The summer is almost over, and with the end of the summer will come the end of Underdog’s best ball drafts — at least until they offer resurrection contests. Still, there’s time to jam more entries into their NFL best ball contests, and knowing who’s risen and fallen in the rankings since July 30 can help gamers determine who they might need to reach a few picks earlier than their average draft position (ADP) to snag to avoid getting sniped or who to wait a little longer for, hoping to get them slightly beyond their ADP.
The summer is almost over, and with the end of the summer will come the end of Underdog’s best ball drafts — at least until they offer resurrection contests. Still, there’s time to jam more entries into their NFL best ball contests, and knowing who’s risen and fallen in the rankings since July 30 can help gamers determine who they might need to reach a few picks earlier than their average draft position (ADP) to snag to avoid getting sniped or who to wait a little longer for, hoping to get them slightly beyond their ADP.
Jordan Love snuck inside the top 10 quarterbacks, and Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams were the other QB1 movers, with the latter moving from a QB2 to a QB1. Bo Nix was named Denver's starting quarterback and had a rock-solid preseason. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson's unimpressive preseason has kept the door open for Justin Fields to claim Pittsburgh's starting quarterback gig. Fields is a sack-taking machine, but his rushing ability makes him an intriguing fantasy option. Finally, Sam Darnold should start the entire season for the Vikings after J.J. McCarthy suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for the season.
Dak Prescott's slight slide might be because his top weapon is still holding out. Brock Purdy's slipped behind the top two picks in this year's NFL Draft. However, he's still armed with elite weaponry. Geno Smith was the only other top-24 QB to fall since July 30.
Chuba Hubbard is a riser, with his rookie teammate slated to miss the first few games of the year. He's an excellent structural fit on teams looking for early-season production. J.K. Dobbins also had a massive jump and should open the year splitting work with Gus Edwards. He can have value if he recaptures even 80% of his pre-injury explosiveness and stays healthy. But, of course, neither is guaranteed after a few years of devastating injuries.
Bijan Robinson was the not-so-mystery running back teased above who Hall hopped. Seven other running backs with top 100 ADPs on July 30 also slipped, but Robinson was the only running back with a top 60 ADP to slide.
Jonathon Brooks will be sidelined early. Yet, he could be a game-changing player for teams that advance to the playoffs and have him on their roster. Zack Moss has plummeted behind Brown in ADP in Cincinnati's ambiguous backfield. Many rookies were fallers, and Kimani Vidal dropped like a lead balloon when Daniel Popper of The Athletic left him off the Chargers' projected 53-man roster after their first preseason game. Vidal has since had an encouraging preseason showing, and his ADP could zoom upward again if he makes it through roster cuts.
Kendre Miller's injuries have drawn the ire of Dennis Allen, putting the second-year running back's status for claiming a spot on the Saints in jeopardy. Finally, I'd buy the dip on Jaylen Warren. He suffered a hamstring injury in Pittsburgh's second preseason game. Yet, the injury shouldn't keep Warren off the gridiron too long, and his upside is immense.
Wide Receivers
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Garrett Wilson each moved up among the top 10 wide receivers, and Deebo Samuel climbed into WR1 territory. The WR2 section had some moving and shaking, with Cooper Kupp's upward mobility the most eye-catching.
Justin Jefferson and Puka Nacua were the respective fallers, so ARSB and Wilson could rise. Chris Olave was the only other WR1 who fell from July 30 to August 23. Hollywood Brown was Kansas City's receiver who was injured, as I alluded to above. As a result, the Chiefs finally have an intriguing player available after the first five rounds. There's a risk Brown's injury could cause him to slide down Kansas City's pass-catching hierarchy if Worthy balls out early. Still, Brown's big-play ability is tailor-made for Patrick Mahomes's rocket arm and could result in spiked weeks when he returns to the field.
DeAndre Hopkins fell because of a knee injury. However, it appears he'll be ready by Week 1, and Nuk's ADP could slightly climb as best ball drafts wrap up. Curtis Samuel has fallen because of a toe injury referred to as turf toe. The injury might not be that serious, though. Anthony Prohaska and Erik Turner from Cover 1 said their sources have indicated Samuel's injury isn't as bad as the Bills have let on.
Finally, Jermaine Burton probably won't have much early-season value with the emergence of Iosivas. Nevertheless, he's a fine selection if stacked with Joe Burrow or as a bring-back from the Broncos in Week 17 since the field-stretching rookie's role could grow during the season.
Tight Ends
The risers at tight end were mainly unexciting. However, with Juwan Johnson's recent activation from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, his rise could continue.
Cole Kmet's correctly falling. However, he hasn't fallen far enough. Chicago's new offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, had a tight end rotation for the Seahawks, and Gerald Everett's preseason usage suggests he's bringing the rotation from Seattle with him.
Josh is a savvy, grizzled veteran in the realm of make-believe sports. He's thoroughly experienced playing in season-long re-draft leagues, keeper formats and daily games. His fantasy advice for baseball and football has been found at many locations around the internet. He's finished in the top 10 accuracy scores among experts here, at Fantasy Pros, in three of four years competing with his colleagues including a first-place finish in 2012.
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