
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
These are my early PPR ranks, so keep in mind I post these on Thursday. Make sure you check the injury report for players that have missed practice. If it doesn't look like a player will play early in the week, I typically won't rank him. Finally, remember there are 3 games on Saturday, so don't forget to set your lineup!
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5 FM. We're on every Sunday morning from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.
QB
Tannehill is in the Top 10 again this week. Photo by Getty Images.
1 Lamar Jackson
2 Deshaun Watson
3 Russell Wilson
4 Patrick Mahomes
5 Drew Brees
6 Jameis Winston
7 Matt Ryan ATL
8 Ryan Tannehill
9 Aaron Rodgers
10 Dak Prescott
11 Ryan Fitzpatrick
12 Carson Wentz
RB
1 Christian McCaffrey
2 Ezekiel Elliott
3 Chris Carson
4 Saquon Barkley
5 Joe Mixon
6 Leonard Fournette
7 Derrick Henry
8 Austin Ekeler
9 Alvin Kamara
10 Mark Ingram
11 Miles Sanders
12 Melvin Gordon
13 Devonta Freeman
14 Todd Gurley
15 Aaron Jones
16 Kenyan Drake
17 Marlon Mack
18 Nick Chubb
19 Raheem Mostert
20 James Conner
21 Phillip Lindsay
22 DeAndre Washington
23 James White
24 Devin Singletary
25 Mike Boone
26 Le'Veon Bell
27 Adrian Peterson
28 Tarik Cohen
29 Kareem Hunt
30 Ronald Jones
WR
Hopkins should help catch you a championship. Composite photo by Jack Brame
1 Michael Thomas
2 DeAndre Hopkins
3 Julio Jones
4 Davante Adams
5 Tyreek Hill
6 Robert Woods
7 Keenan Allen
8 Allen Robinson
9 Devante Parker
10 D.J. Moore
11 Courtland Sutton
12 Amari Cooper
13 Stefon Diggs
14 Tyler Lockett
15 Breshad Perriman
16 A.J. Brown
17 Tyler Boyd
18 Julian Edelman
19 Kenny Golladay
20 Jarvis Landry
21 Mike Williams
22 Will Fuller
23 Terry McLaurin
24 Cooper Kupp
25 D.K. Metcalf
26 Darius Slayton
27 Anthony Miller
28 Michael Gallup
29 Adam Thielen
30 John Brown
31 Odell Beckham Jr
32 Danny Amendola
33 Jamison Crowder
34 James Washington
35 Sterling Shepard
36 Emmanuel Sanders
TE
Catching up with Kelce. Photo via:Chiefs/Facebook
1 George Kittle
2 Travis Kelce
3 Zach Ertz
4 Tyler Higbee
5 Darren Waller
6 Hunter Henry
7 Austin Hooper
8 Mark Andrews
9 OJ Howard
10 Jacob Hollister
11 Jared Cook
12 Dallas Goedert
DEF
1 Steelers
2 Ravens
3 Patriots
4 Broncos
5 49ers
6 Bills
7 Seahawks
8 Chiefs
9 Chargers
10 Colts
11 Cowboys
12 Saints
KICKER
1 Justin Tucker
2 Wil Lutz
3 Harrison Butker
4 Robbie Gould
5 Younghoe Koo
6 Jason Myers
7 Michael Badgley
8 Ka'imi Fairbairn
9 Jake Elliott
10 Chase McLaughlin
11 Josh Lambo
12 Dan Bailey
That will do it. Good luck this week and when in doubt, start your studs.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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