Fantasy Football: ADP Battles – Who to take when on the clock?

The NFL season is just around the corner. The time has finally come, and it is time to draft your fantasy football team for this season. ADP stands for average draft position, and this is something that is important to know. In this article, I will show you two players being drafted back-to-back in Sleeper and debate who you should take at that ADP in your fantasy football draft.

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts vs Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

The Case for Anthony Richardson

One thing you want to shoot for in your fantasy draft is upside. Anthony Richardson has an extremely high ceiling this year. Fantasy football drafters should be taking advantage of that.

Going off the board as QB12, Richardson can finish as a Top-5 QB. He has the legs, and cannon of an arm to do so. And he was just named the starting QB for the Colts.

We have seen that a team does not have to be good in order for the player to have a great fantasy season. The Colts should be down most of their games, and that means he will be throwing and running all over the place.

We have seen some lows and some highs about Anthony Richardson, and it can be very special for us fantasy players. Anthony Richardson has some risk, but his talent is good enough to supply you with a QB1 season. You can always get a Geno Smith, Daniel Jones, or Matthew Stafford so you can have some insurance at the position. Take the upside and he can be a #LeagueWinner.

The Case for Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is arguably the most skilled QB of all time. He can do it all at such a high level, but now we are seeing him on a team other than the Green Bay Packers.

Last year Rodgers struggled; that will happen without Davante Adams. Rodgers now has Garrett Wilson, and from what we have seen from camp, it seems like they want to put up huge numbers.

I believe that the New York Jets will be a great team. They will be good on both sides of the ball. The Jets just signed running back Dalvin Cook. With a backfield of Breece Hall and Cook, there can be plenty of fantasy opportunity. This might limit Aaron Rodgers ceiling in fantasy football.

The Jets were 6th in passing attempts last season. With two great running backs and a great defense, there should be a lot more running attempts this season for Rodgers to return his value as QB13.

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers vs Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

The Case for Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen is a guy we have discussed for a while now. He is a high-target player that will put up numbers for your fantasy football team.

Last season was an injury-riddled season for Allen. He is coming into this season fully healthy and has been making big plays for his team in joint practices.

From Weeks 11-18 last season, Allen was targeted at least eight times in six games. Throughout that stretch, he was the WR4 in fantasy football, and showed no signs of slowing down. While he was putting up elite numbers, Herbert still was not 100% healthy. Keenan Allen also had more Top-24 performances than Amon-Ra St. Brown last season. He is going to explode this season and I am taking him as the WR18 every single time.

The Chargers brought in Kellen Moore as their offensive coordinator. Moore is going to have Herbert throw the ball much more than we’re used to seeing.

The Case for Amari Cooper

Amari Cooper is a very interesting name to consider drafting this season. It all has to do with Deshaun Watson. When Watson came back last season, it was a nightmare. He just didn’t look good. You could expect that from a player that has not played in over a year, but it is something to be a little skeptical about while considering Cooper – as he was seeing better performances with Jacoby Brissett as his QB.

Cooper is a player that has risks. We all know he is a great WR and one of the best route runners in the league. If we believe what we saw from Week 13 on with Watson, then you need to avoid him as the WR19.

An interesting stat from Cooper last season is he is basically non-playable when they have an away game. The Cleveland Browns played nine away games last season. In seven of them, Cooper did not score more than 11 fantasy points. Being unplayable as a WR1, where he finished, is not what I look for on my fantasy football team.

Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks vs Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

The Case for Kenneth Walker

These are two very skillful running backs that have a lot of potential, but these players going back-to-back in the fantasy football draft should not be happening. Last year, Kenneth Walker showed out. He was a stud when he got the ball. There was a shot of a touchdown every time he touched the rock. Everything went well for Walker – until the offseason.

We all know Pete Carroll loves to run the football. So no one should have been shocked when he drafted Zach Charbonnet on Day 2. Charbonnet ended his college season rushing for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns on 195 carries, averaging 6.97 yards per carry.

While we know that Walker will be the RB1, Charbonnet is a big back. The UCLA product has quick feet and will be able to also catch the ball from Geno Smith. He is a great complementary piece to put alongside Kenneth Walker. He will get his carries as this is most likely going to be a committee between the two.

The Case for Joe Mixon

Joe Mixon is a running back that could be a #LeagueWinner this season. We heard a lot of negative news about Mixon this offseason. That plummeted his value in the offseason, making the Bengals RB a great value at ADP.

Mixon is a top weapon on a Super Bowl team and is being picked in the fourth round. He has shown us before that he is a top fantasy running back. This year we can see his best year yet.

Samaje Perine left this offseason, leaving 51 vacant targets to be distributed. Mixon already saw 75 targets last season, which was 7th among RBs. Now that he has this backfield completely to himself, the sky’s the limit for Mixon this season. He is a great RB on a great offense. You can take him as a huge value for your team. I’m taking Mixon in the fourth round every single day.

The hardest thing in fantasy football is when you are on the clock debating between two players. There is nothing worse than making the wrong choice. When you are drafting, always make sure you take the upside, especially later in drafts. It will be hard to win your championship if you only take safe players. As you start your drafts in these upcoming weeks, always remember that upside wins championships.