RADIO
In the late rounds of your 2019 best-ball drafts, you'll want to target a handful of players with high upside. Since you don't have to worry about setting your lineup each week, you can target guys that don't necessarily produce on a regular basis. You can target players that will have a few games throughout the year where they go off. Think of someone like DeSean Jackson - the best-ball format was practically made for players like him.
Rather than focusing on popular late-round selections, I have picked some overlooked players that aren't as exciting as others but could still be valuable picks.
For this piece, I'll be using the DRAFT ADP as of June 2019.
Quarterbacks
Waiting on QB is a popular strategy is best-ball just as it is in redraft. You can wait even longer in best-ball if you find a pair of passers that can complement each other with steady production rather than taking a chance on a risky player.
Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers
First up on this list is someone who is not far off from being in the running for the NFL MVP, Philip Rivers. Rivers finished as the QB11 in 2018 and is looking at a fully healthy group of offensive weapons heading into the 2019 season. Hunter Henry is set to return fully healthy this year and will be a nice weapon to add onto Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Melvin Gordon. This is a very high-powered offense and Rivers will produce. He has been the poster boy for waiting on a quarterback in fantasy leagues and this year is no different. With an ADP of 137.4, Rivers is someone you can wait on and pair with a more consistent quarterback for a nice combination in best ball formats. He has the weekly upside of throwing for 300+ yards and throwing multiple touchdowns.
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Next up is my highest-owned quarterback on DRAFT. With an ADP of 148.5, Jimmy Garoppolo of the 49ers offers tremendous upside and potentially even consistency on a weekly basis. As someone who is leading Kyle Shanahan's offense, it's hard to imagine Garoppolo not out-performing his current ADP. With offensive weapons like George Kittle, Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel, and a few pass-catching running backs, he has all the tools he needs to put up consistent fantasy production. It would take an injury for this to happen, and he has legitimate QB1 upside. With an ADP outside the 12th round, he is an excellent late-round quarterback to target if you're punting the QB position.
Running Backs
Most of the articles you'll see on sleepers for best ball leagues will feature running backs in the early teen rounds. Guys like Latavius Murray or Jordan Howard are popular "sleepers," so I'm going to look deeper.
Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills
When you get into the latest rounds of your best ball drafts, it's important to take some shots on guys with high upside. With an ADP of 167.2, the rookie in Buffalo, Devin Singletary, offers some very intriguing upside. LeSean McCoy (111.4 ADP) and Frank Gore (216.3 ADP) are the only two backs standing in his way from producing fantasy numbers. With rumors going around about the Bills potentially shopping or cutting McCoy, there's a realistic scenario where Gore is the only one taking touches away from Singletary.
I'm not crazy about him as a prospect and typically 5'7" backs don't make it in the NFL. Tarik Cohen is an exception, not a new rule. Singletary is not your typical three-down back or an overly talented pass-catcher, but the key here is the potential opportunity. With one of the last picks in your draft, he offers some intriguing upside in this format.
Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers
One of the most popular breakout candidates for the 2019 seasons is Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers. If you're looking for someone with decent upside, wait and draft the other half of the Packers backfield in Jamaal Williams. With a current ADP of 157.9, you're looking at someone that is going undrafted in some best-ball leagues, depending on how deep of leagues you're playing in.
There is no question that Jones is the more explosive and talented running back in Green Bay, but for some reason, the Packers love to involve Williams. Jones has played in 12 games in each of his first two seasons, and we've seen Williams step up when he's been inactive. Williams is involved in the passing game as well and has nice upside for any games that Jones might miss.
Wide Receivers
Just like I did with running backs, I'll be digging a bit deeper for the wide receivers in this article. We all know that DeSean Jackson is a good sleeper for best ball leagues, so here are a few deeper ones that are worth taking a flyer on.
John Brown, Buffalo Bills
Over the past few years, we've seen bits and pieces of John Brown since playing in Arizona and for a few games in Baltimore. Last year with Joe Flacco, Brown put up double-digit fantasy points in standard scoring leagues in three of his first four games. After Lamar Jackson took over, these numbers went south quickly. Brown is now in Buffalo with another second-year quarterback in Josh Allen. The Bills receiving group is lacking and there is plenty of upside for Brown in this offense.
I'm not expecting consistent numbers from him, but as a late-round flyer, he offers some very nice upside with the way Allen throws deep balls. You'll want Brown on your roster for those weeks with a random long touchdown, perfect for best ball leagues.
Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons
With a current ADP of 176.7, I'm finding myself all over Mohamed Sanu this year in best ball leagues. After finishing as the WR32 in 2018 in 0.5 PPR scoring, Sanu is flying quite under the radar and I'd guess that's largely due to Riley Ridley and the excitement he's bringing to fantasy owners. Sanu isn't the most consistent fantasy asset on a week to week basis, but he'll put up a few big weeks here and there. In standard scoring leagues in 2018, he put up double-digit points six times.
While he appears to be more of a boom or bust type of receiver, he was actually fairly consistent in 2018. The Atlanta offense is a high-powered one, and Sanu is a very cheap way of getting your hands on a piece of it.
Tight Ends
It's harder to find value at this thin position but there are always players with upside that tend to be overlooked based on disappointing results the year before.
Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
The days of Jordan Reed being a popular high-end fantasy football option are in the past. Heading into 2019, Reed has an ADP of 151.9 which is making him a good option if you're punting the tight end position. Despite his injury history, he's heading into the 2019 season healthy and is probably still the most talented pass-catcher on that offense. In best ball leagues, you want to grab two or three tight ends, and at his current price, Reed is a cheap option with good upside in this format.
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
Heading into the 2018 season, rookie Mike Gesicki was highly touted as one of the most, if not the most, talented tight end in the class. The second-year tight end in Miami has a current ADP of 185.3, putting him in roughly the 15th round of 12-team best ball leagues. One of the main reasons I'm looking at Gesicki in this range is that Adam Gase is no longer in Miami. Asking someone as talented as Gesicki to block all season long was pretty confusing and frustrating for fantasy owners.
After investing a second-round pick in him, I expect Miami to get him more involved. The Dolphins receiving corps is dying for a playmaker, and Gesicki has a nice opportunity ahead of him. Grab him as your third tight end on your best ball rosters if you're looking for someone with good upside.
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