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Fantasy football is just around the corner as managers everywhere are researching and preparing for their upcoming drafts. Here we’ll go over some players to go after based on their ADP (average draft position) value for the upcoming season.
Last season saw Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey as Nos. 1 and 2 ADP, respectively, followed by Austin Ekeler and Cooper Kupp. All of those guys performed well and have landed themselves in the top five in ADP rankings this year so far aside from Jonathan Taylor, who struggled with injury and ended up as an RB30 through just 11 games played in the 2022 season.
Let’s take a look at some players that should be able to outperform expectations based on what their ADP suggests for the upcoming season.
Fantasy Football 2023: Top ADP Values
Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams
ADP: 59th overall, RB21
Where you should draft them: A couple of rounds early
Akers finished last season strong as he ended up being played as the Rams’ RB1. His final three games saw him take a total of 63 touches for 345 yards and three touchdowns, bringing his TD total to seven on the season. His only competition in the backfield this season will be rookie Zach Evans, who was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, and Kyren Williams, who currently sits just behind Akers in the depth chart but didn’t see a ton of action last season.
With plenty of upside and a lower ADP than expected, Akers is an appealing option for any fantasy manager looking to bring in a solid option at a great value, especially since he could end up as the clear-cut RB1 in LA this season.
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
ADP: 115th overall, QB15
Where you should draft them: Inside the top-10 QBs
Geno Smith is undervalued as far as ADP this year, especially after the banner season he had in 2022 after Russell Wilson left Seattle. Smith completed 399-of-572 passes for a total of 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns. He averaged about 19 fantasy points per game all season long, ending up as the QB6 in terms of fantasy which suggests he should definitely be at least a little higher in the ADP rankings ahead of this season.
He doesn’t really have any competition in Seattle as Drew Lock is set to be his clear-cut backup especially after seeing his performances in preseason. If you’re looking for a solid QB but don’t want to use one of your earlier picks, look no further than Geno.
Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
ADP: 60th overall, WR25
Where you should draft them: Around the same
The 22-year-old receiver in Atlanta had a great showing in his rookie season, holding a 29.4% target share with Marcus Mariota. He ended up catching 72 of his 117 targets for 866 yards and four touchdowns on the season, averaging 12 yards per reception through 17 games. It wasn’t WR1 material necessarily, but for a rookie season, it was a solid start. Once Desmond Ridder came in for the last few games of the Falcons’ season, London saw an average of nine targets per game, a big step up from the 6.2 he got from Mariota through the majority of the campaign.
With Ridder now Atlanta’s starting QB heading into this season, expect London to get plenty of looks and bring in some nice fantasy value, especially in PPR leagues.