On Thursday night, I went as a fan to watch the Dolphins-Jaguars preseason game in Miami Gardens. It was hard not to come away impressed with Jacksonville receiver Dede Westbrook.
I was already sold on Westbrook being the best receiver for the Jaguars this season, but he has the potential to be a weekly starter in PPR. He's likely going to see his Average Draft Position rise as many drafts happen this weekend.
Westbrook, who had four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown on seven targets against the Dolphins, is being selected in Round 8 at 93.6 overall after his performance Thursday. But I could see him easily creep into Round 7 — if not higher.
We'll see what happens with Marqise Lee now back from last year's knee injury, but there isn't much competition for targets in this Jacksonville passing attack. D.J. Chark has potential, but he suffered a concussion against Miami. And Chris Conley could also be a factor.
But Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles looks like he's going to lean on Westbrook quite a bit, and six of his first eight pass attempts went in Westbrook's direction. He has the chance to be a third-year breakout, and I'm excited to draft him in most of my leagues.
As for Leonard Fournette, it was encouraging to see him get three targets from Foles. He had two catches for 19 yards, as well as seven carries for 27 yards (3.9 yards per carry). I expect Fournette to have a career season, and I love his ADP at 24.9 overall.
For the Dolphins, we got good news on Kenyan Drake before the game that he is no longer in a walking boot with his injured foot. He has a shot to play in Week 1, and he could be a great value pick with his ADP at 67.2.
I wasn't impressed with Kalen Ballage against the Jaguars. He had 12 carries for 17 yards (1.4 yards per carry), as well as two catches for minus-2 yards. Ballage is worth selecting at his ADP at 115.8 overall in case Drake is not ready for the start of the season, but I might not draft him much higher than that.
Let's take a look at some other ADP data heading into the third full week of preseason action.
By Position
ADP Risers and Fallers
Quarterbacks
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Brady's ADP is up 14 spots to 89.6 overall, and he's the No. 12 quarterback off the board. That's a little too high for me, but he does have sleeper appeal now that Josh Gordon is back. With Gordon, Julian Edelman and James White, Brady's receiving corps isn't looking so bad, especially if rookie N'Keal Harry is any good. Throw in undrafted rookie free agent Jakobi Meyers and potentially Demaryius Thomas, and Brady now has some decent talent around him. I would draft him with a late-round flier as a top-15 quarterback this year.
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I'm hopeful that Murray has a better showing in his third preseason game against the Vikings after he struggled in Week 2 against the Raiders, but his ADP is on the decline at 112.9 overall. He's now the No. 16 quarterback off the board. I think that's a good spot for him, and I was too high on him prior to the preseason starting. That said, I don't think you should fully judge Murray on the preseason alone since the Cardinals offense will look different when the season starts. I just think it's better to draft Murray as a No. 2 quarterback with upside as opposed to a must-start quarterback in his rookie campaign.
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ADP Risers and Fallers
Running Backs
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Coleman's ADP is up to 59.1 overall, but I would take him earlier than that. I have no problem drafting Coleman around No. 50 overall in all leagues. He should be the No. 1 running back for the 49ers, even though he will lose touches to Matt Breida. But with Jerick McKinnon (knee) not on the verge of playing anytime soon, it appears Coleman is headed for a quality workload after being reunited with Kyle Shanahan. Coleman is someone to consider as a top-20 running back this season.
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Thompson is a big-time riser, up 25 spots to 128.1 overall. He should continue to rise as he establishes himself as the backup to Damien Williams over Carlos Hyde. I'm drafting Thompson as early as Round 9 in most leagues. We'll see if Hyde even makes the final roster for the Chiefs, but Thompson has been one of my favorite players since the NFL Draft because of his potential in this Andy Reid offense. I have a lot of stock in Thompson this year.
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I'm still hopeful for Jones having a big season in 2019, but it's understandable why he's trending down. His ADP is 34.1 overall, and I can see him falling into Round 4 this weekend. He's already missed time this preseason with a hamsting injury, and injuries have plagued him during his first two years in the NFL. He's also currently being selected ahead of Josh Jacobs, Chris Carson and Mark Ingram, and I like all three of those guys better. I still consider Jones a solid No. 2 Fantasy running back, but his injury situation and a tough schedule for 2019 have me slightly concerned.
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Penny still has the chance to be a significant contributor this season, but he's falling behind Carson in terms of making this an even split for the Seahawks. Penny's ADP is down 10 spots to 100.1 overall. Now, I would draft him higher than that, likely in Round 8, but Carson is the running back to own in this backfield. And it might not be close. When you draft Penny, just understand you might have to be patient with him on your roster to see if he can become a flex option or even No. 2 running back for your Fantasy team.
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ADP Risers and Fallers
Wide Receivers
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The Seattle receiving corps is falling apart with D.K. Metcalf (knee) and David Moore (shoulder) hurt, and we know Doug Baldwin (retired) is gone. That should allow Lockett to see a dramatic increase in his targets after just 71 last year. His ADP is at 59.2 overall, but I'm looking for Lockett in Round 4. I consider him a No. 1 receiver in non-PPR leagues and a high-end No. 2 receiver in PPR. I wouldn't be shocked if Lockett had 75 catches this season, which would translate to potentially 1,200 yards, and last year he had 10 touchdowns. I love the upside for Lockett in 2019.
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I wanted to highlight Gordon moving up 96 spots to 83.5 overall, and he should continue to rise. I would draft Gordon as early as Round 5 in all formats. It's great news that he's back from his suspension, and he should be a viable weapon for Brady. If Gordon plays 16 games, he could easily be a top-20 Fantasy receiver this season. I'm hopeful that he's back in the NFL for good and can stay on track to produce on the field.
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It's been a rough start to the 2019 campaign for Pettis through two preseason games, and his ADP is down 14 spots to 100.5 overall. I'm hopeful he can bounce back once the regular season starts, but it could be hard for him to become a starting Fantasy receiver with the additions to this San Francisco passing game. With Marquise Goodwin back and rookies Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd making noise, we might not see Pettis get enough quality targets to warrant drafting him at around No. 100 overall. I was excited for him prior to the preseason, but I'm down on him after seeing the first two preseason performances.
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I'm not sure why Davis' ADP is down seven spots to 116.1 overall, but I would love to get him at that spot. I still think he's a No. 3 Fantasy receiver with upside, and I'd target him in Round 8. We'll see how he does with Delanie Walker back along with newcomers Adam Humphries and rookie A.J. Brown, but Davis should have the chance for a third-year breakout campaign in 2019. Consider him a steal if his ADP stays in this range.
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Tight Ends
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My colleague Pete Prisco recently spent some time in New Orleans with the Saints, and coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees were raving about Cook. His ADP is up seven spots to 64.5 overall, and I call him the bridge tight end this year. He's behind the top six of Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, George Kittle, Evan Engram, O.J. Howard and Hunter Henry, but Cook is better than the rest of the field. I don't like Cook in Round 6, but I would love to get him in Round 8 if possible.
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I'm not sure why Hooper's ADP is down three spots to 122.0 overall, but I would be happy to get him in that range. He's a great tight end to settle for on Draft Day. We know the Falcons have plenty of weapons with Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Mohamed Sanu and Devonta Freeman, but Hooper will still be involved. He's not sexy, but Hooper showed last year that he can be a top-10 Fantasy option. I don't know if that will happen again, but if I whiff on a top-tier guy at the position then I'll look for Hooper as my starter in Round 10 or later.
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