I’d make a lot of changes if I was King of the fantasy football world. But my No. 1 priority would be eliminating the default rankings from the online draft applets.
These default rankings are the enemy of hard work and preparation. If the defaults are efficient, owners can just show up the day of the draft, use the site’s rankings as their “research”, and emerge with a reasonable team.
At a minimum, we know our opponents use the default rankings as a crutch. That means they may be afraid to pull the trigger on X guy in the second round because he’s listed as a fourth-rounder in the applet. Or maybe they take Y guy earlier than they should because his name is on top of the applet. Even auto-drafters can have success if the draft applet rankings are solid.
The good news for us is that these default rankings are not particularly efficient. So there are edges for us to exploit against opponents who are relying on them. The best process for us is to draft off of our own personal rankings, but also be aware of and adjust to what’s going on in the applet.
Below is what you should be aware of heading into drafts on ESPN. Do NOT rely on these rankings; use our ETR rankings as your cheat sheet:
* These rankings were found within the ESPN draft applet as of Tuesday, Aug. 22.
PLAYERS LISTED HIGHER THAN EXPECTED
3. Austin Ekeler
10. Derrick Henry
22. DK Metcalf
36. Aaron Jones
53. Rachaad White
55. Alvin Kamara
111. Cole Kmet
143. Zach Ertz
ADJUSTMENTS: Right at the top, the defaults have Austin Ekeler (3) ahead of Christian McCaffrey. If you have the No. 3 pick, don’t be afraid to go CMC. … We’re not getting Derrick Henry on ESPN; he’ll go too high. That’s fine. … The same can be said for DK Metcalf, who I like but would never take in Round 2. … The RB defaults aren’t as egregious as Yahoo’s, but there are a few. We should be happy to let our enemies reach for Aaron Jones, Rachaad White, and Alvin Kamara. We aren’t going to get great bargains at RB on ESPN, but we’ll get a bunch of chances to get guys at the proper cost. The key is to not reach. … Overall, ESPN’s defaults don’t skew high on players we like, which is good. There’s far more to chew on for value (see next section).
PLAYERS LISTED LOWER THAN EXPECTED
13. Stefon Diggs
17. Amon-Ra St. Brown
18. A.J. Brown
41. Mark Andrews
42. Lamar Jackson
62. Justin Fields
68. Terry McLaurin
74. Mike Williams
77. Drake London
78. Brandon Aiyuk
103. D’Andre Swift
127. Tua Tagovailoa
129. Zay Flowers
130. Quentin Johnston
131. Gabe Davis
148. Elijah Moore
ADJUSTMENTS: We are really cooking with gas here. A chance to get Stefon Diggs, ARSB, or A.J. Brown in Round 2 sets us up nicely from the start. Note that if we think we can actually get one of these WRs in Round 2, it makes going RB in Round 1 easier. … I will go into ESPN drafts thinking I can get Mark Andrews in late Round 3 or early Round 4. So I’d be passing on Kelce more often here. … Lamar Jackson this late is strong. Again, I think he belongs in the same tier this season as Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes. … Justin Fields is also buried in these ranks. An ability to get Lamar or Fields at a discount would make me lean away from Round 2 or Round 3 QB. … An ability to draft Mike Williams, Drake London, or Brandon Aiyuk in the seventh round should be a priority target. No matter what positions I need at that point, I’m not passing on that kind of value. … D’Andre Swift is the most mispriced mid-round RB on ESPN. … These defaults on Zay Flowers, Quentin Johnston, and Gabe Davis simply don’t factor in upside. They are absolute smashes given we can likely sneak them onto our teams very cheaply. … Tua Tagovailoa is listed behind Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins. I prefer Tua to both, although they are in the same tier.
WHERE THE BUZZ GUYS ARE LISTED
69. James Cook
94. George Pickens
99. Jahan Dotson
100. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
113. Jordan Addison
151. Anthony Richardson
ADJUSTMENTS: Again, no discount on James Cook. We’re going to have to pay if we want him. I’m in for Round 7; Round 6 is a tougher sell. … No real discounts on the rest of these guys. They are valued nearly appropriately. … I would note that with the recent Terry McLaurin toe injury, I would not be afraid to leap above these defaults to get Jahan Dotson.
WHO TO SCROLL DOWN FOR
155. Geno Smith
160. Zach Charbonnet
165. Jaylen Warren
168. Dalton Kincaid
171. Kadarius Toney
172. Tyler Boyd
175. Chig Okonkwo
210. Raheem Mostert
215. Kenny Gainwell
220. Tank Bigsby
227. Zay Jones
233. Curtis Samuel
237. Rashod Bateman
248. Sam LaPorta
327. Marvin Mims
330. Allen Robinson
350. Juwan Johnson
352. Hunter Henry
365. Dawson Knox
ADJUSTMENTS: The biggest smashes here are Zach Charbonnet and Jaylen Warren. They’re ideal pieces of a hero RB room that ESPN defaults have about six rounds too low. … Beyond that, there are definitely awesome finds in here. Rashod Bateman, Zay Jones, and Kenny Gainwell stand out the most. … Beyond that, we have a ton of very good picks here but not great ones. Still, be sure you scroll down for these guys and be aware of our rankings. Just because a WR is 327 in the defaults like Marvin Mims, doesn’t mean you can’t take him closer to 150 overall.
