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This is a fun and busy time period in fantasy football, as many drafters are ramping up to the upcoming season by participating in Best Ball drafts. You can jump into a Best Ball league right now on various platforms and at various price ranges.
In this feature, I share some of my favorite draft targets based on the latest Average Draft Position reports from FantasyPros for Underdog Fantasy Sports Best Ball leagues. Many of the players featured here are being undervalued in some regard, and you can absorb their disappointing weeks with even less pain in Best Ball leagues.
Keep in mind that Underdog Best Ball leagues utilize a half-PPR format. You can start three wide receivers and one flex player. Four points are awarded for passing TDs.
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Fantasy Football Best Ball Value Targets For 2024: First Look
Saquon Barkley (Underdog ADP of 18 overall, RB6): Barkley may be less consistent in regular redraft formats, as Jalen Hurts will certainly steal away a decent amount of his goal-line attempts. But the ultra-talented New York Giants “traitor” is certainly in line to deliver some big spike weeks in a much better Philadelphia offense. Barkley is a minor value at his current ADP, as the final numbers will look good based on his most explosive outings.
DK Metcalf (27, WR20): The Seahawks star did not deliver enough upside in 2023, as he registered only three 100-yard outings and caught three of his eight TDs in one game. I expect new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to open up the passing game more this season, heavily featuring Metcalf for more big weeks.
Here is #Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald on DK Metcalf:
“I can tell you this: We want to get DK the ball a lot, too.”
💻 Full episode at https://t.co/2omMPL6jfC
[🎥: Tom Pelissero] pic.twitter.com/9iY9eaQDiE
— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) June 15, 2024
Derrick Henry (32, RB9): Henry is the best RB that Lamar Jackson has ever played with, and Jackson is the best QB Henry has ever worked with. The two will benefit significantly from the pairing, and that is especially true for Henry, who joins one of the best run offenses in the league on an annual basis. The longtime former Titans standout will provide some outstanding performances for Best Ball purposes. He is not quite done at age 30, with at least one more very productive season left.
Tee Higgins (39, WR27): If the Bengals cannot work out a contract extension with Higgins, he will be playing for a new deal and still operating in one of the better offenses in the AFC. The 25-year-old is coming off an injury marred down season and should bounce back for some impressive performances.
Kenneth Walker III (66, RB16): Zach Charbonnet might have an increased presence in the Seattle offense this season, but Walker is an ideal Best Ball target. He is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field and has weekly upside for promising yardage totals and TD output. I also expect the Seahawks offense to possibly be more potent and consistent in 2024, even if the gains are not massive.
Aaron Jones (80, RB19): Like Henry, Jones is near the end of his projected prime years but can still provide at least one more productive campaign. If he can stay healthy, the ex-Packers mainstay turned Viking should still display spark and big-play ability. Including the playoffs, Jones finished last season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games and had a three-TD outing in his first postseason game, showing he can still be quite effective in reality and fantasy.
Aaron Jones and the Vikings are a perfect match. Here’s why…@heykayadams @UpAndAdamsShow pic.twitter.com/eo1WfuTnFH
— Matt Hamilton (@MattHamilton25) June 14, 2024
D'Andre Swift (89, RB24): I think Swift is being drafted early as a good value in all types of fantasy football leagues, but he is especially appealing in the Best Ball format. He appears to be set up for what may be the best year of his career so far as the clear lead RB in Chicago and a primary runner/receiver to support Caleb Williams.
Raheem Mostert (96, RB28): He stayed healthy last year and totaled 21 TDs, and this ADP seems downright disrespectful when considering such output. Mostert is 32 years old, but he only has four seasons of seeing significant work as an RB on his resume and can still provide a respectable amount of satisfying performances. If you can overlook the age number, Mostert might prove to be a nifty value play for one more year.
Brock Purdy (113, QB13): The polarizing San Francisco field general finished as QB7 last season and remains at the controls of a deep and spectacular playmaking crew. I like Purdy in the Best Ball format and point to his late-season performances on expectations. From Weeks 12 through 17 last year, he had three 20-plus fantasy outings and a pair of sub-12-point games. I do expect some down statistical outings on occasion, which are easier to absorb in Best Ball play, and his better weeks render him as a nice pick at the current ADP.
Mike Williams (114, WR56): If the ex-Charger can actually stay on the field once he fully recovers from last season's knee injury, he has some real upside working with Aaron Rodgers and pairing with Garrett Wilson. At the current ADP, I will take the shot on a guy who has averaged 15.6 yards per reception in his career.
.@minakimes & @greggrosenthal both agreed that the key x-factor for the #Jets in 2024 is WR Mike Williams.
‘If he gets going then they are going to be very tough to stop,’ Gregg Rosenthal said.
Mina Kimes said if NYJ didn’t draft Olu Fashanu then Tyron Smith would’ve been the… pic.twitter.com/8hBKzP2rsi
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) June 14, 2024
Tua Tagovailoa (124, QB15): The Miami passer had two starkly contrasted half-seasons last year. As noted by FantasyPros, he was QB5 in fantasy football through Week 8 and QB20 thereafter. Tagovailoa managed to steer clear of any major injuries last season, and you can deal better with the roller coaster ride in Best Ball leagues. There also may be less overall wild inconsistency for Tagovailoa this year in a frequently explosive offense.
Rico Dowdle (141, RB44): I don’t believe Ezekiel Elliott will be anything more than a decent option for some TD output in Dallas, and the Cowboys brain trust may believe they have a potential gem in Dowdle. The organizational brass did not make a truly significant move at RB to keep Dowdle down on the depth chart, and he may supply some surprising spike weeks. Watching Dowdle last year, he did show off some juke, elusiveness, and determination that can become more apparent with increased work.
Aaron Rodgers (159, QB20): The future surefire Hall of Famer may not be as mobile as he once was, and his arm strength might be a bit lessened these days. He is also coming off an Achilles injury at an advanced age. But Rodgers still has a ton of savvy and enough talent left to outperform his current ADP and come through with some good weeks for Best Ball purposes.
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