Fantasy Football Rankings: Who's Rising and Falling in Fantasy Life Consensus Rankings

We're nearing the end of August, and it seems like the fantasy landscape is changing by the day. Injuries are starting to mount, and it's becoming increasingly necessary to check up on the various beat reports across the league. 

Let's take a look at some of the biggest risers and fallers in Fantasy Life's consensus rankings and highlight any appropriate actions you should take.

Risers in Fantasy Life's Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings

Ja'Kobi Lane | WR | BAL | +23

• Consensus Rank: WR61

The answer to, "Will more than one wideout matter for the Ravens this season?" might not even be important in a few weeks. Simply looking at our projections, no one besides Zay Flowers is poised to make much of an impact for fantasy football managers.

However, it's looking increasingly more likely that Ja'Kobi Lane is going to be that guy.

Rookies Lane (Round 3) and Elijah Sarratt (Round 4) figure to be the most intriguing assets at this stage, especially in dynasty formats. We more or less know who Rashod Bateman is at this stage of his career; the veteran has just one top-40 finish in his five-year career, and Devontez Walker has just seven receptions in his two seasons in the NFL.

Earlier this offseason, I wasn't entirely sold on Lane vs. Sarratt. However, the drumbeat for Lane is becoming louder and more consistent, and our projections are starting to feel the same way. Our rankers have definitely noticed and made adjustments as well. Lane has jumped 23 spots over the last week and is now firmly in the late-round draft pick stage in redraft formats.

Action Item: Lane is someone I want to leave my drafts with. His upside on this offense is something I want on my roster, as he is quickly turning into a player who could smash his ADP this season.

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Keenan Allen | WR | IND | +12

• Consensus Rank: WR62

One of my all-time favorite fantasy football players is back for another season.

His glory days with the Chargers might be behind him, but Keenan Allen should still have enough left in the tank to provide some low-level fantasy value for the Colts this season.

Curiously enough, the Colts have some somewhat important question marks at the receiver position, which makes the Allen signing even more meaningful. Josh Downs, our top-projected option at the position, is dealing with a calf injury and is considered day-to-day. Alec Pierce (ankle), whom the Colts signed to a massive four-year, $114 million contract, was finally activated off the PUP.

That makes Allen one of the healthiest at the position, even at 34 years old.

Candidly, the Allen signing makes more sense for the Colts as a real NFL team than it really does for fantasy football managers. Even so, the savvy, route-savant veteran should still offer some level of intrigue in the weeks and months to come. Just don't expect him to be a league-winner at the position.

Action Item: Our consensus rankings have Allen one spot behind the aforementioned Lane. I would prefer Lane at their respective costs simply because the rookie offers more upside than the veteran. If you miss Lane, Allen is still worth a stash.

Kayshon Boutte | WR | HOU | +12

• Consensus Rank: WR67

After spending his first three seasons with the New England Patriots, Kayshon Boutte was just traded to the Houston Texans. The arrival of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs put Boutte's future role on the team into question. The season-ending injury to Jayden Higgins (knee) made the trade make too much sense for both sides.

Now with the Texans, Boutte will look to push for a starting role alongside Nico Collins.

While our projections currently have both Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel finishing ahead of Boutte, there are still plenty of injury concerns for both players.

Recent reports have stated that Dell (knee) is still a long way off from being ready to play, and Noel is still working back from a pulled hamstring and a finger issue.

While I ultimately think the Higgins injury will simply result in more opportunities for Dalton Schultz, there's reason to be optimistic about Boutte, especially if he can quickly build and establish chemistry with C.J. Stroud.

Stroud has a lot to play for this season; Boutte could play a big role in that endeavor with some timely splash plays down the field.

Action Item: Ranked in the same general tier as both Lane & Allen, Boutte is also worthy of a stash on your roster. The lack of a true No. 2 receiver could allow Boutte to work his way into rotation sooner rather than later.

Fallers in Fantasy Life's Consensus Fantasy Rankings

Jakobi Meyers | WR | JAX | -9

• Consensus Rank: WR59

To be sure, our projections still don't quite know what to do with the top three wideouts for the Jaguars this season.

Choose your fighter: Parker Washington, Brian Thomas or Jakobi Meyers. 

Meyers is projected to finish third, and he's currently dealing with a minor hand injury. He's been a fantasy revelation since he famously went almost 40 games (over two and a half seasons) before scoring his first NFL TD.

Now, he's slipped behind the others in the rankings heading into the 2026 season. He's easily the cheapest of the three on Underdog, which means, given our relatively tight projections, means I'll be snagging plenty of Meyers in my upcoming drafts.

Action Item: If your leaguemates are down on Meyers because of all the Washington hype and hopium surrounding BTJ, take the discount on Meyers and enjoy similar levels of production.

Omar Cooper | WR | Jets | -7

• Consensus Rank: WR82

It's been a turbulent offseason for the 30th overall pick. For a decent chunk of training camp, Cooper was running behind teammate Isaiah Williams, who doesn't even have 200 total receiving yards over his first two seasons.

We all know that Garrett Wilson is going to continue in his role as the No. 1 option for the New York Jets, but there was, perhaps, some optimism that Cooper could overtake Adonai Mitchell for the No. 2 role. The first preseason game didn't do much to ease our concerns. Thankfully, Dwain McFarland offered some level-headed insight:

"We don't want to overreact with a Round 1 WR, but it could take some time for Cooper to get going. But he remains a bet I want to make as a WR5/6 in drafts with the long view in mind."

Then, suddenly, the script flipped last weekend. McFarland was back with some positive news as Cooper played with the starters longer than Williams did and even exited the game ahead of him (which is a positive sign): "The rookie WR had a 57% route participation rate with the starters, playing 100% of snaps in 11-personnel. He resided in the slot on 83% of routes and was in motion on 17% of routes with the starting unit but was not targeted."

It still remains to be seen exactly how this offense will operate once a meaningful game is played, but it's encouraging to see Cooper start trending in the right direction.

Action Item: Cooper is still someone I am fine taking a flyer on at the end of my drafts this fall and stashing for the first few weeks of the season.