Fantasy football ADP (Average Draft Position) is a crucial tool used by fantasy football managers to gauge the relative value of players during their drafts. It essentially tells managers where a player is typically selected in fantasy football drafts.

Understanding ADP and how to use it can significantly enhance your drafting strategy and help you build a competitive team.

Here’s how to use ADP effectively in fantasy football:

• More Fantasy Football Advice
• Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
• Expert Consensus Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
• Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator

ADP Explainer: What Is It & How To Use It Effectively (Fantasy Football 2023)

Definition

ADP represents the average draft position of a player across multiple fantasy football drafts. It is often expressed as a specific draft round and pick number (for example, 3.05, meaning the fifth pick of the third round). However, it can also have just an overall number, say 20, meaning that player goes at pick No. 20 in drafts.

That would mean you would need to figure out where they go based on the number of players in your league. For example, in a 12-team league, pick 20 equates to the eighth pick in the second round. ADP can be found on various fantasy football websites, such as FantasyPros, and is updated regularly during the offseason and preseason.

Draft Strategy

ADP provides a snapshot of a player’s perceived value within the fantasy football drafting community. If a player’s ADP is lower than their actual on-field potential, they may be considered a “value.” However, if a player’s ADP is higher than their expected performance, they may be overvalued, and you might want to avoid drafting them too early.

For example, Garrett Wilson currently has an ADP of 19 on Sleeper. However, if you have concerns about his production after watching Aaron Rodgers last year, not to mention the addition of Allen Lazard, then perhaps you might want to pass on Wilson in this range. However, if he falls a round or two due to other managers having similar concerns, he becomes a significant value over his cost because of where you are drafting him versus his ADP.

Draft Preparation

Before your draft, it’s a good idea to review and strategize over the ADP data to identify trends and popular player picks. This will give you an idea of how other fantasy managers will likely draft, allowing you to plan your selections accordingly. You can create a list of target players for each round based on their ADP and your personal tiers and/or rankings.

For example, let’s look at Wilson and his ADP of 19 (2.07 in a 12-team league). If you wanted to fade Wilson here, your alternative in this range if picking at the 2.07 would be Amon-Ra St. Brown (ADP 18 on Sleeper), Josh Jacobs (ADP 20), Jaylen Waddle (ADP 21), or Derrick Henry (ADP 17). Then, you could review your tiers and/or rankings and decide who represents the best alternative or value based on those for your team.

Flexibility

While ADP can be an excellent reference point, it’s essential to remain flexible during the draft. Unexpected circumstances, such as injuries or player news, can significantly impact a player’s value. Use ADP as a guide, but be prepared to adapt if necessary.

For example, we are likely to see some ADP drops in the coming weeks due to the uncertainty of Jonathan Taylor and if he will get traded or even start the season on the NFI list. Also, there is likely to be an ADP downward arrow on Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet due to injuries. ADP does not update in real-time, and can take a couple of weeks to get the real picture of the current ADP.

Therefore, it is important to adjust your tiers and/or rankings on player developments and have this override ADP, as ot won’t react to player news in real-time.

Late-Round Targets

Pay particular attention to players with low ADP but high potential (sleepers). These are players whom the general public might undervalue but have the chance to outperform their ADP and become valuable assets on your fantasy team.

Players that fit into that category this season include Mack Hollins, who is being undrafted in most drafts. Hollins is currently WR2 on the Atlanta Falcons depth chart and having a strong camp. Robert Woods is also going undrafted in most drafts, despite being projected as the WR1 on the Houston Texans roster and having a very productive career.

As for running backs, Jerome Ford is currently going at pick 166. That is the 13.10 for a player who is the RB2 in Cleveland and likely to be productive given their scheme, yet could also see a full workload should injury strike Nick Chubb yet again. Also, Rachaad White is being drafted at pick 74 (pick 6.02 in a 12-team league), yet has almost no competition for carries.

ADP by Position

ADP is often separated by position, such as quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. Knowing the ADP trends for each position can help you plan your roster construction and prioritize certain positions during the draft.

For example, while Wilson has an ADP of 19, he is currently being selected in drafts as the WR10. Therefore, he is seen by the majority of the fantasy community as the 10-best wide receiver in fantasy football this season.

It is extremely important to look at the ADP by position, as it will also help you to identify runs at the position. According to ADP, there are projected to be 11 wide receivers taken on Sleeper drafts inside the opening two rounds. That means if you don’t select a wide receiver in the first two rounds, you are unlikely to grab one of the top-12 wide receivers rated by the fantasy community this season.

Though the pre-season rankings won’t correlate exactly to end-of-season finishes, the fantasy football community continues to get closer every year with their ADP and their correlating finishes. Therefore, it is important to note ADP by position and work out relative position values when reviewing your roster construction.

Mock Drafts

Participate in mock drafts to get a sense of how real drafts might play out. This will help you understand how players’ ADPs translate into actual draft positions and allow you to practice different drafting strategies. You can use the FantasyPros Draft Wizard to practice mock drafts and help you prepare and plan for your fantasy drafts.

Fantasy football ADP is a powerful tool for understanding the consensus value of players during drafts. By using ADP to your advantage, you can make informed decisions and build a strong team capable of contending throughout the season.

Remember that while ADP is valuable, your draft strategy should also consider your league’s scoring settings, roster format and your own player tiers and/or rankings.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio

Adam Murfet is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Murf, check out his archive and follow him @Murf_NFL.