Matt Barbato | Wed, Aug 23rd 2023, 7:31am EDT

6 Overvalued Players to Avoid on ESPN Leagues (2023 Fantasy Football)

Now’s the time to start taking a hard look at Average Draft Position. As the biggest draft weekends of the year come and go, ADP data will provide a clearer idea of where players are realistically going in your drafts.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the ADP in ESPN leagues to identify some players whose prices I simply can’t justify.

Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator

Overpriced Players on ESPN (2023 Fantasy Football)

Assessing the Top 5

I’m starting with a group of players for whom I can’t agree with their ADPs. According to ESPN, here are the top five players by ADP as of writing:

Where do I begin? I wrote about the state of the running back position earlier this month and that it felt like there was a legitimate fear of the elite tailbacks in 2023. And while all running backs pose risk, they’re still the most important players in fantasy. As great as Jefferson and Chase are, I can’t justify passing up on McCaffrey or Nick Chubb for either of them if I’m picking first or second.

I also think Kelce is overpriced as the fifth overall pick. His ADP is giving you no margin for error, and I’d much rather take the shot on him in the second round.

Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)

Are we sure about this? Are we sure that Gibbs is going to deliver as the 37th player off the board in his rookie season? I think Gibbs could have a good rookie year. He’s a pass catching asset who is a better between-the-tackles runner than D’Andre Swift. But I’m not sure he’s capable of handling a full workload in the NFL, hence why the Lions brought in David Montgomery.

Darren Waller (TE – NYG)

Someone explain what Waller has done to warrant being the 43rd overall pick in drafts? I get it, Waller was an elite tight end not that long ago, and he goes to a Giants team with an unsettled receiver situation. But I’m not buying that Waller will return to his 2020 form, and I’m skeptical that Daniel Jones is the guy to get that bounce back season out of him.

Rachaad White (RB – TB)

White seems like a guy we’re drafting purely on hope and speculation. While I’m not ruling the second-year pro out, I wasn’t overly impressed by his rookie tape. He certainly offers upside as a pass catcher, but I don’t know if that alone will get White to live up to top-55 draft position.

More Commissioner Site Guides

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL