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Last week I gave you my top 10 dynasty rankings for 2020 fantasy football. First there was an angry mob of readers outraged by my Miles Sanders optimism. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. An hour after the rankings dropped I glanced at my phone. A dozen missed calls, all from Kerryon. When I finally mustered up the courage to call my love back, I could hardly get a word in. “Miles Sanders at #10?! I thought we had something special. What about the weekend we had in Paris!” So it took a lot of sweet talking before KJ was back in my bed, later that night. And all was right in the world. That is until today when my Johnson sees he’s no longer in the top 20. I’ve preemptively sent flowers. Anyway, here’s my top 20 for 2020 PPR dynasty leagues:

Tier 3 (cont’d)

11. Dalvin Cook

12. Nick Chubb 

13. Jonathan Taylor

This is a polarizing finish to tier three with two very proven players snubbed from the top 10 and one rookie who I’ve probably ranked way too high for most people’s taste. Did Dalvin Cook earn himself a spot in the top 10 with his huge 2020 season? Most readers believe so. Heck, December Donkey believed so too. But the more I fiddled with the rankings the more I found myself nudging Cook down little by little due to his pending free agency after this season. That said, I have him in the same tier as #9 (Godwin) and #10 (Sanders), and if your all-in for this year I have no issues taking Cook over both.

I gave Nick Chubb the snub from the top 10 too and everything I wrote about Cook applies except the free agency isn’t til 2022—Chubb was docked slightly for his lack of reception upside, remember these are PPR rankings. But these are really the tiniest of knocks on these two stud backs. I’m a big fan of both Chubb and Cook. The truth is, in my demented mind, there isn’t a ton of dynasty value separatation between #4 (Zeke) and lucky #13 on this list.

Is #13 too high for a player who’s yet to even play an NFL snap? I’m sure it is for the risk averse fantasy crowd. But I live for risk. And actually, I don’t see a ton of risk in  Jonathan Taylor. He might have tier 1 talent and lands in a great spot behind a top offensive line with a mediocre incumbent RB (Marlon Mack) who’s set to hit free agency after this season. 

Tier 4

14. Patrick Mahomes

15. Lamar Jackson

Valuing quarterbacks in dynasty leagues is tricky. Sure, it’s fun to fade the position. 2019-like Kirk Cousins seasons pop up for spare change each year. But when a dynasty league becomes top heavy like Roseanne—which tends to happen with age—there’s only so many positions where you can gain an edge on your competition. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are the new generation of very special quarterbacks. Both of these chuckers have shown they can single handedly win leagues. Find a way to get one of these studs on your squad for the long haul.

Tier 5

16. Josh Jacobs

17. Mike Evans

18. Odell Beckham Jr.

Josh Jacobs was a low mileage guy in college as he shared touches with Damien Harris at Bama. Gruden showed no signs of limiting those carries at any point in 2020. But after the “broken shoulder” Jacobs battled thru up until week 14 last year, maybe that changes in 2021?  JJ was on pace for a 1,400 yard rushing season prior to week 14, so I get why there’s a group of fans calling for him in the top 10 ahead of Miles Sanders. But these have always been forward looking rankings and I think these two young backs just might be two ships passing in the night.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit concerned about Mike Evans with Tom Brady and Gronk coming to town. I don’t see myself owning him in 2020, but he’s still only 27 years old and has all the talent in the world. And there’s no guarantee Brady and Gronk are around for more than just this season. If you’re rebuilding, there will probably be a great buy-low opportunity on Evans at some point this year. Maybe even right now.

Odell Beckham Jr. dealt with a painful sports hernia all last season. I seem to be in the minority believing he could return to elite form this year with Baker Mayfield taking his offseason training seriously. Don’t forget, this was the consensus #1 overall dynasty player just two years ago. But I agree it is do or die time for OBJ’s dynasty value in 2020.

Tier 6

19. Amari Cooper

20. Julio Jones

Amari Cooper sure seems older that 26, doesn’t he? Cooper’s a bit of a polarizing player, mainly due to the inconsistency he’s shown throughout his career. At times he’s looked like an elite fantasy WR1 and at other times he’s looked like one of the Cowboys locker room toilets after burrito night. Which player will show up in 2020? And will the uber-talented rookie, CeeDee Lamb, eventually surpass Cooper as Dak’s main squeeze? I might have Coop too high…

Julio Jones is the oldest player in this top 20 by 3.5 years and he’s starting to show little cracks in his armor. But they’re tiny cracks and he might not even need armor. Over the past six seasons Julio has averaged 15.33 games played, 103 receptions and 1,565 yards. Find him down by the schoolyard.