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 AJ Dillon as the next best receiver available so you might think about taking him. However, Brian Robinson is sitting 14 spots behind Dillon and the consensus rankings on FantasyPros have Robinson ranked several dozen spots ahead of him.
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.
Keenan Allen – ESPN & Yahoo & Sleeper
Draft room rank: 37 & 47 & 40 | Expert rank: 23
I’ll admit it, I am once again in on Keenan Allen this season. A PPR legend returning to an offense that should take a step forward with Kellen Moore calling plays, I’m interested. Admittedly, 22 seems too high of a rank BUT 37, 47 and 40 on the three draft sites feels too low, so he is a value. Give me Keenan Allen at the end of the third and all throughout the 4th all draft season. Please.
Nico Collins – Sleeper
Draft room rank: 171-172 | Expert rank: 112-118
Someone has to catch the ball in Houston, right? Collins has showed his potential in the Texans’ offense last year, leading in air yards share and target rate per route run. Now, with Brandin Cooks gone and C.J. Stroud as quarterback, Collins could emerge as the clear WR1, making him a hidden gem for a potential third-year breakout. Plus, you get him at a 5 round discount compared to his expert ranking if drafting on Sleeper.
Diontae Johnson – Sleeper PPR
Draft room rank: 81 | Expert rank: 45
Something I’d like to point out with this value pick – WRs are heavily undervalued in this range on Sleeper. In this same range of the draft you may see RBs Rachaad White, Alvin Kamara, Isiah Pacheco and Javonte Williams appear on draft boards alongside WRs Diontae Johnson, Christian Kirk and Mike Evans. I’d like to point out that FantasyPros ECR has those three WRs ranked about 25 spots ahead of those four RBs. If I could make any conclusion on that, it’s to draft WRs on Sleeper in the 6th and 7th round. Thank you.
I highlighted a few others I like in this morning’s newsletter. Check it out and feel free to subscribe!
