Now that Fantasy drafts are starting to take place, and we had our first full slate of preseason action, the Average Draft Position data is starting to closely resemble what a real draft might look like. So let's dive into the CBS Sports ADP.
Each Monday, we'll break down the CBS Sports ADP leading up to the first week of the regular season. The fun is checking out what has changed on a weekly basis, and how much the preseason performances influence the moves you're making on Draft Day.
As always, remember ADP is just a guide to show you the average of when players are coming off the board. It's not a script you should follow, and if you want a player ahead of ADP, then go get your guy.
For example, I'm curious to see how much some of the late-round receivers rise after some solid preseason outings, including Nathaniel Dell, Justyn Ross and Puka Nacua. But first we'll start at the top of the draft.
Editor's note: The CBS Sports Average Draft Position data takes into account all drafts and all formats, including mock drafts.
Top 12 overall
Here is what the top 12 overall picks look like as of Aug. 14:
1. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF
3. Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC
4. Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC
5. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN
6. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
7. Travis Kelce, TE, KC
8. Nick Chubb, RB, CLE
9. Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG
10. Derrick Henry, RB, TEN
11. Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI
12. Josh Allen, QB, BUF
The biggest change from last week's ADP in the top 12 was Chase falling from No. 3 overall to No. 5. I'm not sure why -- in PPR and 0.5 PPR I have Chase at No. 2 -- but maybe Joe Burrow's calf injury has some Fantasy managers concerned.
Robinson jumped from No. 9 overall to No. 6 as the third running back off the board, and that's how I have it ranked. Chubb and Barkley were going ahead of Kelce last week, but that has changed now as well.
I still don't like Henry at No. 10 overall in PPR, but he should remain a first-round pick in non-PPR leagues. And I would only draft Mahomes, Hurts and Allen in the first round of a Superflex or two-quarterback league.
Tyreek Hill has fallen out of the first round here, which is a mistake, and he's now at No. 14 overall. And I expect Tony Pollard (No. 13) and Cooper Kupp (No. 15) to be first-round picks in PPR, especially ahead of Mahomes, Hurts and Allen.
Quarterbacks
Here is what the top 12 quarterbacks look like as of Aug. 14:
1. Patrick Mahomes, KC (No. 4 overall)
2. Jalen Hurts, PHI (No. 11 overall)
3. Josh Allen, BUF (No. 12 overall)
4. Joe Burrow, CIN (No. 23 overall)
5. Lamar Jackson, BAL (No. 26 overall)
6. Justin Herbert, LAC (No. 31 overall)
7. Justin Fields, CHI (No. 43 overall)
8. Trevor Lawrence, JAC (No. 57 overall)
9. Kirk Cousins, MIN (No. 65 overall)
10. Aaron Rodgers, NYJ (No. 67 overall)
11. Deshaun Watson, CLE (No. 77 overall)
12. Dak Prescott, DAL (No. 90 overall)
The first eight quarterbacks remain the same from last week, in the exact same order. While the order can change over the next several weeks, I don't expect anyone to jump into that top eight, barring an injury.
The only slight difference we saw from the top eight quarterbacks was the overall selections went down for Fields (eight spots) and Lawrence (12 spots). Fields being drafted in Round 4 and Lawrence in Round 5 feels more appropriate, although I would prefer to get each one at least a round later.
Cousins had the biggest rise among quarterbacks from No. 11 to No. 9, and he jumped up 20 spots in his overall ADP as well. I like Cousins as a fallback option this season, but not in Round 6 in a one-quarterback league. Instead, I'd rather draft Watson, Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa (QB13 at No. 94 overall) and Anthony Richardson (QB15 at No. 106 overall).
Watson looked solid in his preseason debut against the Commanders, going 3-for-3 for 12 yards and rushing three times for 20 yards in limited action. And Richardson also held his own at Buffalo when he completed 7-of-12 passes for 67 yards and an interception, along with two carries for 7 yards. The interception was ugly, but he rebounded and should have had a touchdown pass to Alec Pierce that was dropped.
Running backs
Here is what the top 24 running backs look like as of Aug. 14:
1. Christian McCaffrey, SF (No. 2 overall)
2. Austin Ekeler, LAC (No. 3 overall)
3. Bijan Robinson, ATL (No. 6 overall)
4. Nick Chubb, CLE (No. 8 overall)
5. Saquon Barkley, NYG (No. 9 overall)
6. Derrick Henry, TEN (No. 10 overall)
7. Tony Pollard, DAL (No. 13 overall)
8. Josh Jacobs, LV (No. 17 overall)
9. Jonathan Taylor, IND (No. 18 overall)
11. Joe Mixon, CIN (No. 22 overall)
12. Najee Harris, PIT (No. 28 overall)
13. Dameon Pierce, HOU (No. 29 overall)
14. Rhamondre Stevenson, NE (No. 30 overall)
15. Travis Etienne, JAC (No. 31 overall)
16. Aaron Jones, GB (No. 33 overall)
17. Breece Hall, NYJ (No. 34 overall)
18. Jahmyr Gibbs, DET (No. 36 overall)
19. Alexander Mattison, MIN (No. 38 overall)
19. Kenneth Walker III, SEA (No. 41 overall)
20. James Conner, ARI (No. 47 overall)
21. Miles Sanders, CAR (No. 48 overall)
22. J.K. Dobbins, BAL (No. 55 overall)
23. David Montgomery, DET (No. 58 overall)
24. Brian Robinson Jr. (No. 60 overall)
Taylor has dropped from RB7 to RB9, and we'll see how far he continues to slide. He's expected to return to Indianapolis on Monday after being away from the team to get treatment for his injured ankle, but he's still not expected to practice. Hopefully, this situation with his contract is settled soon.
Mixon's ADP is noteworthy, and he continues to rise to right outside of the second round. The only running back going after him that I would draft higher is Stevenson, and both of them could soon pass Taylor and Jacobs based on their holdouts.
Hall's ADP continues to slide, and he's now being drafted toward the end of Round 3. I would prefer to draft him in Round 4 at the earliest, and he's still on the PUP list while he's recovering from last year's torn ACL.
Dobbins (knee) also remains on the PUP list, but questions remain if it's due to health or his contract. The Ravens activated Dobbins off the PUP list on Monday before practice. I'm still bullish on Dobbins as a breakout, so I love this value in Round 5.
Some running backs outside of the top 24 that I would draft ahead of Robinson include Rachaad White (RB31 at No. 75 overall), James Cook (RB29 at No. 73 overall) and Alvin Kamara (RB30 at No. 74 overall). White and Cook are breakout candidates this season in their sophomore campaigns, and Kamara should still have a quality year once his three-game suspension ends.
Khalil Herbert (RB33 at No. 84 overall) might see his ADP rise as he establishes himself as the lead running back for the Bears. He had four carries for 15 yards against Tennessee and a 56-yard touchdown reception, but the best part of his performance against the Titans was that he played every snap with Fields. D'Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson are clearly behind Herbert now, and I like Johnson (RB48 at No. 150 overall) as the No. 2 running back in Chicago.
The Eagles backfield will likely see some ADP shifts with reports that Kenneth Gainwell is operating as the No. 1 running back. He didn't play in the preseason outing against Baltimore, and neither did Boston Scott. Rashaad Penny had nine carries for 34 yards and no catches on one target, and D'Andre Swift had two carries for 24 yards.
Philadelphia is probably not sold on any running back yet, but it's hard to justify drafting Swift (RB27 at No. 68 overall) or Penny (RB32 at No. 80 overall) at their current ADP. And you should make more of an investment in Gainwell (RB55 at No. 174 overall), who should be drafted as early as Round 10.
Wide receivers
Here is what the top 24 wide receivers look like as of Aug. 14:
1. Justin Jefferson, MIN (No. 1 overall)
2. Ja'Marr Chase, CIN (No. 5 overall)
3. Tyreek Hill, MIA (No. 14 overall)
4. Cooper Kupp, LAR (No. 15 overall)
5. A.J. Brown, PHI (No. 16 overall)
6. Stefon Diggs, BUF (No. 19 overall)
7. CeeDee Lamb, DAL (No. 20 overall)
8. Davante Adams, LV (No. 21 overall)
9. Jaylen Waddle, MIA (No. 24 overall)
10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET (No. 25 overall)
11. Garrett Wilson, NYJ (No. 27 overall)
12. Deebo Samuel, SF (No. 37 overall)
13. DeVonta Smith, PHI (No. 39 overall)
14. Chris Olave, NO (No. 40 overall)
15. Tee Higgins, CIN (No. 42 overall)
16. Calvin Ridley, JAC (No. 44 overall)
17. Amari Cooper, CLE (No. 46 overall)
18. DK Metcalf, SEA (No. 49 overall)
19. DeAndre Hopkins, TEN (No. 50 overall)
20. Christian Watson, GB (No. 52 overall)
21. D.J. Moore, CHI (No. 53 overall)
22. Jerry Jeudy, DEN (No. 54 overall)
23. Keenan Allen, LAC (No. 59 overall)
24. Terry McLaurin, WAS (No. 64 overall)
No matter the format, there are some incredible bargains here, especially with Hill, Kupp and Diggs in Round 2. I also doubt you'll see many drafts with St. Brown and Wilson in Round 3, or Smith, Olave or Higgins falling to Round 4. Almost all of the receivers in the top 24 are fantastic value.
Moore and Jeudy are two of my favorite receivers to target, and I would draft them in Round 4 in all formats. Moore scored on his first catch from Fields with a 62-yard touchdown against Tennessee, and Jeudy had a touchdown reception against the Cardinals and finished with two catches for 40 yards on three targets.
Two receivers who stand out as bad value picks are Samuel and George Pickens (WR27 at No. 72 overall). I don't mind Samuel as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver, but he should not be drafted ahead of Smith, Olave and Higgins. All three of those receivers have more upside than Samuel this year.
As for Pickens, he's being drafted 24 spots ahead of Diontae Johnson (WR37 at No. 96 overall), which is a mistake in all formats, especially PPR. While Pickens scored a touchdown against Tampa Bay on a 33-yard reception and has made several highlight catches in training camp, he's not going to see as many targets or receptions as Johnson, who had three catches for 32 yards on three targets against the Buccaneers.
There are so many wide receivers being drafted after pick No. 100 overall that I like this season, including Zay Flowers (WR38 at No. 104 overall), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR40 at No. 107 overall), Michael Thomas (WR41 at No. 108 overall), Skyy Moore (WR46 at No. 128 overall), Quentin Johnston (WR47 at No. 131 overall), Elijah Moore (WR50 at No. 144 overall), Treylon Burks (WR52 at No. 151 overall), JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR54 at No. 158 overall), Courtland Sutton (WR55 at No. 168 overall), Nico Collins (WR57 at No. 172 overall) and Romeo Doubs (WR60 at No. 185 overall).
Based on their ADP, you can draft these guys as your No. 4 or 5 Fantasy receiver, but they all have the ability to be starters as early as Week 1 in three-receiver leagues. I love this range of receiver talent.
And it gets even better with guys like Dell, Ross and Nacua not even registering an ADP on CBS yet. But all three had positive moments in their preseason games to continue the buzz building during training camp.
In Houston, Dell has stood out in practice, and he had five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown on eight targets against New England. While all five receptions came from Davis Mills, I still love drafting Dell with a late-round pick in all leagues. He should be the second Texans receiver off the board after Collins.
We know the Chiefs have a wide-open receiving corps, and Moore is my favorite one going into the season with Kadarius Toney (knee) banged up. Still, it's worth investing in almost all of the Kansas City receivers with Rashee Rice, Richie James, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Ross. And Ross, who had two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown on five targets, might have the most upside of the group.
Nacua is fighting for the No. 3 receiver job in Los Angeles, and he's stood out in practice for the Rams. Against the Chargers, Nacua had three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown on five targets, and he's worth drafting with a late-round pick in all formats.
Tight ends
Here is what the top 12 tight ends look like as of Aug. 14:
1. Travis Kelce, KC (No. 7 overall)
2. Mark Andrews, BAL (No. 35 overall)
3. George Kittle, SF (No. 45 overall)
4. Dallas Goedert, PHI (No. 51 overall)
5. T.J. Hockenson, MIN (No. 56 overall)
6. Darren Waller, NYG (No. 63 overall)
7. Kyle Pitts, ATL (No. 68 overall)
8. Pat Freiermuth, PIT (No. 91 overall)
9. David Njoku, CLE (No. 97 overall)
10. Evan Engram, JAC (No. 100 overall)
11. Dalton Kincaid, BUF (No. 102 overall)
12. Taysom Hill, NO (No. 113 overall)
Last week, we saw Kittle being drafted as the No. 2 tight end, which was a mistake. He's my No. 7 tight end coming into the season, and the earliest I would draft him is Round 7. My favorite values here are Hockenson, Waller and Pitts, and I would be thrilled to draft either one based on their ADP.
I also love the value for Kincaid, who didn't have a target against the Colts, but he played all six snaps with the starters. Kincaid is worth drafting as a No. 1 Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
Hill doesn't belong as a top-12 tight end, and I'd rather have Juwan Johnson (TE15 at No. 132 overall) instead since he should be the top Saints tight end this year. I'd also prefer Dalton Schultz (TE13 at No. 122 overall) ahead of Hill as well.
Sam LaPorta (TE19 at No. 177 overall) is one of my favorite value picks at any position, and he should be a vital part of the Lions offense, especially for the first six weeks of the season while Jameson Williams (suspension) is out. LaPorta is a borderline No. 1 tight end for me.
I would draft him ahead of Greg Dulcich (TE14 at No. 130 overall), who might be the No. 2 tight end in Denver behind Adam Trautman. That doesn't mean Dulcich will be less productive than Trautman, but it might be hard to justify drafting Dulcich as a No. 1 Fantasy tight end if he's No. 2 on his own depth chart.
