The NFL season may not truly begin until August, but it's never too early for fantasy football. With that in mind, let's take a look at where some former Buckeyes sit at this point in a handful fantasy football rankings.
| Player | POS | Team | NFL.Com | Fox SPORTS | sPORTS iLLUSTRATED | CBS Sports | BLeacher Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Dallas Cowboys | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | WR | Carolina Panthers | 152nd | 157th | – | – | – |
| Michael Thomas | WR | New Orleans Saints | 18th | 15th | 20th | 13th | 17th |
| Carlos Hyde | RB | San Francisco 49ers | 21st | 48th | 26th | 21st | 36th |
| Terrelle Pryor | WR | Washington Redskins | 39th | 51st | 36th | 49th | 66th |
| Curtis Samuel | WR | Carolina Panthers | 169th | 156th | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Player | POS | Team | Fox Sports | ESPN | CBS Sports | sPORTING nEWS | PFF | Bleacher Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Dallas Cowboys | 3rd | 3rd | T-1st | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd |
| Carlos Hyde | RB | San Fransisco 49ers | 19th | 16th | 6th | 12th | 9th | 14th |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | WR | Carolina Panthers | 64th | 49th | – | – | – | – |
| Michael Thomas | WR | New Orleans Saints | 7th | 9th | 9th | 10th | 10th | 9th |
| Terrelle Pryor | WR | Washington Redskins | 23rd | 17th | 26th | 21st | 17th | 29th |
| Curtis Samuel | WR | Carolina Panthers | 67th | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | – |
Following the season he had in 2016 as a rookie, Zeke sits exactly where he's supposed to be. However, is a "sophomore slump" in the cards for him come this fall? I think his numbers (1,631 yards, 15 touchdowns) drop a tad, but nothing drastic. He's still going to be a top-five back in 2017.
While Ginn may not be looked at as an integral part of the New Orleans offense like he was in Carolina, he will be catching passes from one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history in Drew Brees. Brees has thrown at least 33 touchdowns in every season since 2008 and knows how to "spread the love", so Thomas and Ginn will have their fair share of catches.
As a late-round or waiver wire pickup, Ginn is definitely worth taking if you need a slot filled as long as he's healthy. He's also likely to be a contributor as a kickoff/punt returner, so he could earn you some valuable points on special teams.
A little too early to exactly predict where Samuel is going to end up, but his explosiveness and natural athletic ability are going to be huge upsides for any fantasy player looking for a flex or second wide receiver. I think he's going to be one of Cam Newton's favorite targets.
The biggest surprise from these rankings? Carlos Hyde. Despite having some issues with injuries the past three seasons, Hyde is still ranked relatively high at running back just based on his production last season. In 13 games last year, Hyde rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and scored six touchdowns — however, he did cough it up four times.
Hyde did suffer a sprained MCL in week 17 of 2016. However, if he can find a way to recover, continue to fight off injury and hold onto the football, there's no reason why "El Guapo" can't be a top-10 back and give you solid points every week.
