Two weeks of the NFL Preseason are now in the books, and we are getting to the time when more and more fantasy drafts are taking place. While the starters don’t play long in these exhibition games, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pay attention to them. Whether it be a position battle, guys dealing with injuries, or a new offensive system being implemented, paying attention to preseason action can only increase your chances of winning your fantasy football leagues. With just about two weeks to go until opening kickoff, here are three players with their ADP rising, along with three who are headed in the wrong direction.
MORE FANTASY ALARM: 2019 Draft Guide
Fantasy Football Mock Draft ADP Risers
WR Josh Gordon, Patriots
The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Many fantasy football players seem to be suffering from insanity since the announced reinstatement of Patriots’ Josh Gordon. No one is wishing ill will on the guy, but how many more times are we going to see him suspended or “taking a break from the game” for substance abuse problems before we give up on this? He had a few good games last year while he was able to play, but he is still a boom or bust kind of player. His ADP is skyrocketing from when he was a dart throw at the end of drafts a couple of weeks ago, and carpe diem , that’s buyer beware on this volatile yet immensely talented receiver. The payoff might not be worth the risk.
WR Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos
Just eight months removed from a torn Achilles, Sanders is looking pretty close to his old self again. He stayed off the PUP list, which was a great step in his recovery, and he felt good enough to get into Denver's preseason game on Monday. He obviously wasn’t used heavily, but Sanders did take an end around for a 19-yard gain. It was a disastrous season last year for Denver’s offense, and while Joe Flacco certainly won’t cure all ills at quarterback, he is vastly better than everyone Denver played at the position in 2018. With his performance against San Francisco, watch Sanders' ADP rise a couple of rounds, and in PPR leagues he should return you great value.
RB Tony Pollard, Cowboys
This is a dangerous one. Pollard has done everything asked of him while Ezekiel Elliott’s holdout has continued, and he looked fantastic in the Cowboys' second preseason game. He rushed for 42 yards on five carries, including a 14-yard touchdown run. He even caught a pass for good measure. However, it's hard to envision Pollard having any sort of role that brings fantasy value if Elliott ends his holdout. And although owner Jerry Jones has continually praised Pollard, you know that he isn’t going to let a few million dollars come between him and having Elliott on the field, especially when Jones feels his team has a chance to compete for the Super Bowl. Pollard’s draft stock has continued to rise in the last week, but it is risky to use a meaningful draft pick on him. Not all surges in ADP equal good draft value, and this could easily be one that bites you in the end.
2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
Fantasy Mock Draft ADP fallers
RB Kenyan Drake, Dolphins
Drake was once the lock to be the starting running back for the Dolphins, but he certainly got a lot of competition from Kalen Ballage early in camp. Now, after suffering a foot injury in practice, it looks like we may have seen the last of Drake in the preseason. Ballage ran for a touchdown in his first preseason game and has been all the talk of Dolphins camp. The new coaching staff is getting a long look at Ballage while Drake can only sit and watch, and this is driving his fantasy value understandably in the wrong direction. Even when Drake is healthy, it should be no surprise if he is in a 50-50 split, or at best a running back by committee slightly in his favor.
WR Golden Tate, Giants
Some thought that Tate had the chance to win his appeal from being banned for four games after taking an illegal substance in a fertility medicine. However, whether it be for an edge in the game or the noble cause of populating the planet, the NFL says that players need to know what they are putting in their bodies. Tate has now added a concussion to the mix, and while he will certainly be ready to go by Week 5 of the regular season, one concussion always brings concerns of more. Tate was wildly underutilized in Detroit and Philadelphia last year, and now missing all of this time on a new team with a questionable quarterback certainly will have his draft stock plummeting.
WR Dante Pettis, 49ers
Pettis was the darling wide receiver early in draft season, but a lot has changed in the last week to ten days. In the Niners' first preseason game he was out on the field long after the rest of the starters were pulled to rest. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan then said that Pettis still had a lot to prove and had to win his starting job. Rookies Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd have stolen the show so far through August, and that has seemingly pushed Pettis to a smaller role. Be careful with coach speak in the preseason, though. Sometimes they are just looking to light a fire under a player. And while Pettis has been going a little later in drafts, sometimes that just makes for an even better value and a chance for you to grab a dynamic player a round or two later than expected.
FANTASY SLEEPERS:
8 QBs | 14 RBs | 11 WRs | 11 TEs | 6 D/STs | One from each team
Fantasy Football Watch List
WR Hunter Renfrow, Raiders
The Antonio Brown “Helmetgate” just won’t seem to end. One day he's saying he won’t play, the next day he's at practice, the next day he files another grievance against the NFL trying to be able to use his beloved helmet. This is getting to be worse than Linus and his blanket. However, if the Raiders' diva wide receiver does decide to sit out games in protest, someone has to account for the vast number of targets that are due to come at AB this season. Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson are the two veterans that the Raiders brought in this offseason, but neither are high-volume reception players. Both are speedy, big play guys who rarely top four catches a game. Both head coach Jon Gruden and offensive coordinator Greg Olson are big fans of Renfrow and traded up in the fifth round to get him. Renfrow isn’t tall, and he isn’t fast, but he does great work over the middle and has great hands. If this drama doesn’t end with Brown, Renfrow could be the biggest beneficiary.