Welcome to Awesemo’s Fantasy Football Best Ball Report 5.0. This will be a weekly feature leading up to the 2021 NFL season that will focus on all things related to best ball for the past seven days. It will check in on Underdog Fantasy ADPs (using 4for4 ADP Tool) and look at the NFL fantasy football top risers and fallers over the past week. We will sort the top player news stories on NBC Sports Edge, as this is the main source of news that seems to impact the rise or fall of players’ ADPs. This column will also examine any additional trends that might help fantasy players get ahead of the curve when it comes to players’ ADP value.
The more teams you draft the more players you are going to have exposure to, and with that we want to search out when it is OK to buy a player and when to avoid a certain player. Best ball can be compared to being a day trader in the stock market, as the best ball season runs from February to September.
Underdog Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft ADPs & News
This column looks at weekly ADP shifts on Underdog Fantasy to see how player values are moving with the news around the league. Drafting in best ball means always looking for values when drafting players. For high-volume best ball players, the goal is always to limit the number of times one overpays for a player, and the best way to help with this is tracking ADP movements.
Top 20 ADP Risers (Aug. 9 — Aug. 16)
| Rank | Name | Pos | Pos Rank | Team | ADP | Change (7 days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145 | Marquez Callaway | WR | 1 | NO | 143.2 | -26.4 |
| 160 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | 2 | DET | 160.6 | -12.9 |
| 165 | Damien Williams | RB | 1 | CHI | 166.8 | -12.9 |
| 196 | Carson Wentz | QB | 1 | IND | 198.8 | -12.1 |
| 190 | Zach Ertz | TE | 1 | PHI | 192.2 | -11.8 |
| 171 | Phillip Lindsay | RB | 2 | HOU | 174.0 | -11.3 |
| 170 | Xavier Jones | RB | 3 | LAR | 172.0 | -10.8 |
| 207 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 4 | NE | 206.6 | -8.8 |
| 141 | Jonnu Smith | TE | 2 | NE | 141.8 | -8.4 |
| 189 | Byron Pringle | WR | 3 | KC | 191.1 | -7.4 |
| 156 | Sammy Watkins | WR | 4 | BAL | 155.7 | -6.9 |
| 195 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | WR | 5 | CLE | 197.1 | -6.9 |
| 211 | Justin Jackson | RB | 5 | LAC | 207.7 | -6.8 |
| 136 | Bryan Edwards | WR | 6 | LV | 136.8 | -6.3 |
| 197 | Jerick McKinnon | RB | 6 | KC | 199.1 | -5.4 |
| 126 | Terrace Marshall Jr. | WR | 7 | CAR | 128.0 | -5.3 |
| 220 | Quez Watkins | WR | 8 | PHI | 210.7 | -5.3 |
| 142 | Devin Singletary | RB | 7 | BUF | 142.6 | -5.2 |
| 183 | DeSean Jackson | WR | 9 | LAR | 185.3 | -5.2 |
| 102 | Logan Thomas | TE | 3 | WAS | 104.1 | -5.1 |
The risers are always fun to track after preseason games start. Marquez Callaway is up 26.4 spots and is receiving nothing but praise for his potential and training camp. His ADP will continue to climb after a solid preseason game showing, and he could crack a top 100 ADP before the season kicks off. Damien Williams is second on the list with 12.9, as the buzz has been also all positive for him and some still question David Montgomery. Carson Wentz bumped back up a full round in ADP after reports surfaced that he might be ready for Week 1 after his surgery. Zach Ertz is another name that looks faster to start camp and looks to be a guy that the Eagles will get involved. Some big preseason performances improved the ADP of Rhamondre Stevenson, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Terrace Marshall Jr., Quez Watkins and Devin Singletary. When looking at ADP Risers the next couple of weeks, it will be preseason game performance that is heavily baked into ADP.
Top 20 ADP Fallers (Aug 9 — Aug. 16)
| Rank | Name | Pos | Pos Rank | Team | ADP | Change (7 days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 122 | Rashod Bateman | WR | 1 | BAL | 121.6 | 19.3 |
| 175 | John Brown | WR | 2 | LV | 176.7 | 18.0 |
| 205 | Demarcus Robinson | WR | 3 | KC | 206.1 | 14.3 |
| 178 | Breshad Perriman | WR | 4 | DET | 178.3 | 12.3 |
| 143 | Jalen Reagor | WR | 5 | PHI | 143.0 | 12.1 |
| 173 | Hunter Henry | TE | 1 | NE | 175.4 | 12.0 |
| 87 | Michael Thomas | WR | 6 | NO | 87.2 | 10.6 |
| 198 | Deshaun Watson | QB | 1 | HOU | 199.4 | 9.5 |
| 168 | Anthony Firkser | TE | 2 | TEN | 169.7 | 8.9 |
| 80 | D.J. Chark | WR | 7 | JAX | 79.6 | 7.6 |
| 221 | Devontae Booker | RB | 1 | NYG | 211.2 | 7.6 |
| 92 | Curtis Samuel | WR | 8 | WAS | 92.2 | 7.5 |
| 162 | Parris Campbell | WR | 9 | IND | 164.3 | 7.5 |
| 167 | Christian Kirk | WR | 10 | ARI | 168.1 | 6.6 |
| 201 | Van Jefferson | WR | 11 | LAR | 202.4 | 6.5 |
| 209 | D’Wayne Eskridge | WR | 12 | SEA | 206.9 | 6.4 |
| 133 | Tre’Quan Smith | WR | 13 | NO | 134.6 | 6.2 |
| 117 | Joe Burrow | QB | 2 | CIN | 116.2 | 6.0 |
| 186 | Zach Wilson | QB | 3 | NYJ | 186.0 | 5.6 |
| 135 | Nelson Agholor | WR | 14 | NE | 136.0 | 5.4 |
Each week this list is mainly filled with players that are banged up with injury or that are getting negative buzz out of training camp. This week is no different, as Rashod Bateman is at the top of the list after being a trendy mid-round pick before he picked up his injury. Now reports are that he might miss a good chunk of the start of the season. A few other injuries on the top 20 ADP fallers this week are Hunter Henry, Michael Thomas, D.J. Chark, Curtis Samuel, D’Wayne Eskridge, Tre’Quan Smith and Nelson Agholor. The closer to the start of the season, the less drafters want to take chances on injured players. Some players like Samuel, Eskridge and Agholor are already on their way back to the field. The other names on the fallers list are often players that are getting negative buzz around the industry or players that are getting bypassed on the depth chart. John Brown, Jalen Reagor, Devontae Booker, Joe Burrow and Zack Wilson are all players that have been struggling in camp, and ADP has been dropping based on those bad reports.
Training Camp/Preseason Week 1 Takeaways (Aug. 9 — Aug. 16)
Looking at players who had a positive week in training camp and showed something in their teams’ preseason games. People will be quick to react to big performances in preseason games. Most of the players mentioned in this section will be on the top 20 risers next week.
Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, CAR — He looked great against the Colts, making some big plays and lining up all over the field. He will be one of the bigger ADP risers next week.
Parris Campbell, WR, IND — He was playing football again and made a big catch. The downfall is that he was playing on the second-team offense.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR — He looked to carry himself well in his first action and looks poised to hold onto the handcuff job in Carolina. He works as a RB5 or RB6 at the end of drafts.
Marlon Mack, RB, IND — After suffering a torn Achilles at the beginning of last season, he is back on the field and looked strong. He may be a running back to consider at the end of drafts.
Xavier Jones, RB, LAR — With Cam Akers out for the season and Darrell Henderson set to be the RB1 for the Rams, it looks pretty clear that Jones will be the direct backup and see plenty of action.
Trey Lance, QB, SF — Lance played a couple of drives with the starters and made an instant impact with a big play. The hype is only going to build as the preseason progresses.
Marquez Callaway, WR, NO — He caught three passes for 61 yards on four targets. He looks to be the best weapon out of all the healthy Saints wide receivers.
Devin Duvernay, WR, BAL — With Bateman injured and expected to miss an extended amount of time, Duvernay will see an expanded role and could come into late-round territory. He is not the worst option to pair with Lamar Jackson at the end of drafts.
Marvin Jones Jr., WR, JAC — Jones caught three passes for 52 yards on four targets and looked to have instant chemistry with Trevor Lawrence.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, CLE — He saw five targets, caught three for 26 yards and looks locked in for the WR3 role on the Browns. His ADP will rise at the end of drafts, as it already has the past week.
K.J. Hamler, WR, DEN — The secret is out on Hamler now, as he looks primed to be a playmaker on the Broncos this year even behind Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. He caught both of his targets for 105 yards and a touchdown, and his ADP is about to shoot up a couple rounds based off of that performance and role in the offense.
Malcolm Brown, RB, MIA — The Dolphins seem to like Brown more than the fantasy community. It looks as if he is going to see a lot of opportunities, and his current ADP is so low that it might be worth taking some last-round shots on him.
Rondale Moore, WR, ARI — The Cardinals were looking to manufacture touches for their rookie wide receiver any opportunity they could. Even being the fourth receiver on the depth chart should not affect Moore that much, as the Cardinals play at such a fast rate and Moore has big-play ability every time he touches the ball. He looks like he will get plenty of opportunities running the ball as well.
Eno Benjamin, RB, ARI — He did not play at all in 2020, but now he has a legit shot at securing the RB3 role behind Chase Edmonds and James Conner and showed well in the preseason game. He might be worth a last-round pick, as he is tied to Kyler Murray.
Tyrell Williams, WR, DET — Williams got all the top WR1 treatment in the preseason game, as he saw four targets for a couple catches and 30 yards. The Lions pass catchers are so cheap at ADP right now, and taking some late shots on Williams makes some sense.
Damien Harris, RB, NE — Harris looked every bit the part as a top running back, one that the Patriots will use a lot. Harris should be one of the main targets if waiting until Round 6 for running backs.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE — It is easy to look at the stats on Stevenson in this one-game sample, but he plays on the Patriots, who are iffy with young backs. Either way, one still has to consider Stevenson at the end of drafts.
Anthony McFarland, RB, PIT — He looks like the direct backup to Najee Harris and is currently going undrafted in most Best Ball drafts. It might be time to start getting some late-round exposure to McFarland.
Quez Watkins, WR, PHI — The Eagles offense has many question marks this season. Wide receiver depth is a main problem but seeing the speed of Watkins on his 79-yard catch and run touchdown, it makes sense to add him into your last couple of rounds player pool.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, JAC — Lawrence looks confident and showed an early connection with Jones.
Justin Fields, QB, CHI — He put up some big numbers with his arm and legs in his first time out.
Mac Jones, QB, NE — Jones looked solid in his first action and will have a legit shot at winning the starting quarterback gig.
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Jonnu Smith, TE, NE — Smith suffered a low left ankle sprain in Sunday’s practice.
Curtis Samuel, WAS, WR — Samuel is off of the PUP list. Now is the time to get back in on a discounted ADP price for Samuel.
Anthony Miller, HOU, WR — Miller suffered a slight dislocation of his right shoulder. His late-round dart throws in best ball have likely come to an end.
Elijah Moore, NYJ, WR — Moore is day-to-day with a quad injury. It is a decent time to buy, as it looks like he will be ready for the start of the season.
Kadarius Toney, NYG, WR — Toney aggravated an injury he had been dealing with earlier.
Denzel Mims, NYJ, WR — Mims was on kickoff coverage and entered the preseason game as the sixth Jets wide receiver. He looks to still be in the Jets doghouse.
Dak Prescott, DAL, QB — Prescott is dealing with a shoulder issue and word is that it is healing well.
Devonta Smith, PHI, WR — Smith is day to day with a slight knee injury. He is getting close to returning.
Darrynton Evans, TEN, RB — Evans suffered a knee injury in the team’s first preseason game. He looks to be day-to-day with the injury.
D’Wayne Eskridge, SEA, WR — Eskridge is close to being activated from the PUP. He is a nice last-round pick right now before his injury news goes away. He could get bumped up in ADP a round or two once he is deemed healthy.
Albert Wilson, MIA, WR— Wilson could have a sizeable role in Miami this year and is a player to at least take notice of.
Mike Boone, DEN, RB — Boone will miss four to six weeks with a quad injury. He was already not going drafted before the injury, so now he is completely off the radar.
Qadree Ollison, ATL, RB — Ollison looks to be the true backup running back behind Mike Davis.
Carson Wentz, QB, IND — Wentz looks closer to a Week 1 return than expected. His ADP is likely low right now and will start to bump back up.
Rashod Bateman, WR, BAL — The thinking is that Bateman is more likely to begin the season on injury reserve than to be ready for Week 1.
Zack Moss, RB, BUF — Moss suffered a hamstring injury early in the week and looks to be taking it slow in getting back to the field. Look for a dip in ADP for Moss.
Amari Cooper, WR, DAL— The Cowboys activated Cooper from the PUP list. Any slight ADP dip on Cooper is sure to dry up soon.
Hunter Henry, TE, NE — Henry is still a week or two from returning to the field, as he is dealing with a shoulder issue.
Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG — Barkley has been activated from the PUP list. The news on Barkley has been up and down all offseason.
Best Ball Industry News
- Underdog Fantasy — The Puppy 2 is now full on Underdog. Underdog’s $25 buy-in for the BBMII ($1 million to first) is 68.% full with 107,000 of 155,500 entered. 14,000 teams entered into the BBMII over the last week, so if that average holds, this tournament will fill before the season starts. Underdog The Big Dog $250 buy-in that has 20 rounds and has a top prize of $100,000 and now is 527 of 2,304 entries with 22% full.
- DraftKings — DraftKings got back in the low dollar tournament game with the release of a 150 max $5, $100,000 to 1st Flea Flicker that is 22,000 of 70,848 full. There are four tournament options this year now, with a $20 (150 max, $1 million top prize), $3 (20 max, $50,000 top prize) and $555 (59 max, $250,000 top prize). DraftKings also offers “Sit & Go” leagues that are three-, six- and 12-man options from $1 to $1,060. A side note on the Sit & Go leagues is that users can only enter 50 teams in each price point. This is something that is not public knowledge.
- BestBall 10s — They have a $10 entry fee tournament with 3,000 total teams up for grabs and a top prize of $5,000.
- Yahoo! — Yahoo has no best ball tournaments, but they do have $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $250 and $500 10-man leagues. With the Yahoo best ball product, players are limited to 50 total drafts for the season. These are 10-man leagues and have prizes for top three and also have top weekly score prizes.
- Drafters — Drafters is running a best ball championship tournament, which has a twist to it, as it is the overall top scoring team wins and does not offer a playoff round style like DraftKings and Underdog. The entry fee is just $5.55, and the contest is nearly halfway full (8,480 of 10,008). Top prize is $10,000 with a $50,000 total prize pool. Drafters released an Ownership update on their site that shows “My ADP” vs “Current ADP” which is great to see your average ADP of any given player and compare it to the current value of that player. Drafters released an $11 tournament this week as well which is 890 of 10,008 full and has a top prize of $25,000.
- FFPC — Entry fees range from $35 to $1,250. The biggest difference in FFPC is that they have 28 roster spots but include kickers and defenses.
- FanDuel — There are no tournament options currently on FanDuel, but they do have three-man, 10-man and 12-man leagues from $1 to $50.
Check out our 2021 Fantasy Football experts as they break down all of the best ball news and notes, as well as go over their favorite best ball draft strategies.
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