2026 NFL Skill Position Rankings for Every Team

Rankings week continues here at Action Network, and today I'm unveiling my second ever skill position rankings.

These are the names you know well from your fantasy football leagues, but that also makes this exercise tricky because real football isn't played on draft boards or spreadsheets.

So who exactly counts for today's exercise? We're talking offense only — so no bonus for kick returners or special teams — and it's just anyone that's not a quarterback or offensive lineman. That means running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and anything in between like a fullback, H-back, etc.

Of course, not all positions are created equal. I rank RBs, WRs, and TEs separately before combining for this exercise, but receivers are worth more than half of my final composite score.

The passing game is so important in modern football. In fact, I actually weigh tight ends slightly more than running backs now in a league where more and more teams are playing 2- and 3-TE sets.

Stars matter, but depth might be even better. Show me versatility!

Do you have some tight ends that block and others that act as extra receivers? Can your RBs catch passes and/or block? Does your WR room complement each other and make a cohesive unit? How many skill players are ready to step in and make an impact when that inevitable injury happens?

You get one set of weapons on a new NFL team, agnostic to contracts, scheme, or coaching — just which team's skill players give you the best shot to win a Super Bowl? These are your 2026 Skill Position Rankings for every team, from 1 to 32.

Be sure to check out the whole NFL rankings series:

• Quarterbacks

2026 NFL Skill Position Rankings

Tier I — MVP Starter Pack

1. Rams (Last Year: 8)

Turns out having the best set of weapons in the league is a pretty good MVP starter pack.

With the Rams, it's not just star power but also depth.

Puka Nacua is the star, coming off a monster 129/1,715/10 season. He's an elite blocker too, the full package, and Davante Adams is about as great a red-zone threat as there is. The running game has also been great, with both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum ranking in the top 15 in PFF grade at their positions, making this a top-10 RB room.

But it's the multifaceted TE room that really puts the Rams over the top.

Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee are quality all-around threats, Davis Allen adds further depth, and sophomore Terrance Ferguson is a rare vertical threat X factor that's effectively WR3 on this team.

Even if every team had a league-average QB, this is my No. 1 QB-agnostic offense in the NFL with these weapons, a great line, and the best playcalling in the league. Matthew Stafford just makes them even better.

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Tier II — Loaded & Deep at Every Spot

2. Lions (Last Year: 2)

3. Vikings (Last Year: 5)

The Lions' run game takes a slight step back this year — replacing the reliable David Montgomery with the far less explosive Isiah Pacheco — but this team still has one of the best set of triplets in the league with Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta.

St. Brown is one of the league's finest route runners and an elite blocker, like Hines Ward 2.0, and Gibbs is absolutely electric and potentially game-breaking on every play, as is Jameson Williams.

Could LaPorta make a leap this year, too? New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is a former TE coach and helped Trey McBride break out in Arizona.

There's not much depth past those four names so Detroit needs them to stay healthy.

The Vikings are back in the top-5 for a second straight year, and it's depth more than stars.

Justin Jefferson is the one superstar, maybe the best WR in the league.

Add in Jordan Addison, and now Jauan Jennings, and this is one of the best receiving trios in the NFL, especially once you add in T.J. Hockenson's talents. Josh Oliver is a hidden weapon as a blocking TE2.

For Minnesota to keep this ranking, the Vikings may need Jordan Mason to take over the lead back role and break out in Frank Smith's redesigned run game, allowing Aaron Jones to play more of a change-up role and use his pass-catching skills to his advantage.

Minnesota gets a bump for rookie FB Ben Bredeson too.

Tier III — Fantasy Football Island

4. Cowboys (Last Year: 19)

5. Bengals (Last Year: 9)

6. Falcons (Last Year: 10)

7. Cardinals (Last Year: 15)

8. 49ers (Last Year: 4)

You're sure to know a few names on each of these teams if you play fantasy football, because these are the superstars you're drafting in the top few rounds of your draft.

Remember, receivers matter most, and that's why the Cowboys are at the top of this group.

CeeDee Lamb is a top-10 WR and should be healthy again after an ankle injury hampered him all last season, and George Pickens proved to be the perfect outside target for Dak Prescott. Add in Ryan Flournoy, who rated top 20 in PFF grade as a rookie, and this is the league's top WR trio — and why Dallas is ranked this high.

There's not much else to add. Javonte Williams and Jake Ferguson are mostly fine, though I'm intrigued by FB Hunter Luepke and TE Brevyn Spann-Ford long term.

The Bengals are pretty similar to Dallas.

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are probably a better 1-2 duo than Dallas has, but the Cowboys have better WR depth and that could matter with Higgins' growing injury history — though Chase is the best of the bunch with his YAC ability.

The other Chase, RB Chase Brown, is a better pass-catcher than runner, but he and Samaje Perine did find a better rushing attack late last season. Mike Gesicki is this team's WR3 at times, but training camp is buzzing about young Erick All Jr. and hoping for a breakout at TE.

The Falcons have the best triplets in the league in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.

Robinson is an absolute superstar, great at everything, and he'd be my top single RB choice. Tyler Allgeier is a loss behind him but Brian Robinson is still an excellent second-choice back.

Kyle Pitts is more like a second receiver than a TE at this point, and his receiving has finally come around, but this team is still missing either a WR2 or a TE1 in that scenario. Triplets can only go so far and Austin Hooper, Jahan Dotson, and the depth are uninspiring.

You might be surprised to see the Cardinals this high in the rankings, but they're a pretty good bird comp to Atlanta.

That's going to have to start with rookie Jeremiyah Love being the real deal at RB. He looks like the full package, and Allgeier and James Conner are perennial advanced metrics darlings.

The Cards might have the best backfield in the NFL if healthy.

Trey McBride doesn't add any blocking value, but he's the best receiving TE in the league — the only reason Arizona isn't even higher is because of the importance of WR. Even there, there's real reason to believe in Michael Wilson after last season's breakout, and Marvin Harrison Jr. runs sharp routes and might appreciate a fresh start in this offense.

This will either end up five spots too low or 10 spots too high for the 49ers, depending almost entirely on health.

Nobody needs to tell you how talented Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle are. The question is how much any of them have left and how many games they'll see on the field next to that electrical substation.

McCaffrey was quietly super inefficient as a runner last season, but he's so valuable as a pass-catcher that it may not matter, and the 49ers have the league's best FB in Kyle Juszczyk.

Kittle is my top choice at TE too when healthy — he's the full package as both a receiver and a blocker, but his health is a major question mark coming off a torn Achilles in the playoffs.

San Francisco still gets my top TE grade with Jake Tonges breaking out and Luke Farrell adding good blocking, but this team's WR corps is pretty worrisome.

Evans is already dealing with a quad injury and Deebo hasn't been healthy in ages. Everybody loves rookie De'Zhaun Stribling, but I'd love him a lot more as a WR3 than as the go-to target on this team.

San Francisco had the top skill-position group in the league two years ago but is slowly fading. That cliff will hit hard at some point.

Tier IV — One Star, No Weaknesses

9. Patriots (Last Year: 25)

10. Eagles (Last Year: 1)

11. Bears (Last Year: 17)

12. Packers (Last Year: 12)

The Patriots made a huge investment in A.J. Brown over the offseason, and the addition of him and Romeo Doubs turns this WR corps from a weakness into a significant strength.

Brown is still a top-10 receiver and especially good against man coverage, and Doubs is great outside where Drake Maye is best. Bringing those two guys in at the top of the WR room unlocks everything else.

Kayshon Boutte is outmatched as a WR1 but he and Mack Hollins add excellent depth, and Pop Douglas is a fun gadget weapon while Kyle Williams continues to develop and Hunter Henry adds reliability at TE.

New England has also found a nice duo at RB. TreVeyon Henderson disappointed as a rookie but can break a play on any touch, and Rhamondre Stevenson is the thunder to TreVeyon's lightning.

If you thought Maye looked like an MVP last year, wait til you see him with all these weapons.

The Patriots' gain is the Eagles' loss.

Brown's absence leaves a gaping hole in Philadelphia's WR room. DeVonta Smith is a great route runner and zone buster, but he's not right in every matchup and it's a big leap to WR1 without Brown across the field.

The Eagles brought in talent with veteran Dontayvion Wicks and rookie Makai Lemon, plus Hollywood Brown's speed, so they have the makings of a complete room if the skills all mesh — but there's plenty to prove.

Saquon Barkley is a star but needs to show he can still break those long runs, and I don't love the imbalanced TE room with mostly guys that don't do much blocking outside of Johnny Mundt.

Philadelphia was at the top of our skill player rankings a year ago, so it's a pretty steep fall to 10th.

The Bears' star is sophomore TE Colston Loveland, who looks like a future superstar. He's the full package as both a blocker and a receiver, and Cole Kmet adds a second weapon at TE.

Chicago has multiple options in the backfield in D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, but the Bears will have to prove they don't miss D.J. Moore by getting big years out of talented young WRs Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III.

The rival Packers are one spot behind — they would have two stars if the second were healthy.

Josh Jacobs has proven a worthy investment at RB, now top four in PFF grade three of the last four years, and he's a great receiver, too. Tucker Kraft should be the second star and looked the part last season before a knee injury that still has him limited entering the new season.

The options after Jacobs and Kraft have yet to prove much value, so Green Bay needs those two healthy.

The Packers also need Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and sophomore Matthew Golden to step up and show they can take the next step as a young WR trio.

The Packers come in at No. 12 for a third straight season, but the last two years it was because of depth and options at each position. Now some of that depth is gone or has proven itself useless, so the top guys need to show up.

Tier V — Saved By One Position Group

13. Jaguars (Last Year: 21)

14. Seahawks (Last Year: 11)

15. Bills (Last Year: 18)

16. Buccaneers (Last Year: 7)

17. Broncos (Last Year: 31)

The teams in this tier end up around average in the rankings, but one great position group strength keeps them from falling further.

For the Jaguars, it's all about the receivers.

Parker Washington broke out late last season and looks like a potential star. Brian Thomas Jr. had a rough sophomore season with the dropsies but is still super talented. This WR room really came together when Jakobi Meyers joined midseason. It sounds like Travis Hunter will still play some receiver too, so this group is suddenly deep and loaded.

As with the rest of this tier, there's not much else here.

TE Brenton Strange is solid, and maybe Jacksonville can cobble together a RB room with the varying talents of Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and LeQuint Allen Jr..

If one of those guys hits, there's a path to top five for Jacksonville.

It's receivers for the Seahawks, too — or maybe just receiver singular in reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Will JSN's incredible deep production hold up? It slowed some over the back half of last season, even with Rashid Shaheed adding a speed threat. Cooper Kupp is not what he once was and will likely be fazed out for Tory Horton. A.J. Barner, though, is an underrated TE.

The big loss, of course, is Kenneth Walker. Zach Charbonnet is a quality option, but he's returning from a torn ACL, and No. 1 pick Jadarian Price has never carried the full load and isn't much of a pass blocker, so he'll have to prove he can stay on the field enough to matter.

The Bills have one elite position grouping — but it's not the one you think.

James Cook is more good than great for me; he's poor in the passing game and buoyed by Josh Allen and a great offensive line. And Buffalo's receivers are lackluster outside of a consistent theme: they're all really nice blockers.

It's the tight end trio that saves this sit of weapons.

Dalton Kincaid needs to stay healthy, but he's as good as almost any TE when he can stay on the field. Dawson Knox is an excellent TE2 who can block and catch, and I really like sophomore Jackson Hawes, who had an excellent season as a fifth-round pick and showed signs of being an elite blocker and quality receiver.

Buffalo is not particularly versatile, but it has a type — blocking — and is built to Josh Allen's strengths.

The Bucs take a hit with the loss of Mike Evans, but Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka should bounce back with healthier seasons. Their WR room overall has depth in Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, and third-round pick Ted Hurst.

Tampa's tight ends are toward the bottom of the league, but I do believe in the RBs.

Bucky Irving played through injuries last season and was pretty disappointing. He should bounce back, and Kenneth Gainwell is one of the better and more versatile backup RBs in the league.

The Broncos were bottom-3 in my skill position rankings in each of the last three years, but Jaylen Waddle changes everything.

Waddle is a fringe top-10 receiver and the perfect deep-ball threat for an offense that was missing exactly that.

Bo Nix throws a great deep ball, so Waddle should open this offense up, and he also rounds out this receiver room.

Suddenly Courtland Sutton is an overqualified WR2, while Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims Jr. add versatile depth. This set of WRs jumps from bottom-6 to top-6 with Waddle's addition.

RJ Harvey was a disappointment as a rookie, so J.K. Dobbins is probably still the Broncos' lead back. That doesn't do much for me, and Denver's TE room — led by Evan Engram — is one of the worst in the league.

In Denver now, it's all about those receivers.

Tier VI — This is What Average Looks Like

18. Colts (Last Year: 14)

19. Steelers (Last Year: 26)

20. Commanders (Last Year: 24)

This is technically just below the middle of the rankings, but these three teams effectively represent league average at skill position.

That may be a surprise for the Colts, who you might have expected higher.

I'm not as high on Jonathan Taylor as you'd expect. He benefits from elite blocking and great playcalling, and his injury history and surprisingly mediocre metrics leave something to be desired, especially with zero depth behind him. I'm also not quite as high on sophomore TE Tyler Warren yet with his blah blocking.

But the big problem is at receiver, where Michael Pittman Jr.'s departure leaves a real hole. Alec Pierce and Josh Downs both grade well in many advanced metrics, but we'll see how that holds up with both now in new outsize roles. Pierce is still recovering from an ankle injury, too.

Are these two underrated, or are they about to get exposed as in over their heads?

Last note on the Colts: late signing Keenan Allen could stabilize the WR unit if healthy.

For my money, the Steelers have the most average set of skill players in the league.

Pittsburgh is average across the board. I have the Steelers graded close to average at RB, WR, and TE.

Jaylen Warren is excellent in the passing game and a bit underrated, but neither he nor Rico Dowdle are great runners. Kenneth Gainwell is a big loss, and Pittsburgh also lost real depth at tight end.

Darnell Washington is a terrific blocker but needs to show he can play more snaps, and Pat Freiermuth will need to step back into a bigger receiving role.

Indy's loss is Pittsburgh's gain in Pittman, but I'm not convinced either he or DK Metcalf is a real WR1. Both are good options but a bit duplicative and not a particularly good pairing with Aaron Rodgers — and there's not much depth otherwise past third-round rookie Germie Bernard.

I actually prefer the pair of Commanders receivers now that Stefon Diggs joins Terry McLaurin for an underrated duo, with another third rounder Antonio Williams rounding out the group.

But Washington doesn't offer much else.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a fun watch last preseason, but neither he nor Rachaad White are definite NFL starting RBs, and the Commanders might not have a starting TE either unless Chig Okonkwo is ready to step up.

Tier VII — AFC Contender Red Flags

21. Chargers (Last Year: 20)

22. Ravens (Last Year: 3)

23. Chiefs (Last Year: 16)

24. Texans (Last Year: 13)

If you haven't noticed yet, we've flown through a ton of NFC teams but are just now getting to some of the teams expected to compete for the AFC crown.

I like the Chargers the best of this quartet and wouldn't be surprised if new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel elevates this group to league average or better.

L.A. made some underrated additions.

Charlie Kolar is an elite blocker and effectively a sixth offensive lineman at TE, and FB Alec Ingold was a key part of McDaniel's offense in Miami. David Njoku adds another name next to sophomore Oronde Gadsden Jr., who is an awful blocker but a great receiver.

Omarion Hampton could be in for a huge season if he gets enough touches off his season-ending injury. The Chargers have depth at RB, too — Kimani Vidal proved himself to be a quality depth piece , and Keaton Mitchell is the exact sort of speed back McDaniel has elevated in the past.

The WR room is what holds the Chargers back, for now. I love Ladd McConkey and his route running and YAC could be huge in this offense, but he needs to prove his body can hold up for a WR1 role. Quentin Johnston isn't the best fit, and Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith are talented but need to show their potential.

The Chargers were dead last in my skill position rankings just two years ago, but McDaniel could elevate these overlooked additions into something special.

I can't remember quite why I believed in the Ravens last year to put them at No. 3, but I'm course correcting in a big way.

Derrick Henry is the truth, and at this point we'll just have to keep believing he can do this forever until he proves otherwise — but the pass-catchers on this squad just don't do it for me.

Zay Flowers feels like an average WR1 at best and, truthfully, a guy I'd prefer as a second option. Rashod Batemen still hasn't developed much and everyone's excited about Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt but they were third- and fourth-round picks for a reason.

The tight ends have elevated Baltimore for years, but Isaiah Likely and Kolar are gone now and Mark Andrews may well be too. Does Andrews have a bounce-back season in him? He's aged quite a bit, and if he doesn't have any juice left or Henry ever shows his age, these skill players could collapse in a hurry.

Speaking of collapse and aging TEs, the Chiefs continue to trend in the wrong direction.

Travis Kelce is little more than an average tight end at this point and near expiration in the NFL, and without his greatness, these Kansas City pass-catchers just don't offer much.

Rashee Rice is a YAC star but hasn't looked right returning from his knee injury, and he needs to be a piece of the puzzle, not the full answer, and doesn't get a ton of help. Xavier Worthy is mostly still just speed, and rookie Cyrus Allen needs to prove himself past training camp.

Rather than paying for a real weapon in the passing game, the Chiefs ditched all their RB depth and spent all their money on Kenneth Walker. He's a star, the No. 1 graded PFF runner last season, and he adds an explosive element this team badly lacked the last few years — if only the Chiefs had anything like that in the passing game.

Then there are the Texans, who are honestly getting a charitable ranking up a few spots just to be included in this AFC contenders tier.

Houston has the single most valuable weapon of this quartet in Nico Collins, who is a legit superstar top-7 WR, but the Texans need him to stay healthy because he doesn't have much help.

Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel didn't offer a ton as rookies; I like Noel, but he's not being utilized well. Tank Dell is still on the long road back from injury but could round this crew out, and TE Dalton Schultz is mostly fine.

The Texans finally added a real RB in power back David Montgomery, but I'm not convinced he's a true RB1 and Woody Marks can't stay on the field.

Houston still isn't giving C.J. Stroud much to work with offensively.

Tier VIII — Young Talent That's Not There Yet

25. Jets (Last Year: 27)

26. Raiders (Last Year: 22)

27. Saints (Last Year: 23)

28. Panthers (Last Year: 29)

We're in the bottom quarter of the rankings now, and there are young names to like here, but we need to see it on an NFL field.

The Jets have the most immediate upside of the group.

Garrett Wilson should be a legit WR1 but will need to actually do the thing at some point, terrible quarterbacks or not. Breece Hall is a nice, balanced quality runner and has good depth behind him.

New York invested huge draft capital, but we need to see first-round picks Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq produce in a tough ecosystem.

The Raiders already have two stars — or at least one.

Brock Bowers is a superstar. He's not a good blocker so he's more like a WR at TE, hurting his value some, but Michael Mayer is a nice TE option too.

The second star is supposed to be Ashton Jeanty, but he was not great as a rookie. He should be better in Klint Kubiak's system, but we need to see it.

The WR room is what's really lacking, though. There are things to like about Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Jack Bech, but they all feel like solid WR3s, and that's the top three here instead. Bech could be a sneaky standout slot man in this offense.

There's enough young talent in Las Vegas to be intriguing in Klint Kubiak's system, but it may take time.

There's a lot of Saints optimism, but they need to stay healthy and they already can't.

First-round WR Jordyn Tyson is an elite talent but has injured his hamstring for the umpteenth time this year and will miss the next couple months at least, and Chris Olave has an equally long and worrying injury history. Those two could be an outstanding WR duo if they ever see the field together, but how often will that happen?

New Orleans went out and brought in Travis Etienne Jr., but he's just okay as a runner, and Alvin Kamara may not have anything left in the tank. The Saints also lost retired weapon Taysom Hill, and Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant are more depth than starting TEs.

The rival Panthers have a similar setup.

Tetairoa McMillan looked like a budding star WR as a rookie, and Jalen Coker is an underrated high-end WR2. Carolina added veteran Darren Waller at TE but there's not much else at receiver, and the runners leave you cold, too.

Jonathan Brooks has some juice at RB but can't stay healthy, leaving Chuba Hubbard, who is very much just another dude.

Tier IX — One Receiver Is Our Only Hope

29. Giants (Last Year: 28)

30. Titans (Last Year: 32)

31. Browns (Last Year: 30)

The Giants have the one proven star in this tier in Malik Nabers, but he hasn't proven he can stay on the field long enough to matter.

If Nabers can't stay healthy, this is the the worst WR room in the league, and maybe the worst skill positions.

Isaiah Likely is a nice addition at TE, and new head coach John Harbaugh could turn Chris Manhertz into a Charlie Kolar-type blocker, but add in new FB Patrick Ricard and it's a bit worrying how much Harbaugh is just trying to run back his Ravens offense.

Can Cam Skattebo get healthy and prove himself as a starting RB? He was really good as a rookie, but for now this team has three RB2s and no reliable starter.

The Giants badly need Nabers healthy and on the field.

The Titans invested heavily at WR this offseason, but they still have a long way to go.

Carnell Tate is a great route runner with plenty of polish, and Wan'Dale Robinson is just fine, albeit a nice addition to this squad. Calvin Ridley may never get his A-game back, but he and Elic Ayomanor are in better position to succeed in a more rounded room.

Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are the RB duo, but they're mostly just guys. Gunnar Helm had a nice rookie season, but he and Daniel Bellinger don't stand out at TE either. Cam Ward still doesn't have a standout weapon.

The Titans are bottom-3 in these rankings for a second straight season, and so are the Browns.

Cleveland made a big investment at receiver drafting KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston — both guys look good so far, but it's best to reserve judgment until we see it in real games.

Harold Fannin Jr. had a terrific season as a rookie, but he's a bad blocker which might make him more of an average TE than a great one, and it's all on him this year with Njoku gone.

It's more of the same at RB. Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson flashed as rookies but were unable to find much rhythm on the ground. Cleveland's got plenty of youth, but development takes time.

Tier X — They're Definitely M.I.A.

32. Dolphins (Last Year: 6)

For the Dolphins, the skill players are definitely M.I.A.

De'Von Achane is a star playmaker but will need to show he can produce at that level outside of Mike McDaniel's system.

Outside of Achane, this is one of the bleakest set of skill positions in recent memory.

The WR room is truly tragic.

Malik Washington is apparently the lead guy, and rookies Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, and Kevin Coleman will all have to contribute — it's ugly. Miami may not have a starting TE either. Greg Dulcich grades out well but has never started and doesn't block, and Miami lost FB Alec Ingold, too.

Miami is bottoming out. This squad was 6th in these rankings last fall but has bottomed out to last, with a bullet.

Let's hope Malik Willis cashed a few paychecks already.

Congrats on that starting gig — it's gonna be a long season.

Takeaways for Bettors

1. The NFC is absolutely loaded at the skill positions.

The AFC ruled the quarterback ranks — and those teams pay dearly for it — but the NFC is king here. The conference has the entire top four, seven of the top eight, and 10 of the top 12 in the skill position rankings.

That includes the entire NFC North, and it's notable that the defending champ Seahawks rank 14th in the NFL here but 11th in the NFC and last in their division. Perhaps a worrying sign for Seattle, and it might be a death knell for the Saints, Panthers, and Giants in the bottom five.

2. Quarterbacks and defenses will matter more in the AFC.

The Bengals (5) and Patriots (9) are the only two AFC teams in the top 12 — they're not just loaded at the skill positions, but they obviously also have star quarterbacks. Those two offenses look ready to rumble in the AFC.

Beyond those two, the conference could be ripe for a skill position sleeper jump.

The Jaguars and Broncos were already near the top of the conference and added weapons, and the Colts and Steelers are just average overall but that's above average in the AFC.

3. Four AFC contenders have serious red flags at skill positions.

The Chargers, Ravens, Chiefs, and Texans were all in the worrying tier together, all just outside the top 20.

I'm optimistic the Chargers can push to league average with Mike McDaniel, but the Ravens and Chiefs continue to fall off in recent years and the Texans are lucky to be included that high.

These squads have stars elsewhere, but they don't have many game changers at the skill positions.

4. Beware the big fallers, and invest in the big risers.

The biggest risers all come in the AFC — perhaps not surprisingly from three of the conference's top teams last season. New England jumps from 25 to 9, Jacksonville from 21 to 13, and Denver all the way from 31 to 17.

Miami is the biggest faller, all the way to irrelevance, but it could be a changing of the guard for some of the stalwart contenders too.

San Francisco drops from 4 to 8, Philadelphia falls from 1 to 10, and Baltimore plummets from 3 all the way to 22.

Is there a changing of the guard coming around the NFL?