As best ball Season enters its final stages it can pay to be mindful of where we’re drafting players. If a player has been a 20th-round pick for the last three months, does it make sense to take them now that they’re going in the 15th round? These are the risers and fallers in FantasyPros’ best ball expert consensus rankings (ECR) over the last month.
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Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers
Fantasy Football Risers
J.K. Dobbins (RB – LAC) | +5/ECR: 167
The Chargers’ running back situation isn’t as appealing as it should be considering they prioritized the offensive line over top-tier wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman have always been associated with excellent running games. Justin Herbert is suffering from the kind of foot injury that could easily linger into the season. If there was even a remotely appealing running back in Los Angeles, we’d be pushing his average draft position (ADP) up like a volcanic explosion.
J.K. Dobbins has averaged 5.8 yards per carry over his career. Despite the fact he’s only played in nine games since his 2020 rookie season there is enough upside at this range in the rankings to consider taking shots on him. Especially when he seems to be healthy in training camp and Gus Edwards is coming off an unspecified surgery.
Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL) | +22/ ECR: 111
Like it or not, this is the Cowboys’ running back room likely to open the season and Ezekiel Elliott figures to be a decent-sized part of it. Elliott is an excellent pass blocker which will keep him on the field, not to mention Jerry Jones loves Elliott and likely wants him involved in goal-line packages Tony Pollard failed to take advantage of in 2023. Elliott is coming off a poor year in New England where he failed to break a single rush longer than 17 yards on 184 attempts. At this price, though, it really might not matter with Elliott back home in Dallas.
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN) | +5/ ECR: 97
The Broncos seemingly realized having a happy veteran of Courtland Sutton’s abilities could make Bo Nix‘s rookie season more pleasant and agreed to a restructured contract with an extra $1.5 million in contract incentives. Sutton is coming off scoring the fifth-most touchdowns among all wide receivers (10) and is the only proven commodity on this Broncos offense. With Sutton’s ADP still around the triple digits there’s a world where Sutton is one of the bargains of 2024 if Nix can be even close to good.
Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL) | +39/ECR: 218
The Cowboys have done little to improve their offense this offseason, giving third-year player Jalen Tolbert a chance to solidify his ownership of the WR3 role behind Brandin Cooks and CeeDee Lamb. From Week 10 onwards, Tolbert outperformed Michael Gallup, earning more targets, a higher yards per route run rate and more air yards (14.1 vs. 11.9) while playing an almost identical amount of snaps. If you’re betting on Dak Prescott to keep his form going from 2023 then Tolbert is worth a shot in deeper leagues.
Demarcus Robinson (WR – LAR) |+13/ECR: 175
Reports out of Rams training camp suggest Demarcus Robinson remains locked in as the WR3 ahead of Tutu Atwell after Robinson stole the role from Atwell in 2023. The Rams ran more 3-WR sets than any other team last year. This benefited Robinson greatly as from Week 13 onwards Robinson never finished lower than WR29, averaging 15.4 PPR points per game. There’s a chance Robinson’s price gets too high for what his role is, but we’re not there yet.
Chris Godwin (WR – TB) |+8/ECR: 61
All offseason we’ve had a steady stream of Chris Godwin hype from the Buccaneers, with them maintaining they’ll play Godwin primarily from the slot, something he did at a career-low 37% of snaps in 2023. Godwin finished the season strong with 16.7 PPR points per game. On the season he had one more reception than Mike Evan’s 124. The main difference was the red zone, where Evans turned 17 targets into five touchdowns and Godwin managed only one on 15 targets. That kind of variance can swing either way and it wouldn’t be surprising if Godwin leveled that out in 2024.
Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR) |+2/ECR: 132
Another player fresh off a contract adjustment is Matthew Stafford, who gained an additional $5 million in 2024 and an extra $4 million guaranteed in 2025. Stafford is healthy, as is Cooper Kupp, and the Rams have an improved offensive line. All signs point towards another good year for the Rams.
Aidan O’Connell (QB – LV) |+33/ECR: 274
When Gardner Minshew signed a two-year $25 million contract with the Raiders, many assumed he’d be the starter out of the gate. Reports suggest Aidan O’Connell might have a better chance than expected. During training camp, O’Connell opened up 11-on-11 drills as the starter and has played ok per reports. At pick 274, we’re not saying O’Connell is draftable just yet, but he’s worth keeping an eye on.
Sam Darnold (QB – MIN) +12/ECR: 244
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has consistently said he won’t put rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy into the starting lineup until he’s sure it’s a good situation for him. That has opened the door for long-time failure and journeyman Sam Darnold. Darnold for his part has been playing well in training camp. But will he manage to do so when defenders are trying to hit him?
Fantasy Football Fallers
Blake Corum (RB – LAR) |-8/ECR: 127
Ever since camp opened there have been lots of positive quotes about Kyren Williams from Sean McVay. It seems clear this is his backfield for the time being. McVay was also quoted as saying Blake Corum is a very mature player and he loves the way he handles himself. The Rams seem plenty happy with this backfield, but Corum will be waiting for a Williams injury to have real relevance.
Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) |-4/ECR: 18
The Eagles value Saquon Barkley as their No. 1 RB but it’s noteworthy they’ve also given spells with the first teamers to both Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley. Barkley likely won’t see as much receiving work as we’d hope for a top-24 fantasy player to do so. Also, if Jalen Hurts continues to get his tush pushed over the 1-yard line it’s hard to see Barkley paying off his cost.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC) |-11/ECR: 217
Deneric Prince has consistently been taking reps as the No. 2 RB in Chiefs training camp, which comes on the back of Clyde Edwards-Helaire signing a very modest $1.7 million contract with the team after testing free agency and finding no other offers. Perhaps Edwards-Helaire sees some of the passing game work Jerick McKinnon squirreled away in recent years, but it’s also possible he might not be on the team in a few weeks.
Michael Pittman (WR – IND) |-5/ECR: 35
The Colts figure to be more run-heavy under Anthony Richardson along with having a fully healthy Jonathan Taylor this year. Michael Pittman has been a volume hog in the passing game but largely managed this with very little competition around him. Josh Downs looked to be coming along in his rookie season, averaging 6.6 targets per game until his Week 12 injury slowed him down for the rest of the season. If Downs takes a leap, Adonai Mitchell can be half-decent and Richardson is passing less, then it becomes tricky for Pittman to pay off his cost without a lot of touchdowns.
Jordan Addison (WR – MIN) | -5/ECR: 78
As rumors continue to swirl about an impending suspension for Jordan Addison, his ADP continues to plummet. On most best ball sites Addison is now barely inside the top 100. Our consensus rankings will no doubt catch up to that very quickly.
Justin Herbert (QB – LAC) | -11/ECR: 123
The news that Justin Herbert has plantar fascia in his right foot and will require a walking boot for two weeks is very alarming. Would it surprise anyone if a year from now we’re hearing Herbert talk about how he never really got over this nagging injury and had to get a small surgery in the offseason? Lingering issues like this are what caused Joe Burrow to be awful in the first half of 2023. Taking a bet Herbert can overcome his issues and be fantasy-relevant with a poor surrounding cast is not an easy sell.
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