I’ve already looked at some of the best fantasy football values on ESPN this offseason… twice. All of the players featured in those articles are still ranked higher in the FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR) than in ESPN average draft position (ADP).
However, those pieces focused on rankings and ADP from June and July, the very early parts of the fantasy calendar. Now, we’re in August, aka peak drafting season. The three players (well, two players and one trend) listed below are those you can really expect to find huge value on in your ESPN fantasy football drafts as we approach the season.
- Fantasy Football Research & Advice
- Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
Best Fantasy Football ADP Values on ESPN
Chase Brown (RB – CIN) | ESPN ADP: 26.3/ECR: 15
Chase Brown’s stock is rising, and his ESPN ADP isn’t keeping up. Roughly a month ago, the Bengals’ No. 1 RB was the 20th-ranked player in ECR and had an ESPN ADP of 27.2. Since then, his expert ranking has risen five spots, a relatively large swing. His ADP is also up, but by a comparably small single spot. Given he was already liked more by experts than by ESPN drafters prior to this move, Brown is now arguably the biggest value in the first few rounds of drafts, especially once we consider the positional trends around him.
The reasons behind Brown’s rise aren’t entirely obvious. Maybe experts are excited by reports that he is being used in every way imaginable in Cincinnati’s training camp. Or maybe they’re just coming around to the idea of the former fifth-round pick being used as a genuine workhorse in one of the league’s most prolific offenses. Whatever the reason, Brown is now ranked nearly a full round ahead of his ESPN ADP.
Positional trends make this gap even more meaningful than it appears at first glance. In general, ESPN’s ADP is extremely running back-heavy in the first few rounds. Fourteen RBs have ADPs inside the first three rounds. If we exclude Brown, the remaining 13 backs are being selected a whopping 30% earlier on average in ESPN ADP than in ECR. Only one other member of that group, Ashton Jeanty, is being selected lower than his consensus ranking.
It’s difficult to overstate the implications that these facts have for Brown’s value. Experts have him ranked as the RB6, a top-half RB1. He’s not even an RB1 in ESPN’s ADP, coming off the board as the RB13. Given how valuable an elite RB1 is in any traditional redraft format, this is a genuinely league-winning opportunity. Unless you are entirely out on the Bengals’ bell-cow back for this season, the optimal move is to simply select him every time he is available in the middle or late second round of ESPN drafts, which should be often, given his ADP is in the third round.
Chris Godwin (WR – TB) | ESPN ADP: 146.8/ECR: 79
This is a very weird one. Nothing particularly substantive has changed in Chris Godwin’s situation over the last month. This is reflected in his ECR: It was 80 in July; now it’s 79. But his ESPN ADP has absolutely plummeted in that same span, dropping from 104.4 in my last update to his current price of 146.8. This move has turned the veteran receiver from one of many slightly undervalued mid-round wide receivers to potentially the biggest late-round bargain available.
To be fair to the managers setting Godwin’s ADP, there are reasons to be skeptical of his 2026 outlook. He is 30 years old and coming off by far the least productive season of his NFL career. Injuries have caused him to miss roughly half of each of the last two seasons. And the Buccaneers’ receiving room still has plenty of mouths to feed even with Mike Evans out of town — Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan and rookie Ted Hurst all project to be involved.
But none of these concerns are enough to account for this seismic gap. Positionally, Godwin is considered a back-end WR3 by experts, ranked at WR35. His newly low ESPN ADP makes him the WR52, nearly 20 spots behind his ECR. At that ADP, Godwin’s ceiling — a return to his days as an elite target-earner out of the slot — could be league-winning, and his risk is more than baked into his cost.
Early-Round Wide Receivers
This obviously isn’t as straightforward a selection as an undervalued player, but it’s undeniably the biggest factor shaping the ESPN fantasy football draft landscape. Compared to ECR, early-round receivers are undervalued across the board in ESPN ADP. Among the top 50 wideouts in ECR, only one (Davante Adams) is being selected on ESPN before his consensus rank. The average top-20 wide receiver is going an absurd 45% later on ESPN than in consensus rankings.
When a positional trend is this massive, it can serve as a trap for unaware drafters. If you simply draft based on overall ECR in a room following ESPN ADP, you’ll end up with tons of great receiver values… and way behind at running back. It’s possible to lean into this trend with a Zero RB approach, but this is risky. No matter how loaded your wide receiver room, it’s difficult to compete without at least some firepower at running back.
Instead, my recommendation is to carefully navigate this running back-thirsty landscape with a Hero RB build. The truly elite, first-round running backs aren’t as overpriced as their RB2 counterparts. And the aforementioned Chase Brown sticks out as a unique value at the position.
If you grab a first-round running back, you won’t be left out in the cold at what is still fantasy’s most important position. Then, you are free to hammer the massive wide receiver values available in the remaining early and middle rounds — Tee Higgins, Ladd McConkey and Jaylen Waddle are all at least 20 picks cheaper on ESPN than in ECR.
If executed correctly, this strategy should result in the best of both worlds: Elite running back ceiling and a loaded receiver corps assembled at a discount. Add in some classic Zero RB dart throws — handcuffs, receiving backs and young upside bets — in the late rounds for good measure.
Of course, it’s important not to enter your draft overly committed to one draft strategy. Especially in a league of experienced managers, it’s vital to be ready to adjust to what is available. But even fantasy die-hards can be influenced by a site’s ADP, and ESPN’s is so massively running back-heavy that there should be at least a few massive receiver values available in every draft.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.