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
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reports Vikings WRs Jordan Addison and Tai Felton will have “no issues going forward” after suffering arm injuries in Wednesday’s practice.
Seifert earlier reported that Addison and Felton had left with “what looked like hand/arm injuries.” Neither resumed practicing for Wednesday, but seem to be fine moving forward, according to Seifert. The Vikings avoid a major injury with Addison, but he is still set to miss the first three games of the season. Felton is the team’s third-round rookie and in line to compete with Jalen Nailor for the WR3 role this season. Both are still on track for Week 1, but with Nailor (hand) currently week-to-week, the Vikings may still look to acquire a veteran receiver.
49ers acquired WR Skyy Moore from the Chiefs in exchange for swapping 2027 sixth and seventh-round picks.
Moore was a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but could never really stick with the Chiefs’ receiving corps. He caught 43 passes for 494 yards and a touchdown over his first two seasons, while failing to catch any of his three targets last season. Moore adds value as a returner, recently returning a punt for a touchdown in the Chiefs’ preseason Week 2 game. The 49ers’ receiver group has been decimated by injuries and the recent suspension to Demarcus Robinson. They now add Moore, who is a shot in the dark at some production from the receiver spot. He is unlikely to hold fantasy relevance heading into the season.
Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said, “the more opportunities [RB Jarquez Hunter] gets, the better it’s going to be.”
The Rams drafted the 22-year-old Hunter in the fourth-round of April’s draft. He brings pass-catching upside to the Rams backfield and has received praise from the Rams’ coaching staff throughout camp. This spells bad news for Blake Corum, who did not carve out a sizeable role last season. Kyren Williams is still slated to take the vast majority of backfield touches, but Hunter can mix in on passing downs and earn handcuff value for fantasy purposes.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer believes EDGE Micah Parsons will play Week 1 against the Eagles.
Schottenheimer said, “I feel good that Micah will be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles.” Parsons and the Cowboys are still at a contract impasse, with little to no progress being made on a new deal. The 26-year-old has also reportedly been dealing with back tightness while he holds out. Schottenheimer’s vote of confidence doesn’t have much substance behind it in terms of Parsons’ progression back to practice, but things can change quickly.
Saints acquired WR Devaughn Vele from the Broncos in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick and 2027 seventh-round pick.
Vele heads to the Saints after a productive rookie season with the Broncos in 2025. He was a 26-year-old rookie, posting 41 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns while primarily working out of the slot. An offseason knee procedure limited Vele in camp, while the emergence of second-year receiver Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant made him more expendable. The Saints add Vele’s 6-foot-5 frame to a receiver room in need of reinforcement behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Vele has some value as a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts.
Jets acquired DT Harrison Phillips and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Vikings in exchange for 2026 and 2027 sixth-round picks.
The Jets added their second defensive lineman of the day, acquiring Phillips from the Vikings after getting Jowon Briggs from the Browns. Phillips is a seven-year veteran who has split time with the Bills and Vikings. He started all 51 games for Minnesota over the last three seasons and tallied two sacks, 56 combined tackles, and a forced fumble last season. The Jets beef up their defensive line heading into year one under defensive-minded head coach Aaron Glenn.