The deepest (and least deep) NFL teams
A few days ago, ESPN’s Mike Clay observed that, while the Falcons have some strong players at the top of their roster — both for fantasy football and real — the team is pretty seriously lacking in skill player depth. People came at him a bit with the argument that every team is worse when you take out their starters. Which, yes, but Mike (rightly) was noting that Atlanta has among the league’s worst slate of backup skill players.
So today (partly for fun, but it’s also a useful exercise when looking at depth leaguewide), I’m ranking the teams’ fantasy options behind the starters. In other words, I took every team’s starting quarterback, running back, and tight end and top two wide receivers out of play and then sorted the rosters into a QB, RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, and TE.
(Yes, there’s some guesswork here. I took Justin Herbert off the Chargers, Marlon Mack off the Colts, etc. Don’t stress over the specific names, because when there’s a question who the starter is, the difference between the two is small enough for this exercise so as to not matter. At QB and TE, I considered “backup groups” as one when there were multiple options who could be relevant.)
After removing the starters, I ranked every player at each position (including new-first-string running backs against one another and new-second-string running backs against one another, etc. — there are six sets of rankings all told).
Lowest total score implies the best depth. (Don’t nitpick specific rankings; that’s more of a sorting tactic to give me an order to present them.)
Okay! Lots of rules, more caveats! What’s fun without lots of rules and provisos, huh? On with the list!
1. Indianapolis Colts
QB: Jacoby Brissett/Jacob Eason
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines
WR: Parris Campbell, Zach Pascal
TE: Trey Burton
The second-best score in this little (unscientific) exercise was 56. The Colts? 28. The Colts might not have the best roster in the league, but you can easily argue they have the deepest one, especially in the skill players.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
QB: Jalen Hurts
RB: Boston Scott, Corey Clement
WR: DeSean Jackson, Marquise Goodwin
TE: Dallas Goedert
The Eagles have some question marks at backup running back, but have the best backup tight end in the league and some absolutely electric wide receivers if they can stay healthy. Hurts is an obvious question mark, but carries some real upside.
3. Denver Broncos
QB: Jeff Driskel
RB: Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman
WR: K.J. Hamler, Tim Patrick
TE: Jeff Heuerman
The Broncos are carried here by their running backs, with a top-three No. 2 and arguably the best No. 3 back in the league. The rest is far more “meh,” but the RB situation is kind of amazing.
4. Detroit Lions
QB: Chase Daniel
RB: Kerryon Johnson, Bo Scarbrough
WR: Danny Amendola, Geronimo Allison
TE: Jesse James
The exercise in “depth” takes a little hit here, because the Lions have potentially monster backups at the first running back and receiver slots here, but it falls off a fair amount after that.
5. Las Vegas Raiders
QB: Marcus Mariota
RB: Jalen Richard, Lynn Bowden
WR: Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards
TE: Foster Moreau/Jason Witten
If Bowden and Edwards come in like wildfire — not a crazy idea, but certainly not a guarantee—the Raiders could jump to near the top here. As it is, while the team has some question marks among the starters, this is a strong slate of backups.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
QB: Mason Rudolph
RB: Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell
WR: James Washington, Chase Claypool
TE: Vance McDonald
We saw just last year how poorly the backup quarterback situation in Pittsburgh could be if Ben Roethlisberger goes down. And Jaylen Samuels isn’t exactly a superstar at backup running back. But there are teams that could legitimately start these backup pass-catchers without missing a beat.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
QB: Chad Henne
RB: Damien Williams, Darwin Thompson
WR: Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson
TE: Ricky Seals-Jones/Deon Yelder
The Chiefs are actually not as deep as you’d want them to be, especially at quarterback and tight end — if something happens to Patrick Mahomes and/or Travis Kelce, there could be problems. Running back and wide receiver are sturdier, though.
8. Los Angeles Rams
QB: John Wolford
RB: Darrell Henderson, Malcolm Brown
WR: Van Jefferson, Josh Reynolds
TE: Gerald Everett
Take out the quarterback situation and this group could actually be pretty strong, especially if Jefferson is better than (frankly) I expect him to be. Wolford is an enormous wild card, though, that could sink this particular ship.
9. San Francisco 49ers
QB: Nick Mullens/C.J. Beathard
RB: Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon
WR: Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Hurd
TE: Ross Dwelley
The interesting thing about the 49ers isn’t this group of backups, it’s the list of names you’d be able to bring up as their third string. We’re talking one of those quarterbacks, Jeff Wilson, Dante Pettis, Richie James, Trent Taylor. I’m not going to do this for the third string (no, damn you, ain’t gonna), but San Francisco would win.
10. Houston Texans
QB: A.J. McCarron
RB: Duke Johnson, Buddy Howell
WR: Kenny Stills, Randall Cobb
TE: Jordan Thomas/Jordan Akins
McCarron and Howell are pretty poor names here, but the rest of the list is strong, especially when you acknowledge Keke Coutee doesn’t even appear. If the Texans can keep Deshaun Watson healthy, the offense has firepower.
11. New England Patriots
QB: Brian Hoyer
RB: James White, Rex Burkhead
WR: Mohamed Sanu, Marqise Lee
TE: Devin Asiasi
Very strong at running back. A high floor at wide receiver, though perhaps not upside. And then … well, huge question marks at quarterback and tight end. This is not the Patriots team we’ve grown used to.
12. Baltimore Ravens
QB: Robert Griffin III
RB: J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards
WR: Willie Snead, Devin Duvernay
TE: Nick Boyle
The Ravens are, unsurprisingly, exceptionally strong at running back, more than fine at tight end, and at least have the best possible team for RG3 to be a backup on. Wide receiver? Well, the team doesn’t have a lot at starting receiver, let alone next-men-up.
13. Cleveland Browns
QB: Case Keenum
RB: Kareem Hunt, Dontrell Hilliard
WR: Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones
TE: David Njoku
You could argue the Browns have the best No. 2 TE in the league (I wouldn’t say it, but it isn’t far off). You would be hard-pressed to argue they don’t have the best No. 2 running back in Kareem Hunt. There are far more questions otherwise (though Keenum is a very strong backup QB), but that’s a heck of a starting point.
14. Green Bay Packers
QB: Jordan Love
RB: Jamaal Williams, A.J. Dillon
WR: Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling
TE: Marcedes Lewis
Want to argue Lazard or MVS is above Devin Funchess on the pecking order? Fine. Want to argue Dillon is 2, Williams is 3 at RB? Fine. The Packers have a mishmash everywhere, but it’s definitely a perfectly acceptable mishmash.
15. Chicago Bears
QB: Mitchell Trubisky
RB: Tarik Cohen, Ryan Nall
WR: Ted Ginn, Riley Ridley
TE: Cole Kmet
I wouldn’t fight you if you pushed Trubisky and Cohen to starters and did this exercise with Nick Foles and David Montgomery. Wouldn’t change much. Nall aside, there is a lot to like about the Bears here, but also a huge number of question marks.
16. Miami Dolphins
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick
RB: Jordan Howard, Patrick Laird
WR: Allen Hurns, Albert Wilson
TE: Durham Smythe
Laird and Smythe are the dregs here, but everywhere else, the Dolphins are at least decent, and they have one of the best backup quarterback situations in the league. (And that would probably be true even if Fitzpatrick beats out Tua Tagovailoa at QB or if Howard beats out Matt Breida at RB.)
17. Arizona Cardinals
QB: Brett Hundley
RB: Chase Edmonds, Eno Benjamin
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Andy Isabella
TE: Darrell Daniels
Ha, Larry Fitzgerald in this exercise. But that’s where he is now. The Cardinals have an excellent backup WR situation, and Edmonds is fine at running back, but the other names here are real rough.
18. New Orleans Saints
QB: Jameis Winston/Taysom Hill
RB: Latavius Murray, DeAndre Washington
WR: Tre’Quan Smith, Austin Carr
TE: Adam Trautman
The best backup QB situation in the league (easily, really). A perfectly fine backup running back. And then … it ends. The Saints aren’t the top-heaviest team, but there’s not as much depth here as some rosters have.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB: Blaine Gabbert
RB: Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Dare Ogunbowale
WR: Tyler Johnson, Justin Watson
TE: O.J. Howard/Cameron Brate
Everybody loves the top end of the Bucs roster, but (other than tight end) things can really fall apart if something happens to the starters. Could a Vaughn/Johnson/Howard grouping be fine? Absolutely, but it definitely isn’t Ronald Jones, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Rob Gronkowski.
20. Dallas Cowboys
QB: Andy Dalton
RB: Tony Pollard, Jordan Chunn
WR: Michael Gallup, Devin Smith
TE: Dalton Schultz
Andy Dalton and Gallup are the headlines here, with Pollard also in the conversation. After that? The Cowboys are rooting for health.
21. New York Jets
QB: David Fales/James Morgan
RB: Frank Gore, La’Mical Perine
WR: Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson
TE: Ryan Griffin
Griffin might be the starter and push Chris Herndon to backup. Either way, the pass-catchers are fine here, with serious question marks at running back and the worst backup QB situation in the league. No more mono, Sam Darnold.
22. Seattle Seahawks
QB: Anthony Gordon
RB: Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas
WR: Phillip Dorsett, David Moore
TE: Will Dissly
This already-rough depth (especially at quarterback) would take another hit if Penny (or Chris Carson) isn’t ready to start the season. It’s not that any of the skill players here are bad, but there are low floors across the board.
23. Buffalo Bills
QB: Matt Barkley/Jake Fromm
RB: Zack Moss, T.J. Yeldon
WR: Cole Beasley, Duke Williams
TE: Tyler Kroft
Moss has plenty of upside, and Beasley is a strong No. 3 receiver. Otherwise? Not great in Buffalo, though I wouldn’t have to squint that hard to make Yeldon, Williams, and Kroft look at least in the neighborhood of interesting.
24. Cincinnati Bengals
QB: Ryan Finley
RB: Giovani Bernard, Samaje Perine
WR: Tee Higgins, John Ross
TE: C.J. Uzomah
Best backup receiver situation in the league? Probably not, but the Bengals are at least in the conversation. Otherwise? There is a lot lacking in this backup situation. Finley we already saw struggle mightily last year, Uzomah has never been better than average, Perine has bounced around. Bernard is still fine (probably).
25. Minnesota Vikings
QB: Sean Mannion
RB: Alexander Mattison, Mike Boone
WR: Tajae Sharpe, Bisi Johnson
TE: Irv Smith Jr.
Mattison and Smith are definitely the plus sides here, and Boone as a No. 3 back is acceptable, if not exciting. Mannion, Sharpe, and Johnson? Let’s just say the Vikings hope Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, and Justin Jefferson all work out well.
26. New York Giants
QB: Colt McCoy/Cooper Rush
RB: Dion Lewis, Wayne Gallman
WR: Darius Slayton, Cody Core
TE: Kaden Smith
If Lewis is anything like the 2017 Lewis, he’s one of the league’s better backups. On the other hand, 2017 was a long time ago. Smith looked good filling in for Evan Engram last year, and Slayton had some excellent games as well. This is an awful backup QB situation, though, and Gallman and Core are some poor end-of-the-list guys.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
QB: Mike Glennon
RB: Ryquell Armstead, Devine Ozigbo
WR: Laviska Shenault, Chris Conley
TE: Josh Oliver
Shenault is the only player here I could ever really envision being a sure fantasy starter at any point in his career. Conley and Oliver are … not terrible. Quarterback and running back? Let’s not talk a lot about that right now.
28. Carolina Panthers
QB: Will Grier
RB: Reggie Bonnafon, Jordan Scarlett
WR: Robby Anderson, Seth Roberts
TE: Chris Manhertz
Anderson is the only name here we really need to care about. Grier was a big disappointment as a rookie, Roberts is somehow only 29 despite having played since Y.A. Tittle was in the league, Manhertz is just a guy, and the backup running backs are barely even just guys. This is basically Anderson and that’s it.
29. Washington
QB: Kyle Allen
RB: Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gibson
WR: Kelvin Harmon, Antonio Gandy-Golden
TE: Richard Rodgers
Washington doesn’t even have a starting tight end, let alone a backup, and that’s just about the same at wide receiver other than Terry McLaurin. Peterson is good (albeit older than dirt), and Gibson is an interesting enough rookie. Allen? Ron Rivera has already been talking about maybe making him the starter, but man, after what he did last year, I don’t think that’ll play.
30. Los Angeles Chargers
QB: Tyrod Taylor
RB: Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley
WR: Andre Patton, K.J. Hill
TE: Virgil Green
The running backs could be very good! Taylor isn’t a disaster by any means! And that’s all we can say here, because the backup pass-catching situation is just about as bad as it legitimately could be (I ranked all three of the names in those slots last).
31. Atlanta Falcons
QB: Matt Schaub
RB: Brian Hill, Qadree Ollison
WR: Russell Gage, Laquon Treadwell
TE: Jaeden Graham
The team that raised this subject doesn’t finish last, but it comes real close. Schaub had a big game in his one start in 2019, but come on, this is Matt Schaub. Just as a thought exercise, who would you feel good about using here? Gage got some headlines last year, but he wasn’t actually good. The running backs could really disappoint. I just don’t see much to like.
32. Tennessee Titans
QB: Logan Woodside
RB: Darrynton Evans, David Fluellen
WR: Adam Humphries, Cody Hollister
TE: Anthony Firkser
Evans has some upside as a rookie this year, and I have a soft spot for Humphries. Other than that, though, there is very little to get excited about among the Titans backups. Tennessee has plenty of upside if Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and A.J. Brown (plus Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith) work out as they hope, but there is very little room for error if anything happens to any of those guys.