Best Ball Strategy: Comparing ADPs From Underdog, DraftKings & Drafters

Best Ball Strategy: Comparing ADPs From Underdog, DraftKings & Drafters

This article is part of our Best Ball Strategy series.

This is always one of my favorite articles to work on, in large part because ADP differences between various best-ball sites are often the opposite of what one might expect given the scoring differences between those same sites. One might assume, for example, that WRs tend to come off the board earlier on full-PPR platforms, i.e., Drafters and DraftKings. In reality, many WRs are drafted earliest on half-PPR Underdog.

It's an exploitable inefficiency, especially for anyone that's already drafting on multiple sites. And for those accustomed to using a single site, this is an excellent reason to split your bankroll between two or three different platforms instead. At the bottom of this article, I'll discuss general strategic advantages that can be deployed on each site, in addition to looking at specific ADPs.

Before we get to the meat and potatoes, let's review the main format differences between the three aforementioned platforms:

1. The scoring systems aren't identical. 

  • Underdog = half PPR
  • Drafters = full PPR
  • DraftKings = full PPR with three-point bonuses at 100 rushing or 300 passing yards

As mentioned above, the ADP differences one might expect based on this don't necessarily hold true, i.e., don't assume Derrick Henry will go earlier on UD than he does on the full-PPR sites. This is something we can and should use to our advantage. 

       

2. Drafters doesn't use playoffs. DraftKings and Underdog do.

  • Drafters determines tourney winners by the accumulation of points in Weeks 1-17
  • DraftKings and Underdog use a playoff format in Weeks 15-17.

On Drafters, you need to build a team that's dominant from start to finish, which means hitting multiple home runs in the later rounds. On DK and UD, you can get away with simply being pretty good for most of the year; you just need your team to be healthy and peaking late in the season. 

On UD and DK, finishing second out of 12 in your league during Weeks 1-14 gets you into the playoffs, at which point anything can happen. A similar team on Drafters will min-cash, with no shot at anything more. 

Many of these implications also impact ADP, e.g., the heightened importance of late-season production on DK/UD means guys coming back from major injuries tend to go a little bit earlier on those sites relative to Drafters, where it's a bigger deal if your player doesn't do much during the first part of the season. This also favors rookies, as some will start the season in limited roles before eventually becoming full-time starters.

     

3. Underdog mostly runs 18-round drafts, while DraftKings and Drafters go 20 rounds.

This one doesn't have significant ADP-related strategic implications, but it does explain some of the ADP discrepancies seen below for players outside the Top 200. And it obviously has big implications for roster construction. You'll see a lot more teams with only two QBs and/or two TEs on Underdog, although that's also a valid strategy on the 20-round sites.

                

The chart below shows ADPs from each of the three sites, followed by the difference between a player's ADP on one site and the average from the two others. A negative number means the player is a better value on said platform. Some of the best values from each site are in bold. After the chart, I'll have a strategic breakdown for each site and some examples of the best and worst ADP values.

  UD ADPDK ADPDr ADPUDΔDKΔDrΔ
1WRJa'Marr Chase1.11.21.00.0-0.10.1
2RBSaquon Barkley2.52.32.80.10.3-0.4
3WRJustin Jefferson3.23.53.00.0-0.40.3
4RBBijan Robinson4.04.13.8-0.1-0.20.2
5WRCeeDee Lamb4.85.74.90.5-0.90.4
6RBJahmyr Gibbs6.05.36.1-0.30.7-0.4
7WRPuka Nacua7.710.19.52.1-1.5-0.6
8RBAshton Jeanty8.88.08.7-0.40.7-0.3
9WRMalik Nabers9.18.87.4-1.0-0.61.6
10WRAmon-Ra St. Brown9.89.49.2-0.50.10.4
11WRNico Collins11.213.011.61.1-1.60.5
12RBChristian McCaffrey11.711.410.9-0.6-0.10.6
13WRBrian Thomas12.514.012.91.0-1.30.4
14RBDerrick Henry14.510.914.7-1.73.7-2.0
15TEBrock Bowers15.816.116.40.40.0-0.5
16WRDrake London15.918.715.41.1-3.01.9
17WRA.J. Brown17.220.417.01.5-3.31.8
18RBDe'Von Achane18.217.417.3-0.90.40.5
19WRLadd McConkey18.417.118.3-0.71.3-0.6
20RBJonathan Taylor20.818.420.6-1.32.3-1.0
21RBBucky Irving22.023.023.61.3-0.2-1.1
22TETrey McBride22.724.922.20.8-2.41.6
23WRTee Higgins23.425.422.50.6-2.51.9
24RBJosh Jacobs25.023.627.10.42.4-2.8
25WRGarrett Wilson25.929.423.50.6-4.74.2
26WRMarvin Harrison26.032.427.23.8-5.82.0
27WRTyreek Hill27.531.932.54.7-1.9-2.8
28WRTerry McLaurin27.827.229.50.51.5-2.0
29WRJaxon Smith-Njigba29.032.427.30.9-4.33.4
30WRRashee Rice29.736.525.51.3-8.97.6
31RBChase Brown30.232.028.80.2-2.52.3
32WRDavante Adams31.735.530.31.2-4.53.3
33RBKyren Williams33.028.432.8-2.44.5-2.1
34QBJosh Allen34.622.436.0-5.412.9-7.5
35WRMike Evans34.737.736.42.3-2.1-0.2
36QBLamar Jackson36.526.434.0-6.38.8-2.5
37RBBreece Hall37.538.534.4-1.1-2.53.6
38WRXavier Worthy38.644.938.53.1-6.33.2
39WRTetairoa McMillan39.849.639.54.7-9.95.2
40WRDJ Moore40.244.241.22.5-3.51.0
41RBJames Cook41.634.939.2-4.65.5-1.0
42WRTravis Hunter41.743.744.22.3-0.8-1.5
43QBJayden Daniels42.834.842.3-4.37.8-3.5
44RBOmarion Hampton44.044.145.91.00.9-1.9
45WRDeVonta Smith44.649.043.71.7-4.83.1
46WRCourtland Sutton47.051.050.13.5-2.4-1.1
47WRJameson Williams47.354.550.85.4-5.50.1
48WRDK Metcalf48.953.547.21.5-5.54.0
49WRZay Flowers49.455.453.14.9-4.2-0.7
50QBJalen Hurts51.246.947.6-4.02.51.4
51RBJoe Mixon51.240.851.5-5.110.6-5.5
52TEGeorge Kittle51.647.049.1-3.63.40.2
53QBJoe Burrow53.942.552.5-6.410.7-4.3
54WRCalvin Ridley54.963.858.46.2-7.21.0
55RBRJ Harvey54.951.548.2-5.10.15.0
56WRGeorge Pickens56.457.454.7-0.4-1.82.2
57RBChuba Hubbard56.853.255.6-2.43.0-0.6
58WRJaylen Waddle57.067.058.55.8-9.33.5
59RBKenneth Walker58.657.054.2-3.0-0.63.6
60WRJordan Addison60.070.166.78.4-6.8-1.6
61RBAlvin Kamara61.851.459.1-6.59.0-2.5
62WRRome Odunze63.373.371.59.1-5.9-3.2
63RBTreVeyon Henderson63.462.663.1-0.50.6-0.1
64WRChris Olave64.176.568.08.1-10.42.3
65WRChris Godwin65.265.662.9-1.0-1.52.5
66WRJauan Jennings65.372.064.53.0-7.14.2
67WRDeebo Samuel67.062.769.0-1.25.3-4.2
68WRJerry Jeudy67.469.562.2-1.5-4.76.3
69RBJames Conner67.961.665.5-4.45.1-0.8
70TESam LaPorta69.259.369.1-5.09.9-4.9
71RBDavid Montgomery70.765.268.4-3.94.4-0.5
72RBQuinshon Judkins72.968.773.3-1.94.4-2.5
73WRJakobi Meyers73.377.474.22.5-3.61.1
74WRRicky Pearsall74.485.374.45.4-10.95.4
75WRMatthew Golden76.287.482.68.8-8.0-0.8
76RBKaleb Johnson76.274.674.0-1.90.51.4
77WRStefon Diggs77.382.576.22.0-5.73.7
78RBTony Pollard78.480.474.9-0.8-3.74.5
79WRJayden Reed79.092.084.29.1-10.41.3
80WRKhalil Shakir79.778.677.8-1.50.21.3
81WRBrandon Aiyuk81.392.884.37.3-10.02.8
82RBD'Andre Swift81.683.980.60.7-2.82.2
83RBAaron Jones83.275.278.8-6.25.80.4
84QBPatrick Mahomes83.567.381.0-9.415.0-5.6
85TET.J. Hockenson85.583.684.8-1.31.5-0.2
86WRCooper Kupp86.880.888.3-2.36.8-4.5
87WRDarnell Mooney87.4110.493.114.4-20.25.8
88RBBrian Robinson88.884.886.4-3.22.80.4
89RBIsiah Pacheco90.390.389.6-0.4-0.30.7
90QBBaker Mayfield90.777.788.8-7.512.1-4.6
91WRLuther Burden91.0120.3109.824.0-19.9-4.2
92WREmeka Egbuka93.7101.3104.99.4-2.0-7.4
93WRJosh Downs94.0101.990.22.0-9.87.7
94QBKyler Murray95.394.197.00.32.0-2.3
95TEJonnu Smith96.489.996.6-3.26.6-3.5
96WRJayden Higgins97.0105.6101.76.7-6.3-0.4
97RBCam Skattebo98.699.493.5-2.1-3.45.5
98QBBo Nix99.788.998.4-6.010.1-4.1
99QBCaleb Williams99.899.2102.31.01.8-2.8
100TETravis Kelce100.375.892.0-16.420.3-3.9
101WRTre Harris100.5116.097.76.4-16.910.6
102WRMichael Pittman101.3106.796.80.5-7.77.2
103RBTyrone Tracy103.498.5111.71.79.1-10.8
104QBJustin Fields104.8102.094.7-6.5-2.28.7
105RBJaylen Warren104.8103.299.0-3.7-1.35.0
106RBJordan Mason105.2111.9101.01.2-8.87.5
107TEMark Andrews106.7103.0104.5-2.92.60.4
108QBBrock Purdy108.0106.1106.6-1.61.20.5
109WRKeon Coleman108.5129.8115.914.3-17.63.2
110RBNajee Harris110.8103.2105.4-6.54.91.6
111TEEvan Engram111.1108.0109.8-2.22.4-0.2
112RBZach Charbonnet113.2114.8107.7-1.9-4.46.3
113WRRashid Shaheed113.3136.1119.514.5-19.75.2
114QBJared Goff114.591.7113.0-12.222.1-9.9
115WRRashod Bateman115.7122.0111.51.0-8.47.3
116TEColston Loveland115.8113.1122.11.85.8-7.6
117RBBhayshul Tuten116.6128.4113.84.5-13.28.7
118WRMarvin Mims118.1128.2119.05.5-9.74.2
119QBDak Prescott118.5104.8115.3-8.412.1-3.6
120RBJavonte Williams121.2117.5123.1-0.94.7-3.8
121RBTravis Etienne121.6120.8125.21.42.6-4.0
122WRKyle Williams122.0144.9124.712.8-21.68.8
123QBJustin Herbert122.4113.6120.6-5.37.9-2.6
124QBDrake Maye124.0124.5118.1-2.7-3.46.1
125TETyler Warren125.197.7132.1-10.230.9-20.7
126WRJack Bech125.3131.9130.15.7-4.2-1.5
127WRChristian Kirk126.3139.4129.78.2-11.43.1
128QBJordan Love128.8121.4129.2-3.57.6-4.1
129TEDavid Njoku129.3121.1124.0-6.85.61.2
130WRHollywood Brown129.4148.9134.712.4-16.84.4
131RBJaydon Blue129.9128.0115.6-8.1-5.213.3
132RBRhamondre Stevenson130.3125.4124.6-5.32.03.3
133QBC.J. Stroud133.5115.9133.4-8.817.5-8.7
134TETucker Kraft134.4128.8136.8-1.66.8-5.2
135QBTrevor Lawrence134.5132.7131.5-2.40.32.1
136TEDalton Kincaid136.6134.2138.2-0.43.2-2.8
137RBTyjae Spears137.4141.4131.0-1.2-7.28.4
138QBJ.J. McCarthy137.9125.9135.6-7.110.8-3.7
139TEJake Ferguson140.3145.2144.14.3-3.0-1.4
140RBTrey Benson140.6155.8141.98.3-14.66.3
141TEDallas Goedert141.8135.8141.1-3.35.6-2.3
142RBIsaac Guerendo143.4147.4138.7-0.3-6.46.7
143RBRachaad White143.6137.8140.7-4.44.40.0
144TEKyle Pitts145.4138.5149.1-1.68.8-7.2
145TEIsaiah Likely146.1131.5149.5-5.616.3-10.7
146RBRay Davis146.8157.5144.84.3-11.77.3
147QBMichael Penix147.2139.5143.5-5.75.8-0.1
148WRJalen McMillan148.1154.1151.34.6-4.4-0.2
149WRQuentin Johnston149.3155.9153.55.4-4.5-0.9
150WRJaylin Noel150.7183.5175.528.8-20.4-8.4
151WRJoshua Palmer151.2178.1161.218.5-21.93.5
152RBTank Bigsby151.8150.1151.4-1.11.5-0.5
153RBTyler Allgeier152.6163.4152.75.4-10.75.3
154QBTua Tagovailoa154.5142.3151.1-7.810.5-2.7
155WRCedric Tillman155.6176.7145.65.6-26.120.6
156RBAustin Ekeler157.8153.6150.4-5.80.55.3
157TEBrenton Strange158.2170.3164.89.4-8.8-0.5
158WRXavier Legette158.9168.1172.111.2-2.6-8.6
159WRRomeo Doubs159.8167.4161.24.5-6.92.4
160QBBryce Young161.2153.2153.2-8.04.04.0
161QBCameron Ward162.9149.6159.4-8.411.5-3.1
162WRAdam Thielen163.3143.0155.0-14.316.2-1.9
163RBBraelon Allen163.3171.5159.12.0-10.38.3
164QBMatthew Stafford164.2142.3163.1-11.521.4-9.9
165WRWan'Dale Robinson164.5164.2164.4-0.20.3-0.1
166TEZach Ertz166.2149.2163.1-10.015.4-5.4
167TEPat Freiermuth166.8166.3169.00.91.6-2.4
168QBGeno Smith167.3153.0157.3-12.29.32.8
169RBRico Dowdle168.5162.7164.9-4.74.00.7
170RBRoschon Johnson169.6193.2175.114.5-20.86.3
171TEHunter Henry170.7178.5175.06.1-5.7-0.4
172WRAlec Pierce170.8172.5175.83.30.8-4.2
173TEMike Gesicki172.3161.7169.7-6.69.3-2.7
174QBAnthony Richardson172.5164.7167.3-6.55.21.3
175WRMichael Wilson174.8200.7186.318.7-20.11.4
176WRPat Bryant174.9197.9166.47.3-27.320.0
177TEMason Taylor179.4164.2181.3-6.716.2-9.5
178WRDeAndre Hopkins179.4171.4189.10.912.8-13.7
179WRKeenan Allen181.8181.6170.0-6.0-5.711.7
180WRDeMario Douglas182.3192.7186.47.3-8.41.1
181TECade Otton182.4172.7183.0-4.610.0-5.5
182QBSam Darnold182.9159.8173.3-16.318.3-1.9
183RBJaylen Wright183.2181.4179.7-2.70.12.6
184RBDylan Sampson186.9178.9194.90.012.0-12.0
185RBWill Shipley187.1198.2171.5-2.3-18.921.1
186RBDevin Neal187.4194.0186.52.9-7.14.2
187RBDJ Giddens188.7212.2193.013.9-21.37.4
188WRAndrei Iosivas189.8190.6194.02.51.3-3.8
189TEDalton Schultz190.1194.9196.45.5-1.6-3.9
190RBJustice Hill192.1181.6174.1-14.21.512.8
191RBJ.K. Dobbins192.9188.1180.0-8.8-1.710.5
192WRJalen Coker193.6209.9199.811.3-13.22.0
193RBMarShawn Lloyd193.9207.4185.62.6-17.615.0
194WRDarius Slayton196.5214.5195.18.3-18.710.4
195RBJarquez Hunter198.2216.7195.88.0-19.711.6
196TEChig Okonkwo199.1192.0191.3-7.43.24.3
197RBBlake Corum200.5203.0205.43.7-0.1-3.6
198WRTyler Lockett200.7197.9212.54.58.7-13.2
199WRElic Ayomanor201.6186.6193.8-11.411.10.3
200WRJalen Royals202.8204.4207.83.30.9-4.2
201WRCalvin Austin204.5205.7217.67.25.3-12.5
202RBWoody Marks204.7219.7192.61.5-21.119.6
203TEJa'Tavion Sanders205.6224.0219.015.9-11.7-4.2
204WRIsaac TeSlaa205.7208.0205.10.9-2.61.8
205WRTutu Atwell206.0218.8204.95.9-13.47.5
206QBJaxson Dart206.1196.5202.6-6.67.9-1.3
207RBJerome Ford207.0189.8200.9-11.714.2-2.5
208WRAdonai Mitchell207.4227.3218.315.4-14.5-0.9
209WRDontayvion Wicks207.5217.5209.25.8-9.13.3
210QBTyler Shough208.1187.7202.6-13.017.7-4.7
211RBBrashard Smith208.8213.9208.32.3-5.43.1
212WRDyami Brown209.9226.1216.311.3-13.01.7
213TETerrance Ferguson210.2197.8222.0-0.318.3-18.0
214TEJuwan Johnson210.6210.0201.1-5.0-4.29.2
215RBKareem Hunt210.8169.6209.4-21.340.5-19.2
216RBNick Chubb211.5201.0209.9-6.09.7-3.6

         

Underdog Breakdown 🐕

General Strategy/Observations

WRs tend to come off the board early, even though Underdog is the only one of these three sites that doesn't use full-PPR scoring. Given those dual realities, UD is a great place for builds that hammer RBs early and/or draft premium QBs. The lack of full-PPR scoring makes QBs slightly more valuable relative to other players, but that's not something that shows up in ADP.

You may also notice that ADPs on Underdog and Drafters tend to be very similar, even though the formats are considerably different. If you expect a player's production to be back-weighted within the season due to youth, injury rehab or a cloudy depth chart, he's theoretically more valuable on Underdog (where Weeks 15-17 have outsized importance) than on Drafters (where every week counts the same). This does show up in ADP sometimes, but not always. Noteworthy rookies that go later on UD than they do on Drafters include WR Tre Harris (UD: 100.5, Dr: 97.7), RB Jaydon Blue (UD: 129.9, Dr: 115.6) and QB Cameron Ward (UD: 162.9, Dr: 159.4).

          

Best Values

QB Lamar Jackson (UD: 36.5, DK: 26.4, Dr: 34.0)

QB Jalen Hurts (UD: 51.2, DK: 46.9, Dr: 47.6)

RB RJ Harvey (UD: 54.9, DK: 51.5, Dr: 48.2)

TE Travis Kelce (UD: 100.3, DK: 75.8, Dr: 92.0)

QB Geno Smith (UD: 167.3, DK: 153.0, Dr: 157.3)

RB Justice Hill (UD: 192.1, DK: 181.6, Dr: 174.1)

If you're looking for a team stack with a great price on UD, the one that sticks out most is Jackson + Hill + TE Mark Andrews (UD: 106.7, DK: 103.0, Dr: 104.5). There's also good value in combining Hurts with Dallas Goedert (UD: 141.8, DK: 135.8, Dr: 141.1) or Bryce Young (UD: 161.2, DK: 153.2, Dr: 153.2) with Adam Thielen (UD: 163.3, DK: 143.0, Dr: 155.0)

      

Worst Values

WR Puka Nacua (UD: 7.7, DK: 10.1, Dr: 9.5)

WR Tyreek Hill (UD: 27.5, DK: 31.9, Dr: 32.5)

WR Rome Odunze (UD: 63.3, DK: 73.3, Dr: 71.5)

WR Luther Burden (UD: 91.0, DK: 120.3, Dr: 109.8)

WR Jaylin Noel (UD: 150.7, DK: 183.5, Dr: 175.5)

WR Michael Wilson (UD: 174.8, DK: 200.7, Dr: 186.3)

The trouble with fading WRs early in Underdog drafts is that it's also tricky to find value at the position later on. Nearly all of them go earlier on UD compared to DK, but we can find more relative value if comparing UD to only Drafters instead. Examples include Harris, as mentioned above, along with Garrett Wilson (UD: 25.9, Dr: 23.5), Rashee Rice (UD: 29.7, Dr: 25.5), George Pickens (UD: 56.4, Dr: 54.7), Rashod Bateman (UD: 115.7, Dr: 111.5) and Elic Ayomanor (UD: 201.6, Dr: 193.8).

        

DraftKings Breakdown 👑

General Strategy/Observations

Nearly all the value relative to other sites is at WR, while QBs and TEs largely go earlier on DraftKings. Running backs are a mixed bag, with most of the available value being younger players, while veteran RBs like Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara and Joe Mixon are overpriced.

We still need to draft quarterbacks and tight ends, of course, so it's worth making note of some counter-examples that are reasonably priced on DraftKings: QB Kyler Murray, QB Justin Fields, QB Caleb Williams, QB Brock Purdy, QB Drake Maye, QB Trevor Lawrence, TE Trey McBride, TE T.J. Hockenson, TE Jake Ferguson, TE Brenton Strange, TE Hunter Henry, TE Ja'Tavion Sanders.

Given how QBs and TEs generally are more expensive here, the Murray-McBride stack really sticks out as a notable exception that's worth targeting — arguably to the point where I'd try to avoid it on other sites and get all my exposure on DK. Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison also has a great price on DK, but it's difficult to pair him and McBride without taking at least one of them well ahead of ADP (which negates the aforementioned value).

Other DK-friendly stacks include: QB Justin Fields + WR Garrett Wilson //  QB Trevor Lawrence + TE Brenton Strange  //  QB Caleb Williams + WR Rome Odunze + WR Luther Burden  //  QB Drake Maye + WR Kyle Williams + TE Hunter Henry  //  QB Brock Purdy + WR Ricky Pearsall

          

Best Values

WR Drake London (DK: 18.7, UD: 15.9, Dr: 15.4)

WR A.J. Brown (DK: 20.4, UD: 17.2, Dr: 17.0)

TE Trey McBride (DK: 24.9, UD: 22.7, Dr: 22.2)

WR Garrett Wilson (DK: 29.4, UD: 25.0, Dr: 23.5)

WR Marvin Harrison (DK: 32.4, UD: 26.0, Dr: 27.2)

WR Rashee Rice (DK: 36.5, UD: 29.7, Dr: 25.5)

WR Tetairoa McMillan (DK: 49.6, UD: 39.8, Dr: 39.5)

WR Jaylen Waddle (DK: 67.0, UD: 57.0, Dr: 58.5)

WR Chris Olave (DK: 76.5, UD: 64.1, Dr: 68.0)

WR Darnell Mooney (DK: 110.4, UD: 87.4, Dr: 93.1)

RB Bhayshul Tuten (DK: 128.4, UD: 116.6, Dr: 113.8)

RB Trey Benson (DK: 155.8, UD: 140.6, Dr: 141.9)

RB Ray Davis (DK: 157.5, UD: 146.8, Dr: 144.9)

TE Brenton Strange (DK: 170.3, UD: 158.2, Dr: 164.8) 

The wealth of favorable WR prices combined with full-PPR scoring makes DK an ideal place to hammer wide receivers in the early rounds. Even better because there's actually decent value at other positions once we get to the middle rounds, allowing us to load up on QBs, RBs and TEs at similar prices relative to Underdog and Drafters. There are a lot of backup RBs, in particular, with ADPs a full round later on DK compared to the other two sites.

In a DK draft that generally lines up with ADP, my ideal build would opt for quality at WR (e.g. drafting five within the first seven rounds) and quantity at RB (e.g. drafting seven total, but with only one or two in the top 100). Hammer the WRs early, followed by QBs and TEs, and then draft a slew of young/backup RBs in Rounds 11-16.

     

Worst Values

RB Derrick Henry (DK: 10.9, UD: 14.5, Dr: 14.7)

QB Josh Allen (DK: 22.4, UD: 34.6, Dr: 36.0)

RB Joe Mixon (DK: 40.8, UD: 51.2, Dr: 51.5)

TE Sam LaPorta (DK: 59.3, UD: 69.2, Dr: 69.1)

QB Patrick Mahomes (DK: 67.3, UD: 83.5, Dr: 81.0)

TE Travis Kelce (DK: 75.8, UD: 100.4, Dr: 92.0)

QB Jared Goff (DK: 91.7, UD: 114.5, Dr: 113.0)

TE Tyler Warren (DK: 97.7, UD: 125.1, Dr: 132.1)

RB Kareem Hunt (DK: 169.6, UD: 210.8, Dr: 209.4)

Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow also have much earlier ADPs on DK relative to the other two sites, so I wouldn't plan on having a lot of premium-QB builds there. Each draft is different, of course, and there will certainly be times when Burrow lasts to the 4-5 turn and can thus be paired with Ja'Marr Chase. I'm nonetheless wary of drafting Chase and Tee Higgins together on DK, as there's a decent chance someone will snipe an unstacked Burrow before he gets back to you at the turn. On the other sites, there's an excellent chance Burrow lasts to the 4-5 turn if you're the one who has both Chase and Higgins.

      

Drafters Breakdown 🤓

 General Strategy/Observations

For me at least, Drafters is the most difficult site to find general trends that offer value. We need to dig in more and look at the players individually, and also remember that the contest format is very different from most of the tournaments on UD and DK. Upside truly is everything, as we need to build a perfect team from start to finish, not just one that's pretty good and then peaks in Weeks 15-17.

     

Best Values

RB Josh Jacobs (Dr: 27.1, UD: 25.0, DK: 23.6)

WR Tyreek Hill (Dr: 32.5, UD: 27.5, DK: 31.9)

WR Terry McLaurin (Dr: 29.5, UD: 27.8, DK: 27.2)

WR Deebo Samuel (Dr: 69.0, UD: 67.0, DK: 62.7)

RB Tyrone Tracy (Dr: 111.8, UD: 103.4, DK: 98.5)

TE Colston Loveland (Dr: 122.1, UD: 115.8, DK: 113.1)

TE Tyler Warren (Dr: 132.1, UD: 125.1, DK: 97.7)

RB Dylan Sampson (Dr: 194.9, UD: 186.9, DK: 178.9)

        

Worst Values

WR Malik Nabers (Dr: 7.4, UD: 9.1, DK: 8.8)

WR Garrett Wilson (Dr: 23.5, UD: 25.9, DK: 29.4)

WR Rashee Rice (Dr: 25.5, UD: 29.7, DK: 36.5)

RB Tony Pollard (Dr: 74.9, UD: 78.3, DK: 80.4)

QB Justin Fields (Dr: 94.7, UD: 104.8, DK: 102.0)

RB Jaydon Blue (Dr: 115.6, UD: 129.9, DK: 128.0)

QB Drake Maye (Dr: 118.1, UD: 124.0, DK: 124.5)

RB Will Shipley (Dr: 171.5, UD: 187.1, DK: 198.2)

One can definitely argue that some of these guys, especially Rice and Fields, are rightfully more expensive on Drafters because the total-points format encourages an all-or-nothing, high-ceiling approach. We're trying to hit home runs with every pick, not settling for singles and doubles that might happen to have their spike games at the right time during fantasy playoffs in late December.

        

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerry Donabedian
Jerry was a 2018 finalist for the FSWA's Player Notes Writer of the Year and DFS Writer of the Year awards. A Baltimore native, Jerry roots for the Ravens and watches "The Wire" in his spare time.
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