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Draft Season is here! Bestball Leagues are flowing! The NFL Preseason is upon us. Drafthustle is here to get you ready to dominate your drafts and get to the money and the trophies! This is part of a series I am titling "Bop or Flop". From each team, I will be choosing one player I am high on (Bop), and one player I am avoiding in fantasy drafts at cost for the 2023 season (Flop). You can check out my rankings here!
Denver Broncos
BOP – Russell Wilson, QB
FantasyPros ADP – QB18, #126 Overall
DH Rank – QB14
Russell Wilson had such an awful season last year that I cannot be mad at his current ADP among fantasy QBs. The Broncos made the right move by getting rid of Nathaniel Hackett and bringing in a coach who can bring out the best in Russell Wilson and this offense in Sean Payton. Despite the unfortunate Tim Patrick injury, Russ still has a solid pass-catching core in Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Greg Dulcich, and rookie Marvin Mims. Russ was able to put together 2 top 3 weeks in the last 4 games of 2022, and he should be able to build on that with a competent coach. He is one my favorite late round QB2s to target.
FLOP – Javonte Williams, RB
FantasyPros ADP – RB26, #69 Overall
DH Rank – RB27
Javonte Williams is an easy Flop call for several reasons. He is in his first year returning from a torn ACL, which is never good for anyone not named Adrian Peterson. The Broncos signed Samaje Perine who will be used heavily in the passing game, which will limit Javonte’s upside in any PPR league. Lastly, I just do not like his 7th round price given his situation. If I want to invest in the Broncos backfield, I would much rather take Perine 3 rounds later.
Kansas City Chiefs
BOP – Skyy Moore, WR
FantasyPros ADP – WR54, #135 Overall
DH Rank – WR45
The departure of Juju Smith-Schuster and another injury for Kadarius Toney has opened the door for Skyy Moore to emerge as the top WR for Patrick Mahomes, which is always a good thing. He is now in his second year in the Kansas City offense, giving him a leg up over rookie Rashee Rice. We know what Marquez Valdes-Scantling is, which isn’t very much. Skyy Moore can easily put up WR3 numbers and outperform his WR5 ADP.
FLOP – Isiah Pacheco, RB
FantasyPros ADP – RB29, #73 Overall
DH Rank – RB31
Despite being the starting RB for the top team in the NFL, Pacheco is a Flop for me. He has no role in the passing game, garnering only 14 targets in 17 games last season. The lack of passing game involvement caps his upside in any format that rewards players for receptions. There are also reports that undrafted rookie Deneric Prince, the 2023 version of Isiah Pacheco, has looked good with Pacheco recovering from two offseason surgeries. If he still has a 7th round ADP come late August, I will have no shares of Pacheco in managed leagues in 2023.
Las Vegas Raiders
BOP – Davante Adams, WR
FantasyPros ADP – WR8, #16 Overall
DH Rank – WR6
Davante Adams has been the best and most consistent WR over the last 5 years. He has been WR3 overall or better in 4 of the last 5 years. In his first year with Las Vegas in 2022, he put up a 100/1516/14 stat line. Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy, so that hurdle is cleared (for now). There’s no reason he should last into round 2 of any draft format.
FLOP – Michael Mayer, TE
FantasyPros ADP – TE21, #183 Overall
DH Rank – TE33
Although not as egregious as Dalton Kincaid’s ADP, Michael Mayer having an ADP of TE21 is pretty bad. He is a rookie TE, which never bolds well for fantasy football. He is also not guaranteed to start with the Raiders acquiring Austin Hooper this off season. Even if he does start, he will be the 5th option at best behind Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Renfrow, and Josh Jacobs. Maybe next year, Mayer.
Los Angeles Chargers
BOP – Mike Williams, WR
FantasyPros ADP – WR26, #70 Overall
DH Rank – WR17
Mike Williams was the talk of the town last season, and now he has been cast away to the shadow realm. I love targeting players that the market was way too high on the previous year, because they tend to be too low on them the following year. Mike Williams is healthy now and is still the team #2 WR and primary deep threat. The Chargers’ hiring of Kellen Moore lets us know they want to pass the ball more often and more aggressively. Mike Williams will benefit greatly from that. He has top 12 upside and WR3 value. Grab him often.
FLOP – Justin Herbert, QB
FantasyPros ADP – QB6, #43 Overall
DH Rank – QB7
This is a case of disliking the draft capital required the acquire the player, not positional value of the player. I love Justin Herbert to bounce back to his 2021 form thanks to being healthy and Kellen Moore being the new Chargers offensive coordinator. If his ADP in late August remains in the 4th round, however, I will not have much of him on my teams, which will hurt me greatly. I'm much more likely to own him in Auction and Superflex leagues.
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