Average Draft Position (ADP) Risers and Fallers
No more pretend games. The 2014 season is now finally upon us. Look for rapid-fire roster movement few days as teams cut down to 53 players. But don't expect to see many moves that will impact your Week 1 fantasy lineups. As it is, everyone will have their hands full with injury reports. Let the fun begin.
Although most fantasy-relevant players did not suit up in the last week of preseason, there has been plenty of fluctuation in terms of player perception. Let's take a look at some Risers and Fallers.
Moving On Up
Not many players go untouched in fantasy drafts all summer long only to become headline news a week before the season starts. Derek Carr had a breakthrough performance versus the Seahawks. Carr looked the part of a starting quarterback Thursday night, with 11 completions and three touchdowns, some of which came against Seattle's defensive starters. What was a role seemingly locked up by Matt Schaub is now anything but. Head coach Dennis Allen will now sit on the decision through Labor Day weekend.
The bottom line is Carr should join fellow rookie QBs Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater on drafters' deep sleeper lists. It won't be long before he gets the nod.
A strong preseason has Russell Wilson steadily climbing. Previously drafted as a QB2, Wilson is now the No. 12 QB coming off the boards and being drafted to start. He is being selected ahead of Tony Romo and Robert Griffin in many drafts and has even closed the gap on Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick.
Doug Martin has started to fly up some draft boards. The Buccaneers' trade for Guard Logan Mankins only boosts his value. Martin was already garnering more attention after having a solid camp. Additionally, the Bucs lost running back Charles Sims for 12-14 weeks earlier this month due to an ankle injury, clearing the path for Martin to become a true bell cow.
Martin fell as low as Round 5 in drafts before Tampa Bay's backfield became less muddy. Now it's commonplace to see Martin get scooped up late in Round 2. Martin is currently the No. 10 RB off the board.
Despite missing most of camp following knee surgery, Knowshon Moreno has closed the gap between him and Lamar Miller. The two have virtually inseparable ADPs (No. 31 and No. 33 RB, respectively). While most drafters are avoiding this committee, there is opportunity to be had for less risk-adverse owners.
Shane Vereen's two-touchdown performance in Week 3 of preseason solidifies his spot in the third round of PPR drafts. Both Stevan Ridley and James White have failed to impress.
Emmanuel Sanders is now back in the good graces of drafters after a 128-yard performance last week. Sanders is being drafted consistently in Round 4 after holding an ADP of 60 or higher for much of the summer. Wes Welker's continuous concussion scares have the fantasy community warming up to Sanders more than ever.
The John Brown hype train is real. Upon hearing Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians say Brown could see 60 percent of the offensive snaps this season, Brown became worthy of a roster spot. He should be drafted in all deep leagues.
Tim Wright, previously undrafted in nearly all drafts, is now meriting consideration in New England's tight end-friendly offense.
The Chiefs' Travis Kelce continues to impress and is no longer a deep sleeper. He is currently the No. 18 TE and a worthy TE2 with upside.
Falling Fast
In Giants camp, the Ben McAdoo experiment is off to an inauspicious start. Eli Manning has struggled to get on the same page with his receivers and has looked lost in his new offensive coordinator's system. He is regularly one of the last QBs to come off the board in drafts. Accordingly, Rueben Randle and Victor Cruz have seen their ADP take a hit as well.
Cam Newton has a bunch of red flags popping up. Despite sitting as the No. 9 QB on current ADP charts, Newton is dealing with several cracked ribs and has been slow to recover from offseason ankle surgery. As such, he has not been able to log much-needed reps with his new receiving corps.
Much like the Giants, the Bills have looked inept. Call it the E.J. Manuel effect. Manuel's unimpressive play has single-handedly lowered the perceived value of C.J. Spiller and Sammy Watkins. Both have fallen approximately one round in drafts over the past 10 days. Watkins re-injured his ribs in the final preseason tune-up, leaving fantasy owners to wonder if he's even a reasonable flex play Week 1.
Trent Richardson continues to descend in drafts. An unimpressive camp and injuries to the offensive line land Richardson at the No. 28 RB spot. He's barely a flex play at this point.
Bishop Sankey shot up the boards for a week, but fumble problems and an assigned No. 3 ranking on the Titans' depth chart have drafters souring on the rookie.
As Emmanuel Sanders rises, Wes Welker falls. The two have virtually swapped ADPs in the past week. Owners are left wondering if Welker is a value in Round 6 or damaged goods.
Drafters don't seem to believe in the Shaun Hill era, at least as it concerns Rams WR Tavon Austin. He has seen his stock fall consistently since last month, and his ADP has taken a sharper turn downward since Sam Bradford got hurt. It doesn't help that Austin did little during preseason games.


