We wrote up some values on Yahoo! about a month ago, but things have changed since then! There have been thousands of drafts since we published that piece, and some of the ADP has changed drastically in that span. We will try our best to provide you with a whole new list of players, but there are a couple of guys we can’t fade at their current ADP. With that in mind, let’s start by looking at the signal callers.
- Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
- 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Expert Consensus Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Best Fantasy Football Draft Values on Yahoo! Leagues
Quarterback Values
Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)
ADP #95 ECR: 91
Everyone is horrified about Tua’s concussion issues (rightfully so), but it’s made him a good value on Yahoo. This guy is going near 100th in drafts, being the QB11 off the board. That’s hard to understand because Tago was amid a breakout season before that brutal blow.
Tua had at least 18 fantasy points in 10 of the 12 games he finished, showcasing a 48-point upside against Baltimore. That was one of the season’s best performances, and the big games should continue with all of the dangerous weapons in this offense.
We also saw Tua finish second in the league in air yards among quarterbacks, which means he could be even better. Guys like Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence are being drafted ahead of them, and neither of them came anywhere near the production of Tagovailoa.
Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN)
ADP #114 ECR: 88
Cousins will be taken as a backup in your league, but he’s one of the best backups on the board. This guy has finished as a Top 11 quarterback in three straight years, finishing seventh last season. That makes this ADP hard to believe because Cousins is sitting as the QB15.
Dalvin Cook leaving town should force Cousins into more passing opportunities, and we obviously don’t mind that he’s throwing the ball to the top overall pick in fantasy (Justin Jefferson). He was also fifth in air yards and seventh in passing yards, which is incredible since he will be asked to do more in the red zone without Cook in the picture.
Running Back Values
Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
ADP #46 ECR: 45
We had Mixon in the last article, and we can’t fade him at this cost. People really believe this guy will lose carries, but I find that hard to believe. He was already a bell cow before, but he should be asked to do even more since Samaje Perine signed with Denver. We’re talking about a guy who’s never finished outside of RB13 over the last five years. That’s five years of consistency, and we saw Mix record 210 carries and 75 targets last year. That career-high workload in the passing game is what really intrigues us because he’s always been one of the most talented pass-catching backs in the NFL.
Joe is currently the RB21 and looks like one of the steals of the draft in the fourth or fifth round.
Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)
ADP #64 ECR: 70
There are always players that gain value throughout the offseason because of personnel moves, and Mattison is one of those guys. Now that Cook has been cut, Mattison should be the workhorse back in Minnesota. Whenever he’s been given this opportunity, Mattison has been one of the best backs in the NFL.
In the last five games that Cook has missed, Mattison is averaging 21.4 carries for 90.1 rushing yards per game. He’s also adding 4.4 catches for 44.4 receiving yards while scoring nearly a touchdown per game. That production would have him ranked as a Top 10 back, and it doesn’t look like there’s much competition behind him in this backfield. Getting the RB25 with a Top 10 upside is impossible to overlook because we expect this guy to step straight into Cook’s workhorse role.
Alvin Kamara (RB – NO)
ADP #65 ECR: 98
Kamara was also in the last article and will be in every article I write this offseason. This is the most baffling ADP in drafts because no one in this range has the same upside as AK. We’re talking about a guy averaging 1,500 yards from scrimmage, and 72 catches a year. That’s made him one of the best players in fantasy, finishing as a Top 12 back in all six seasons he’s played.
This versatile back has finished as a Top 3 running back in three of those and should continue to be a significant part of this offense, even though Jamaal Williams was signed. We’ve seen Kamara go nuts as a complementary piece in the past, and keeping him outside of the tackles should keep him more explosive. This guy rarely gets injured anyway, playing at least 13 games in all six seasons.
Rachaad White (RB – TB)
ADP #75 ECR: 69
Leonard Fournette leaving town has made White one of the best mid-round draft picks. We thought this guy would be a Top 50 option when the Fournette news dropped, but there’s some skepticism around this youngster. What we love about him is his versatility because White is expected to be a three-down back. We saw White gain that role when Lenny was injured last year, with White picking up 36 carries and nine receptions in that two-game span.
We might see this guy flirt with 20 carries and five catches a game, which is fantastic since he averaged 7.2 fantasy points across just 27.6 snaps per game last year. Both of those totals could double this season, and they’ll need him to since there’s no real quarterback on this roster.
Wide Receiver Values
Michael Pittman (WR – IND)
ADP #88 ECR: 57
It’s always funny to see a youngster go crazy in his rookie or sophomore year and then get drafted way too high the next season and become a value the year after. That recipe has been happening for decades in the NFL, making Pittman immensely valuable in his fourth season.
It’s funny to say that Pittman had a rough 2022 season because he finished with 99 catches for 925 receiving yards. The one thing that held him back was his four touchdowns, but it’s not far off of his 88 receptions for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns in 2021.
This guy was still 13th in the NFL in targets per game last year and is the focal point of this passing game. Getting a guy like that as the WR32 is a crime, and we expect the Colts to throw a ton since they’re looking like a team that’ll have to play catch-up all season long.
Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT)
ADP #97 ECR: 71
The theme in this section will be touchdown regression, and there’s no bigger candidate for that than Johnson. This receiver actually set an NFL record last year, picking up 86 catches on 147 targets for 882 receiving yards. That sounds like a solid season on the surface, but he broke that record by failing to record a touchdown. That’s a fluke because most guys with that sort of workload will finish with at least five touchdowns.
The role is still there for this guy to be a stud, with DJ averaging 93.7 catches on 153.3 targets for 989 receiving yards over the last three years. Even a few touchdowns would make him a good value at this ADP, marked as the WR30 off the board.
Marquise Brown (WR – ARI)
It’s funny that Downtown Brown has this nickname because he’s developed into a possession receiver. This guy finished 12th among all wide receivers with 8.9 targets per game. He also averaged six receptions per game before sitting most of the finale, and we expect his workload to skyrocket with DeAndre Hopkins out of the picture. That’s about 30 percent of the team’s target out the door, and this terrible team will be throwing a ton all season.
Brown was productive with that workload over the last two years, averaging 13 fantasy points per game in that span. If you get that from the WR34, you’ve stumbled into one of the best values at this position.
ADP #103 ECR: 82
Tight End Values
Darren Waller (TE – NYG)
ADP #65 ECR: 76
Waller is our final carryover from our piece last month, and he’s my favorite pick at the tight end position. There’s already glowing sentiment out of camp that Waller and Daniel Jones have an excellent rapport, and it’s no surprise since he’s the only good pass-catcher in this offense.
Waller has had to battle Davante Adams for touches in the last few seasons, but he’s expected to be the top target in New York. That’s huge because this guy was already productive playing with Adams, finishing as a Top 10 tight end in points per game in each of the last four years. He was also a Top 3 tight end in two of those and could return to that form at this diminished price tag. Just look at the rest of this offense and decide for yourself if Waller will lead the team in every receiving category.
Tyler Higbee (TE – LAR)
ADP #133 ECR: 136
I would only advise drafting Higbee in a deep PPR league, but he’s one of the best late-round targets in those formats. This guy finished last season with 72 catches on 108 targets. That reception total was the fifth-highest total among all tight ends, while the target share was the fourth-highest. He was also ninth with 620 receiving yards, but his three touchdowns held him back from being established as an elite tight end.
We don’t have to worry about that because Higbee is being drafted as the TE19. This is simply a free pick at the end of drafts and could be a unique trade chip for fantasy managers if Higbee continues to be a target hound in this offense.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
