It’s been a little less than a month since I last checked in on the ADP risers and fallers. With some preseason games in the books, there’s been more moving and shaking up and down the ADP ranks. Now’s as good of time as any to check back in and see who is rising, and who is falling.

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Quarterback

Risers

 
Eli Manning’s ascension up the quarterback ranks continues. Case Keenum also jumped up a couple of spots. However, Andrew Luck was the headline riser at the position. He’s suffered no setbacks in his return from an unexpectedly lost 2017 campaign, and the DRAFT drafting community hasn’t forgotten that in his last healthy season, he averaged 282.7 yards passing per game with 31 touchdown passes, per Pro Football Reference. His ADP suggests gamers are throwing caution to the wind and fully jumping aboard him returning to pre-injury form in an offense that could be on the rise with new offensive-minded head coach Frank Reich.

Fallers

 
A couple of sophomore signal callers slide in the latest ADP check-in. Patrick Mahomes had been the toast of the town in the early portion of the offseason, but reports of some camp interception issues seem to have tossed cold water on his ADP. Mahomes’ upside remains mouthwatering, but a two-spot drop in the quarterback rankings puts him at a more reasonable spot in the positional rankings as QB15.

Mitchell Trubisky’s slide is more surprising — at least to me. When I checked in on ADP last time, Trubisky had moved up from QB24 on May 15 to QB21, as the table reflects, and I indicated that I thought he’d sneak into the top-20 quarterbacks by this check-in. I was wrong, and I like him even more with the slippage in ADP. He’s one of my favorite targets as a QB2 to pair with one of the elite signal callers or possibly a QB3 as part of a “wait and select multiple cheap quarterbacks” approach in DRAFT best ball leagues.

Running Back

Risers

 
Leonard Fournette was the only riser in the top 10 at the position, and he overtook Kareem Hunt for RB8. While I was wrong about Trubisky’s ADP rising by this check in, I was correct about LeSean McCoy. Shady overtook a forthcoming injured running back for RB16, but his ADP rose four spots — which is a relatively large move that early in the draft.

There are two huge movers in the rankings, though. Rex Burkhead has flown up from barely cracking the top-30 backs to sneaking into the top 25, and he’s knocking on a top-50 ADP. Burkhead’s rise coincides with a backfield mate’s fall, but the jack-of-all-trades back remains a player I’ll be targeting, namely because he should be the primary goal-line back in a Tom Brady-led offense. His touchdown-scoring upside and scoring versatility makes him a weekly high-upside scorer, yet his low floor as part of a committee is less of a problem in this best ball format.

Chris Carson is the other back who surged up the board. The hype machine is strong for the second-year back. He flashed as the team’s best running back last year before suffering season-ending injuries that included a broken leg and ligament damage in his ankle. Pieces such as this one by Gregg Bell of The News Tribune have spoken glowingly of Carson while declaring he’s been the clear No.1 back for the Seahawks in camp. Talk like that will cause a guy’s ADP to rise nearly 40 spots in less than a month.

However, I caution that any praise from head coach Pete Carroll should be taken with a heaping helping of salt. Carroll’s notorious for optimistic sound bytes regarding players. Go back to last offseason and read his extensive praise for the likes of Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls, if you don’t believe me. How’d they do behind Seattle’s dreadful offensive line? Seattle’s running back situation is one I’m largely looking to avoid, and that’s especially true now that Carson is shooting up draft boards.

Fallers

 
This list is littered with rookie running backs, and Derrius Guice sits at the top. He tore his ACL in the preseason opener for Washington and obviously shouldn’t be drafted going forward. Burkhead’s and Carson’s surges up the ADP ladder coincide with the falls of Sony Michel and Rashaad Penny, respectively. Michel had fluid drained from his knee, but that doesn’t appear a threat to his regular season availability. It does cut into his practice time, however, and could result in him having a smaller piece of New England’s RBBC pie early on. Penny is reportedly behind Carson, as I noted above, but Seattle’s run blocking ineptitude coupled with the murky playing time situation make it one I’m going to avoid at the current cost of getting a piece.

D’Onta Foreman continues to progress in his recovery from a ruptured Achilles and remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and his availability for the start of the regular season is in question. The potential for him missing time early coupled with the severity of the injury he’s returning from has helped him drop from the top 50 at running back. I remain enamored with Houston’s offense even with regression obviously on the way for Deshaun Watson, and I’ll gladly get plenty of shares of super cheap exposure to it if Foreman continues to fall outside of the top 50 at running back and outside of the top 150 picks.

Wide Receiver

Risers

 
It probably shouldn’t be surprising to see T.Y. Hilton rise the receiver rankings given Luck’s meteoric rise in ADP. Jarvis Landry has moved up to a top-25 wide receiver, and that’s the direct product of uncertainty surrounding Cleveland’s No. 1 receiver (more on that to come). Tyler Lockett played last season at less than 100%, and he reportedly feels good now. His slight bump up in ADP and WR rank also coincides with the team’s No. 1 receiver falling (more foreshadowing!).

The biggest mover in this position group is Anthony Miller. The rookie projects to play an integral role in Chicago’s offense, primarily doing damage from the slot. He’s no longer off of gamers’ radars, and he still has room to move up and remain a high-upside lotto ticket at a reasonable price.

Fallers

 
The suspense is over, Doug Baldwin and Josh Gordon were the two No. 1 receivers I teased in the risers section. Baldwin’s dealing with a knee injury that will sideline him for the preseason, but Carroll’s indicated he has no concern about Baldwin’s availability for the season opener. Remember the Carroll optimism I cautioned taking with ample salt in the running backs section? Baldwin’s price is a little steep for a guy who is entering the year banged up. Gordon remains away from the Browns, and there’s not a timetable for his return. I don’t advocate taking him inside the top 40 receivers or with a top-75 pick.

Alshon Jeffery is in danger of missing the season opener, but, more alarmingly, he could open the year on the PUP list which would for him to miss at least the first six weeks. Rishard Matthews continues the themes of injuries and uncertainty. He’s currently on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury. Dez Bryant remains unsigned, so his slide continues. Calvin Ridley’s landing spot on draft night continues to result in him moving down the wideout rankings, as was the case last time we checked in.

Tight End

Risers

 
Fallers

 
There wasn’t a single change to the top 14 at tight end. Tyler Eifert was lifted from the PUP list July 30, so it’s not surprising to see optimism inflating his ADP. Conversely, Vance McDonald is unable to practice while dealing with a foot injury.

Stacking for Upside for DRAFT Best Ball Leagues

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