A few years ago I noticed a major difference between the in-draft rankings on various draft sites. Drafting on ESPN gave you a different order of players than drafting on Yahoo did.
Think about it. If you’re drafting and you don’t have an extra set of rankings on hand, you’re probably going to pick based on who the draft site has ranked higher. It’s round eight and you want another running back, the draft site has Marquise Brown as the next best receiver available so you think to take him. However, Antonio Brown is sitting there 7 spots behind Marquise and the consensus rankings on FantasyPros has Antonio ranked several dozen spots ahead of Marquise.
Am I telling you that you should draft based on other peoples’ ranks? No, I’m just highlighting that there’s a way to find value in draft rankings by comparing them to other expert rankings. If you have guys you want you should take them, but if you’re looking strictly for value in later rounds this may help.
I’m going to highlight a few guys that I find are great values on certain draft sites based on FantasyPros and draft room rankings. These are guys ranked much higher on FantasyPros than they are in draft rooms, so you can find some super value picks.
I have a spreadsheet that you can dig into everything on your own if you’d prefer.
Robert Woods – Sleeper PPR
Draft rank: 48 | Expert rank: 31
Bobby Trees! The man has been and will continue to be a PPR monster while getting an upgrade at QB with Stafford. In Sleeper draft rooms he is appearing as the WR19 while rankers have him as the WR13. If you’re looking for WRs in the fourth round, he’s your guy.
Russell Gage – Yahoo PPR
Draft rank: 135 | Expert rank: 172
I truly think Russell Gage could be starting fantasy WR for many weeks this season, and he’s going so late that you’re taking a flyer on him. For a three-round discount, you can draft the WR2 in Atlanta who has a straight shot at volume and productivity.
Damien Harris – ESPN Half PPR/PPR
Draft rank: 87 | Expert rank: 58/71
Damien Harris is the current leader of the New England backfield, and someone I think could be a reliable flex or even someone you could draft as a top bench spot. In ESPN drafts he’s going about a round and a half more behind his ECR rank.
