{"id":14516,"date":"2025-08-07T14:14:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T14:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/?p=14516"},"modified":"2025-08-07T14:14:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T14:14:23","slug":"fantasy-football-mike-clays-ranking-of-the-192-players-who-should-be-rostered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/?p=14516","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy football &#8211; Mike Clay&#8217;s ranking of the 192 players who should be rostered"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<ul class=\"authors\">\n<li class=\"mugshot-shown\">\n<p>Mike Clay<span class=\"timestamp \">Aug 7, 2025, 08:33 AM ET<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Close<\/p>\n<ul>Mike Clay is a senior writer for fantasy football and the NFL at ESPN. Mike is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. His projections power the ESPN Fantasy Football game, and he also appears on &#8220;Fantasy Football Now&#8221; and the Fantasy Focus Football podcast.<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We&#8217;re closing in on the start of the 2025 NFL regular season, which means it&#8217;s time for &#8220;The 192&#8221; for fantasy football.<\/p>\n<p>Fantasy leagues come in all shapes and sizes, but many have settled into the vicinity of 12 teams and 16 roster spots. &#8220;The 192&#8221; is a listing of the 192 players who should be drafted (and thus rostered) in such a league with PPR scoring and standard settings. The players are technically listed in the order they should be drafted, though it&#8217;s important to remember drafts are fluid and your decisions should be altered based on what&#8217;s left on the board and your previous selections.<\/p>\n<p>What if you&#8217;re in an eight-team league? Or a 16-teamer? &#8220;The 192&#8221; can still help you win, but you&#8217;ll certainly need to make tweaks in the middle-to-late rounds. For example, in a deeper league, you should identify cutoff points at certain positions to ensure you land a viable starter (perhaps you want to make sure you get one of the top 11 quarterbacks, or one of the top eight tight ends, or you want two of the top 22 running backs). In a shallower league, you might want to wait even longer at quarterback or tight end if you&#8217;re comfortable with eight to 10 starters at that position.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The 192&#8221; should serve as a simple guide to help you maximize the value of your starting lineup while making the best possible decision in each round.<\/p>\n<p>For a deeper look, check out Cheat Sheet Central.<\/p>\n<p>Sign up for ESPN Fantasy Football. Play the No. 1 Fantasy game for free!<\/p>\n<p>1. Ja&#8217;Marr Chase, CIN, WR1<br \/>2. Bijan Robinson, ATL, RB1<\/p>\n<p>Could you make a case for Justin Jefferson or perhaps a running back like Saquon Barkley or Christian McCaffrey here? Of course. But my preference is to choose one of Chase or Robinson. Whereas Jefferson will be dealing with another QB change and Barkley and McCaffrey have age and workload concerns, Chase and Robinson are early in their prime and positioned very similarly to how they were during massively productive 2024 seasons. Chase outscored Jefferson (the No. 2-scoring WR) by 85.5 fantasy points and, after a slow start, Robinson was fantasy&#8217;s top-scoring RB after Week 5 last season.<\/p>\n<p>3. Justin Jefferson, MIN, WR2<br \/>4. Saquon Barkley, PHI, RB2<br \/>5. Jahmyr Gibbs, DET, RB3<\/p>\n<p>Despite the nitpicking, Jefferson and Barkley are too good to pass on here. Gibbs very well could repeat as fantasy&#8217;s highest-scoring RB, though with interior offensive line questions and the return of David Montgomery, he&#8217;s best valued a hair lower than Robinson and Barkley.<\/p>\n<p>6. CeeDee Lamb, DAL, WR3<br \/>7. Christian McCaffrey, SF, RB4<br \/>8. Puka Nacua, LAR, WR4<br \/>9. Malik Nabers, NYG, WR5<br \/>10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET, WR6<br \/>11. Ashton Jeanty, LV, RB5<br \/>12. De&#8217;Von Achane, MIA, RB6<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s be honest: It&#8217;s going to be hard to mess up your first-round pick. There really isn&#8217;t a big drop-off from our second to third tier, as any of these players could easily pace their respective position in fantasy points. That includes McCaffrey, who is riskier than ever at age 29 off another injury-plagued season, but who has perhaps the highest ceiling at the position, as well as first-round rookie Jeanty.<\/p>\n<p>Brock Bowers will be a popular pick after leading tight ends in fantasy points last season.\u00a0Andy Lyons\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"editorial-title\">Editor&#8217;s Picks<\/h2>\n<p>2 Related<\/p>\n<p>13. Nico Collins, HOU, WR7<br \/>14. Brian Thomas Jr., JAC, WR8<br \/>15. A.J. Brown, PHI, WR9<br \/>16. Drake London, ATL, WR10<br \/>17. Jonathan Taylor, IND, RB7<br \/>18. Josh Jacobs, GB, RB8<br \/>19. Derrick Henry, BAL, RB9<br \/>20. Brock Bowers, LV, TE1<br \/>21. Trey McBride, ARI, TE2<br \/>22. Bucky Irving, TB, RB10<br \/>23. Kyren Williams, LAR, RB11<br \/>24. Ladd McConkey, LAC, WR11<br \/>25. Tee Higgins, CIN, WR12<br \/>26. Tyreek Hill, MIA, WR13<br \/>27. Davante Adams, LAR, WR14<\/p>\n<p>The bulk of Round 2 includes a handful of solid RB1 and WR1 options, as well as top tight ends Bowers and McBride, who figure to battle it out to pace the position in fantasy points this season. There are age concerns for Henry (31), Adams (32) and Hill (31), but all three are well positioned for one more big fantasy campaign.<\/p>\n<p>28. Josh Allen, BUF, QB1<br \/>29. Lamar Jackson, BAL, QB2<br \/>30. Jayden Daniels, WAS, QB3<br \/>31. Jalen Hurts, PHI, QB4<\/p>\n<p>Round 3 is when I&#8217;m willing to consider pouncing on a quarterback, simply because the big four of Allen, Jackson, Daniels and Hurts have a clear edge over the rest of the field. If I miss on any of these four (feel free to order them however you wish), I&#8217;m content waiting quite a while before grabbing a passer.<\/p>\n<p>32. Chase Brown, CIN, RB12<br \/>33. James Cook, BUF, RB13<br \/>34. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA, WR15<br \/>35. Terry McLaurin, WAS, WR16<br \/>36. Garrett Wilson, NYJ, WR17<br \/>37. Kenneth Walker III, SEA, RB14<br \/>38. Alvin Kamara, NO, RB15<br \/>39. Joe Burrow, CIN, QB5<br \/>40. George Kittle, SF, TE3<br \/>41. Chuba Hubbard, CAR, RB16<br \/>42. Omarion Hampton, LAC, RB17<br \/>43. James Conner, ARI, RB18<br \/>44. Breece Hall, NYJ, RB19<br \/>45. Mike Evans, TB, WR18<br \/>46. Marvin Harrison Jr., ARI, WR19<br \/>47. DK Metcalf, PIT, WR20<br \/>48. DJ Moore, CHI, WR21<br \/>49. Rashee Rice, KC, WR22<br \/>50. Xavier Worthy, KC, WR23<br \/>51. Joe Mixon, HOU, RB20<\/p>\n<p>This tier covers the majority of the fourth round and includes most of our RB2 and WR2 options, as well as Kittle (who actually led the TE position in fantasy PPG last season) and Burrow. The big question here is whether we aim toward proven, veteran RBs like Kamara (age 30), Conner (30) or Mixon (29), or pivot to the more youthful options, which include first-round rookie Hampton. &#8230; Harrison is an intriguing &#8220;post-hype&#8221; target after failing to live up to his lofty rookie-season ADP in 2024. &#8230; Rice would be higher and Worthy a little lower if not for Rice&#8217;s pending multigame suspension.<\/p>\n<p>Calvin Ridley is coming off his second consecutive 1,000-yard season but will have a rookie QB throwing to him.\u00a0Mark Konezny\/Imagn Images<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"img-title\">Your League, Your Rules<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Create a league and customize league size, scoring and rules to play in the league you want to play in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Create a league today!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>52. D&#8217;Andre Swift, CHI, RB21<br \/>53. Zay Flowers, BAL, WR24<br \/>54. Courtland Sutton, DEN, WR25<br \/>55. Calvin Ridley, TEN, WR26<br \/>56. DeVonta Smith, PHI, WR27<br \/>57. Jaylen Waddle, MIA, WR28<br \/>58. Jerry Jeudy, CLE, WR29<br \/>59. Jameson Williams, DET, WR30<br \/>60. George Pickens, DAL, WR31<br \/>61. Sam LaPorta, DET, TE4<br \/>62. Patrick Mahomes, KC, QB6<br \/>63. Baker Mayfield, TB, QB7<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re getting to WR3\/flex territory here. Each of these receivers has the look of a viable weekly starter, though they are not without question marks, including QB changes for Ridley (Cameron Ward), Jeudy (to be determined) and Pickens (Dak Prescott). &#8230; Swift, our lone running back in this tier, has little competition to another hefty workload in a Bears offense with a much-improved line. &#8230; LaPorta, Mahomes and Mayfield are midrange options at tight end and quarterback.<\/p>\n<p>64. Rome Odunze, CHI, WR32<br \/>65. Tetairoa McMillan, CAR, WR33<br \/>66. Travis Hunter, JAC, WR34<br \/>67. Aaron Jones Sr., MIN, RB22<br \/>68. David Montgomery, DET, RB23<br \/>69. T.J. Hockenson, MIN, TE5<br \/>70. Kaleb Johnson, PIT, RB24<br \/>71. TreVeyon Henderson, NE, RB25<br \/>72. RJ Harvey, DEN, RB26<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re getting to the point in the draft in which you&#8217;re still working on your starting lineup but can feel good about taking on more risk. Odunze and rookies McMillan and Hunter are breakout candidates at the WR position, whereas Johnson, Henderson and Harvey are rookie RBs who need to fend off veteran competition for lead back duties. &#8230; We also have a few &#8220;safer&#8221; options here in Jones, Montgomery and Hockenson.<\/p>\n<p>73. Chris Godwin, TB, WR35<br \/>74. Jakobi Meyers, LV, WR36<br \/>75. Chris Olave, NO, WR37<br \/>76. Cooper Kupp, SEA, WR38<br \/>77. Stefon Diggs, NE, WR39<br \/>78. Matthew Golden, GB, WR40<br \/>79. Jordan Addison, MIN, WR41<br \/>80. Tony Pollard, TEN, RB27<br \/>81. Isiah Pacheco, KC, RB28<br \/>82. Javonte Williams, DAL, RB29<br \/>83. Travis Kelce, KC, TE6<br \/>84. David Njoku, CLE, TE7<br \/>85. Mark Andrews, BAL, TE8<br \/>86. Evan Engram, DEN, TE9<br \/>87. Bo Nix, DEN, QB8<br \/>88. Kyler Murray, ARI, QB9<br \/>89. Brock Purdy, SF, QB10<\/p>\n<p>This tier is flush with viable flex options and a chunk of mid- to back-end starters at QB and TE. This wide receiver group really shows off the depth of the position, as Godwin (who would be much higher if fully healthy), 32-year-old Kupp and Diggs (31) were recently elite fantasy options and certainly could have another big season in the tank. &#8230; It should be noted that Addison will serve a 3-game suspension to begin the 2025 regular season.<\/p>\n<p>The Bears and fantasy managers alike are hoping for a big jump from Caleb Williams.\u00a0Robin Alam\/Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n<p>90. Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG, RB30<br \/>91. Brian Robinson Jr., WAS, RB31<br \/>92. Jaylen Warren, PIT, RB32<br \/>93. Rhamondre Stevenson, NE, RB33<br \/>94. Cam Skattebo, NYG, RB34<br \/>95. J.K. Dobbins, DEN, RB35<br \/>96. Khalil Shakir, BUF, WR42<br \/>97. Jauan Jennings, SF, WR43<br \/>98. Deebo Samuel, WAS, WR44<br \/>99. Ricky Pearsall, SF, WR45<br \/>100. Keon Coleman, BUF, WR46<br \/>101. Michael Pittman Jr., IND, WR47<br \/>102. Jayden Reed, GB, WR48<br \/>103. Caleb Williams, CHI, QB11<br \/>104. Justin Herbert, LAC, QB12<br \/>105. Dak Prescott, DAL, QB13<br \/>106. Justin Fields, NYJ, QB14<\/p>\n<p>This tier is headlined by running backs who are battling for work in committee backfields, as well as wide receivers who are mainly either breakout candidates (Pearsall, Coleman) or solid flex options with limited upside (Shakir, Pittman, Reed). Williams, another breakout candidate, leads a list of fringe-QB1 options.<\/p>\n<p>107. Keenan Allen, LAC, WR49<br \/>108. Darnell Mooney, ATL, WR50<br \/>109. Josh Downs, IND, WR51<br \/>110. Rashid Shaheed, NO, WR52<br \/>111. Jayden Higgins, HOU, WR53<br \/>112. Emeka Egbuka, TB, WR54<br \/>113. Tucker Kraft, GB, TE10<br \/>114. Austin Ekeler, WAS, RB36<br \/>115. Travis Etienne Jr., JAC, RB37<br \/>116. Tyjae Spears, TEN, RB38<br \/>117. Tank Bigsby, JAC, RB39<br \/>118. Jerome Ford, CLE, RB40<br \/>119. Rachaad White, TB, RB41<br \/>120. Jordan Mason, MIN, RB42<br \/>121. Drake Maye, NE, QB15<br \/>122. Jordan Love, GB, QB16<br \/>123. Jared Goff, DET, QB17<br \/>124. J.J. McCarthy, MIN, QB18<br \/>125. Colston Loveland, CHI, TE11<br \/>126. Dallas Goedert, PHI, TE12<br \/>127. Jake Ferguson, DAL, TE13<br \/>128. Dalton Kincaid, BUF, TE14<br \/>129. Tyler Warren, IND, TE15<br \/>130. Quinshon Judkins, CLE, RB43<br \/>131. Dylan Sampson, CLE, RB44<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re getting deep into the draft and you&#8217;re primarily looking to add either one last flex option (in deeper leagues) or quality bench options. Rookies Higgins, Egbuka, Loveland and Warren were Day 1-2 draft picks worth a lottery ticket, whereas second-year players Maye and McCarthy are upside targets at quarterback. &#8230; The Browns&#8217; backfield situation is worth watching, with second-round rookie Judkins unsigned and potentially facing a substantial suspension following a domestic violence arrest. If he&#8217;s not on the field, Ford and Sampson would handle backfield work.<\/p>\n<p>Trey Benson provides quality insurance behind starter James Conner.\u00a0Marc Lebryk\/USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"img-title\">Pigskin Win Totals<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Predict OVER or UNDER for every team&#8217;s win total. FREE to play. $5K in prizes! Make Your Picks<\/p>\n<p>132. Trey Benson, ARI, RB45<br \/>133. Zach Charbonnet, SEA, RB46<br \/>134. Tyler Allgeier, ATL, RB47<br \/>135. Najee Harris, LAC, RB48<br \/>136. Adam Thielen, CAR, WR55<br \/>137. Xavier Legette, CAR, WR56<br \/>138. Cedric Tillman, CLE, WR57<br \/>139. Hollywood Brown, KC, WR58<br \/>140. Brandon Aiyuk, SF, WR59<br \/>141. Hunter Henry, NE, TE16<br \/>142. Kyle Pitts Sr., ATL, TE17<br \/>143. Tua Tagovailoa, MIA, QB19<br \/>144. Matthew Stafford, LAR, QB20<br \/>145. C.J. Stroud, HOU, QB21<\/p>\n<p>This is a fun tier, as it includes some of the best insurance RBs in the game, including Charbonnet, Benson, Allgeier and Harris. All would be lineup locks if their respective team&#8217;s starter went down with an injury. &#8230; Aiyuk is expected to miss regular-season action as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in Week 7 last season.<\/p>\n<p>146. Jaylen Wright, MIA, RB49<br \/>147. Bhayshul Tuten, JAC, RB50<br \/>148. Braelon Allen, NYJ, RB51<br \/>149. Isaac Guerendo, SF, RB52<br \/>150. MarShawn Lloyd, GB, RB53<br \/>151. Ray Davis, BUF, RB54<br \/>152. Jack Bech, LV, WR60<br \/>153. Wan&#8217;Dale Robinson, NYG, WR61<br \/>154. Marvin Mims Jr., DEN, WR62<br \/>155. Kyle Williams, NE, WR63<br \/>156. Rashod Bateman, BAL, WR64<br \/>157. Luther Burden III, CHI, WR65<br \/>158. Jalen McMillan, TB, WR66<br \/>159. Tre Harris, LAC, WR67<br \/>160. Roschon Johnson, CHI, RB55<br \/>161. Jaydon Blue, DAL, RB56<br \/>162. Will Shipley, PHI, RB57<br \/>163. Michael Wilson, ARI, WR68<br \/>164. Pat Bryant, DEN, WR69<br \/>165. Chig Okonkwo, TEN, TE18<br \/>166. Darren Waller, MIA, TE19<br \/>167. Zach Ertz, WAS, TE20<br \/>168. Jonnu Smith, PIT, TE21<\/p>\n<p>This tier rounds out the remaining non-kickers and defenses you should be selecting on draft day. This list includes quite a few intriguing rookies (Tuten, Bech, Williams, Burden, Blue, Bryant), as well as second-year RBs who have insurance appeal if they&#8217;re able to lock down No. 2 duties (Wright, Allen, Guerendo, Lloyd, Davis, Shipley).<\/p>\n<p>169. Texans D\/ST, HOU, DST1<br \/>170. Steelers D\/ST, PIT, DST2<br \/>171. Broncos D\/ST, DEN, DST3<br \/>172. Vikings D\/ST, MIN, DST4<br \/>173. Seahawks D\/ST, SEA, DST5<br \/>174. Ravens D\/ST, BAL, DST6<br \/>175. Patriots D\/ST, NE, DST7<br \/>176. Lions D\/ST, DET, DST8<br \/>177. Eagles D\/ST, PHI, DST9<br \/>178. Bills D\/ST, BUF, DST10<br \/>179. Colts D\/ST, IND, DST11<br \/>180. Jets D\/ST, NYJ, DST12<br \/>181. Jake Bates, DET, K1<br \/>182. Chase McLaughlin, TB, K2<br \/>183. Cameron Dicker, LAC, K3<br \/>184. Brandon Aubrey, DAL, K4<br \/>185. Jason Sanders, MIA, K5<br \/>186. Tyler Bass, BUF, K6<br \/>187. Jake Elliott, PHI, K7<br \/>188. Chris Boswell, PIT, K8<br \/>189. Harrison Butker, KC, K9<br \/>190. Cairo Santos, CHI, K10<br \/>191. Tyler Loop, BAL, K11<br \/>192. Matt Gay, WAS, K12<\/p>\n<p>Wait until your final two selections to select your kicker and defense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mike ClayAug 7, 2025, 08:33 AM ET Close Mike Clay is a senior writer for fantasy football and the NFL at ESPN. Mike is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. His projections power the ESPN Fantasy Football game, and he also appears on &#8220;Fantasy Football Now&#8221; and the Fantasy Focus Football podcast. We&#8217;re<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[8144,1189,1413,4520,1496,4504,8145],"class_list":{"0":"post-14516","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-clays","9":"tag-fantasy","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-mike","12":"tag-players","13":"tag-ranking","14":"tag-rostered"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}