This is our third week of tracking the CBS Sports Average Draft Position data for PPR (INSERT LINK here), and it's the first time we have preseason games that could influence some movement, as well as new injuries to Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) and Marquise Brown (shoulder). For context, the ADP for this story is August 13, and we'll be doing this every week leading up to Week 1.
I'm curious to see what has changed following the preseason action, and if any of the recent injuries -- Gibbs, Brown, Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Puka Nacua (knee) to name a few -- has changed the ADP. We also have some prominent contract situations to deal with as well (CeeDee Lamb, Ja'Marr Chase and Brandon Aiyuk) that could cause players to rise or fall.
As a reminder, using ADP is just a guide. You never want to follow ADP directly for your drafts. The idea is to see where you can find potential value picks -- and players going too soon that you might want to avoid.
Round 1 ADP
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. CeeDee Lamb
3. Tyreek Hill
4. Breece Hall
5. Bijan Robinson
6. Ja'Marr Chase
7. Justin Jefferson
8. Saquon Barkley
9. Amon-Ra St. Brown
10. Jonathan Taylor
11. Jahmyr Gibbs
12. A.J. Brown
There were some slight changes to the first round from last week, with Hill moving ahead of Hall and Robinson, and Barkley jumping over St. Brown. I agree that Hill should move up, and he's my No. 1 receiver now with Lamb dealing with his contract situation. I would draft Hill at No. 2 overall, followed by Lamb.
We'll see if Lamb and Chase start to slide while they remain out of practice, although Chase is "holding in" in hopes of getting a new contract. The situation in Dallas is messy since Lamb is holding out, and owner Jerry Jones had to backtrack remarks he made last week about not having any "urgency" to get a deal done.
I'm still hopeful Lamb and Chase will have big seasons in 2024, but the longer this lingers, especially for Lamb, the more likely we could see these guys slide in the first round. That could present amazing value for two elite receivers, but we want these contract situations settled as soon as possible.
McCaffrey, despite dealing with a calf injury that will sideline him at least another week, remains the No. 1 overall pick. I have no problem with that, and hopefully, he's fine for Week 1.
As for Gibbs, his hamstring injury happened Monday. We're waiting to find out a timeline for his absence, but he could fall out of the first round. For now, I have him as my No. 4 running back behind McCaffrey, Hall and Robinson, but I could see him going after Barkley, Taylor and potentially Kyren Williams as well. Unless this is a long-term injury, Gibbs should remain no worse than a second-round pick, and David Montgomery's ADP (64.4) will likely start to rise.
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Quarterbacks
The top three quarterbacks of Josh Allen (No. 21 overall), Jalen Hurts (No. 22) and Patrick Mahomes (No. 24) are going in Round 2, and I'm not drafting them that soon. While those three are elite, I would rather wait for other quarterbacks later in the draft.
My favorite values at quarterback are Kyler Murray (ADP of 81.1) and Jayden Daniels (108.1), and I have Murray as my No. 6 quarterback behind Allen, Hurts, Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Anthony Richardson. I'm excited to see Murray back healthy for a full season and with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr., and Murray is the No. 10 quarterback based on ADP.
Daniels looked good in his preseason debut against the Jets, and he should be among the best running quarterbacks this year. I have him as my No. 9 quarterback, but he's the No. 14 quarterback based on ADP. He's going after Brock Purdy, Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa, and I expect Daniels to have more upside than those guys this season.
I also like the upside for Caleb Williams (115.1), who is being drafted after Daniels as the No. 15 quarterback. Williams also looked good in his preseason debut against Buffalo, and I have Williams ranked as my No. 12 quarterback.
Also, if you want a great late-round quarterback, plan to target Will Levis, especially at his current ADP of 178.2. He should take a huge step forward in his sophomore campaign, and I like him as a top-20 quarterback this season.
Running backs
When we get into the Round 2 running backs, my favorite value is Isiah Pacheco at No. 19 overall. He's currently behind Derrick Henry and Travis Etienne, but I would rather have Pacheco, especially if he's going to be a three-down running back as Andy Reid said.
Three running backs that I'm probably not drafting this season are James Conner (ADP of 55.1), Aaron Jones (55.7) and Raheem Mostert (65.4). Conner is being drafted as the No. 19 running back, Jones is No. 20 and Mostert is No. 23, and that's too expensive, especially given their age. Conner and Jones are 29, and Mostert is 32. All three of these guys should face competition, and you have to worry about injuries for this trio as well.
The running back group that I tend to target the most is Tony Pollard (77.4), Jaylen Warren (88.3), Brian Robinson Jr. (87.4), Tyjae Spears (105.2) and Chase Brown (105.7). I would love to get two of these running backs, and these are great options for a Hero-RB roster build.
After this group, the next running backs to go after are Jerome Ford (109.9), Blake Corum (122.7), Rico Dowdle (127.7), Zach Charbonnet (133.5), Chuba Hubbard (135.7), Antonio Gibson (138.7) and Ty Chandler (141.6). Of these guys, Dowdle is my favorite since he should be the best running back in Dallas this season. And Ford and Hubbard could help you early in the year while Nick Chubb (knee) and Jonathan Brooks (knee) are out or limited. I also have high expectations for Chandler as the No. 2 running back for the Vikings.
Wide receivers
Nacua is still being drafted as the No. 8 receiver, and he remains in Round 2 at No. 15 overall. That's a safe spot for him while he's dealing with his knee injury, but he should be fine for Week 1. Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp has moved up to the No. 16 receiver, and his ADP is 36.0 at the end of Round 3. But I would draft him at the Round 2-3 turn at No. 25 overall.
Another receiver that I would draft in Round 2 is Jaylen Waddle, who is an amazing value based on his ADP at 45.1. The same goes for Tee Higgins, who I would love to get at his ADP of 63.7. Higgins' ADP could rise the longer Chase remains out of practice.
The ADP for the Chiefs receivers are worth monitoring, especially since it looks like Rashee Rice might not get suspended. His current ADP is 83.3, but I would draft him toward the end of Round 4. Marquise Brown's ADP is 93.3 and falling, and he might continue to slip since he's expected to miss at least four weeks with his shoulder injury. Along with that, Xavier Worthy's ADP should rise, and he's at 103.9. I would draft Worthy and Brown in Round 8.
Four teams that I'm monitoring with their ADP at receiver are the Jaguars, Packers, Bills and Chargers. For Jacksonville, Christian Kirk is at 74.5, Brian Thomas Jr. is at 127.1 and Gabe Davis is at 154.3. I love the value for Thomas, who I would draft in Round 9, and Davis is a great late-round flier. I was more excited about Kirk prior to Jacksonville's first preseason game against Kansas City when he didn't play in two receiver sets, but I would still draft him in Round 6 at the latest.
Jayden Reed (83.1) has the highest ADP for the Packers, followed by Christian Watson (94.5), Romeo Doubs (133.3) and Dontayvion Wicks (148.5). I like Watson the best, and I would draft him as early as Round 6, with Reed in Round 7. Doubs is worth drafting as early as Round 9, and Wicks is a great late-round flier. I want to draft at least one Packers receiver in every league.
In Buffalo, I expect Keon Coleman (109.1) to have the most upside, but I love drafting Khalil Shakir (134.3) and Curtis Samuel (138.3). Coleman is worth drafting as early as Round 9, with Shakir not far behind, and Shakir is one of my favorite sleepers this season, regardless of position. Samuel is also worth drafting in the Round 11 range.
As for the Chargers, it's frustrating that Justin Herbert (foot) is hurt, but he should be fine for Week 1. Ladd McConkey (99.8) and Josh Palmer (133.1) are the main receivers to target for the Chargers, and Palmer is one of the best sleeper receivers this season since he could easily be No. 1 on the depth chart. It's hard to justify drafting Quentin Johnston (157.9) at this point since he's buried on the depth chart behind Palmer, McConkey and D.J. Chark.
Tight ends
We're starting to see some separation between Travis Kelce (ADP of 23.6) and Sam LaPorta (32.3), which is not how I have it ranked. I have LaPorta ahead of Kelce, with both tight ends going in Round 3.
Mark Andrews (44.4) remains the No. 3 tight end ahead of Trey McBride (54.3), but I like McBride better, with both tight ends in Round 4. Dalton Kincaid (59.1) is the No. 5 tight end here, and that's how I have it ranked.
The next three tight ends are George Kittle (62.2), Evan Engram (72.4) and Kyle Pitts (74.6), and Pitts is my favorite of this trio unless Aiyuk is traded. If that happens then Kittle jumps into the top five. Jake Ferguson (88.7) is everyone's favorite fallback tight end, and then it gets interesting.
I'll take a chance on Brock Bowers (106.6) at his current ADP, but I like Dallas Goedert (106.7) more. He should benefit with Kellen Moore calling plays for the Eagles.
My favorite late-round tight end has been Pat Freiermuth (134.5), but that could change if Aiyuk goes to Pittsburgh. If I have to pivot away from Freiermuth then I'll target Ben Sinnott or Greg Dulcich, and both currently don't have an ADP on CBS.