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ADP Risers & Fallers: Late August (2020 Fantasy Football)

ADP Risers & Fallers: Late August (2020 Fantasy Football)

The best fantasy drafters capitalize on shifts in player value. A guy who is a first-rounder one week may become a second-rounder the next, and you’ll want to know when to buy and when to sell. You’ll also want to know when a player’s price has risen far past what you should be paying.

As a result, you should keep careful track of each player’s average draft position (ADP). FantasyPros’ ADP tool will help you track differences between sites — ESPN’s rankings may lead to one player going earlier than at, say, Yahoo, and that’s something you’ll want to know as well.

To help you keep track of the trends through the start of the season, I’ll be providing updates every two weeks. Here are the key takeaways for the top-80 players as the regular season approaches!

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Risers

Player ADP (8/12) ADP (8/20) +/-
Clyde Edwards-Helaire 18.7 17.7 1.0
Le’Veon Bell 35.3 34.3 1.0
Calvin Ridley 45.7 44.7 1.0
DK Metcalf 54.3 53.0 1.3
Kareem Hunt 64.3 63.3 1.0
Jarvis Landry 66.7 65.7 1.0
Ronald Jones II 82.7 79.3 3.4

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC)
CEH continues to rocket up draft boards with Damien Williams opting out of the 2020 season. That shouldn’t surprise you; Kareem Hunt was the RB6 through 11 games as Andy Reid’s workhorse back in 2018. And with Patrick Mahomes’ support — he literally asked the team to take CEH — Edwards-Helaire seems destined for fantasy superstardom. Keep taking him in the early second round while you still can.

Le’Veon Bell (RB – NYJ)
I felt that Bell’s ADP was too low earlier in the draft cycle, so I’m not surprised to see him rising now. It’s shocking how fast the narrative flipped on him — he went from a mid-tier RB1 last year to a low-end RB2 this year. But Bell looks primed for a rebound season — he should benefit from some positive touchdown regression, and even Adam Gase has praised his conditioning. You should expect Bell’s price to keep rising, so buy him at this ADP while you still can.

Calvin Ridley (WR – ATL)
I’ll let the fantasy industry take credit for Ridley’s rising ADP. Kyle Yates called him a top-10 receiver back in May, and I was quick to agree with him in my June projections for the wideout. There are 158 targets up for grabs in Atlanta, and while Ridley will have to excel if he wants to earn them, the sky is the limit for the former first-round pick. You should keep drafting Ridley as your WR2 in the fourth or fifth rounds, but if his ADP rises into the third round, a higher-floor alternative might be in order.

DK Metcalf (WR – SEA)
I’m not sure why Metcalf’s stock is rising. Yes, he broke out in his rookie season, but he’s going just one spot after the better Seahawks fantasy receiver, Tyler Lockett. Volume is king in fantasy football, and Lockett earned more targets (110 to 100) and receptions (82 to 58) than Metcalf did last year. He also earned more yards (1,057 to 900). Metcalf fans are quick to point out that he did more yardage-wise with less, but I’d prefer Lockett’s surehandedness in PPR formats. Don’t buy Metcalf at this ADP, and don’t let the hype around him change your mind.

Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE) and Jarvis Landry (WR – CLE)
The Browns are always beneficiaries of offseason hype. After last season’s dud, however, you should only believe it when you see it. That said, I think that both Hunt and Landry can be viable fantasy assets even if Cleveland doesn’t get its act together. Hunt is a surefire RB1 if anything happens to Chubb, and the zone running scheme that Stefanski brings to Cleveland will help him out. But we don’t yet know how the work will be distributed (Rotoworld’s note about Chubb and Hunt getting 15 apiece was based on a hypothetical in this Cleveland.com article, not actual reporting). And while that scheme may limit Landry’s utility, he’s been a reliable asset in PPR formats, so it’s safe to trust him around this ADP. But still, don’t let yourselves buy too high on either Cleveland player.

Ronald Jones II (RB – TB)
Ah, RoJo. How I wish I wasn’t multiple years too early on you. The third-year running back has looked great in camp so far, and rumor has it that Ke’Shawn Vaughn has been a bit of a letdown. While the rookie could certainly turn things around, Jones should have even more of the advantage going into the season. He’s absolutely worth buying at this price, as you can get a potential workhorse back in the sixth or seventh round of your draft. Expect his ADP to keep trending up as the season approaches.

Fallers

Player ADP (8/12) ADP (8/20) +/-
DeAndre Hopkins 10.3 11.0 -0.7
Amari Cooper 32.3 33.0 -0.7
Melvin Gordon 38.7 39.3 -0.7
A.J. Brown 41.3 42.3 -1.0
D’Andre Swift 59.7 60.7 -1.0
Evan Engram 71.7 72.7 -1.0
Tyler Higbee 77.7 79.7 -2.0

DeAndre Hopkins (WR – ARI)
None of the fallers fell that much this week. That’s probably a consequence of there not being a preseason, but there are still some noteworthy trends to discuss. For instance, Hopkins has slid closer in ADP to both Tyreek Hill (12.7) and Julio Jones (14). That makes sense, as he’s joining a new team that already has two target hogs in Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald. It’s risky to expect a WR1 performance from Hopkins this year, so I’d let his ADP keep sliding until after both Hill and Jones.

Amari Cooper (WR – DAL)
Cooper was going ahead of both JuJu Smith-Schuster (33) and Odell Beckham Jr (33) last week. He’s not anymore, and that makes a lot of sense. Cooper earned 119 targets last season, fewer than an injured Beckham (133), but more than what Smith-Schuster would’ve earned over 16 games (93.32). Smith-Schuster’s volume should trend upward with Big Ben back, and Beckham should benefit from touchdown regression unless Kevin Stefanski drastically decreases his usage, but Cooper performed near his ceiling last year. The addition of CeeDee Lamb makes Cooper an even riskier pick, and I’d let his ADP keep sliding.

Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN)
Gordon is an immensely talented back, and he’s finished as an RB1 in each of his seasons with 240-plus touches. I think he can hit that mark again this year in Denver, although he claims to be struggling a bit with the altitude. I’m still comfortable taking Gordon as an RB2 with RB1 upside, and that’s exactly what you’re getting at his fourth-round ADP. Keep taking him here with confidence.

A.J. Brown (WR – TEN)
Are people finally waking up to the fantasy risks of taking Brown? I hope so. Sure, he looked explosive for Tennessee last year, but the Titans attempted the second-fewest passing plays, so Brown won’t get much volume. Worse, it looks like he’ll face negative touchdown regression, and his eight touchdowns were a key part of his fantasy value last year. The biggest argument against Brown is that he only got 10 total targets in the Titans’ three postseason games. I think that proves you should pass on him at his fifth-round ADP.

D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
The promising UGA product has seen his stock fall slightly, as he’s now going after Mark Ingram. There’s a lot to like in Swift’s athletic profile, but Detroit hasn’t produced a consistent fantasy back in a long time. I wouldn’t bet against history, especially with Kerryon Johnson still in town. That said, if Swift’s stock fell beyond the sixth round, he would make a great high-upside option at RB3/RB4.

Evan Engram (TE – NYG) and Tyler Higbee (TE – LAR)
Two high-upside tight ends wrap up this list. Although Engram has flashed elite TE1 upside at points, he has struggled to stay healthy. That said, his high target share in the games he did play (8.5 per game played) indicates that Daniel Jones wants to get him the ball. I’m buying him at this price point, although I need to pair him with a late-round TE2 like Dallas Goedert to feel comfortable. Unlike Engram, Higbee failed to flash until very late in his fourth season. He’s always been reliable, but he’d never been trusted with the number of targets he received to end the year. As long as the Rams keep him on the field (which it sounds like they will), he should post a TE1 finish. You’re working with a small sample size, obviously, but he’s a decent value if his ADP continues to fall.

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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.

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