Best Ball Strategy: 2026 Preseason Rankings Changes

The news is flying this time of year with buzz, injuries and preseason performances all changing the draft landscape. Maybe some of our favorite last-round clicks are going several rounds earlier because of a couple nice plays in preseason. Maybe some of our strongest stands aren't looking so good amid shaky camp reports. It's a fun time of draft season where it's crucial to keep your head on a swivel and try to assign the appropriate amount of meaning to the flood of news items hitting our feeds. 

We'll look at my best ball rankings for Underdog (0.5 PPR scoring) and DraftKings (Full PPR scoring) and highlight some of the notable changes since pads started popping.

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News-Related Risers

Keenan Allen

Aug. 1 DK Rank: 218
Current DK Rank: 177

Some folks in the best ball streets have been taking strong stands on Keenan Allen as an endgame target for a while. The surface-level profile — aging receiver, late signee with a new team, very specific application — kept me pretty tepid on getting in on that trend. But now that he's officially signed in Indy, he's making a strong push up draftboards, and I have to capitulate at least a little.

A closer look at Allen shows he's actually aging quite gracefully. He was still really effective last year, jumping back into the mix with the Chargers after his rumspringa with the Bears in 2024 and leading the Bolts in targets (122) and receptions (81)

So, there's reason to believe Allen can still hack it. The fit seems pretty good too, seeing as Michael Pittman is gone and Alec Pierce is MIA. We can quibble about the structural fit because Allen adds another low aDOT option to an offense that already has enough of them between Josh Downs and Tyler Warren. We're not so worried about what this means for Indianapolis in the wins and losses column. We just want to know if Allen can be a good late-round pick.

The more bearish detail for Allen is how stark the difference was between the start and finish were last season. Allen was ripping out of the gates with touchdowns in each of the first three games and 44 catches on 65 targets in the first seven games. His TPRR% was an elite 28.6 and his YPRR was a strong 1.92. In Weeks 8-17, he still had good underlying stats in terms of TPRR% and YPRR, but we don't play in leagues where those metrics matter. Thirty catches for 306 yards and no touchdowns — those are stats that do count and do hurt over the final nine games of the fantasy season.

I have Allen in the 15th round on DraftKings and a little later on Underdog. Allen's lack of touchdown upside will keep me mostly off Allen on Underdog, though he's got some intrigue on DraftKings even with the new ADP. 

If nothing else, Allen is a really nice life raft for one of your last wide receiver picks on DraftKings who can at least give you a boost in September. If your roster build has some guys who have been injured and may have a delayed start to the season, or some rookies who are going through a learning curve, Allen can hit your WR3 or flex lineup spot for the time being. I'm confident that the target share will be solid at least until Pierce returns. And 3-4 usable weeks from your 15th-round WR6 is a solid outcome.

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Devaughn Vele

Aug. 1 UD Rank: Unranked 
Current UD Rank: 190 

If you're like me, you're scrambling to get your portfolio in order after the latest Jordyn Tyson hamstring pull was serious enough to keep him out well into the regular season. The Saints were a team that, before the draft, had one of the thinnest receiver rooms in terms of best ball draft capital. I wrote about this spring in the ADP shapes article and pointed out that they had one of the biggest gaps of any team between their WR1 and WR2 ADPs. That made them an obvious choice to go with a receiver early in the draft. It just came with some bad luck.

Below is the Saints' ADP now. Their WR3 had basically been going close to undrafted all summer thanks to Tyson. Now that Tyson is hurt and it's hard to tell how well he'll play when he returns, we need to pay more attention.

At this stage of the offseason, when veteran free agents like Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel and Keenan Allen are signed, the Saints may have no choice but to look inward and reckon with their suspect receiver room management. Crucially, they kind of need Vele to step up. You can't give up a fourth-round pick for a guy who never does anything. Vele is 28, too, so the clock is ticking.

Vele was below average last season in New Orleans, though I'll give him a bit of a pass considering he was traded in August and it was just his second year in the league. He didn't draw targets at a high rate and wasn't efficient with his opportunities. 

I don't expect Vele to be a smash, but his role should be solid enough for him to pay off an ADP that climbs into the 16th round. The Saints have very developmental prospects behind him on the depth chart like Barion Brown and Bryce Lance. There's only so much more they can stack onto Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson's plates. 

I'm happy to scoop some Vele shares as long as the ADP stays in check. I'd take him over an Isaac TeSlaa or Calvin Ridley, but I'd rather roll the dice on a Pat Bryant or Germie Bernard. Like Allen, Vele is build-dependent to me. If I have some risk in my receiver room as we get to the later part of the drafts, I'll take the targets and route share that Vele should provide. 

Check out our Fantasy Football ADP Report for a comprehensive tool with live-updated ADP data for multiple league formats and sites.

Performance-Related Risers

Jonah Coleman

Aug. 1 UD Rank: 178
Current UD Rank: 154

Coming into training camp, I had a hard time seeing a path to playing time for Coleman. Therefore, he sat in the Contingent Upside-Only bucket where the standalone value was minuscule. Think of someone like an Isiah Pacheco or Brian Robinson, but with one additional hurdle between them and the field. That was not my jam. 

However, I'm starting to change my tune on Coleman. It's not so much that I had my head in the sand about J.K. Dobbins' injury risk; it's more that Coleman may force his way into the mix.

Sean Payton hates redraft managers, I've decided. But his running backs can be useful in best ball. Coleman has paths to utility, whether it's an injury to Dobbins or RJ Harvey, or by carving out a role on his own merit.

I wish I had some cheaper Coleman shares, but I'm happy to course correct and grab some now before his ADP goes into the 12th round. 

Ja'Kobi Lane

Aug. 1 DK Rank: 223 
Current DK Rank: 162

In some ways, the Ravens' receiver situation was similar to that of the Saints pre-draft. They had their obvious No. 1 (Zay Flowers/Chris Olave), a useful tight end (Mark Andrews/Juwan Johnson) and not much else that anyone was interested in.

Whereas the Saints were able to use a high draft pick on Jordyn Tyson, the Ravens attacked their issue with volume by taking Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. While the Saints provided an obvious signal to managers to move on Tyson, drafters were left with a quartet of Ravens receivers at the end of drafts to throw darts at. I was (and still am) a Devontez Walker guy. Other players were in on Sarratt. Some people even still leave the light on for Rashod Bateman. 

It's obvious that the Lane-heavy portfolios are feeling great about their last-round shares while everyone scrambles to draft him in the 15th. Lane has been the star of training camp and did nothing to quiet the noise by catching all three of his targets for 38 yards and a score in the preseason opener. 

The Ravens are expected to be one of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL. There's a new offense in place that may not have as much emphasis on Mark Andrews, especially if Lane is as ready to go as the team is saying. Drafting the No. 2 passing option for Lamar Jackson seems like a thing we should be excited to draft even at the new ADP. 

News-Related Fallers

Jordyn Tyson

Aug. 1 UD Rank: 56
Current UD Rank: 127 

It pains me to write this, but it's also important to get a grip on where it's tolerable to take Tyson now that we know he'll be out for two months. If this was the first hamstring pull and it carried the same timetable, I might not have been as punitive with this dock. Unfortunately, it's merely the latest in a long line of hamstring and lower-body injuries that have plagued Tyson going back to his freshman season in college. 

The current timeline would have Tyson back in action either Week 5 against the Vikings or Week 6 at the Giants (gulp). The Saints have an overseas game against the Steelers in Week 7 before a Week 8 bye. A Week 9 debut is possible even if the rehab goes smoothly. This is feeling like a rookie season that is likely to be mostly wiped out. We can't just assume there won't be setbacks. In fact, we'd almost have to consider it an upset if Tyson returns on time. 

I have Tyson bumped down to the 11th round on DraftKings now, behind the likes of Jalen Coker, Khalil Shakir and Romeo Doubs. He's very much in the Alec Pierce zone for me, where I'd have to be very comfortable with my top receivers and was getting him well past an already discounted ADP. Pour one out. We'll always have those joint practice highlights against the Jaguars.

Makai Lemon

Aug. 1 DK Rank: 94

Current DK Rank: 104

As you can see, I've been below market on Lemon for the whole summer. I have my reasons beyond Lemon himself. I'm dubious on the Eagles offense and specifically the passing game. They keep spinning the roulette wheel with their offensive coordinators, hoping the next guy is Kellen Moore rather than Brian Johnson or Kevin Patullo.

I also worry about Lemon's fit within the passing game. DeVonta Smith runs a lot of his routes from the slot already, and now it's looking like Dontayvion Wicks is going to be occupying a boundary role, at least to begin the season.

Basically, there have been no positives on Lemon over the last month. The market was too high on him early in the summer and has now corrected.

The ironic part is that now that Lemon is slipping this far, I'm finally willing to start taking some shots on him in the ninth round. I don't want to fade Lemon this year; I wanted to fade sixth-round Lemon. 

Performance-Related Fallers

Oronde Gadsden

Aug. 1 UD Rank: 140 
Current UD Rank: 160

This is looking like a tough L for me after taking a lot of Gadsden early and then continuing to buy the dip for much of the summer. I'm surprised how it's all shaken out. The Chargers brought in Charlie Kolar, who never did anything in four years in Baltimore, and a possibly washed-up David Njoku. That was enough to send Gadsden's ADP tumbling. 

Of course, the Chargers' personnel choices in the first preseason game have me shook even further. Gadsden was out there playing with backups while Kolar and Njoku hung out on the sidelines. That's not particularly encouraging. 

I've had to bend the knee and bump Gadsden down significantly in the rankings. I'm still slightly ahead of market, but I no longer feel great about taking him as my TE2 the way I did earlier this summer. This looks like a three-way time share at tight end, and while Gadsden has the best spike week profile of these three, things could easily go the other way and he finds himself as the low man on the totem pole in Mike McDaniel's offense. 

I'm keeping the faith that Gadsden makes us all look foolish, but at a certain point you have to adjust your expectations. 

Isaac TeSlaa

Aug. 1 UD Rank: 160 
Current UD Rank: 220 

I think we're at the Run stage of the TeSlaa draft cycle. He was a fun pick earlier this summer as someone we could reasonably see taking on a bigger snap share and providing some big plays even if the targets weren't consistent. Six touchdowns on 16 catches last year is fun! 

It's not so fun when Greg Dortch seems to be taking his lunch money. TeSlaa was always going to be a raw, toolsy prospect who was rough around the edges but the athleticism was exciting enough to be worth a dart throw. Now that it looks like he'll struggle to get on the field at all this year, it's hard to justify taking him at all from here on out.

Give me Tory Horton or Devontez Walker instead of TeSlaa. Heck, I'll even take Chris Bell before TeSlaa, and we don't even know when he'll be ready to play!