X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Predicting This Year's League-Winning Studs

Who are this year's breakout players and league winners for the 2019 fantasy football season? Brett Mitchell does a side-by-side comparison to find RB, WR, and TE that should be draft targets in all leagues.

At the end of every fantasy season, the major platforms release a list of the players most commonly on championship teams. Some of these players were taken in the first round, some in the top-five rounds and some came out of nowhere to be major championship contenders.

In this article, we will take a look at the top-10 players from 2018 to see if we can make some predictions about the potential top-10 for 2019.

Below you will find the top 10 guys on the highest percentages of championship teams in 2018 (excluding K and Def), their 2018 ADP and my prediction for this year's version of that player.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

#1 Christian McCaffrey – 2018 ADP (18)

Who can we find in the second round that can possibly finish near the top of the RB mountain? My selection is Nick Chubb (ADP-18).  Great talent, surging offense, Duke Johnson gone... enough said.

 

#2 Patrick Mahomes – 2018 ADP (110)

Late-round QB with tremendous upside? At roughly this ADP I’d have to go with Kyler Murray (ADP-95). Murray was a huge producer in college and will be blessed with a talented offensive cast and a new system in Arizona. Christian Kirk yes, Larry Fitzgerald yes, David Johnson Yessssssss. Very similar situation to Mahomes with a lot of unknowns that could bite you or reward you.

 

#3 Travis Kelce – 2018 ADP (28)

Grab Mr. George Kittle (ADP-30) a round later than Kelce for a chance at fantasy gold. He broke the tight end yardage record last year despite below-average QB play. Little competition on the WR front and drastically improved QB play with Jimmy Garoppolo back at the helm. You can reasonably expect more than his TD total from 2018 - 5 TDs.

 

#4 Adam Thielen – 2018 ADP (32)

Who’s a player in the third round that was already great but makes you question, “Am I really going to draft this guy so high?" The name that stands out for me here is Julian Edelman (ADP-39). Edelman is the teacher’s pet who goes wild with Gronk out of the lineup and guess what…. he gone! Does Edelman give me goosebumps? No and in every mock, I question drafting him above sexier players but this is the guy that’s gonna get a million targets and wind up on a high percentage of championship fantasy teams.

 

#5 Saquon Barkley – 2018 ADP (6)

Freak talent just outside the top four (Barkley, Kamara, McCaffrey, Elliot)? I’m gonna have to go with one of my favorites, David Johnson (ADP-5). A new system, and a new QB who is elusive and super talented and has something to prove! I think Johnson could return to greatness this year after a season that he still finished as an RB1 with everything against him.

 

#6 Tyreek Hill – 2018 ADP (27)

Is there another guy this fast teamed up with a guy who can throw that far?  Probably not, but when I’m on the clock, I’ll take a look at the third round and select the guy to me that is set up to succeed in a similar fashion, Amari Cooper (ADP-32). We’ve all been waiting years for Cooper to live up to expectations. He’s flashed with some enormous games but seems to have finally found some consistency with Dak Prescott. I believe this could be the year, after his first full offseason with Dallas, that Cooper booms to the top of the WR list. Ezekiel Elliott's absence could help Cooper's target totals or hurt the offense as a whole. Draft with caution (but who wants to play it safe?).

 

#7 JuJu Smith-Schuster – 2018 ADP (41)

Can we find a number two, with a QB who loves to chuck it like Big Ben, that is young and ready to take a massive leap up the boards? It feels like there are so many options here, but one guy stands out - Chris Godwin (ADP-48). Jameis Winston loves to hurl the ball and Godwin has already shown that he is a very talented player. I believe the lesson in this pick and in Smith-Schuster last year is that many #2’s are better values than #1’s. For example, I’m going Godwin over Lockett and Golladay. Very close honorable mention is Tyler Boyd, but the checkdown king, Andy Dalton, doesn’t exactly compare to Big Ben.

 

#8 Zach Ertz – 2018 ADP (35)

Wow, two tight ends in the top-10 players on championship teams? I think this goes to show the value of getting one of these elite players rather than streaming. I’m going to take the easy road here and name… Zach Ertz (ADP-27). This year’s Zach Ertz will be played by himself. Is there competition from Dallas Goedert? Yes, there is. But Wentz loves his biggest target, DeSean Jackson is going to open up the field and the Eagles are going to be a very good offense. It is a wise move to invest in good offenses and a guy who has proven he can deliver.

 

#9 Alvin Kamara – 2018 ADP (7)

My goodness, remember those first four games last year when Mark Ingram was suspended? Holy moly. Who can I think of that is already known for being incredible, is on a fantastic offense, but could cede some opportunity to another back? This year’s Alvin Kamara my friends is none other than Todd Gurley (ADP-13). I believe in Sean McVay and trust that he will use Todd Gurley efficiently. And I believe that his usage will look much like our stud Alvin Kamara's. I think Gurley loses 25%-35% of his carries but gains points in the value of his touches. Again, the knee poses a risk but the reward could be so sweet.

 

#10 George Kittle – 2018 ADP (133)

Another tight end?!? Who has the talent at this dubious position to jump from a late-round pick to the top of the TE leaderboard? Well, I had to deviate up the ADP board a bit to find the player that reminds me most of George Kittle.  That similar athletic phenom, with similar measurables and college production (PlayerProfiler), is my favorite player from the U, David Njoku (ADP-90)! I think Njoku’s path to TE stardom will look different, with more TDs than Kittle’s five but fewer yards. I do believe that this talented freak athlete could break out on this vastly improved offense. Are there a lot of mouths to feed? Sure, but I believe this team is going to score a lot and David Njoku is going to be a major beneficiary.

 

Now take some of these guys in your drafts and stack the percentages in your favor. As always, hit me up on Twitter @BrettMitchellFB to chime in.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS


Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday

Bears Draft Luther Burden In Round 2
Buffalo Bills

Bills Move Up To 41st Pick In Trade With Bears

Patriots Add TreVeyon Henderson To The Backfield At Pick No. 38
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Acquire 37th Pick From Raiders, Draft Jonah Savaiinaea

Browns Add Quinshon Judkins To Backfield With 36th Pick
Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Acquire 35th Pick From Titans, Select Nick Emmanwori

Texans Select Jayden Higgins 34th Overall
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3

Tyler Shough Could Come Off The Board Before Shedeur Sanders
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Isaiah Spiller

Raiders Waive Isaiah Spiller
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
NFL

Several Teams Trying To Trade Up Early In Round 2

Bhayshul Tuten Could Be A Third-Round Pick
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Moises Ballesteros

Riding An 11-Game Hit Streak
Victor Mesa Jr.

Starting Rehab Assignment On Saturday
Ryan Weathers

To Begin Rehab Assignment On Sunday
Colby Thomas

Heating Up At Triple-A
Emmanuel Rodriguez

Has Quiet Start To 2025
Jeff McNeil

Hitting Eighth In Season Debut
Brandon Sproat

Coughs Up Six Earned Runs In Latest Start
Eury Pérez

Eury Perez To Start Rehab Assignment On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF