Due to the holiday and the three games played on it, this week’s Quick Grades article is out a day early. Happy Thanksgiving, and best of luck in all of your matchups this week!
Once the season begins, the most difficult parts of any fantasy manager’s week are start or sit decisions. These lineup choices can make or break a week, but unfortunately, not everyone has time to sit down and read lengthy fantasy advice articles. That’s where Quick Grades comes in. Each week of the football season, I’ll be providing a condensed and easily digestible chart of grades for over 250 fantasy-relevant players based on the following four criteria:
Fantasy Ability
Dalvin Cook is a week-winner due to his big-play ability and proficiency as a receiver out of the backfield
Expected Volume
Travis Kelce is always heavily targeted as one of Kansas City’s top pass-catching options
Matchup
David Montgomery finished 2020 as an RB1 thanks to a highly-favorable end-of-season schedule
Surrounding Talent
Sam Darnold has a strong group of skill-position players around him now that he’s in Carolina
Each of those criteria will be graded on a scale of 1-25, with the cumulative total resulting in a final grade (A+ to F) and a recommendation based on that grade. The criteria are weighted differently based on position, so it’s not a direct 1-for-1 conversion. Surrounding talent refers to offensive line for RB, quarterback play for WR and TE, and skill-position talent for QB.
The players are sorted by grade in descending order with the highest grades at the top and the lowest at the bottom. The highest-graded players receive A+ (Must start), and the lowest receive F. However, there are varying degrees of the F grade, and some players with this grade are flex plays, desperation plays, Hail Mary plays, or should remain on your bench, depending on the grade and position.
I’ll also include DST grades, and just like the skill-position players, there will be four criteria used for grading on a scale from 1-25, and final grades will be from 1-100. The four criteria for a DST grade are: Matchup, Turnovers, Sacks, and Points Allowed.
The link to the original Quick Grades Google Document can still be found below. In addition to the player grades, I’ll provide:
- Start of the Week: A player outside of the elite, weekly must-starts who could have a big week
- Stream of the Week: The best player who will likely be available on your waiver wire
- Fade of the Week: A notable player who could be in for a let-down performance
Link to Full Quick Grades Document
It’s easy to see that an ‘A+’ or ‘A’ grade makes a player a must-start, but it might not make sense at first glance why some players are rated ‘C’ or worse and still have ‘Start,’ ‘Strong Start,’ or ‘Flex’ attached to their names. Because of all the different variables that go into a player’s performance in any given week, only those players with the absolute highest potential, best matchup, and strongest talent get ‘A+’ or ‘A’ grades. Therefore, even solid plays will earn grades that may appear sub-optimal on the surface, but it’s all relative from position-to-position. The hard cutoff is 50 for every position, as grades lower than this will earn a ‘Desperation’ or ‘Hail Mary’ tag in every situation.
Now that I’ve covered the basics, let’s get to the grades. Best of luck in all your matchups this week, and if you have any questions, please hit me up on Twitter @ZaktheMonster.
Note: As always, remember to check back on FantasyPros ahead of kickoff to get the latest injury news. These grades assume full health at the time the article is published on Friday morning.
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Running Backs
- Start & Stream of the Week: Rex Burkhead
- Fade of the Week: Joe Mixon
Wide Receivers
- Start of the Week: Jakobi Meyers
- Stream of the Week: DeAndre Carter
- Fade of the Week: Jerry Jeudy
Quarterbacks
- Start of the Week: Russell Wilson
- Stream of the Week: Jimmy Garoppolo
- Fade of the Week: Tua Tagovailoa
Tight Ends
- Start & Stream of the Week: Evan Engram
- Fade of the Week: Tyler Conklin
D/STs
- Start & Stream of the Week: Las Vegas Raiders
- Fade of the Week: Indianapolis Colts
Player Search, Find
Running Back
- Najee Harris A Must Start
- Ezekiel Elliott A Must Start
- Jonathan Taylor A Must Start
- Christian McCaffrey B+ Must Start
- Saquon Barkley B+ Must Start
- Antonio Gibson B+ Must Start
- Austin Ekeler B+ Must Start
- Dalvin Cook B+ Must Start
- James Robinson B+ Strong Start
- Nick Chubb B+ Strong Start
- David Montgomery B+ Strong Start
- D'Andre Swift B Strong Start
- Damien Harris B Strong Start
- Miles Sanders B Strong Start
- Darrell Henderson C+ Start
- Elijah Mitchell C+ Start
- AJ Dillon C+ Start
- Javonte Williams C+ Start
- Melvin Gordon C+ Start
- J.D. McKissic C+ Start
- Cordarrelle Patterson C+ Start
- Leonard Fournette C Flex
- Joe Mixon C Flex
- Rex Burkhead C Flex
- Josh Jacobs D+ Flex
- Rhamondre Stevenson D+ Flex
- Zack Moss D+ Flex
- Tony Pollard D+ Flex
- Jaret Patterson D+ Flex
- Alex Collins D+ Flex
- Myles Gaskin D Flex
- Devonta Freeman D Flex
- Dontrell Hilliard D Flex
- Jeff Wilson Jr. D Flex
- Tony Jones Jr. D Flex
- Ty Johnson D Flex
- David Johnson D Flex
- D'Onta Foreman D Flex
- Boston Scott F Desperation
- Kenyan Drake F Desperation
- Nyheim Hines F Desperation
- Tevin Coleman F Desperation
- Jamaal Williams F Desperation
- D'Ernest Johnson F Desperation
- Devin Singletary F Desperation
- Devontae Booker F Desperation
- Latavius Murray F Desperation
- Brandon Bolden F Desperation
Jeremy McNicholsOUT- Carlos Hyde F Desperation
- Khalil Herbert F Desperation
- Travis Homer F Hail Mary
- Alexander Mattison F Hail Mary
- DeeJay Dallas F Hail Mary
- Patrick Taylor Jr. F Hail Mary
- Chuba Hubbard F Hail Mary
- Qadree Ollison F Hail Mary
- Matt Breida F Hail Mary
- Mike Davis F Hail Mary
- Ronald Jones II F Hail Mary
- Giovani Bernard F Hail Mary
- Samaje Perine F Hail Mary
Wide Receiver
- Davante Adams A Must Start
- Deebo Samuel A Must Start
- Cooper Kupp A Must Start
- D.K. Metcalf A Must Start
- Mike Evans B+ Must Start
- Stefon Diggs B+ Must Start
- Keenan Allen B+ Must Start
A.J. BrownOUT- Ja'Marr Chase B+ Must Start
- D.J. Moore B+ Must Start
- Diontae Johnson B Strong Start
- Justin Jefferson B Strong Start
- Tyler Lockett B Strong Start
- Chris Godwin B Strong Start
- Adam Thielen B Strong Start
- Michael Pittman Jr. B Strong Start
- Mike Williams C+ Strong Start
- Terry McLaurin C+ Strong Start
- Jakobi Meyers C+ Strong Start
- Cordarrelle Patterson C+ Strong Start
- Michael Gallup C+ Strong Start
- Brandin Cooks C Start
- Marvin Jones Jr. C Start
- Darnell Mooney C Start
- DeVonta Smith C Start
- Elijah Moore D Flex
- Emmanuel Sanders C Start
- Tee Higgins C Start
- Corey Davis C Start
- Rashod Bateman D+ Start
- Jaylen Waddle D+ Start
- Chase Claypool D+ Start
- Kendrick Bourne D+ Start
- Hunter Renfrow D+ Start
- Tyler Boyd D+ Start
- Sammy Watkins D+ Start
- Cole Beasley D+ Start
- Russell Gage D+ Start
- Jerry Jeudy D Flex
- Brandon Aiyuk D Flex
- Odell Beckham D Flex
- Jarvis Landry D Flex
- Bryan Edwards D Flex
- Cedrick Wilson Jr. D Flex
- Courtland Sutton D Flex
- Kadarius Toney D Flex
- Kenny Golladay D Flex
- T.Y. Hilton D Flex
- Van Jefferson F Desperation
- DeAndre Carter F Desperation
- Robby Anderson F Desperation
- Nelson Agholor F Desperation
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine F Desperation
- Jamison Crowder F Desperation
- Tim Patrick F Desperation
- Olamide Zaccheaus F Desperation
- Laviska Shenault Jr. F Desperation
- Marquise Goodwin F Desperation
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling F Desperation
Sterling ShepardOUT- Tre'Quan Smith F Desperation
- Marquez Callaway F Desperation
- Ray-Ray McCloud F Desperation
- Deonte Harris F Desperation
- Darius Slayton F Hail Mary
- K.J. Osborn F Hail Mary
- Gabriel Davis F Hail Mary
- Keelan Cole Sr. F Hail Mary
- Zach Pascal F Hail Mary
- Kalif Raymond F Hail Mary
- Albert Wilson F Hail Mary
- Amon-Ra St. Brown F Hail Mary
- Randall Cobb F Hail Mary
- James Washington F Hail Mary
- Tajae Sharpe F Hail Mary
- Nico Collins F Hail Mary
- Tyler Johnson F Hail Mary
- Quez Watkins F Hail Mary
- Rashard Higgins F Hail Mary
Quarterback
- Tom Brady A+ Must Start
- Russell Wilson A Must Start
- Lamar Jackson A Must Start
- Josh Allen A Must Start
- Jalen Hurts B+ Must Start
- Matthew Stafford B+ Must Start
- Kirk Cousins B Strong Start
- Joe Burrow B Strong Start
- Justin Herbert B Strong Start
- Carson Wentz B Strong Start
- Dak Prescott B Start
- Aaron Rodgers B Start
- Cam Newton B Start
- Derek Carr C+ Start
- Taylor Heinicke C Start
- Mac Jones D+ 2QB/Superflex
- Ryan Tannehill D+ 2QB/Superflex
- Matt Ryan D 2QB/Superflex
- Ben Roethlisberger D 2QB/Superflex
- Jimmy Garoppolo D 2QB/Superflex
- Trevor Lawrence D 2QB/Superflex
- Teddy Bridgewater D 2QB/Superflex
- Tua Tagovailoa D 2QB/Superflex
- Andy Dalton F Hail Mary
- Daniel Jones F Hail Mary
- Baker Mayfield F Hail Mary
- Joe Flacco F Hail Mary
- Tyrod Taylor F Hail Mary
- Tim Boyle F Hail Mary
- Trevor Siemian F Hail Mary
Tight End
- Darren Waller A+ Must Start
- Mark Andrews A Must Start
- Kyle Pitts A Must Start
- Dallas Goedert B Strong Start
- Noah Fant B Strong Start
- Evan Engram B Strong Start
- Pat Freiermuth B Strong Start
- George Kittle C+ Start
- Dawson Knox C+ Start
- T.J. Hockenson C+ Start
- Dalton Schultz C+ Start
- Mike Gesicki C+ Start
- Logan Thomas C Start
- Hunter Henry C Start
- Tyler Higbee D+ Start
- Dan Arnold D+ Start
- Gerald Everett D+ Start
- Albert Okwuegbunam D Desperation
- C.J. Uzomah D Desperation
- David Njoku D Desperation
- Mo Alie-Cox D Desperation
- Austin Hooper D Desperation
- Tyler Conklin F Desperation
- Cole Kmet F Desperation
- Cameron Brate F Hail Mary
- Jared Cook F Hail Mary
- Brevin Jordan F Hail Mary
- O.J. Howard F Hail Mary
- Ricky Seals-Jones F Hail Mary
- Ryan Griffin F Hail Mary
- Jack Doyle F Hail Mary
- Donald Parham Jr. F Hail Mary
- Anthony Firkser F Hail Mary
D/ST
- Buffalo Bills A+ Must Start
- Carolina Panthers A+ Must Start
- New England Patriots B+ Must Start
- Chicago Bears C+ Strong Start
- Houston Texans C+ Strong Start
- Minnesota Vikings C+ Strong Start
- Los Angeles Chargers C+ Strong Start
- Green Bay Packers C+ Strong Start
- Dallas Cowboys C Start
- Pittsburgh Steelers C Start
- Los Angeles Rams C Start
- Miami Dolphins C Start
- Denver Broncos D+ Start
- Cincinnati Bengals D+ Start
- Cleveland Browns D+ Start
- Las Vegas Raiders D Desperation
- New York Jets D Desperation
- New Orleans Saints D Desperation
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers D Desperation
- Seattle Seahawks F Desperation
- Atlanta Falcons F Desperation
- Philadelphia Eagles F Desperation
- Detroit Lions F Desperation
- Tennessee Titans F Hail Mary
- New York Giants F Hail Mary
- Washington Football Team F Hail Mary
- Indianapolis Colts F Hail Mary
- Jacksonville Jaguars F Hail Mary
- Baltimore Ravens F Hail Mary
- San Francisco 49ers F Hail Mary
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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.