Back in the middle of May, I checked in on ADP risers and fallers in DRAFT Best Ball Leagues. Now that we’re further removed from free agency and the NFL Draft, the time is right to circle back and check in on the movers and the shakers in DRAFT Best Ball Leagues. There’s a lot of movement this time around.

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Quarterback

Risers

 
Riser is a relative term, and as you can see, many of the risers at quarterback actually saw their ADP drop. The rise is within the position ranks. Generally speaking, the ADP for quarterbacks has dropped significantly since I last checked in on ADP back in the middle of May. There’s a little bit of shuffling within the top 10, but the big moves happen a little later. News of Andrew Luck throwing and his projected readiness for the start of the year has resulted in him jumping up a couple spots in the rankings at quarterback. The real helium man, though, is Patrick Mahomes. The second-year signal caller’s hype is strong, and he’s not only moved up his position’s ranks like the guys highlighted before him, his ADP has also risen. Former Chief Alex Smith is starting to get a little more love. Sticking to the theme of Chiefs or, more accurately, former Chiefs, Matt Nagy is now Mitchell Trubisky‘s head coach in Chicago after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs last year, and his presence is generating some buzz. The offense should take a sizable step forward this year, and after watching Jared Goff make the year-two leap after his club moved on from a bad head coach to an offensive-minded one, it’s easy to understand taking a chance on Trubisky just outside the top-20.  I suspect that next time I check in on the ADP in DRAFT Best Ball Leagues, Trubisky will sneak into the top-20 quarterbacks. Eli Manning rounds out the table. He didn’t rank inside the top 25 at the position in any of my prior looks at DRAFT ADP data (March 31, April 22, May 7, and May 15).

Fallers

 
Carson Wentz and Jimmy Garoppolo each dropped one spot in the rankings while maintaining top-10 quarterback spots. Lost in the one-spot drop for Jimmy G, however, is that his approximately 37 spot drop in ADP is larger than most of his similarly ranked peers at the position. The huge faller, though, is Jared Goff. There isn’t an obvious change from May until now that explains the drop. The Rams 2017 offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur became Tennessee’s OC back in January, so concerns about his departure should have been on display in the previous ADP update. The team essentially swapped Brandin Cooks for Sammy Watkins, but that would seem to be a positional upgrade. Dak Prescott‘s fall is a little easier to understand, as the team waited until the third round to select a receiver. His receiving corps and tight end collection leave a lot to be desired.  Jameis Winston‘s fall is almost certainly a product of his three-game suspension to open the year.

Running Back

Risers

 
Melvin Gordon‘s move up two spots probably doesn’t seem like much, but that early in the draft, that’s a noteworthy move. Hunter Henry‘s season-ending injury should open up some extra receptions for Gordon, and it also eliminates a red-zone option, enhancing the back’s touchdown upside. Those factors likely contributed to the move. Drafters are buying into Alex Collins breakout 2017, and Baltimore’s decision to not draft one of the top rookie backs might have also impacted his rise up the running back rankings. Speaking of rookies, this table is littered with the top drafted backs in this year’s NFL Draft. Jerick McKinnon‘s meteoric rise began last time I checked in on risers and fallers, and now he’s reached a point where his position rank and ADP are representative of where he’s actually going in drafts. Marshawn Lynch showed life last year after taking the 2016 season off, and baffling free-agent addition Doug Martin is his primary competition for early-down work after back-to-back awful seasons for the Buccaneers. I’m bearish on Oakland’s offense this year, but Lynch should get regular work and is probably my favorite piece of it — ADP considered.

Fallers

 
Not addressed specifically in the table is LeSean McCoy. Shady checked in as RB10 (13.6) back in May, but he took a nose dive to RB17 (34) since then. His drop is likely somewhat impacted by how bad Buffalo’s offense projects to be, but the bigger factor for his drop is likely the immediate reaction to the accusations (which included gruesome pictures) made on social media by his ex-girlfriend’s friend that included domestic abuse, animal abuse, and steroid use. Without going into further detail, Shady doesn’t currently face any discipline from the Bills or the NFL, and I suspect his rank at the position will rise by the next check-in. Mark Ingram will serve a four-game suspension to open the year, hence, the drop. Cleveland’s RBBC situation has resulted in all three of the major contenders for touches dropping substantially. Chris Thompson‘s and Chris Carson‘s falls can be attributed to their teams spending high picks in the draft on running backs. Not pictured in the risers table is Isaiah Crowell, but he’s moved up the running back ranks while new teammate Bilal Powell sinks.

Wide Receiver

Risers

 
If there’s a theme to be found in this table, it’s teammates. Both Davante Adams and Randall Cobb stand to benefit from the Packers cutting Jordy Nelson, and it’s impacted the receiving duo’s ADP. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were held back last year by the tire fire the Broncos rolled out at quarterback. Even if you don’t fully believe in Case Keenum‘s 2017 breakout, the bar is low for him to be an upgrade on who DT and Sanders caught passes from last year. New season, new team, same hype train rolling for Sammy Watkins. He’ll be paired with a strong-armed quarterback who can take advantage of his big-play ability, but he’s not even the best vertical option at receiver on a team that also features burner Tyreek Hill.

Fallers

 
Speaking of Hill, he’s slipped outside the top 10 at receiver. He’s tailor-made for best-ball formats, though, and he doesn’t need a huge volume of targets to do damage. I’ll still be scooping him up regularly in DRAFT Best Ball Leagues. Jarvis Landry was the No. 1 wideout in Miami, but now he’s second fiddle to Josh Gordon. Additionally, pass-catching back Duke Johnson could cut into his production, and a forthcoming tight end will be vying for targets. Landry’s unlikely to sniff his target totals he enjoyed in Miami. Nelson being cut was noted above with Adams and Cobb, and swapping Aaron Rodgers for Derek Carr as the guy slinging you footballs is a massive downgrade. Nelson’s rank at receiver has adjusted accordingly. Dez Bryant still doesn’t have a home, and he’s understandably taken a nosedive in the rankings. He’s been a shell of his peak self in recent years, but he should eventually find a home, and he’s not a bad get at his minimal cost. It stands to reason that if drafters have soured on Goff since my last look at ADP, his pass catchers should fall, too. They have. There’s only so much ball to go around in Atlanta, and Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman are the focal points of the offense. Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu will be involved in the offense, but the scraps left behind Jones and Freeman aren’t worth a pick higher than Ridley and Sanu are commanding.

Tight End

Risers

 
Holy rankings jump, Trey Burton! He shined in the games Zach Ertz missed last year, and now he steps out of his shadow in Chicago. It’s easy to understand why he’s rocketing up the rankings, but I’d much prefer fellow riser George Kittle a couple rounds later. Vance McDonald preceded Kittle as a breakout candidate at tight end in San Francisco, but he failed to deliver on his upside with the team that drafted him. He had an underwhelming regular season in his first with Pittsburgh last year, but he once again reminded folks of his upside with a big 10-112 showing on 16 targets against the Jaguars in the playoffs.

Fallers

 
As I noted discussing Melvin Gordon above, Hunter Henry‘s done for the year with a torn ACL. Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron figure to cut into one another’s targets and work with the latter signing to join the former with the Colts. O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate will both be hurt by Winston’s suspension to start the year before settling into a timeshare at the position. Tyler Eifert‘s health continues to be a question, and it’s not one gamers want to deal with as his ADP and rank at the position have both fallen.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.