The best season-long fantasy football players are continually attacking the waiver wire and churning through their roster. That’s especially true early in the season, when we learn so much about roles.
With that in mind, we want to prioritize upside over everything else with our later-round picks. If it doesn’t work out, we can simply drop them for the inevitable high-quality options that will be on the waiver wire come September. Note that is very different from best ball, where we are stuck with the players we draft all season.
Here are my favorite targets with a home-league Average Draft Position (ADP) of 120.0 or later as of Aug. 1. The ADP I am using is a combination of Yahoo, Sleeper, and RTSports half-PPR ADP.
Note that “sleepers” I like, such as Parker Washington, J.K. Dobbins, and Jordan Addison, all go too high to be considered a “flier.”
These are listed in ADP order, but please consult your league’s specific draft applet to understand more about where they will go.
1. Josh Downs, WR, Colts – ADP 120.7
The offseason couldn’t have gone any better for Downs. Mid-range competitor Michael Pittman Jr. walked in free agency. Vertical field stretcher Alec Pierce was re-signed and is coming off ankle surgery. The Colts added no WRs in the draft other than the 254th overall pick. Daniel Jones (Achilles) is looking 100%. At camp, Downs is operating in 2-WR sets and has been the star. A Keenan Allen signing would sting, but I still want to be in on Downs.
2. Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings – ADP 120.7
Aaron Jones is 31 years old, is in decline from an efficiency standpoint, and had to take a pay cut to return to the Vikings. I consider him one of the poorest bets in the NFL to sustain health. We should expect Mason to be the featured base back, with Jones in a pass-game role.
So at this low cost, Mason can be a valuable bench piece to start in the right matchups. Especially in non- or half-PPR formats, where touchdown scoring value is heightened.
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