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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 "Pump, Stump and Dump". From each team, I will be choosing one player I am high on (Pump), and one player I am avoiding in fantasy drafts for the 2022 season (Dump). You can check out my rankings here!
Carolina Panthers
PUMP – D.J. Moore, WR
Underdog ADP – WR17, #37 Overall
DH Rank – WR12
I have been a fan of D.J. Moore for a few years, and that trend will continue. He has shown that he can produce elite numbers, no matter who his QB is. He has at least 1,100 receiving yards & 4 TDs in the last 3 seasons, but the knock against him is he has never scored more than 4 TDs in a season in his career. Touchdowns are the most unpredictable stat in fantasy sports, so he has just as good of a chance as anyone to have a 8 TD season, and if that happens, he has top 5 WR upside. He is my favorite Round 3 WR this year
DUMP – None
Underdog ADP – N/A
DH Rank – N/A
The Panthers have very few draft-worthy players this season, so it’s tough to find an ADP I don’t like. The only thing keeping Christian McCaffrey outside of the #1 overall spot is his injury history. He arguably has the highest upside of any player. Robby Anderson has the potential for enough spike weeks to be a decent WR6/7 in bestball leagues. Don’t waste any draft capital on TEs or QBs from this team unless they trade for Baker Mayfield.
Atlanta Falcons
PUMP – Cordarrelle Patterson, RB
Underdog ADP – RB30, #95 Overall
DH Rank – RB21
Cordarrelle Patterson was arguably the best waiver wire pick up last season and based on the lack of big moves made by the Falcons to bolster their backfield, he looks to be in line for a solid workload again this season. Damien Williams is just a body at this stage, and rookie Tyler Allgeier will take some time to get ramped up. Patterson’s versatility makes him a more than capable RB2, especially in Zero/Hero RB builds as a 7th round pick.
DUMP – Kyle Pitts, TE
Underdog ADP – TE3, #32 Overall
DH Rank – TE3
This is not a knock against Kyle Pitts as a player, or even as the TE3. This is strictly about him being drafted in the 3rd round. He should be the clear #1 pass option for whoever plays QB for the Falcons this season. I am just concerned about his TD upside, which was his flaw last season, given how terrible this team is projected to be. If Pitts somehow slips to round 4, then I will own plenty of shares, but that doesn’t appear to be the case this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PUMP – Cameron Brate, TE
Underdog ADP – TE22, #177 Overall
DH Rank – TE15
I was on the Cameron Brate train prior to the Rob Gronkowski “retirement” announcement when I was able to draft him with literally the last pick of any draft I was in. With Gronk out of the way, I love Brate even more. The rumors of rookie Cade Otton being the primary replacement have kept Brate’s ADP from getting out of control, and I still am able to get shares of him at a discount. He is the perfect TE2 to draft in the double-digit rounds. Get him before we see him be the starter in preseason.
DUMP – Chris Godwin, WR
Underdog ADP – WR28, #59 Overall
DH Rank – WR47
If Chris Godwin didn’t tear his ACL in December and have surgery in January to repair it, then I would love his current value. But he did, so I don’t. Even in bestball leagues where you don’t have to put him in your starting lineup, the 5th round is wat too high for him. There are too many healthy WRS going in that range for me to draft Godwin that high, namely his new teammate, Russell Gage.
New Orleans Saints
PUMP – Michael Thomas, WR
Underdog ADP – WR36, #74 Overall
DH Rank – TE28
It has been almost two years since we have seen Michael Thomas play a full game of football, so he must be healthy, right? He was recently seen running routes via a post on his Instagram, so it’s a safe assumption that he will be able to participate in training camp later this month. With Alvin Kamara presumably out for a few weeks with his impending suspension, Michael Thomas will be the primary target for Jameis Winston. As a WR3 being drafted in the 7th round, he is being taken at his absolute floor. Love the value.
DUMP – Alvin Kamara, RB
Underdog ADP – RB12, #24 Overall
DH Rank – RB25
This is cheating a little, since we have been told he has a suspension looming of possibly 6 games. He was already being drafted at the end of the 3rd round with that assumption, so it’s only natural that his ADP is dropping even further now. I currently have him ranked as a high end RB3, and I would take him in the 5th round now, but I haven’t seen him drop that far lately.
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