Did you draft Jordy Nelson in 2015? How about Kelvin Benjamin or one of the 30 other fantasy starters that failed us due to injury? That's right, 30 key fantasy starters (projected) went down in 2015! That's the most injuries to key players we've seen in over 4 straight seasons. I was once told to "never let pain go to waste" and I think that applies here perfectly. I lost a couple leagues due to some pretty high profile draft picks catching the injury bug. There's a way to learn and grow from this and draft a stronger team in 2016. I'll do this by rankings all the positions as if I'am drafting today for the 2016 fantasy football season. I'll pay special attention to where some of the injured players were ranking pre-draft 2015 to get an idea of where they might be ranked for 2016. But let's be honest here, with all the coaching changes / 2016 NFL draft / free agent moves, these rankings are really just an exercise to ensure we remember the wounded and have some sort of indication of value going forward.
I'll highlight some of the players ranked below that were injured for the majority of the 2015 season.
Quarterback
Rank | Name | Team |
1 | Cam Newton | Panthers |
2 | Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers |
3 | Andrew Luck | Colts |
4 | Aaron Rodgers | Packers |
5 | Drew Brees | Saints |
6 | Tom Brady | Patriots |
7 | Tony Romo | Cowboys |
8 | Russell Wilson | Seahawks |
9 | Carson Palmer | Cardinals |
10 | Blake Bortles | Jaguars |
11 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | Jets |
12 | Matt Ryan | Falcons |
13 | Jameis Winston | Buccaneers |
14 | Eli Manning | Giants |
15 | Ryan Tannehill | Dolphins |
16 | Philip Rivers | Chargers |
17 | Derek Carr | Raiders |
18 | Andy Dalton | Bengals |
19 | Marcus Mariota | Titans |
20 | Matthew Stafford | Lions |
21 | Jay Cutler | Bears |
22 | Tyrod Taylor | Bills |
23 | Joe Flacco | Ravens |
24 | Teddy Bridgewater | Vikings |
25 | Kirk Cousins | Redskins |
Running Back
Rank | Name | Team |
1 | Le'Veon Bell | Steelers |
2 | Todd Gurley | Rams |
3 | LeSean McCoy | Bills |
4 | David Johnson | Cardinals |
5 | Devonta Freeman | Falcons |
6 | Doug Martin | Buccaneers |
7 | DeMarco Murray | Eagles |
8 | T.J. Yeldon | Jaguars |
9 | Jamaal Charles | Chiefs |
10 | Adrian Peterson | Vikings |
11 | Lamar Miller | Dolphins |
12 | Mark Ingram | Saints |
13 | Eddie Lacy | Packers |
14 | Darren McFadden | Cowboys |
15 | Marshawn Lynch | Seahawks |
16 | Melvin Gordon | Chargers |
17 | Matt Forte | Bears |
18 | Jonathan Stewart | Panthers |
19 | Matt Jones | Redskins |
20 | Ameer Abdullah | Lions |
21 | C.J. Anderson | Broncos |
22 | Carlos Hyde | 49ers |
23 | Jeremy Langford | Bears |
24 | Arian Foster | Texans |
25 | Dion Lewis | Patriots |
26 | Latavius Murray | Raiders |
Wide Receiver
Rank | Name | Team |
1 | Antonio Brown | Steelers |
2 | Julio Jones | Falcons |
3 | Odell Beckham Jr. | Giants |
4 | Dez Bryant | Cowboys |
5 | A.J. Green | Bengals |
6 | Jordy Nelson | Packers |
7 | Kelvin Benjamin | Panthers |
8 | DeAndre Hopkins | Texans |
9 | Allen Robinson | Jaguars |
10 | Amari Cooper | Raiders |
11 | Brandon Marshall | Jets |
12 | Keenan Allen | Chargers |
13 | Demaryius Thomas | Broncos |
14 | Brandin Cooks | Saints |
15 | Julian Edelman | Patriots |
16 | Alshon Jeffery | Bears |
17 | Donte Moncrief | Colts |
18 | Calvin Johnson | Lions |
19 | Sammy Watkins | Bills |
20 | Mike Evans | Buccaneers |
21 | Jarvis Landry | Dolphins |
22 | Randall Cobb | Packers |
32 | Michael Floyd | Cardinals |
24 | Eric Decker | Jets |
25 | Emmanuel Sanders | Broncos |
26 | Jordan Matthews | Eagles |
27 | Martavis Bryant | Steelers |
28 | Josh Gordon | Browns |
29 | Jeremy Maclin | Chiefs |
30 | DeVante Parker | Dolphins |
31 | T.Y. Hilton | Colts |
34 | John Brown | Cardinals |
33 | Doug Baldwin | Seahawks |
23 | Larry Fitzgerald | Cardinals |
35 | Kevin White | Bears |
36 | Breshad Perriman | Ravens |
37 | Allen Hurns | Jaguars |
38 | Golden Tate | Lions |
Tight End
Rank | Name | Team |
1 | Rob Gronkowski | Patriots |
2 | Jordan Reed | Redskins |
3 | Travis Kelce | Chiefs |
4 | Tyler Eifert | Bengals |
5 | Greg Olsen | Panthers |
6 | Delanie Walker | Titans |
7 | Jimmy Graham | Seahawks |
8 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | Buccaneers |
9 | Zach Ertz | Eagles |
10 | Julius Thomas | Jaguars |
11 | Kyle Rudolph | Vikings |
12 | Martellus Bennett | Bears |
13 | Jason Witten | Cowboys |
14 | Ladarious Green | Chargers |
15 | Jordan Cameron | Dolphins |
16 | Gary Barnidge | Browns |
17 | Antonio Gates | Chargers |
18 | Eric Ebron | Lions |
19 | Maxx Williams | Ravens |
20 | Charles Clay | Bills |
21 | Richard Rodgers | Packers |
22 | Dwayne Allen | Colts |
23 | Benjamin Watson | Saints |
24 | Heath Miller | Steelers |
25 | Vance McDonald | 49ers |
26 | Zach Miller | Bears |