Updated Rest of Season Rankings: Standard & PPR Leagues

RotoBaller rankings guru Ryan Rufe (@RyanRufe) bring you his updated rest of season rankings for fantasy football:

Rest of Season Rankings Highlights

Cam Newton continued his ascendancy into fantasy elite with a phenomenal passing and running game against the Pats. If he keeps up this kind of play there is a legitimate case to make him one of the first QBs drafted next year.  RG3 continues to be in the news for what he says, but his play continues to delight fantasy.  He’s always one big hit away from being out for an extended stretch, but as long as he's healthy and taking snaps he is a top tier QB.  For those who overspent on Tom Brady, don’t despair.  You definitely overpaid and should not make the same mistake again, but at least he’s passing for around 300 yards. That’s why we keep saying don’t spend too much on a top 1 QB. There is too much volatility and people get swayed by a big name.  For goodness sake, Mike Glennon put up more points in week 11 than Tom Brady.

As for running backs, it seems that every week we have a new breakout #1.  Bobby Rainey is last week’s star and looks like the top choice for lead RB duties in Tampa Bay down the stretch.  The original plan was for Rainey to split carries with Brian Leonard but that won’t happen now.  New England’s backfield got more complicated with Shane Vereen back.  Now there are three legitimate players including LeGarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley who are getting touches every game.  Stevan Ridley's value declines a bit, although he did score a TD against the Panthers, but also had a costly fumble and was benched for a stretch of the game.  Matt Forte is the ultimate consistency at RB, especially in PPR leagues.  When his running game suffers, he still has about five receptions.  Plug him into your lineup every week and consider him slightly below the 2011-2012 version of Ray Rice.

At WR, one of the biggest surprises is Harry Douglas who continues to put up borderline WR1 numbers.  The Falcons keep playing from behind and Matt Ryan keeps looking to Douglas.  We saw be more of the same when they played New Orleans, as he racked up 9 receptions for 79 yards.  Wes Welker takes a hit on the rankings due to a nasty concussion that may sideline him in week 12.  Too soon to tell how long this may linger but with a renewed focus on concussions the league may force the Broncos to play it safe with a high-profile star.  Plus, the Broncos have plenty of weapons and don’t need to rush Welker back if he’s not 100%.  Jordy Nelson shows no signs of slowing down, even with Aaron Rodgers not at QB.  He is an example of another player who benefits from his team playing from behind and forcing the passing game during the second half of games.  A lower-end WR sleeper candidate down the stretch is Giants receiver Rueben Randle who leads his team with 6 TDs despite only 29 receptions this season.

Jimmy Graham's name still shines bright.  The Saints offense is still potent and he has a chance to explode any game, as long as he can remain healthy down the stetch.  Fully healed or not, Gronk is obviously Brady’s favorite target.  He’s top of the charts this year and will be for the next several years.  This may be a good week to buy low on Jordan Reed if you can.  Although he is missing Week 12's game with lingering concussion symptoms, he should be back soon so try now to coax an owner into selling low.  Once he's back, Reed will be a featured TE down the stretch.

As always, you can banter about our rankings or get sit-start / matchups advice this week in our live chatroom.

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Ryan Rufe booked his first fantasy sports win at eleven years old.  He’s a RotoBaller through and through and also contributes as an MLB Beat Writer for RotoWire.com.  For more from him, follow him on Twitter @RyanRufe.