In case you’re unaware, Christmas has been shifted from December to May. Underdog Fantasy has officially opened up Best Ball Mania V, or BBMV, as you’ll often see it referred to. BBM is consistently one of the largest contests in fantasy sports, with a top prize of 1.5 million dollars this year.
Drafts for BBMV opened on Monday, and drafters are hungry to get their chance at 1.5 million, including Wolf and myself. Just a few hours after the contest opened, we reviewed the incoming rookie class and drafted our first BBMV team.
Be sure to check out Wolf’s Underdog Fantasy Best Ball Rankings, which will be updated all summer long.
With Best Ball Summer fully underway, it’s time to start analyzing where we can get an edge on other drafters. Early on in the draft season, a great way to do this is to take advantage of mispriced ADPs.
Following the actual NFL draft, many players’ situations and opportunities within their teams have drastically changed. Drafters are often slow to adjust to these changes, and values present themselves within drafts.
Let’s look at some players that appear to be screaming best ball values at their current prices.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT – RB, DALLAS COWBOYS (ADP: 149, RB45)
Regardless of what you think of Ezekiel Elliott, he is undeniably a value at his current price. Drafters are realizing this as well. When BBMV opened, Zeke had an ADP of 206 and jumped nearly 60 spots in just 48 hours.
Even with this meteoric rise, Zeke’s price still has value written all over it. Elliott is in line to handle a good portion of touches in one of the league’s most potent offenses. The competition in Dallas is also minimal. Rico Dowdle is the only RB currently on the roster who could legitimately compete with Elliott.
Zeke’s price is set to skyrocket throughout the offseason, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him drafted in the low-end RB2 or high-end RB3 range in August. With a strong offensive environment, little competition, and an RB4 price tag, Ezekiel Elliott is a clear value in drafts right now.
ZACK MOSS – RB, CINCINNATI BENGALS (ADP: 105, RB32)
After dodging landmines in the NFL draft, Zack Moss will be a significant part of the Cincinnati rushing attack. Although he will be splitting work to some degree with Chase Brown, Moss projects to have a significant role in Cincinnati.
With Brown as the more dynamic playmaker, Moss will likely handle the bulk of the rushing work. This will be especially true on early downs. The more exciting role for Moss will be rushing work at the goal line. With Joe Mixon no longer in Cincinnati, plenty of high-value touches are up for grabs. Mixon actually led all running backs in carries from inside the 10-yard line last season with 35. Moss projects to be the beneficiary of this opportunity.
From what we’ve seen from Chase Brown, it doesn’t seem that he has the profile to be a 3-down, bell-cow running back in the NFL. Don’t get me wrong, Brown is an exciting player and I will be drafting him at his cheap price (ADP: 119, RB36). However, I don’t think he can fully take over this backfield and work will be available for Moss throughout the season.
LADD MCCONKEY – WR, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (ADP: 88, WR46)
One of the biggest winners of the NFL Draft, Ladd McConkey, is set up to thrive in fantasy football as just a rookie. Without even evaluating McConkey as a player, we can see that he is in a position to succeed this season. The Charger’s depth chart at receiver currently consists of Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston, and that’s about it. Palmer doesn’t exactly move the needle, and many are already pegged QJ as a bust. This opens a fairly clear path to targets for Ladd.
McConkey’s prospect profile is very promising. Ladd is a versatile receiver who can play both outside and in the slot. This may allow him to be a part of 2 WR sets early in the year. McConkey is also very skilled at the line of scrimmage. He can create separation quickly with an array of releases off the line. His versatility and ability to create separation will allow him to be targeted early and often by Justin Herbert.
Still being drafted as a fringe WR4, McConkey presents clear value at this price as he could be Herbert’s top option as early as Week 1. His price should steadily increase in the next few weeks so it’s smart to invest now before everyone hops on the McConkey Express.
KEON COLEMAN – WR, BUFFALO BILLS (ADP 102, WR52)
First off, what’s not to love about Keon Coleman the person?
He’s been in the league for less than a week, and it seems that he produces hilarious clips every day.
As a player, some people don’t love Coleman as much. There are questions about his speed and route-running skills. However, Coleman was drafted as Josh Allen’s top option, an incredibly valuable role for any receiver. It’s not often that the player with a good chance to lead the Bills in receiving yards is drafted as the WR52.
Coleman is a large, physical receiver who can use his body to make difficult catches. His athletic profile meshes well with Allen’s gunslinger quarterback style. Allen isn’t afraid to put the ball in tough spots and allow his receivers to make a play. We should expect to see Coleman in many contested catch situations, which will lead to some massive plays and spike weeks this season.
TRAVIS KELCE – TE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (ADP: 39, TE2)
Even after signing a two-year extension, Travis Kelce is still slipping into the 4th round of Best Ball drafts. Just a year after comfortably being selected in the 1st round, Kelce has faced a major slip down draft boards.
The concerns with Kelce are legitimate. He is aging, and it is difficult for his body to keep up with these Super Bowl pushes that seem to occur almost every year. However, Kelce in the fourth round just seems ridiculous. He is the greatest tight end of all time, and he will once again be a part of a prolific offense with Patrick Mahomes.
Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy are now a part of this offense. Even with more competition, it’s hard to see a world where Kelce isn’t heavily involved. With his cheapest price in years and still having a locked role on a phenomenal offense, locking down an elite tight end in the 4th round seems like a no-brainer.
