For those who aren't exactly sure what ADP is, it is an acronym for the term Average Draft Position. It shows where a player is being drafted on average in leagues in various league management platforms. As far as what ADP means in fantasy football, it is a valuable part of the RotoWire fantasy football draft kit that serves as a gauge where you should consider taking that player in a draft.
Another way to answer what does ADP mean in fantasy is to say that it is a great way to navigate the potential player movement in a draft. Fantasy football ADP can assist you in waiting for the right moment to select an undervalued QB, RB, WR or TE, or avoid paying too much in draft capital for a player.
ADP Fantasy Football Explained
A top notch draft assistant can provide guidance regarding what is ADP in fantasy in terms of your particular team. This guidance will vary depending on your league's scoring type (non, half and PPR), team size (8-, 10- or 12-team league) starter composition (two or three WRs, flex, Superflex) and roster size. For example, wide receivers will always be drafted earlier in PPR leagues, so you will need to account for that when determining when you should select wideouts in your fantasy league.
Those myriad options make it imperative to have fantasy football custom rankings headed into each of your drafts. RotoWire has an incredibly easy-to-use custom rankings system that allows you to perfectly tailor these rankings to your league's scoring structure. You should run separate custom rankings for each of your leagues. This is especially true if you have a league that has a Superflex or 2QB scoring format. Quarterbacks go fast in those drafts, and that tendency throws off the RB/WR/TE rankings in comparison to other league formats.
How is ADP Calculated?
Calculating what is ADP in fantasy football is quite easy. The RotoWire ADP fantasy football rankings section tracks where fantasy players are being drafted in the top five league systems (Fantrax, Sleeper, ESPN, MFL and NFFC). It then sorts these rankings by position types (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, IDP and All) and allows you to filter those by league system.
There are also auction values on this RotoWire ADP rankings page. These values are displayed under the AAV (Average Auction Value) column. Having this information is incredibly useful in auction leagues. It can help you set a bid ceiling, let you know who might be available for a lower bid or assist you in maximizing your opponents' bid values on a player you select but don't want to bid on.
- New to fantasy football? Check out our Fantasy Football Glossary featuring 50+ must-know terms.
Why is ADP Important?
When asking what is ADP in fantasy football in preparing for a draft, it's best to think of it as a roadmap through what can be unfriendly fantasy football drafting grounds. Here are some guidelines to using ADP properly.
Can ADP be Misleading?
ADP is only a snapshot of what is happening in other drafts. It can be thrown off by the default rankings on the league management site. Just like in the actual NFL Draft, there may be managers in your league who have draft strategies that go against the overall draft grain. This is why you need to have a flexible ADP strategy.
Best ADP Mock Draft Strategy
A great way to have a flexible ADP strategy is to practice your drafting via an NFL mock draft simulator. This is available via a RotoWire subscription. Use this to learn how to most effectively use ADP to your advantage.
ADP and Injured Players
What does ADP mean in player valuation can vary greatly when player injuries are involved? The best way to adjust for this is to have access to the best fantasy football news. RotoWire is the best NFL injury news aggregator in the industry, so this subscription will also keep you up to date in this highly impactful area.
Using ADP Strategically in Drafts
Here is how you can go about using ADP strategically in drafts:
Using Value Based Drafting as Part of ADP Draft Strategy
Value Based Drafting (VBD) is a popular way of measuring fantasy performance. It is the players' fantasy points minus the fantasy points of the baseline player (e.g. 12th starting QB or TE in a 12-team league). This tells you how much quality depth there is at a particular position. You can use VBD to alter your strategy by taking a starting player at that position early if the depth is lacking or selecting one later if there are plenty of good starting candidates.
How ADP Helps Develop Your Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
ADP is a key part of a great fantasy football draft cheat sheet. When these categories are combined, it will point out value disparities that might otherwise pass you by. It will also keep you from overinvesting in players who will last until later rounds.
Dynasty Fantasy Football ADP: Building a Winning Roster
Success in dynasty comes down to four things: a successful initial draft when the league starts, drafting strong rookie classes, winning the trade wars and savvy waiver/free agent investing.
ADP is a primary factor in the first two items. You will find dynasty and rookie ADP rankings in the RotoWire draft kit, thus giving you the team building advantage needed to win in this most challenging league format.
When Should You Reach or Fade Based on ADP?
Always consider a player's scoring floor when reaching based on ADP. If you can keep that reach within a round or so of that ADP, the potential downside is limited if the move doesn't work out. For fading, know that barring injury question marks, a player typically won't fall more than a round or so past his ADP valuation.
Best 2025 ADP Fantasy Football Tracking Tools
You will get the best 2025 ADP fantasy football tracking tools when you subscribe to RotoWire. A RotoWire subscription gives you ADP reports that are customized for your league management system. Add this to ADP auction values, ADP dynasty rankings and health report status updates built into the ADP reports, and it shows the value of a full slate of tools.
The fantasy football world gets more competitive every NFL season, so having this information at your fingertips is imperative to keeping pace. You can keep that edge by signing up for a RotoWire subscription today!
ADP in Fantasy Football FAQs
What Does ADP Stand for in Fantasy Football?
ADP stands for Average Draft Position. This tells you where a player is being drafted in other leagues – not where they are drafted on the NFL Draft board. Having this knowledge can help you decide when to draft or bypass that player in your league.
How is ADP Calculated in Fantasy Football?
ADP is calculated in by seeing where a player is being drafted across various live and mock draft leagues. The biggest league management sites post this information on a regular basis. RotoWire combines these ADP valuations in its ADP Reports sheet that is available to RotoWire subscribers.
Why is ADP Important When Drafting your Fantasy Team?
ADP is an easy-to-use way to gauge the potential draft day value of a given player. This can help prevent you from overinvesting or underinvesting in that player and thus maximize your draft day capital.
Where Can I Find the Most Accurate ADP Data?
You can find the most accurate ADP data in the RotoWire ADP Reports page. This page is customizable with the top fantasy football sites, including ESPN, MFL, NFFC and Fantrax.
Does ADP Differ Between Standard, PPR and Dynasty Leagues?
What is ADP fantasy football scoring if it isn't differentiated for standard, PPR and dynasty leagues? The RotoWire fantasy football draft kit does this by giving fantasy managers an ADP Reports page that allows you to customize by league scoring type.
What is the Difference Between ADP and ECR (Expert Consensus Ranking)?
The difference is simple. ADP measures where a player is being drafted in mock and live drafts. ECR is a measure of the average ranking fantasy football experts are giving that player in their fantasy football rankings.
How Often is Fantasy Football ADP Updated?
Fantasy football rankings are updated daily during draft season. That updating pace can increase during peak draft times. RotoWire will also update ADP rankings when injuries take place, although there will be a lead time there since the post-injury drafts must occur before the ADP rankings can be updated.
What are ADP Risers and Fallers?
ADP risers and fallers occur when fantasy managers start drafting players earlier or later than they were drafting them in previous drafts. This often happens when a rookie moves up the depth chart during the preseason. These risers and fallers are noted on the RotoWire ADP Reports with corresponding arrows.
