Quarterback:
1. Anthony Richardson (IND) – Current ADPs on each site (UD – 176), (DK – 165), (DRFT – 175)
Currently being drafted in rounds 13/14 depending on the site, Anthony Richardson has an insane ceiling week-to-week given his rushing ability. Couple that with the fact that the Colts have the 8th easiest Strength of Schedule (SoS) this season, AR is a great late round, high upside pick. The risk here is that he’s currently in a QB competition with Daniel Jones so has a chance of losing the battle and not being the starter. However, early reports from training camp say that he has looked great so far and has a new attitude this season. Let’s not be afraid to be a little risky and lean into the uncertainty here because if/when he’s named the starter, his ADP will most certainly jump from 13/14th rd up to 9th/10th round or better.
2. Cameron Ward (TEN) – Current ADPs on each site (UD – 156), (DK – 150), (DRFT – 153)
Currently being drafted in the 12th/13th rounds across all sites, Cameron Ward comes in as one of the most overlooked, not talked about #1 overall draft picks potentially ever. 4th easiest SoS this season, yet they have a projected win total to start the season of 6. This could mean that Tennessee is playing bad teams and often finding themselves behind and trying to play catch-up. His weapons are not elite by any stretch of the imagination; however, they also are not bad. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears in the backfield, Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett at WR and Chig Okonkwu at TE. This reminds me of last season’s Washington and Jayden Daniels situation. Don’t get me wrong, Cam Ward does not provide the rushing upside that Daniels does, however his weapons are at least comparable to what Daniel’s had last season.
Running Back:
J.K. Dobbins (DEN) – Current ADPs on each site (UD – 106), (DK – 105), (DRFT – 100)
Currently being drafted late 8th/early 9th round across all sites, J.K. Dobbins is a great RB to target if your draft roster lacks RB talent and/or depth. Yes Denver did draft rookie RJ Harvey but the market seems to think the starting job and bulk of the RB touches already belong to Harvey. Dobbins obviously has a pretty lengthy injury history but he’s still only 26 years old and proven that he can still be an efficient RB producer in the NFL.
Trey Benson (ARI) – Current ADPs on each site (UD – 143), (DK – 157), (DRFT – 148)
Currently being drafted as early as the 11th rd or as late as the 13th rd across all sites, Trey Benson is poised to take a 2nd year leap. Arizona has the 6th easiest SoS and a projected win total of around 9. Last year was very lackluster considering the market assumed that James Conner was going to be phased out of the offense to make way for Trey Benson but James Conner was just too efficient, coupled with the fact that Trey Benson didn’t pop when given opportunities. James Conner came out recently and said that he “expects Trey Benson to get a lot of playing time this season”. Rarely do you see a starting RB talk about an increased workload for their competition so this seems like maybe Conner leaked some inside stuff or he’s admitting that his body needs more rest and cannot take on as large of a workload as he has in the past. Either way, this is a win for Trey Benson “truthers”. Let’s take advantage of the low ADP on Benson now before the market potentially catches up soon.
Najee Harris (LAC) – Current ADPs on each site (UD – 139), (DK – 150), (DRFT – 160)
Currently being drafted around the middle of the 11th rd or as late as the 13th rd across all sites, Najee Harris can pay off in a big way. The Chargers drafted highly touted rookie Omarion Hampton out of UNC and he is expected by the market to be the starting RB and handle a hefty workload. However, Najee Harris has ran for over 1,000 yards all 4 seasons he’s been in the NFL on lackluster Pittsburgh teams. He has missed all of training camp so far from a July 4th accident that damaged his eye but he was seen recently starting to ramp up activity at camp and there’s no reason Najee can’t be a great value here, whether it’s splitting carries with Hampton, or maybe even Hampton isn’t as good in the NFL as people expected and Najee gets more of the work.
