This article should probably be called “veteran bounce-backs” because that’s pretty much all that’s featured in this piece. I’ve been playing fantasy football for 20 years, and one thing has always stood out to me. People overreact to fantasy football more than any other sport out there. This is coming from a fantasy baseball guy who will be patient on a hitter in a 2-for-25 slump because I know he will go crazy the month after. Being patient is one of the most critical factors in any fantasy sport, and that’s what we’re going to do with some of these veterans who had a down 2021-22 season. It blew my mind to see how far some of these former studs dropped down in drafts this offseason, and we’re going to bank on this overreaction from the fantasy community. With that in mind, let’s start with one of my favorite quarterbacks in the NFL!
Over the course of the offseason you will be able to use our ADP (Average Draft Position) tool to determine players that present values and reaches on popular league host sites. The tool combines the updated ADP for different sites along with our latest Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) to provide players to target and avoid based on average draft position. You can also use our mock draft simulator to sync your league and complete fantasy football mock drafts against the current ADP of your league host.
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Best Fantasy Football Draft Values on Yahoo!
Quarterback Values
Justin Herbert (LAC): ECR QB7
Yahoo! QB8 Overall Pick #62
There’s a term used in fantasy baseball called “post-hype sleepers,” and Herbert falls under that category. After a remarkable rookie and sophomore season, this quarterback was the apple of everyone’s eye last year, but it looks like many of those fantasy managers have soured on Herbert. It’s hard to understand why because this is one of the most talented arms in the NFL, playing for one of the best offenses. We will call the 2022 season an outlier because Herbert averaged 23 fantasy points per game in 2020 and 2021. That had him finishing seventh in fantasy points per game in his rookie season and second in his sophomore year. Those stellar seasons had people reaching for him last draft, but an 11th-place finish has clearly thrown off fantasy managers. That has Herbert going eighth this year among quarterbacks, but we’re anticipating a bounce-back season. The only thing holding him back was his touchdown rate because he still averaged 41.2 pass attempts and 278 yards per game. Those are on par with his career averages, and there’s no chance he’s held below 30 touchdowns this year.
Running Back Values
Dalvin Cook (FA): ECR RB22
RB21 Overall #41
This is super risky, but the uncertainty has fantasy managers horrified. It’s unclear who Cook plays for this season, but we don’t really care where he plays. This is simply one of the best running backs around, finishing Top-3 in fantasy points in two of the last four years. He’s also never finished below 12th in that span and is being undervalued as the 21st running back off the board. Over the last four years, Cook is averaging 1,256 rushing yards, 350 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns per year. We only need 75 percent of that for him to be a good value in this price range. The only genuine concern would be his landing spot, but whoever acquires Cook knows he can be a three-down back.
Joe Mixon (CIN): ECR RB16
RB23 Overall #57
There’s some chatter about Mixon’s tenure in Cincy ending because of his contract, but a bode of confidence from the coach is highly encouraging. As long as this guy is in a Cincy uniform, Mixon will be the bellcow back. Everyone is acting like this guy is washed up, but he finished as the RB8 last season. We know a lot of that production came in one game, but he still averaged 15 carries and 5.4 targets per game. That’s the usage that made this guy the RB3 in 2021, and we’re also excited that Samaje Perine is out of the picture too. Jahmyr Gibbs and Mixon are being drafted at nearly the same slot, and that’s a laughable idea with how these players’ roles might end up looking.
Alvin Kamara (NO): ECR RB30
RB30 Overall #83
Here we are with another veteran! This is the one that scares me the most, but I was genuinely surprised to see how far Kamara has fallen down drafts. The addition of Jamaal Williams has people terrified, but we’ve seen Kamara perform when this backfield has been busy in the past. He’s done more than perform, averaging 856 rushing yards, 71.7 receptions, and 626 receiving yards per year throughout his career. His durability has been equally as valuable, playing at least 13 games in all six seasons in the NFL. We also love the addition of Derek Carr because he made Josh Jacobs look like a pass-catching back in Vegas. Not many players are drafted this late with the sort of upside Kamara presents, finishing as a Top-12 back in all six seasons while finishing as an RB3 or higher in half of those!
Wide Receiver Values
Cooper Kupp (LAR): ECR WR3
WR4 Overall #10
It’s funny to call a first-round pick a value, but here we are! Halfway through last season, people wondered whether Kupp would be the top overall pick in fantasy drafts this season. An injury derailed those thoughts, but I didn’t forget! This guy is simply on a different level than everyone else, scoring at least 13.2 fantasy points in 29 of 30 games over the last two years. A 21-point average backs that absurd floor, the highest number of any position player in that span. The return from injury is scaring people off, but landing the top-scoring player in each of the last two years at the end of round one is a godsend.
Keenan Allen (LAC): ECR WR17
WR18 Overall #45
This guy has been undervalued almost every year, and I don’t understand why. I’ve heard many people talk about his durability, but Allen has played all 16 games in four of the last six years. Last season was the first time he played below 14 outings, averaging 1,184 receiving yards on 102 catches in that span. More importantly, he averaged nearly 150 targets and is clearly the safety blanket for Justin Herbert. He was well on his way to another monster season last year if it weren’t for a nagging hammy issue, but Allen is already fully ready to go. Youngsters like DeVonta Smith, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson are going well ahead of Allen, and none of them have come close to accomplishing what this guy has.
Chris Godwin (TB): ECR WR23
WR25 Overall #76
This is my favorite price among all the wide receivers! What has people worried about Godwin is this quarterback situation, but CG has proven that he’s a target monster no matter who’s behind center. Despite coming off an ACL tear last season, Godwin was seventh in targets per game! He’s also usurped Mike Evans on the totem pole as the top receiver in this offense and should be locked into 125 targets once again. Most receivers in this price range will be lucky to sniff 100 targets, and we’ve seen Godwin perform as a top-10 wideout in that sort of role in the past.
Tight End Values
Darren Waller (NYG): ECR TE7
TE9 Overall #69
Waller had a disappointing season in Vegas last year, but a change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered. He’s heading to an offense desperate for a playmaker, and camp discussions sound like Waller will be that guy. We’ve seen this big tight end do that in the past, ranked as a top-3 tight end in 2019 and 2020. He was also top-10 in fantasy points per game over the last two years and still has the ability to be a monster in the right role. Waller was also second in targets per game in two of the previous three years and won’t have to compete with any of these weapons in this lackluster receiving corp. Evan Engram and Pat Freiermuth are going in the same range as Waller, and there’s no chance I’d take either of those guys over the upside Waller possesses. We truly believe Waller will lead this team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards because Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Slayton, and Parris Campbell are the top three wideouts. Gross!
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