Welcome to Awesemo’s Fantasy Football Best Ball Report 6.0. This will be a weekly feature leading up to the 2021 NFL season that will focus on all things related to best ball for the past seven days. It will check in on Underdog Fantasy ADPs (using 4for4 ADP Tool) and look at the NFL fantasy football top risers and fallers over the past week. We will sort the top player news stories on NBC Sports Edge, as this is the main source of news that seems to impact the rise or fall of players’ ADPs. This column will also examine any additional trends that might help fantasy players get ahead of the curve when it comes to players’ ADP value.
The more teams you draft the more players you are going to have exposure to, and with that we want to search out when it is OK to buy a player and when to avoid a certain player. Best ball can be compared to being a day trader in the stock market, as the best ball season runs from February to September.
Underdog Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft ADPs & News
This column looks at weekly ADP shifts on Underdog Fantasy to see how player values are moving with the news around the league. Drafting in best ball means always looking for values when drafting players. For high-volume best ball players, the goal is always to limit the number of times one overpays for a player, and the best way to help with this is tracking ADP movements.
Top 20 ADP Risers (Aug. 16 — Aug. 23)
| Rank | Name | Pos | Pos Rank | Team | ADP | Change (7 days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 171 | K.J. Hamler | WR | 1 | DEN | 171.2 | -25.5 |
| 181 | Malcolm Brown | RB | 1 | MIA | 182.9 | -23.6 |
| 149 | Phillip Lindsay | RB | 2 | HOU | 151.3 | -22.7 |
| 193 | Josh Palmer | WR | 2 | LAC | 192.5 | -15.8 |
| 128 | Marquez Callaway | WR | 3 | NO | 129.2 | -14.0 |
| 163 | Tyrell Williams | WR | 4 | DET | 164.0 | -13.4 |
| 189 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 3 | CAR | 190.9 | -11.8 |
| 169 | Giovani Bernard | RB | 4 | TB | 169.3 | -11.2 |
| 194 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 5 | NE | 195.5 | -11.1 |
| 201 | Quez Watkins | WR | 5 | PHI | 201.0 | -9.7 |
| 132 | Jakobi Meyers | WR | 6 | NE | 134.3 | -8.8 |
| 113 | Rondale Moore | WR | 7 | ARI | 111.5 | -8.5 |
| 127 | Bryan Edwards | WR | 8 | LV | 128.6 | -8.2 |
| 100 | Marvin Jones | WR | 9 | JAX | 101.8 | -8.0 |
| 120 | Terrace Marshall Jr. | WR | 10 | CAR | 120.3 | -7.7 |
| 96 | Logan Thomas | TE | 1 | WAS | 96.4 | -7.7 |
| 168 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | WR | 11 | GB | 168.0 | -7.6 |
| 123 | Justin Fields | QB | 1 | CHI | 124.4 | -6.9 |
| 97 | Corey Davis | WR | 12 | NYJ | 99.0 | -6.3 |
| 191 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | WR | 13 | CLE | 191.0 | -6.1 |
There are a lot of the risers this week being based solely off of preseason game performances. Thirteen out of 20 risers are receivers, five are running backs, one quarterback and one tight end. K.J. Hamler was the biggest riser on the week, jumping up over two rounds to 25.5, and this is based off a strong preseason performance and reports that he is going to be a big part of the offense. Malcolm Brown was the second-biggest riser, moving up 23.6 spots after he started over Myles Gaskin. The lone quarterback in the group is Justin Fields, as he dropped down half a round at ADP, which could be based on a rough preseason game in Week 2. The lone tight end, Logan Thomas, dropped 7.7 spots. Players like Josh Palmer, Marquez Callaway, Chuba Hubbard, Rhamondre Stevenson, Quez Watkins, Jakobi Meyers, Rondale Moore, Marvin Jones, Terrace Marshall Jr., Corey Davis, and Donovan Peoples-Jones are all on the rise with solid preseason performances and showing that they are more valuable to their offenses.
Top 20 ADP Fallers (Aug 16 — Aug. 23)
| Rank | Name | Pos | Pos Rank | Team | ADP | Change (7 days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 165 | David Johnson | RB | 1 | HOU | 165.2 | 23.8 |
| 197 | John Brown | WR | 1 | LV | 198.2 | 21.5 |
| 148 | Adam Trautman | TE | 1 | NO | 149.9 | 14.7 |
| 134 | Rashod Bateman | WR | 2 | BAL | 135.3 | 13.7 |
| 179 | Anthony Firkser | TE | 2 | TEN | 181.4 | 11.7 |
| 145 | Tre’Quan Smith | WR | 3 | NO | 145.2 | 10.6 |
| 211 | Deshaun Watson | QB | 1 | HOU | 209.8 | 10.4 |
| 137 | Latavius Murray | RB | 2 | NO | 137.5 | 10.3 |
| 199 | Allen Lazard | WR | 4 | GB | 199.8 | 10.0 |
| 74 | Myles Gaskin | RB | 3 | MIA | 74.9 | 9.7 |
| 107 | Dallas Goedert | TE | 3 | PHI | 108.3 | 9.3 |
| 173 | Rashaad Penny | RB | 4 | SEA | 172.2 | 7.7 |
| 186 | Daniel Jones | QB | 2 | NYG | 186.6 | 7.4 |
| 162 | Sammy Watkins | WR | 5 | BAL | 163.0 | 7.3 |
| 135 | Gabriel Davis | WR | 6 | BUF | 137.0 | 6.2 |
| 124 | Leonard Fournette | RB | 5 | TB | 126.3 | 5.7 |
| 182 | Breshad Perriman | WR | 7 | DET | 183.9 | 5.6 |
| 200 | Darius Slayton | WR | 8 | NYG | 199.9 | 5.3 |
| 190 | Blake Jarwin | TE | 4 | DAL | 191.0 | 5.0 |
| 203 | Nico Collins | WR | 9 | HOU | 204.6 | 4.8 |
David Johnson (23.8) and John Brown (21.5) are the biggest fallers on the week, as both were listed further down the depth chart. They have been big names in fantasy circles in years past, but the opportunity might not be there for them as much this season. There are four tight ends on this list, with Adam Trautman, Anthony Firkser, Dallas Goedert and Blake Jarwin. These four guys have all been publicized up at some point this offseason, and they may be in more time share situations. Deshaun Watson‘s ADP continues to dive, as his situation appears to not be going anywhere. Wide receivers such as Rashod Bateman, Tre’Quan Smith, Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Gabriel Davis, Darius Slayton and Nico Collins all dipped in ADP, but there is opportunity here to buy low on some of these players. All of these players have solid roles on their teams.
Training Camp/Preseason Week 2 Takeaways (Aug. 16 — Aug. 23)
These are players who had a positive week in training camp and showed something in their teams’ preseason games. People will be quick to react to big performances in preseason games. Most of the players mentioned in this section will be in the top 20 risers next week.
Josh Palmer, WR, LAC — Palmer is part of a great offense and showed once again that he can make big plays, as he grabbed a touchdown.
Trey Lance, QB, SF — The day started off rough for Lance, but he ended with a pair of touchdown passes. His ADP is going to continue to soar.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, CLE — The buzz continues, as does the play on the field. He looks locked in as the WR3 in Cleveland.
Rashaad Penny, RB, SEA — Penny is the direct backup behind Chris Carson.
Zach Pascal, WR, IND — Pascal looks like the third option in the Colts passing game and is a late-round target now.
Rondale Moore, WR, ARI — Moore is seeing a ton of usage on the ground, in the air and on kickoffs and punt returns. He is going to be a very important piece as a rookie.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, PIT — He snagged a touchdown catch and looks to be ready to contribute as a rookie alongside Eric Ebron. He is a last-round player to mix in here and there in deeper best ball leagues.
Myles Gaskin, RB, MIA — Adjustments in ADP are being made with the splits in the backfield, with Malcolm Brown, Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin all seeing work. If Gaskin falls far enough, he could become a value.
Qadree Ollison, RB, ATL — All signs are pointing to Ollison as being locked in as the Falcons RB2, and he is often free at the end of drafts.
Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, CAR — Everything continues to be going right for Marshall, as he made plays for the second straight game and looks to have the WR3 spot locked up.
Corey Davis, WR, NYJ — Davis looks like the clear WR1 in New York and has some chemistry going with Zach Wilson, as he has been targeted 10 of 13 routes through two preseason games.
Michael Carter, RB, NYJ — It looks like Carter is not high on the depth chart and is going to start the season behind Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson.
C.J. Uzomah, TE, CIN — Uzomah is returning from a 2020 injury, but he is seeing the field early in preseason and is being treated as the top tight end for the Bengals. He is a last-round draft pick to consider.
Mecole Hardman, WR, KC — Hardman is locked in as the WR2 behind Tyreek Hill this season.
DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI — Smith finally saw game action as he returned from injury and was the lone bright spot on the Eagles in Preseason Week 2. His stock will rise with him just being on the field and making a couple of catches.
Weekly News, Notes & Trends (Aug. 16 — Aug. 23)
Jalen Hurts, PHI, QB — Hurts was a late scratch because of a stomach bug. Do not overreact to this news, and if he continues to slip at ADP, he should be a great target at ADP.
Carson Wentz, IND, QB — Wentz is set to return to practice this week, and at his current ADP he is starting to become a nice value.
Deshaun Watson, HOU, QB — The up-and-down rollercoaster continues with Watson, and there is still no official word if he is eligible to play this season.
Will Fuller, MIA, WR— The Dolphins expect Fuller to be healthy for the start of the season. Fuller is also facing a one-game suspension.
Rashod Bateman, BAL, WR — Bateman is cleared to run routes, and if all things go in his favor without any setbacks, he could be cleared to play as early as Week 1. His ADP has fallen quite a bit since the injury.
Nico Collins, HOU, WR — Collins is dealing with a minor muscle pull and is not expected to miss a lot of time.
Blake Jarwin, DAL, TE — Jarwin is back on the playing field and caught a 25-yard pass in Saturday’s preseason game. This is great news for Jarwin.
Zack Moss, BUF, RB — Moss is back from a hamstring injury and had four carries in the Bills’ preseason game this week.
N’Keal Harry, NE, WR — Harry is probably undraftable anyway, but he did suffer a shoulder injury and is expected to miss four weeks.
D’Wayne Eskridge, SEA, WR — Eskridge is getting closer to returning to the field and has an outside shot at playing in the team’s final preseason game.
Breshad Perriman, DET, WR— Perriman has been running with the second team at training camp this week.
Chase Claypool, PIT, WR — Claypool avoided a serious injury, as he went down awkwardly in practice early in the week and is now dealing with a minor ankle sprain.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC, RB — Edwards-Helaire is dealing with an ankle sprain and is return date is still in question, but it looks like he will be ready for Week 1.
Best Ball Industry News
- Underdog Fantasy — The Puppy is back once again with Puppy 3, and it filled up 64,000 out of 223,560 entries in a single week as it is now 28% full. Underdog’s $25 buy-in for the BBMII ($1 million to first) is 75% full with 117,000 of 155,500 entered. 10,000 teams entered into the BBMII over the last week, so if that average holds, this tournament will fill before the season starts. Underdog The Big Dog $250 buy-in that has 20 rounds and has a top prize of $100,000 and now is 700 of 2,304 entries with 30% full.
- DraftKings — DraftKings got back in the low dollar tournament game with the release of a 150 max $5, $100,000 to 1st Flea Flicker that is 53,000 of 70,848 full. They also recently added a $6 150 max Touchdown Dance contest that is 5,600 out of 97,632 full at the moment. There are four other tournament options this year now, with a $20 110,500 out of 203,040 full (150 max, $1 million top prize), $3 11,600 out of 38,880 full (20 max, $50,000 top prize) and $555 585 out of 1,980 full (59 max, $250,000 top prize). DraftKings also offers “Sit & Go” leagues that are three-, six- and 12-man options from $1 to $1,060. A side note on the Sit & Go leagues is that users can only enter 50 teams in each price point. This is something that is not public knowledge.
- Drafters — Drafters is running a best ball championship tournament, which has a twist to it, as it is the overall top scoring team wins and does not offer a playoff round style like DraftKings and Underdog. The entry fee is just $5.55, and the contest is nearly halfway full (8,930 of 10,008). Top prize is $10,000 with a $50,000 total prize pool. Drafters released an Ownership update on their site that shows “My ADP” vs “Current ADP” which is great to see your average ADP of any given player and compare it to the current value of that player. Drafters released an $11 tournament this week as well which is 2,000 of 10,008 full and has a top prize of $25,000.
- BestBall 10s — They have a $10 entry fee tournament with 3,000 total teams up for grabs and a top prize of $5,000.
- Yahoo! — Yahoo has no best ball tournaments, but they do have $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $250 and $500 10-man leagues. With the Yahoo best ball product, players are limited to 50 total drafts for the season. These are 10-man leagues and have prizes for top three and also have top weekly score prizes.
- FFPC — Entry fees range from $35 to $1,250. The biggest difference in FFPC is that they have 28 roster spots but include kickers and defenses.
- FanDuel — There are no tournament options currently on FanDuel, but they do have three-man, 10-man and 12-man leagues from $1 to $50.
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