Welcome to Awesemo’s Fantasy Football Best Ball Report 7.0. 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. 23 — Aug. 30)
| Rank | Name | Pos | Pos Rank | Team | ADP | Change (7 days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134 | Sony Michel | RB | 1 | NE | 136.1 | -79.1 |
| 172 | Jameis Winston | QB | 1 | NO | 173.3 | -37.6 |
| 56 | James Robinson | RB | 2 | JAX | 57.1 | -37.1 |
| 166 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 3 | NE | 165.6 | -29.9 |
| 103 | Marquez Callaway | WR | 1 | NO | 104.9 | -24.3 |
| 169 | Zach Wilson | QB | 2 | NYJ | 169.7 | -16.3 |
| 120 | Jakobi Meyers | WR | 2 | NE | 118.5 | -15.8 |
| 198 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | 1 | PIT | 199.8 | -14.4 |
| 84 | Corey Davis | WR | 3 | NYJ | 85.4 | -13.6 |
| 110 | Gus Edwards | RB | 4 | BAL | 109.3 | -12.8 |
| 154 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | WR | 4 | GB | 157.6 | -10.4 |
| 206 | Carlos Hyde | RB | 5 | JAX | 205.7 | -10.2 |
| 179 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 6 | CAR | 180.8 | -10.1 |
| 205 | Ty Johnson | RB | 7 | NYJ | 205.5 | -9.5 |
| 178 | Byron Pringle | WR | 5 | KC | 179.9 | -9.3 |
| 159 | Giovani Bernard | RB | 8 | TB | 160.2 | -9.1 |
| 170 | James White | RB | 9 | NE | 171.0 | -9.1 |
| 173 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | 3 | PIT | 173.4 | -8.7 |
| 208 | Tony Jones | RB | 10 | NO | 207.4 | -8.5 |
| 191 | Quez Watkins | WR | 6 | PHI | 192.8 | -8.2 |
Jameis Winston was named the starter in New Orleans, and his stock instantly rose three rounds and will continue to rise this week. Zach Wilson (16.3) and Ben Roethlisberger (8.7) also cracked the top 20 risers. For Wilson, it was because of the strong preseason performances, while Roethlisberger simply looks healthy. The top riser on the week was Sony Michel, who is up 79.1 spots after being traded to the Rams. Michel was part of a crowded New England, but he will now have an opportunity to shine in a more secure role. James Robinson is the third-highest riser, up 37.1 spots due to the aftershock of the Travis Etienne news. Not far behind is Gus Edwards, who is climbing now that J.K. Dobbins is out for the year and will most likely be the top riser in next week’s report. Rhamondre Stevenson, Marquez Callaway, Jakobi Meyers, Pat Freiermuth, Corey Davis, Chuba Hubbard, Ty Johnson, Byron Pringle, Quez Watkins and Tony Jones all made the list this week based on their play on the field and securing valuable spots on their teams’ depth charts.
Top 20 ADP Fallers (Aug. 23 — Aug. 30)
| Rank | Name | Pos | Pos Rank | Team | ADP | Change (7 days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 182 | Adam Trautman | TE | 1 | NO | 183.8 | 33.9 |
| 200 | Xavier Jones | RB | 1 | LAR | 200.9 | 26.8 |
| 188 | David Johnson | RB | 2 | HOU | 189.3 | 24.1 |
| 158 | Latavius Murray | RB | 3 | NO | 158.6 | 21.1 |
| 201 | Breshad Perriman | WR | 1 | DET | 200.9 | 17.0 |
| 146 | Rashod Bateman | WR | 2 | BAL | 148.5 | 13.2 |
| 196 | Daniel Jones | QB | 1 | NYG | 199.1 | 12.5 |
| 192 | Anthony Firkser | TE | 2 | TEN | 193.7 | 12.3 |
| 96 | Michael Carter | RB | 4 | NYJ | 98.8 | 12.1 |
| 175 | Sammy Watkins | WR | 3 | BAL | 174.5 | 11.5 |
| 194 | Malcolm Brown | RB | 5 | MIA | 194.1 | 11.2 |
| 121 | Dallas Goedert | TE | 3 | PHI | 119.0 | 10.7 |
| 211 | John Brown | WR | 4 | LV | 208.1 | 9.9 |
| 180 | Rashaad Penny | RB | 6 | SEA | 181.5 | 9.3 |
| 186 | Derek Carr | QB | 2 | LV | 187.7 | 9.0 |
| 92 | D.J. Chark | WR | 5 | JAX | 91.8 | 8.8 |
| 250 | Taysom Hill | QB | 3 | NO | 215.4 | 8.3 |
| 133 | Trevor Lawrence | QB | 4 | JAX | 135.5 | 8.3 |
| 49 | Darrell Henderson | RB | 7 | LAR | 50.2 | 7.5 |
| 195 | Blake Jarwin | TE | 4 | DAL | 197.5 | 6.5 |
Adam Trautman, Rashod Bateman, D.J. Chark and Blake Jarwin are seeing lowered ADPs due to lingering injuries. Xavier Jones took a hit with the addition of Michel, and Darrell Henderson also took a slight hit, sneaking his way into the top 20 fallers this week. There are a few other running backs who have questions heading into the season, like David Johnson, Latavius Murray, Michael Carter, Malcolm Brown and Rashaad Penny. Some of the fallers that may offer discounts next week are Daniel Jones, Dallas Goedert and Derek Carr.
Training Camp/Preseason Week 3 Takeaways (Aug. 23 — Aug. 30)
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.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, CLE — The buzz continues, as does the play on the field. Peoples-Jones looks locked in as the WR3 in Cleveland, as Rashard Higgins tweaked his hamstring last week.
Damien Harris, RB, NE — With Michel off to the Rams, it is clear that the Patriots like what they have in Harris. He is in for a lot of touches in 2021.
Evan Engram, TE, NYG — Engram suffered a calf injury in the team’s final preseason game.
Trent Sherfield, WR, SF — Sherfield continues to have chemistry with Trey Lance and is now on the draft bubble in best ball .
Laviska Shenault Jr, WR, JAC — Shenault was the Jaguars top WR in the team’s final preseason game and looked the part.
Nico Collins, WR, HOU — Collins caught a touchdown in the team’s final preseason game and looks to have carved himself a nice role in the offense.
Gus Edwards, RB, BAL — The Ravens will have to rely much more on Edwards after the injury to Dobbins.
Gabriel Davis, WR, BUF — Davis looked great in the latest preseason game, showing signs of big things to come in his second season.
Quintez Cephus, WR, DET — Breshad Perriman has been cut by the Lions, and now the door is wide open for Cephus to be one of the starting wide receivers to start the season.
Boston Scott, RB, PHI — Scott scored a long touchdown and looks to be a guy that the Eagles will get involved no matter how crowded the backfield may look.
Corey Davis, WR, NYJ— Davis was given the big money to come to New York, and he has looked the part as the Jets WR1.
Terrace Marshall Jr, WR, CAR — Marshall is locked in as the third option for the Panthers and looks to have big-play ability.
Dan Arnold, TE, CAR — Arnold has become a welcome target for Sam Darnold all training camp, and he looks to be a player that will have value in the later rounds.
Jerick McKinnon, RB, KC — Both Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams are dinged up a little, so there is opportunity for McKinnon to see touches to open the season.
Weekly News, Notes & Trends (Aug. 23 — Aug. 30)
Breshad Perriman, DET, WR — The Lions released Perriman and will now role out Tyrell Williams, Cephus and Amon-Ra St. Brown in three-receiver sets.
Carson Wentz, IND, QB — Wentz seems to be on target to start for the Colts in Week 1.
Irv Smith Jr, MIN, TE — Smith is expected to miss the start of the season with a meniscus injury.
Evan Engram, NYG, TE— Engram suffered a calf injury against the Patriots, and his status is now up in the air.
Darius Slayton, NYG, WR — Slayton exited the Patriots game early with an ankle injury.
T.Y. Hilton, IND, WR — Hilton is going to miss a chunk of time to start the season, as he is dealing with an apparent neck injury.
J.K. Dobbins, BAL, RB — Dobbins suffered a torn ACL and is out for the 2021 season.
Brian Hill, TEN, RB — The Titans placed backup Hill on injured reserve.
Gardner Minshew, PHI, QB — The Eagles traded a sixth-round pick for Minshew, which helps clear the path for Trevor Lawrence to be the guy.
Richie James, SF, WR — The 49ers waived James, who is set to miss six weeks with a knee injury.
Jameis Winston, NO, QB — Winston has been named the Saints’ starting quarterback for Week 1.
Teddy Bridgewater, DEN, QB — Bridgewater has been named the Broncos’ starting quarterback for Week 1.
Sony Michel, LAR, RB — Michel has been traded to the Rams, and now his value skyrockets with bigger touch potential.
Travis Etienne, JAC, RB – Etienne suffers a season ending Lisfranc injury.
Best Ball Industry News
- Underdog Fantasy — The Puppy is back once again with Puppy 3, and it filled up 117,000 out of 223,560 entries in two weeks as it is now 52% full. Underdog’s $25 buy-in for the BBMII ($1 million to first) is 83% full with 129,000 of 155,500 entered. Twelve thousand teams entered 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 1,100 of 2,304 entries with 48% 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 which filled this week. They also recently added a $6 150 max Touchdown Dance contest that is 24,600 out of 97,632 full. There are four other tournament options this year now, with a $20 131,500 out of 203,040 full (150 max, $1 million top prize), and $555 800 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 (9,420 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 3,400 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 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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