These 10 players should be targeted by fantasy owners, since they are being undervalued in early drafts.
Many fantasy football players engage in an inordinate amount of fretting and hand-wringing over the draft position they will be randomly slotted for a draft.
While getting a pick in the top four will certainly enable you to draft one of the most prolific fantasy scorers, focusing on what you cannot control does no good.
Instead, wise fantasy players ought to study the ADP (average draft position) of early drafts carefully, in order to find the players they can draft regardless of their draft position.
If a player performs at the level of their draft position, that is certainly good for your team. If you took a player in the first or second round and they lead your team in points, that is an important part of building a winning team.
But even more important is finding players who outperform their draft position, players often termed values.
Getting good values is not simply about taking a player after their ADP spot. Years ago I got caught up in getting values in my drafts, taking players after their average draft position and feeling like all those good values would equate to a good team.
What I have learned over the years is that I would rather be scoffed at for taking a player too early and get the players I want, rather than getting perceived good values on players I do not necessarily love.
So this article will look at 10 players you should target a round before where they are going in the ADP, because they are simply being drafted too late compared to how they will perform this season.
HOUSTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 10: Leonard Fournette #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars rushes with the ball as Benardrick McKinney #55 of the Houston Texans pursues at NRG Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Value No. 1: Leonard Fournette (Draft.com ADP: 30 overall)
Last year many were seeing a big jump for Fournette to the very top echelon. He was drafted in the first round in nearly all drafts and his ADP over the final week of drafts was at 1.9. However, the breakout didn’t come, and Fournette struggled again with injury.
On top of that, the team fizzled, missing the playoffs and struggling in almost every facet. Fournette finished the year in the doghouse of the front office, with Tom Coughlin publicly calling him out.
Fast forward to this spring, and Fournette was in the news again for being arrested on an expired license charge. The publicity has been bad, leaving fantasy owners avoiding him in the first two rounds of drafts. However, nothing with his talent or situation has changed.
In fact, T.J. Yeldon left the Jaguars and they did not bring in anyone to challenge Fournette.
On top of that, Fournette has been extremely focused on getting in excellent shape this offseason, and his new offensive coordinator just came out and said, “Leonard Fournette needs to be a big part of this offense.” They are depending on him in a major way.
So forget what happened last season, even though it might be tough. Take Fournette with confidence in the back half of the 2nd round or early in the 3rd. Even early in the 2nd should be a value, since there are not many work horse backs left in the league.