
Quarterbacks
Two major changes in the top 10, and they might seem a bit strange on the surface. After all, Seattle Seahawks starter Russell Wilson still isn’t adding tremendous value with his legs, not like past seasons, and he’s not likely to score another receiving touchdown anytime soon. But he’s registered three consecutive games with 22 or more fantasy points, and he rises to No. 6, passing Carolina’s Cam Newton, who has failed to reach 15 fantasy points in three of four, including the Week 11 game with the Saints. And Ben Roethlisberger is still top 10, but only eight points against the Browns? We need more consistent production.
Then there’s Tennessee Titans sophomore Marcus Mariota. He’s been great, arguably the position’s MVP over the past two months considering he was a free-agent pickup in most leagues, and Sunday he scored 21 points. So why the drop? Well, we’re running out of season, folks. Mariota faces the weak Chicago Bears this weekend but after that, it’s a bye week and the Denver Broncos. In other words, things are about to change for Mariota. Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston, the player Mariota will always be compared to, plays the Saints twice in December. That’s more valuable.
Running backs
Pretty quiet week at running back, as a mere four players managed to score as many as 14 standard fantasy points, and two of them are among the most valuable options in the sport. Whatever order one prefers to rank David Johnson, Le'Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott, go for it. Tough to argue too much. One differentiator is the veterans see far more targets in the passing game and are productive even when the running game isn’t quite working. The other two risers are Washington’s Robert Kelley, who embarrassed the Packers for 137 rushing yards and three scores Sunday night, and the Giants’ Rashad Jennings, who has actually been pretty good the past two games.
We also take a moment to remember the fallen from the fantasy rankings, as the Bengals’ Giovani Bernard tore an ACL and the Seahawks’ C.J. Prosise certainly had a short run of relevance in fantasy. Each is out for the rest of the season. As a result, Jeremy Hill does move up a bit, but it’s still unlikely he’ll play a major role in the passing game. Rex Burkhead slips into the top 60 as the Cincinnati third-down back. Thomas Rawls looked like the 2015 version Sunday and moves into immediate RB2 territory. And near the very end of the rankings we see a few familiar names in Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson and Denver’s C.J. Anderson as they could return from knee injuries around Week 16 or so.
Wide receivers
The major change in the top 20 is the unfortunate departure of Bengals star A.J. Green, as his season is compromised due to a hamstring tear. However, he remains ranked at the very end in case he can return in mid-December. Bengals rookie Tyler Boyd and veteran Brandon LaFell suddenly become WR4 options, but the youngster with upside is more recommended. Then again, with no teams on a bye in Week 12 and only the Browns and Titans idle the following week to finish things up, perhaps you don’t need the depth. Take a chance on Boyd anyway.
Others moving up in the rankings include Washington’s Jamison Crowder, the Ravens’ Steve Smith Sr., Giants rookie Sterling Shepard and Miami’s DeVante Parker. Crowder's worst fantasy game in his past six is nine standard points, which is a high floor, and Kirk Cousins isn’t going to stop producing. Smith has touchdowns in consecutive games and no matter his age, is always motivated. Shepard used to be ranked as a WR3 and has returned to a similar position. Parker, unlike teammate Jarvis Landry, is trending in the right direction. And see if you have a bench spot for Buffalo’s Sammy Watkins, he could return soon.
Tight ends
The top tight end of Week 11 for standard and PPR scoring was Green Bay’s Jared Cook, and chances are you weren’t even aware Cook was on the Packers. His previous reception had come in Week 3. Cook moves into the rankings but there isn’t much movement at this position, since there’s not much to change. Rob Gronkowski could play in Week 12. Eric Ebron and Zach Ertz look like top-10 options and are closing in, so keep them in mind, especially if you own injured Bear Zach Miller, who is out for the season.