Training camp draws ever closer, and Best Ball summer rolls along. There is a lot taking shape as roster positions become clearer, so let’s get into the biggest risers and fallers of the past week for 2023 Best Ball leagues, using projections and Stokastic’s Best Ball rankings.
Looking for more NFL Best Ball rankings and content? You are in the right place! Check out all of Stokastic’s Best Ball stories and videos for free. Premium subscribers also get access to Stokastic’s Best Ball rankings — and the underlying projections that power them. Sign up for Stokastic’s Best Ball and season-long fantasy football package for the flat rate of $39.95!
NFL Best Ball Risers & Fallers: July 10
Best Ball ADP Ranking Risers
Nico Collins (Houston Texans): +6.5 — This Week’s Biggest Best Ball Riser
Previous Best Ball ADP: 132.5
Current Best Ball ADP: 126.0
A few other players have risen higher than Nico Collins within the last week, but for the purposes of structuring this piece, those players will be discussed among fallers, along with their teammates. For Collins specifically, the Texans lost Brandin Cooks in free agency, which leaves a 21.1% target share and 30.7% air yards share in the offense. Behind Cooks last year, Collins posted a 19.1% target share and 31% air yards share. This equated to 481 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in just 10 games last year. Collins proved relatively efficient, with 1.68 yards per route run on his limited snaps. This year, he receives a quarterback upgrade with C.J. Stroud coming in. He will also compete will Robert Woods, John Metchie and Tank Dell instead of Cooks for targets. As it stands, it looks like Collins could see an upgrade in targets and air yards in an improving offense. Stokastic’s rankings have been aggressive on Collins all offseason, ranking him as the WR54. He is still a value in the rankings and deserves the recent hype he has been receiving.
Diontae Johnson (Pittsburgh Steelers): +5.5
Previous Best Ball ADP: 64.4
Current Best Ball ADP: 59.8
Diontae Johnson has jumped 5.5 ADP slots on Underdog Fantasy over the last week. He recorded 882 yards last year but had at least 923 yards in each of the two prior seasons. He even went for 1,161 receiving yards in 2021. Kenny Pickett now enters his second season under center and should improve. His 1.8% touchdown rate finished towards the bottom of the league, affecting the entire offense. Johnson will battle George Pickens and an aging Allen Robinson for targets, but he should be set up to lead Pittsburgh in targets again in 2023. Johnson is Stokastic’s current WR27, and his rising ADP continues to approach his overall Stokastic ranking.
Antonio Gibson (Washington Commanders): +5.2
Previous Best Ball ADP: 103.6
Current Best Ball ADP: 98.4
Antonio Gibson’s ADP has risen 5.2 positions over the last week. Last year, Gibson split the Washington backfield almost evenly with Brian Robinson. However, Robinson proved relatively inefficient, with 3.9 yards per carry. Even with Robinson in the fold, Gibson was solid as a pass catcher, grabbing 42 for 294 yards last year. At the very least, he should retain this pass-catching role on an offense expected to be throwing early and often. With Robinson’s Year 1 struggles, there is also a non-zero chance that Gibson will overtake him. Back in 2021, Gibson rushed for 1,037 yards on 258 attempts, showing his ability to handle a full workload. He is also healthy after a 2022 foot injury and is RB32 on Stokastic.
Best Ball ADP Ranking Fallers
Tyquan Thornton (New England Patriots): -9.3 — This Week’s Biggest Best Ball Faller
Previous Best Ball ADP: 162.0
Current Best Ball ADP: 171.3
In the New England offense, Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster have seen their ADP’s fall 9.3 and 7.0 spots over the last week. This comes on the heels of DeVante Parker signing his new deal and jumping 18.9 slots in ADP himself. This offense also retained Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne and added Mike Gesicki. The snap and target pecking order will likely shake out this offseason, but the New England passing offense has failed to click under Mac Jones. Stokastic’s rankings currently slot Thornton at an ADP of WR75. Even if Thornton can carve out a full-time role, the overall struggles of this passing attack leave plenty of risk for him, even at a late-round ADP.
Jayden Reed (Green Bay Packers): -7.0
Previous Best Ball ADP: 161.8
Current Best Ball ADP: 168.8
After news of Romeo Doubs‘ offseason improvements, second-round rookie Jayden Reed‘s ADP has fallen seven spots over the week. This coincides directly with Doubs jumping 7.4 places in ADP. Doubs certainly has a leg up on Reed in the offense after playing a year in Green Bay. Despite coming in as a fourth-round rookie, Doubs turned in a fairly efficient first season in Green Bay. He caught 42 passes for 425 yards and logged a decent 1.36 yards per route. Doubs did drop five passes, which needs to be corrected. However, drops have long been shown to be a correctible aspect of the game. Both receivers currently are ADP values due to Green Bay’s lack of alternatives, but Doubs could continue to rise with further positive camp reports while Reed falls.
Michael Gallup (Dallas Cowboys): -6.3
Previous Best Ball ADP: 129.3
Current Best Ball ADP: 135.6
The difference between Dak Prescott‘s projection and his pass catchers has been a notable storyline this offseason. Mike McCarthy will take over play-calling duties after Dallas parted ways with Kellen Moore this offseason. Moore previously had the Dallas offense in the top 3 of plays per game routinely, while McCarthy notoriously runs a slower, less efficient offense. For some reason, this Dallas offense has been propped up all offseason despite these changes. From a rankings perspective, Gallup has fallen to an area where he can be considered a value. He is the WR56 in Stokastic’s rankings, even with Prescott projected below his current ADP. Gallup will face more target competition with Cooks coming in via free agency. However, this could be a wash due to Dalton Schultz departing. Now another year removed from his ACL tear, Gallup has reached an ADP range where he should be scooped aggressively on Underdog Fantasy.
