As fantasy managers continue to add more leagues to their Rolodex, best ball leagues grow more popular due to the ‘set it and forget it’ nature. That format elevates the importance of the draft and, by extension, draft preparation.
With drafts running all offseason, it’s never too early to begin preparation. Although incoming rookies attract most of the attention this time of year, getting a head start on undervalued veterans can lead to spotting a league winner.
- Introduction to Best Ball Leagues
- Underdog Best Ball Strategy
- Erickson’s Best Ball Positional Primers
- Best Ball Roster Construction Strategy
Undervalued Best Ball Players
It may seem early to rely on 2023 average draft position (ADP), but most players who are drafting this time of year are considered sharps. In other words, the data is very reliable. I’m not only considering 2023 ADP for this article but also factoring in last year’s ADP and the overall perception of a player. I will avoid the more obvious breakout players of last season who may have gone overlooked but are now considered premiere talents, instead focusing on players that haven’t garnered enough attention. Who knows, maybe one of these names will wind up on your roster as a 2023 league winner.
Jerry Jeudy (WR – DEN)
As much as Jeudy was hyped up as a rookie, a slew of injuries, poor QB play, and limited production has turned him into somewhat of a forgotten man. I can’t blame anybody for looking past Jeudy, but you might be surprised to know that he finished as the PPR WR22 in total points this past season and WR21 in points per game. He played in 15 games, three of which he was battling a couple of ankle sprains and a bruised sternum. If we remove those games, his points per game total shoot up to 16.5, which would be good for WR12. Regardless, Jeudy provided best ball teams with eight top-24 finishes, which ties for the 13th most, along with Ja’Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp, and Amari Cooper. In fairness, he tallied two top 12 weekly finishes and nine top 36 finishes, just one more than his top 24 mark, but in best ball, there is less risk with the ‘bust’ weeks. At the early point of the offseason, Jeudy is going as the WR27, just one spot higher than his WR28 mark last offseason. He’s coming off his best season and will get to work with Sean Payton in 2023. Payton produced a WR1 season eight times in the 15 seasons he coached New Orleans and had a top 20 WR in 11 of 15 seasons. So it seems Juedy’s timing couldn’t be better for a breakout campaign.
DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI)
After a dreadful start to the 2022 season in which DeVonta Smith failed to record a reception, panic obviously ensued. But Smith bounced back in a big way, finishing the season as the WR9 overall and tallied 11 top 24 weeks, including four top 12 weeks. Although the presence of AJ Brown put a dent in Smith’s appeal to many fantasy managers, his numbers leaped in his second year. He finished with 1,196 receiving yards after posting 916 last year and added seven touchdowns compared to five a season ago. Going as WR15, his stock will be an interesting one to keep an eye on throughout the offseason, but with Hurts playing at an NFL level, the production should stick.
Tyler Lockett (WR – SEA)
I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t exactly been beating the drum for Tyler Lockett. I did not expect him to age this gracefully, and I certainly expected a fall with Russell Wilson out the door. Most of the fantasy world agreed as Lockett was being drafted as the 45th WR off the board this past offseason, an ADP that he demolished. He finished as the WR13 in PPR points and WR18 in points per game while posting 10 top-24 weeks, good for seventh most. He tied for the third most top 36 weeks with 13 but is currently being drafted as WR28. He is 30 years old, and Geno Smith is a free agent, but I expect him to return to Seattle. I’ve doubted Lockett too many times, and at WR28, there’s very little risk. So count me in if his ADP stays put.
Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE)
Rhamondre Stevenson is a tricky fit for this category because he generated a great deal of hype last offseason and parlayed that into an RB7 finish in 2022. However, his ADP landed at RB27 last offseason and is currently going as RB21. It’s early, sure, and I expect that to rise, but he was literally an RB1 last season, and Damian Harris is a free agent. It’s likely that Bill Belichick will still find a way to utilize multiple backs, but Stevenson has shown the ability to catch passes and play on third downs, in addition to bruising between the tackles. The Patriots will almost certainly remain a run-first team, and Stevenson’s seven weeks as an RB1 last year was sure to lead many best ball teams to glory. This is another situation that bears monitoring, as I expect his ADP to jump, but he’s got a way to go before he’s no longer undervalued.
Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE)
Don’t accuse me of including two New England Patriots in a row, as Meyers is set to be a free agent. He may very well wind up back in Boston, or he may not. Either way, him being drafted as the WR48 at this point feels criminal. He finished last season with three top 12 weeks, five top-24, and eight top-36. He finished as WR29 in just 14 games after going as the WR59 last offseason. It’s doubtful he ever turns into a true league winner, but getting eight usable weeks from the WR48 is strong value and a great way to round out a roster.
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