Rankings as of Aug 21
The thing about our rankings and projections is they are not influenced by the rankings on any other site, so we tend to be much higher or lower on a lot of players than the masses are. And if you go by us, there are usually plenty of opportunities to exploit what we see are “off” rankings built into fantasy games on sites like ESPN and Yahoo.
If you’re drafting on either platform, we’ve gone ahead and have isolated players with the biggest discrepancies between our ranking and their rankings, which are also built into their games. We focus on players who are lower on their boards to clue you in on which players you can probably wait on and take 10, 20, 30, even 40-50 spots after we have them on our overall board.
For example, I love rookie WR Michael Pittman and think he’s worth a pick around 100 overall, but with a ranking of 148 on ESPN, you can probably wait until 120-130 overall and get him at a cheaper price tag. On Yahoo, he’s even cheaper, with an absurd ranking of 179.
We created a cheat sheet for drafting on both sites if you want a quick reference while drafting. Here’s a complete overview of the biggest discrepancies between our rankings and those on ESPN and Yahoo. First up, it’s:
Fantasy Points Top-150 vs. ESPN Draft Rankings
Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes (KC, 18 vs. 35) and Lamar Jackson (Bal, 22 vs. 34) - It’s worth noting that ESPN has pushed the QBs down the board, more than they can be expected to be in most competitive leagues. That said, don’t be surprised if you get a crack at one of these two studs in the third. Assuming I already have two top RBs, I might be ready to buy at that point.
Dak Prescott (Dal, 58 vs. 75) - It’s not optimal, but I’m willing to take Dak in the fifth round if I don’t like the other players left on the board for me, so I might even actually target Dak in the seventh if he’s there, which he might be because they have him at 75 overall. There are not 75 players who are the slam-dunk Dak is this year, that’s for sure.
Kyler Murray (Ari, 61 vs. 74) - Murray is too pricey for my tastes this year, but he’s a decent bet to have a breakout season, so if he falls to 74 and I don’t have a QB, I might take him.
Russell Wilson (Sea, 66 vs. 76) - They may be a little more balanced, and they may throw more early in games to #LetRussCook, but this is still going to be a run-heavy offense, so I’m actually still not interested in Wilson. I did love him last year, but he was being taken 20 picks after this — and he came up small in the playoffs.
Josh Allen (Buf, 79 vs. 114), Carson Wentz (Phi, 80 vs. 118) and Matt Ryan (Atl, 81 vs. 116) - My sweet spot in a competitive draft is the 80-95 overall range, but in an ESPN draft, I’m inclined to hold off another 25-35 picks.
Tom Brady (TB, 95 vs. 117) - I’m not really “in” on Brady this year, so the fact that he’s ranked 117th overall compared to our 95 doesn’t mean much to me, honestly, since the other QBs going off the board around him (who I like better) are also more affordable.
Daniel Jones (NYG, 96 vs. 137) - Jones does stand out as being more appealing in ESPN drafts, with their overall ranking more than 40 picks lower than our Jones ranking.
Drew Brees (NO, 97 vs. 120) and Matthew Stafford (Det, 99 vs. 121) - I’ve warmed up to Brees this month, but it’s not like he or Stafford stand out as great values this year, even on ESPN.
Baker Mayfield (Cle, 114 vs. 167) - Baker is a fantastic value on ESPN, so if you plan to go very very cheap at QB, he’s a good option. I’d probably want to get another good option to play matchups with, like the guy just below, also a Heisman winner in the AFC North.
Joe Burrow (Cin, 115 vs. 219) - Burrow could be THE value pick of the year if people lean on ESPN’s overall ranking, which has him as a 19th-round pick (LOL). He’s been razor-sharp so far this summer.
Cam Newton (NE, 126 vs. 164) - Maybe we have Cam too high, but I doubt it. The risk is offset by his affordable price tag, and we have him as a target 40 picks before ESPN.
Jared Goff (LAR, 124 vs. 166) - I like Goff and the Ram offense a lot this year, so he stands out as a nice target late.
Ryan Tannehill (Ten, 123 vs. 165), Ben Roethlisberger (SF, 141 vs. 168) - These three QBs are all very affordable, but they don’t stand out as much as guys like Baker, Burrow, Goff, and Cam.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon (Cin, 9 vs. 15) - Because of this egregious ranking, I may consider WR in Round 1 if he’s the best option late in the round because getting Mixon in the second is a steal.
Melvin Gordon (Den, 23 vs. 46) - We may have moved Gordon down a couple of spots by the time you read this, but the Vic Fangio narrative about Gordon and Phillip Lindsay should keep Gordon’s ADP down. He’s still a very good option in the third round and a GREAT option in the fourth.
James Conner (Pit, 30 vs. 47) - I personally don’t love Conner at our ADP of 30, but I’d like him a lot more if I got him 17 picks later.
Le’Veon Bell (NYJ, 31 vs. 45) - I’m not really into drafting older RBs early this year, but Bell’s been garnering praise from his HC (for now), and he’s in great shape. I’d be willing to buy Bell if I needed an RB in the fourth, though, especially later in the fourth like at 45 overall.
Jonathan Taylor (Ind, 32 vs. 48) - Taylor is polarizing because of an unclear role in the passing game, or no role to speak of, but I’m still all-in. I’m not expecting to play on ESPN this year, but I may have to just so I can brag about getting Taylor in the middle or end of round 4.
Chris Carson (Sea, 33 vs. 40) - Similar to Bell, I don’t love Carson at our ADP, but it’s a fair ranking, and ESPN has him even lower.
Cam Akers (LAR, 49 vs. 59) - I’ve been targeting him in the fifth round for months, but I’d feel less anxious about him falling to me in that round if I played on ESPN since they have him 10 spots lower than we do.
Mark Ingram (Bal, 49 vs. 72) - Ingram is a great buying opportunity in the sixth or even the seventh round on ESPN. Maybe he’ll get dinged up and slow down and open the door for JK Dobbins, but if not he will be a steal on ESPN. He’s still really good.
David Montgomery (Chi, 52 vs. 58) - I don’t love Montgomery this year, but he could absolutely work out well, and I’d be willing to take him if I needed a RB and he was available in the fifth, which could easily happen on ESPN.
James White (NE, 69 vs. 87) - He won’t be a league-winner type, obviously, but I’ll take him all day long in the eighth round, assuming it’s at least .5 PPR.
Antonio Gibson (Was, 83 vs. 129) - He’s impossible to wrap your head around with no set role and limited RB experience, and based on his ESPN ranking, there’s no reason to consider him in the top-100.
Adrian Peterson (Was, 98 vs. 140) - He’s hardly a sexy pick, but he will get the ball, and I’d certainly buy him if he were available in the 12th round.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn (TB, 109 vs. 132) - I know he’s not lighting it up in camp, but he also missed time with COVID. On ESPN, I’d draft him in Round 10 or 11 as a long-term 2020 bet against Ronald Jones.
Sony Michel (NE, 110 vs. 204) - This is almost a free pick, but I still may pass.
Duke Johnson (Hou, 116 vs. 128) and {{Chase Edmonds|RB|ARI (Ari, 132 vs. 143) - Nothing special here in terms of the difference and the value, but I like both as late picks, and ESPN has them going off the board.
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams (GB, 11 vs. 16) - This is a great reason to go RB in Round 1: you could easily get Adams in Round 2.
Julio Jones (Atl, 15 vs. 18) - Same as Adams, no way I’m going with Michael Thomas in Round 1 on ESPN knowing Julio could fall to the middle of Round 2.
D.J. Chark (Jax, 38 vs. 55) - I’m very much into drafting RBs early, and I love Chark this year, and he’s a great target in the fifth, which should be very doable on ESPN.
D.K. Metcalf (Sea, 42 vs. 54) and Terry McLaurin (Was, 45 vs. 52) - Not big differences here, but every little bit helps, and they’re both a little cheaper than we have projected on ESPN.
Marquise Brown (Bal, 46 vs. 67) - The hype is building for Brown, and we’ve contributed to that I’m sure, but while I wouldn’t bank on him lasting until the sixth round in most competitive leagues from Aug. 20 on, he might be available at ESPN due to his low ranking.
Breshad Perriman (NYJ, 89 vs. 123) - Our Perriman ranking is ridiculously proactive compared to the rest, but Perriman is still a value on ESPN, perhaps a great value.
Darius Slayton (NYG, 90 vs. 98) - Not a big difference, but one Giant beat writer I spoke with recently is convinced Slayton is Daniel Jones’ guy this year, FYI.
Jalen Reagor (Phi, 91 vs. 124) - We probably have him a little too high, but that’s about his upside in the second half. On ESPN, you probably don’t have to take him this high.
Michael Pittman (Ind, 102 vs. 148) - I’ve been pushing this guy for 4-5 months, and he’s kicking ass in camp, so ESPN drafters should isolate him as a great value after the 10th round.
DeSean Jackson (Phi, 105 vs. 125) - ESPN’s ranking is more aggressive than most out there, but not as aggressive as ours. He’s an injury risk, but pretty clear he will be highly impactful while healthy.
CeeDee Lamb (Dal, 106 vs. 126) - Not a big difference here, but it helps.
Brandon Aiyuk (SF, 119 vs. 145) and Anthony Miller (Chi, 121 vs. 144) - I like both as later picks, and while there’s not a huge discrepancy, these two can likely be drafted 20 or so picks later than we have them ranked.
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce (KC, 17 vs. 20) and Darren Waller (LV, 60 vs. 69) - I’m not really targeting either, but these are two top-five TEs pushed down a little further than we have them on ESPN.
Hayden Hurst (Atl, 77 vs. 114) - Hurst’s ADP has seen a meteoric rise since the spring, but he’s still a huge value on ESPN. If I was drafting there, he would by far be my top TE target.
Hunter Henry (LAC, 88 vs. 110) - I don’t know what to do with Henry this year, but I’ve always loved him and he’s a round cheaper than we have him, which makes him more appealing on ESPN potentially.
Jared Cook (NO, 92 vs. 111) - I’m surprised Cook is this high, frankly, but I’ve been in on him all summer, and he’s a little cheaper on ESPN compared to our ranking.
Rob Gronkowski (TB, 94 vs. 113) - I’m passing on him, in general, this year, but if he falls to 10th round on ESPN, I’d take him.
Dallas Goedert (Phi, 147 vs. 163) - He’s a tough guy to get a handle on, and he’s banged up in camp in the third week of August, but he’s at least a good bet to be cheap on ESPN.
Blake Jarwin (Dal, 149 vs. 211) - I do like the player a lot and I have said good things about him going back to 2018, but I can’t push him hard as a target because of a lack of volume. But if I knew he was going to go this late, I’d be all-in, and he just might on ESPN.
Fantasy Points Top-150 vs. Yahoo Draft Rankings
Rankings as of Aug. 21
Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes (KC, 16 vs. 26) and Lamar Jackson (Bal, 22 vs. 33) - These two are not as far down the board as they are on ESPN, but depending on how a draft goes, I’d at least think about them in the third round, especially Mahomes.
Daniel Jones (NYG, 96 vs. 106) - Not a big difference, but it’s something. Yahoo’s rankings are actually pretty tight.
Joe Burrow (Cin, 115 vs. 125) - Yahoo has QBs ranked a lot higher than ESPN, but Burrow remains ranked affordably low on both sites.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon (Cin, 8 vs. 11) - Not a big discrepancy, but Mixon could slip into the second round in 12-team Yahoo drafts, which would make him a good value.
Miles Sanders (Phi, 9 vs. 14) - I think it’s absurd if Sanders lasts until the second, but he might in a Yahoo draft based on this ranking.
Josh Jacobs (LV, 12 vs. 18) - I’m a little worried about his shoulder injury, which may still be an issue, but until I get word that it’s a real concern, I’m still in on Jacobs and I’d love to get him around 18.
Aaron Jones (GB, 13 vs. 20) - We can’t assume the Packers will do the right thing and keep feeding this guy the ball, but he’s obviously locked into a large role no matter what, and I’d love to get him this low on Yahoo.
Austin Ekeler (LAC, 16 vs. 22) - I slept on Ekeler last year (the Melvin Gordon uncertainty didn’t help), and I don’t find myself targeting him this year, but this is a solid value.
Melvin Gordon (Den, 23 vs. 29) - He’s no longer a value, but if you can get him in the third round on Yahoo, that’s close enough for my tastes.
Le’Veon Bell (NYJ, 31 vs. 46) - There are good vibes from Bell this summer, so while I’m not targeting him per se, I’ll take him if he slips, and early fifth round if possible on Yahoo with this ranking.
Cam Akers (LAR, 49 vs. 63) - You may need to be patient, but this is a great buying opportunity on Akers, who is going to come through this year, so if he drops to the sixth, it’s like stealing.
Tarik Cohen (Chi, 68 vs. 93) - I’m the one who’s fueling the Cohen love this year, and while I know he’s not a “league-winner,” I still love him as a PPR option, and I’m not worried about Cordarrelle Patterson, especially on Yahoo, where he’s an eighth-round pick with a chance to slip to the ninth.
James White (NE, 69 vs. 82) - I view him as equal to Cohen, yet Cohen is a better value on Yahoo potentially.
Antonio Gibson (Was, 83 vs. 94) - We do have him very high, and since Yahoo does as well, I would not expect to steal Gibson, who is more of a luxury/upside pick this early.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn (TB, 109 vs. 136) - I’m not a Ronald Jones guy. I could certainly be wrong, but the number of high-pick RBs who break out in year three is small, so backs drafted as high as Jones usually have broken out by year two. That said, I see Vaughn as a solid target in the 11th or 12th round as a stash-and-hope option.
Wide Receivers
Chris Godwin (TB, 19 vs. 24) - In my opinion, there’s no reason to go WR in Round 1 if a stud like Godwin is falling to 24th overall. That means on Yahoo you can likely get a top-four RB in the first and then get Godwin.
Calvin Ridley (Atl, 35 vs. 42), D.J. Chark (Jax, 38 vs. 45), D.K. Metcalf (Sea, 42 vs. 53), and Courtland Sutton (Den, 48 vs. 54) - None of these guys are great values, but they’re all ranked lower than we have them, which is good because we can draft RBs early and target these ascending guys in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Robert Woods (LAR, 36 vs. 55) - We’re giving Bobby Trees a lot more love than Yahoo, so he’s a guy to highlight as a potential steal in Yahoo drafts.
Marquise Brown (Bal, 46 vs. 67) - What can Brown do for you? A lot, so I’ll take him in the sixth round all day long, and he might stay in that round on Yahoo despite the hype train already leaving the station.
Jarvis Landry (Cle, 62 vs. 78) - I do like Jarvis this year, after underselling him the last two years, so I like how he’s cheaper on Yahoo than we have him.
A.J. Green (Cin, 64 vs. 83) - I’m not sure about AJG, given the mild injury scare he had early in camp, so I’d wait until at least the seventh round on Yahoo, at the earliest.
Diontae Johnson (Pit, 73 vs. 85) - I’m still into Johnson, big time, and he’s a good fall-back option in the seventh if I miss out on Hollywood Brown.
Jamison Crowder (NYJ, 86 vs. 108) - I had Crowder 25+ spots higher on my WR board than everyone else last year, but he’s not as cheap this year. But a ranking 22 picks below our ranking on Yahoo means he should still be a value.
Julian Edelman (NE, 87 vs. 103) - I’m usually passing on Edelman this year, most likely, but if it’s 100+ picks in and I need catches, I’ll consider him.
Breshad Perriman (NYJ, 89 vs. 168) - There’s no need to pounce on Perriman early on Yahoo. This low ranking means he’s almost downside-free.
Darius Slayton (NYG, 90 vs. 124) - I think Slayton stands out as a good pick around 100 overall, and you can get him a little later most likely on Yahoo, which is nice.
Jalen Reagor (Phi, 91 vs. 159) - Reagor will be given every opportunity to play a huge role in Philly right away, and our ranking is really aggressive. But you clearly don’t have to pay that high of a price for him on Yahoo.
Jerry Jeudy (Den, 100 vs. 166) - I do love Jeudy as a player, but I’m actually not expecting the world this year. But with an ADP that low, it doesn’t matter; he’s a great pick.
Emmanuel Sanders (NO, 101 vs. 149) - There’s a pretty large difference here, and I’m told he’s done well this summer.
Michael Pittman (Ind, 102 vs. 179) - My guy this year among the rookie class, and he’s a mortal lock to come through as a solid pick at worst if you get him 150+ picks in.
Brandin Cooks (Hou) 103 vs. 128) - There’s decent value here on Cooks, who could certainly excel in this downfield passing attack.
Henry Ruggs (LV, 104 vs. 170) - I’m pretty aggressive on Ruggs, but you probably don’t have to be on Yahoo, and this is a huge discrepancy between our overall ranking and Yahoo’s ranking.
DeSean Jackson (Phi, 105 vs. 246) - What? This can’t be right, can it? Needless to say, he’s a name to queue up in the second half of a Yahoo draft, and even taking him at 150 is a great value considering the upside.
CeeDee Lamb (Dal, 106 vs. 131) - I’m not in or out on Lamb this year, but he does look like a solid value on Yahoo.
Mike Williams (LAC, 107 vs. 137) - I want to push Williams more in a passing game that will look to push the ball down the field, but if he falls to the 10th or 11th round, he’s a good pick.
Deebo Samuel (SF, 108 vs. 161) - There’s now hope he can play Week 1, so if he’s available 150 picks in, he’s a no-brainer.
Brandon Aiyuk (SF, 119 vs. 243) - LOL, what? Yeah, don’t forget to queue him up late and know he might be available 150+ picks in.
Preston Williams (Mia, 120 vs. 180) - This is a pretty large discrepancy, making Williams a potential bargain on Yahoo.
Golden Tate (NYG, 122 vs. 165) - I’m always willing to take Tate if he slips, and he likely will in Yahoo, so he’s another name to keep in mind late.
N’Keal Harry (NE, 142 vs. 181) - He’s not lighting it up this summer, but I’ll still consider him if he falls 150+ picks into a draft, which is likely on Yahoo.
Tight Ends
Darren Waller (LV, 60 vs. 89) - I don’t love Waller, but he’s still the top receiver here, so if he’s available 80 picks in, I’ll be ready to buy.
Hayden Hurst (Atl, 77 vs. 99) - There’s a little bit of a discount on Yahoo with Hurst, who is my pick for TE value of the year. He’s a great pick in the eighth or ninth round.
Evan Engram (NYG, 78 vs. 98) - We all know he has downside, but also upside, and some of his downside is mitigated by his affordable price tag. I’ll take him in the ninth round, for sure.
Rob Gronkowski (TB, 94 vs. 129) - His HC keeps pumping him up, stating on Aug. 22 that he looks like he did five years ago. But his snaps could be limited, so I can’t call him a must-have. But he’s certainly more appealing if he drops this far.
Noah Fant (Den, 113 vs. 123) - I do like Fant this year, and while he’s not a great, great value on Yahoo, he’s still ranked 10 picks lower than we have him.
