As we enter the offseason, there’s a new format that’s emerged over the last couple of seasons which has caught the attention of many. In fact, it’s the preferred way to play for a lot of fantasy football enthusiasts. Best Ball.
Between DRAFT, Fanball (BestBall10s) and a few other established sites, there’s plenty of variety and fun to be had. Lobbies are open, ADPs have been created, and values have emerged. The goal of this article is to identify players that are currently undervalued (or overvalued) and will provide depth in the later rounds of best ball drafts.
Free agency opened last week, and there were plenty of fantasy implications. Between incumbents getting pushed down their respective depth charts and new players joining teams, there’s a lot to evaluate from a fantasy perspective.
(considering rookies will be a big part of best ball leagues moving forward, I’ve decided to use BESTBALL10s ADP only until DRAFT enters them into the pool)
FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
MARK INGRAM (RB, RAVENS) — BESTBALL10s ADP, 54.7
This destination was obviously a big win for Ingram and his 2019 value. Not only will he enter a depth chart with very little competition, but he’s joining a team that’s going to put an incredible emphasis on running the ball. Ingram has never totaled more than 288 touches in a single season, but 300 or more would seem likely if he can manage to play 16 games in 2019. Ingram’s current ADP is surrounding the fourth and fifth round in BESTBALL10s and that’s likely to change significantly by opening day. Ingram should be projected to have a top 10 touch total and will have an immense amount of opportunity in the red zone. Until his ADP reaches the second round, he’s essentially an auto-pick (for me). There are certainly reasons to be concerned over his receiving role in the offense, but generally speaking, if an RB is receiving 300 total touches, they almost automatically end the season as a top 12 fantasy RB. Ingram is entering his age 30 season, but with his low yearly workloads and lack of serious injuries in his career, he should be a rock-solid investment.
GOLDEN TATE (WR, GIANTS) — BESTBALL10s ADP, 54.7
The New York Giants are taking a lot of flack lately (deservedly so) for their strange decision-making over the last couple of seasons, and signing Tate is no exception. Just a few days after trading away arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL (Odell Beckham), the Giants signed the 31-year-old Tate to a four-year contract with 23 million guaranteed. In his previous five seasons with the Lions, Tate was a pure slot receiver who was incredibly productive. From 2013-to-2017, Tate was ninth in the NFL in receiving yards (4,224), and sixth in receptions (372). Between Tate, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard and there’s going to be a lot of targets close to the line of scrimmage, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Tate shift outside as he did in his Seattle Seahawks days. It’s currently assumed Tate is a pure-slot weapon, but he displayed multiple times over his career that he has legitimate ball skills and ability in all areas of the field. His receptions aren’t likely to mirror what he produced in Detroit, but with a fifth-round ADP, there’s certainly room for upside. Eli Manning is obviously an issue for fantasy purposes at this stage in his career, and the hope would be they bring in a high-round rookie QB to compete and potentially (hopefully) take his job. If that doesn’t happen, decreasing exposure to Tate later in the offseason is fair. For now, the upside outweighs the risk at the price.
DEVIN FUNCHESS (WR, COLTS) — BESTBALL10s ADP, 181.5
Easily the biggest win of the first week of free agency, Funchess essentially hit the lottery with his new fantasy home. Between Andrew Luck, Frank Reich and a few weapons that don’t take up the same spaces as he does, Funchess should be able to THRIVE in 2019. Last year at this time the Colts signed Eric Ebron, a high draft pedigree TE largely viewed as a bust and wasted potential. Ebron wasn’t THAT different than his Detroit self in 2018. His catch percentage (60 percent) and yards per reception (11.4) were right on par with his career totals, the difference was a larger target-share, fantastic scheme and his usage in the red zone. While it’s tough to promise Funchess will see 13 touchdowns like Ebron did in 2018, there should be confidence that Indianapolis will figure out a way to optimize what Funchess is. There was an enormous philosophy change in Carolina over the last two off-seasons, and Funchess got phased out of a role because he didn’t fit the new plan (Small, fast, yards-after-the-catch-based weapons). 2017 displayed a potential game-plan on how to maximize Funchess, where he produced 840 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns on 111 targets. Funchess is dominant in jump-ball situations, and anything he lacks after the catch can be made up for in that facet. Funchess is currently free money in the later rounds and should see a 10-to-12 round increase over the next couple of months. If he can be had in round 10 or later, he’s essentially an auto-pick. It’s sometimes scary to trust a player with Funchess’ track record, but this is more about having confidence in the Colts than anything else.
LE’VEON BELL (RB, JETS) — BESTBALL10s ADP, 11.7
At least there’s clarity now! I wrote about Bell as an “overvalued” asset couple of weeks ago, and while the Jets are certainly a volatile situation, having clarification on which team situation Bell will be involved in is valuable. Round one of drafts is a little steep still, but with a developing, second-year quarterback in Sam Darnold at the helm, and a significant amount of money guaranteed ($35 million) there’s strong reasoning behind the idea Bell will be among the league leaders in touches in 2019. There have already been two occasions where Bell has seen 350 or more touches in a season (Also, a 336 touch in 12 games season). If he can sustain even close to that type of usage, and stay healthy, there’s almost no debating he’ll end the year as a top-six fantasy RB. Bell has a history with injuries, but there’s always going to be that risk with RBs. Ultimately, after taking a season off, it’s hard to tell where Bell is at from a talent perspective, but any (potential) regression in skills will be buoyed by an enormous role in the offense.
