Fantasy Football Best Ball: Taking Advantage Of Early WR ADP At Underdog
The 2024 rookie wide receiver class has been touted as one of the best and deepest we have ever seen. And we have obviously extensively covered the Top Rookie Picks in our 2024 Best Ball Guide & Cheat Sheet. From top dogs like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers down to sleepers like Javon Baker and Brenden Rice, there’s always upside to be had with the rookies. But not every team gets to land a stud wide receiver in the draft. And there’s a lot of value to be had with the incumbent guys on teams that completely whiffed.
So that’s what we’ll focus on today. I’ve done a bunch of early best ball drafts and I can assure you that ADP is a mess. Which means that sharp gamers like us can take advantage before that is corrected. There are some many angles to take in our Best Ball Guide that we have no problem sharing a couple tips here for free but make sure to pick up your copy of that if you truly want to dominate. And win your share of the $15 million dollars worth of prizes in Underdog’s Best Ball Mania V contest which is open now!
I’ve already been in those best ball streets early putting in the work for us. And I can assure you, it’s all over the place out there. We’ve already hit on quarterback sleepers at ADP, and then Friday we focused on ADP Values at Running Back. Today we dig in and look at the wide receiver position.
This is merely a sample of the kind of analysis and the ranking goodness that you get in the Fantasy Alarm Best Ball Guide so don’t forget to pick up your copy today if you like winning money!
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
I figured that after letting Josh Reynolds walk, the Lions would be in a spot to draft a big-bodied split end. There were a TON of them in this draft and not just at the top with Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr, and Keon Coleman in the top part of the draft. Plus, they could have made an even bigger splash with a trade for Tee Higgins or Brandon Aiyuk on draft day. Instead, they did none of that.
So now the comments by Dan Campbell that Jameson Williams will push to be a “full time starter” are much more interesting. Because he’s easily the best receiver on the team right now opposite Amon-Ra St. Brown. He’s had a slow start as he was coming off a torn ACL as a rookie and suffering a hamstring injury early last season but there is a reason the Lions traded up to draft him - he was arguably the best wide receiver in his class. And, even with Sam LaPorta and the running backs, he’s the exact kind of guy that can break off big plays. Despite his limited usage, he already has multiple 40+ yard catches, including a 60+ yard play as well as a 40 yard rush and a touchdown on the ground. Boom/bust players like that can be inconsistent from week to week but in best ball we don’t have to worry about that; we get the big plays with none of the bad ones. So we’ll definitely grab some Jamo at WR51 off the board.
Brandin Cooks, WR, Dallas Cowboys
“All In”. That’s what Jerry Jones said. That they were going “all in” this offseason. If by that he meant they would sign virtually no free agents and draft exclusively offensive line and defense, then they definitely went “all in”. As we talked about in the Sleeper Best Ball Running Back article with Ezekiel Elliott, we need to accept what actually happened here and use that to our advantage. Cowboys fans need to accept it as well.
Not only did they not draft a wide receiver or tight end, but Michael Gallup is gone too. CeeDee Lamb is already getting 150+ targets every year so he really can’t get much more. Last year he easily led the league with 181. And god forbid he were to go down with an injury. There really aren’t any great free agent wide receivers left out there and the Cowboys don’t have the cap space to trade for and then pay a big name so both Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert are likely in line for a lot of snaps this year. Cooks was a young prospect coming into the league at only 21 so he actually feels a lot older than 30 years old. Tyreek Hill is a consensus top three WR and top five pick in this format and he and Cooks are the same age. And they both have the speed to make you pay and crack lineups. Obviously, Cooks isn’t Tyreek Hill but he also doesn’t go off the board as the WR2. Cooks is being drafted as the WR64 currently. We’ve identified the perfect spot in our 2024 Best Ball Cheat Sheet where you can safely grab Cooks without overpaying.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
There’s a common theme here in this article. The Saints finally moved on from their big split end Michael Thomas this offseason. And he might not be the same guy that once garnered 185 targets. But, despite getting hurt two snaps into Week 10, he was essentially on pace for 120 targets. So you would think the Saints would be in consideration to replace Thomas with another big bodied pass catcher in either free agency or the draft. But they didn’t select wide receiver until they took Jerrod “Bub” Means on day three of the NFL Draft in the fifth round. And they didn’t draft a tight end either.
Chris Olave is obviously the top dog here. He’ll play flanker in two-wide receiver sets and dabble in the slot. A.T. Perry stepped up as the big bodied split end on the outside last year with Thomas out as he’s 6’5” 205 pounds. And he’s not a bad late dart throw either. But the most exciting New Orleans receiver for this format has to be Rashid Shaheed. His ability to get behind defenses and break off big chunk plays is perfect for the best ball format because we get all of the good with none of the bad. Derek Carr offers zero mobility so he’s always going to be a “throw first” player and the Saints could easily be top 10 in pass attempts like they were last year. As of now, Shaheed goes outside the top 125 picks at WR57 so fairly affordable in drafts. Jameson Williams, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks all go outside of the top eight rounds so, if everyone is leaning into “Zero RB”, you can scoop these guys up back-to-back.
Player News
Free agent Gabe Davis will visit the New York Giants.
Cut by the Jaguars after one season last week, Davis visited the 49ers on Monday. New York would be a reunion of sorts, as he played for Giants coach Brian Daboll in Buffalo. The G-Men already have several wideouts capable of stretching the field, but 26-year-old Davis could still be a decent role player in a strong offense. The problem, of course, is that the Giants profile as anything but, but rookie QB Jaxson Dart is comfortable throwing down the field.
Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington has been diagnosed with a torn achilles suffered during offseason training.
The fifth-year pro became a weekly starter for the first time last season, earning elite PFF marks in the process. He was a restricted free agent this spring but had yet to sign his $3.26 million tender. That’s a tough break, to put it mildly. Achilles timelines have shortened significantly in recent years, but Washington will probably still miss the entire 2025 campaign. The Ravens are protected in part by their first-round selection of fellow S Malaki Starks, but May is not the month you already want to be dipping into your depth. Going on 26, Washington’s career future is murky after he worked so hard to finally become a regular contributor last season.
Chiefs signed fourth-round WR Jalen Royals to a four-year contract.
Royals doesn’t have an obvious and open spot in the receiving corps to build short-term fantasy value with Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Rashee Rice operating in the opening 11-personnel package. He may or may not play his way into WR4 duties depending on how the team feels about JuJu Smith-Schuster. Royals has plenty of talent and Brown is on a one-year deal, so there is a future where Royals is more than a bit player for the Chiefs. It likely won’t happen in his first season without injuries in front of him.
Matthew Judon said he “probably” won’t return to the Falcons in 2025.
The Falcons, of course, drafted both Jalon Walker and James Pearce in the first round. In an exclusive interview with CardPlayer.com — not to be confused with our PokerNews.com James Cook scoop a few days ago — Judon said that his sack total was down because “I dropped (into coverage) on 60 percent of the plays. It’s hard to get a pick and a sack on the same play.” Judon also told Kyle Odegard that “a couple” teams had expressed interest in him but he was in no rush to sign.
Jets released P Thomas Morstead.
Austin McNamara and Kai Kroeger will compete for the Jets punter job this year. The 39-year-old former Saint was the league’s oldest punter last season. If he wants to keep punting, he can absolutely join the tryout circuit or a competition elsewhere. But this is probably a sign that the Morstead’s 16-year career is close to an end at this point.
Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said it’s “going to be a breakout year” for Jameson Williams.
Morton said he’d never “been around someone that fast,” then quickly corrected himself to note that Jhamyr Gibbs is also that fast. Williams came on strong last year with a 58/1001/7 receiving line, but offensive coordinator praise could mean even more targets are coming. It would likely come at the expense of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s production if Williams were to truly break out, though there’s plenty for St. Brown to give and still be a top-flight fantasy wideout. It’s risky to read too much into statements like this in the offseason, but the new offensive coordinator telling you he thinks it’ll be a breakout year for Williams is certainly noteworthy.