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37 Lessons from Fantasy Football League-Winners

Posted on by PJ Moran

Every year, there are dozens of good picks in fantasy football drafts. That means over the last five years, there have been hundreds of good picks.

But how about game-changing, league-tilting, season-defining picks? By my count, there have been 38 of those picks since 2021.

(And I’m not counting early first-round picks in drafts. Yes, Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson could have swung your league last year, but only people with a Top 3 pick could have landed them.)

What were those picks? And what lessons can we learn from them? AKA, who’s most likely to replicate in 2026?

In order of likelihood of occurrence:

The Only Lesson to Occur Twice

  1. Lesson: “Take Any Real-Life Top 5 WR Outside the Top 5 Picks”

Cases: 2024 Ja’Marr Chase (ADP 6, WR4; Finish: WR1) / 2022 Justin Jefferson (ADP 7, WR2; Finish: WR1)

Best Guess for 2026: Justin Jefferson (ADP 12, WR6)

I don’t know anyone who denies that Justin Jefferson is a Top 5 wide receiver in the NFL. Last season, particularly the second half, was rough for fantasy purposes. But…JJ McCarthy. Otherwise, Jefferson has finished as the WR4, WR1, WR5 (by PPG), and WR2.

Runner-Up: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (ADP 7, WR3)

Individual Cases

  1. Lesson: “Take CMC Outside of the Top 5 Picks”

Case: 2025 Christian McCaffrey (ADP 7, RB4; Finish: RB1)

Best Guess for 2026: Christian McCaffrey (ADP 5, RB3)

The book is established on CMC: he only leads all players in fantasy scoring or screws teams over by October 1.

Runner-Up: N/A

  1. Lesson: “Take Derrick Henry in Round 2”

Case: 2024 Derrick Henry (ADP 17, RB8; Finish: RB2)

Best Guess for 2026: Derrick Henry (ADP 17, RB12)

For anyone who counters with Derrick Henry’s age of 32 or his lack of pass catching prowess, I encourage you to log off and look at Derrick Henry. If you want to talk stats, Henry has scored at least 19 PPG (Half PPR) 4 times over the last 7 seasons.

Runner-Up: N/A

  1. Lesson: “Josh Allen Can Outscore the Other QBs by Many PPG”

Case: 2023 Josh Allen (ADP 20, QB2; Finish: QB1)

Best Guess for 2026: Josh Allen (ADP 21, QB1)

Since 2020, Josh Allen has finished as the QB1, QB1, QB2, QB1, QB2, and QB1. In most of those QB1 years, including 2026, he has finished with 1.0 – 2.0 PPG above the next crop of QBs. Like I said atop this article…a good pick! But in 2023, when Allen finished with 2.3 more PPG than the QB2 and 4.8 more PPG than the QB5, that was a league-winning pick.

Runner-Up: N/A

Possible Deja Vu for Same Player

  1. Lesson: “Former Overall RB1s Can Do It Again”

Case: 2025 Jonathan Taylor (ADP 18, RB9; Finish: RB2)

Best Guess for 2026: Jonathan Taylor (ADP 6, RB4)

Jonathan Taylor rushed for over 3,000 yards combined over the last two seasons and is still only 27 years old, but I think people genuinely do forget that he’s responsible for one of the greatest RB seasons of all-time in 2021.

Runner-Up: Saquon Barkley (ADP 12, RB6)

  1. Lesson: “Good TE Who Plays 100% of Snaps in Pass-Heavy Offense”

Case: 2025 Trey McBride (ADP 28, TE2; Finish: TE1)

Best Guess for 2026: Trey McBride (ADP 26, TE2)

I know it’s the Arizona Cardinals, but it remains wild that McBride put up a season of 126/1239/11 and his ADP stayed flat.

Runner-Up: N/A

  1. Lesson: “QB Rushing is King”

Case: 2024 Lamar Jackson (ADP 37, QB4; Finish: QB1)

Best Guess for 2026: Lamar Jackson (ADP 39, QB2)

You do not receive many chances to buy low on Lamar Jackson. Even if Lamar rushes for closer to 700 yards than the 915 he had in 2024, that would make him a high-end QB.

Runner-Up: Jayden Daniels (ADP 62, QB6)

  1. Lesson: “Ringleader of the #1 Offense in the League”

Case: 2024 Joe Burrow (ADP 65, QB8; Finish: QB3)

Best Guess for 2026: Joe Burrow (ADP 53, QB4)

I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth here following the previous lesson, but QBs don’t NEED to be rushing types to crush in fantasy. 4500 passing yards and 40+ TDs will always be extremely valuable.

Runner-Up: Dak Prescott (ADP 80, QB9)

  1. Lesson: “QB Who Can Score 10+ TDs on the Ground”

Case: 2022 Jalen Hurts (ADP 60, QB7; Finish: QB3)

Best Guess for 2026: Jalen Hurts (ADP 62, QB5)

Tush Push or not, Philly has little reason to stop leaning on Hurts around the goal line. And at this ADP, his most affordable in years, the floor on Hurts remains so high.

Runner-Up: Trevor Lawrence (ADP 86, QB10)

  1. Lesson: “40 TDs = A Lot of Points!”

Case: 2024 Baker Mayfield (ADP 158, QB21; Finish: QB4)

Best Guess for 2026: Sam Darnold (ADP 155, QB20)

Baker had seasons of 26, 27, and 28 TDs before popping for 41, so it wasn’t COMPLETELY out of nowhere. Looking at Darnold, he’s thrown for 25 and 35 TDs over the last two seasons.  

Runner-Up: Baker Mayfield (ADP 145, QB18)

Near the Top of the Draft, Not Hard to Envision

  1. Lesson: “Stop Denying That This WR Is One of the Game’s Very Best”

Case: 2025 Puka Nacua (ADP 14, WR7; Finish: WR1)

Best Guess for 2026: Amon-Ra St. Brown (ADP 7, WR4)

It’s easy to forget after Puka put up his most dominant season yet in 2025, but he had his haters going into last year’s fantasy drafts – whether that was because of durability concerns, being a “Stafford merchant,” or something else. To a lesser extreme, it feels like people still ding Amon-Ra for being a low aDOT byproduct of the Lions’ offense. That is…dumb.

Runner-Up: George Pickens (ADP 24, WR10)

  1. Lesson: “There’s a Path Towards 180+ Targets”

Case: 2023 CeeDee Lamb (ADP 12, WR5; Finish: WR1)

Best Guess for 2026: Justin Jefferson (ADP 12, WR6)

This isn’t shortchanging CeeDee’s talent as the reason why he finished as the Overall WR1 in 2023, but having the 8th most single-season targets in a decade certainly helped! You have to look towards offenses without a reliable WR2: I’d say both Minnesota and Houston qualify for that.

Runner-Up: Nico Collins (ADP 23, WR9)

  1. Lesson: “Very Realistic Path to 300+ Carries Behind a Great OL ”

Case: 2021 Jonathan Taylor (ADP 10, RB8; Finish: RB1)

Best Guess for 2026: Saquon Barkley (ADP 12, RB6)

Jonathan Taylor would qualify again here, but let’s pivot to Saquon instead. Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson stuck around for another year, plus the Eagles made an upgrade at Offensive Coordinator. This one is so simple it’s boring: if Saquon stays healthy, he should rush for 1500+ yards behind that line.

Runner-Up: James Cook (ADP 9, RB5)

  1. Lesson: “Pay Attention When a Team Goes All-In for a Stud WR”

Case: 2022 Tyreek Hill (ADP 22, WR7; Finish: WR2)

Best Guess for 2026: AJ Brown (ADP 20, WR8)

AJ Brown and Tyreek Hill are nearly polar opposite profiles as alpha wide receivers, yet both are 1-of-1 types. And when a team gives up a first-rounder to drop him into a good offense as the lead dog…it could work!

Runner-Up: Jaylen Waddle (ADP 45, WR21)

  1. Lesson: “Biggest Cheat Code in Fantasy is a TE Who Scores Like a WR1”

Case: 2022 Travis Kelce (ADP 15, TE1; Finish: TE1)

Best Guess for 2026: Brock Bowers (ADP 22, TE1)

Travis Kelce in 2022 went for 110/1343/12, finishing as the TE1 by over 5 PPG. Not only that, he would have finished as the Overall WR5. It’s probably the single most boom-bust approach in fantasy football – see 2025 Brock Bowers for the “bust” case – but the upside is unparalleled.

Runner-Up: N/A

  1. Lesson: “WR1 Who Levels Up in New Offense”

Case: 2025 Jaxon Smith-Njigba (ADP 33, WR14; Finish: WR2)

Best Guess for 2026: DeVonta Smith (ADP 32, WR13)

It’s a bit scary how eerily similar the on-paper case is for DeVonta Smith to replicate JSN’s 2025. Both are elite college producers without eye-popping athleticism who had proven themselves as good NFL wideouts without receiving the chance to dominate target share. But then a jacked, problematic Ole Miss alum gets out of his way and…boom.

Runner-Up: Zay Flowers (ADP 37, WR15)

Near the Top of the Draft, Harder to Envision

  1. Lesson: “Could Run + Catch His Way to 20 Total TDs”

Case: 2021 Austin Ekeler (ADP 13, RB10; Finish: RB2)

Best Guess for 2026: Chase Brown (ADP 14, RB8)

Runner-Up: De’Von Achane (ADP 12, RB7)

  1. Lesson: “Explosive RB on New Team That Paid Him A Lot”

Case: 2024 Saquon Barkley (ADP 11, RB5; Finish: RB1)

Best Guess for 2026: Kenneth Walker (ADP 16, RB11)

Runner-Up: Travis Etienne (ADP 38, RB17)

  1. Lesson: “Year 2 RB Ready to Score 20 TDs”

Case: 2024 Jahmyr Gibbs (ADP 12, RB6; Finish: RB2)

Best Guess for 2026: Ashton Jeanty (ADP 16, RB10)

Runner-Up: Omarion Hampton (ADP 16, RB9)

  1. Lesson: “You Haven’t Seen the REAL Breakout Yet”

Case: 2023 Amon-Ra St. Brown (ADP 18, WR10; Finish: WR3)

Best Guess for 2026: Chris Olave (ADP 27, WR11)

Runner-Up: Drake London (ADP 20, WR7)

  1. Lesson: “Don’t Underreact to the Big Rookie Year WR”

Case: 2021 Justin Jefferson (ADP 25, WR7; Finish: WR4)

Best Guess for 2026: Malik Nabers* (ADP 28, WR12)

Runner-Up: Emeka Egbuka (ADP 43, WR19)

  1. Lesson: “1A/1B WR Becomes Clear Top Option on Loaded Offense”

Case: 2021 Cooper Kupp (ADP 45, WR17; Finish: WR1)

Best Guess for 2026: Ladd McConkey (ADP 41, WR18)

Runner-Up: Luther Burden (ADP 54, WR23)

Middle Round Targets

  1. Lesson: “If a Young TE Has Flashed Elite Upside, You’ve Seen Enough”

Case: 2021 Mark Andrews (ADP 52, TE5; Finish: TE1)

Best Guess for 2026: Colston Loveland (ADP 41, TE3)

Runner-Up: Tyler Warren (ADP 50, TE4)

  1. Lesson: “Out of Nowhere Rushing Title from High-Pedigree RB”

Case: 2022 Josh Jacobs (ADP 50, RB22; Finish: RB3)

Best Guess for 2026: Quinshon Judkins (ADP 46, RB20)

Runner-Up: D’Andre Swift (ADP 44, RB19)

  1. Lesson: “WR Who’s Over 30 But Still Dominant When He Plays”

Case: 2023 Keenan Allen (ADP 43, WR19; Finish: WR8)

Best Guess for 2026: Davante Adams (ADP 57, WR25)

Runner-Up: Mike Evans (ADP 68, WR29)

  1. Lesson: “Shut Up About Efficiency, Some TEs are Built Different”

Case: 2024 George Kittle (ADP 60, TE6; Finish: TE2)

Best Guess for 2026: Tucker Kraft (ADP 66, TE5)

Runner-Up: N/A

  1. Lesson: “TE Who Could Catch 100+ Receptions in a Bad Offense”

Case: 2024 Brock Bowers (ADP 98, TE11; Finish: TE1)

Best Guess for 2026: Harold Fannin (ADP 70, TE6)

Runner-Up: Kyle Pitts (ADP 75, TE8)

  1. Lesson: “Swiss-Army-Knife Takes on Bigger Role in Offense”

Case: 2021 Deebo Samuel (ADP 87, WR34; Finish: WR2)

Best Guess for 2026: Parker Washington (ADP 69, WR30)

Runner-Up: Rashid Shaheed (ADP 149, WR54)

  1. Lesson: “20 TD Potential in Big Offense if RB Split Goes His Way”

Case: 2023 Raheem Mostert (ADP 119, RB39; Finish: RB2)

Best Guess for 2026: Kyle Monangai (ADP 98, RB37)

Runner-Up: Chris Rodriguez (ADP 147, RB45)

  1. Lesson: “Ignore the Offseason and Stay Patient with Blue-Chip Rookies”

Case: 2021 Ja’Marr Chase (ADP 74, WR28; Finish: WR5)

Best Guess for 2026: Jordyn Tyson (ADP 116, WR47)

Runner-Up: Carnell Tate (ADP 77, WR32)

Late Round QBs

  1. Lesson: “Never Too Young to Run for 800+ Yards”

Case: 2024 Jayden Daniels (ADP 99, QB12; Finish: QB5)

Best Guess for 2026: Malik Willis (ADP 160, QB21)

Runner-Up: N/A

  1. Lesson: “Year 2 QB Leap, Sneaky Rushing”

Case: 2025 Drake Maye (ADP 120, QB16; Finish: QB2)

Best Guess for 2026: Tyler Shough (ADP 171, QB23)

Runner-Up: Jaxson Dart (ADP 97, QB11)

  1. Lesson: “Bounceback Year Following Bad Offseason”

Case: 2025 Matthew Stafford (ADP 175, QB25; Finish: QB3)

Best Guess for 2026: CJ Stroud (ADP 171, QB24)

Runner-Up: Daniel Jones (ADP 184, QB28)

Last Round Dart Throws

  1. Lesson: “Young, Athletic TE Who Can Score 10 TDs”

Case: 2023 Sam LaPorta (ADP 166, TE17; Finish: TE1)

Best Guess for 2026: Terrance Ferguson (ADP 184, TE22)

Runner-Up: N/A

  1. Lesson: “Size/Speed Freak WR Who Pops in a Surprising Offense”

Case: 2023 Nico Collins (ADP 162, WR57; Finish: WR9)

Best Guess for 2026: Adonai Mitchell (ADP 218, WR79)

Runner-Up: Chris Bell (ADP 212, WR77)

Waiver Wire Miracles

  1. Lesson: “What if He’s the New RB1 on His Team by October?”

Case: 2023 Kyren Williams (ADP 196, RB70; Finish: RB6)

Best Guess for 2026: Sean Tucker (ADP 247, RB70)

Runner-Up: Najee Harris (ADP 200, RB71)

  1. Lesson: “One Vet Injury/Decline Away from Undrafted to Star”

Case: 2023 Puka Nacua (ADP 273, WR87; Finish: WR4)

Best Guess for 2026: Ryan Flournoy (ADP 234, WR84)

Runner-Up: Pat Bryant (ADP 234, WR83)

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NFL, Read

2025 NFL Draft – Top 30 Big Board

Posted on by PJ Moran

  1. Will Campbell, OT, LSU

Tweet-Length Summary: Former 5-star with 3 years of battles under his belt starting in the SEC. The arm length, sure. But also 6’6, 320lbs, plus an excellent athlete. Hands are so good, crazy grip strength, naturally executes different techniques, and no doubt he’s nasty enough. This is a blue-chip.

Pro Comp: Range at OT…Jordan Gross to Joe Thomas / Range at OG…Brandon Scherff to Zack Martin

  1. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Tweet-Length Summary: 2024 stats say enough about Jeanty’s special running talents. Where he deserves MORE credit: laughably good in 2023 too; he’s a fantastic receiver. Jeanty isn’t a freak like Herschel Walker or Adrian Peterson but in same Tier 1 as a RB with wizardry like Sanders/Faulk/Tomlinson.

Pro Comp: Emmitt Smith

  1. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

Tweet-Length Summary: After endless discourse I still 1) prefer Hunter at CB > WR 2) don’t buy full snap counts on both sides in NFL. And yet he ranks here. Could’ve been my WR1, but instead I’ll boast that he’s a supremely smart CB with obviously good ball skills who moves like very few others.

Pro Comp: Derek Stingley Jr x Jameson Williams (as primary WR, I buy the Garrett Wilson comp)

  1. Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

Tweet-Length Summary: Tenacious with absurd twitch plus remarkably high energy. Wins around corner with bend and speed, draws penalties, IOL don’t have a chance to stick with him. Bit small for EDGE and not the most dominant down-to-down player, but Carter will make at least one big play every game.

Pro Comp: Clay Matthews III

  1. Josh Conerly Jr, OT, Oregon

Tweet-Length Summary: Like another Duck in Christian Gonzalez in 2023, I’m pretty confident everyone is getting it wrong with Conerly. He’s probably going Round 1, but he’s a lottery pick talent. Former 5-star, great frame, excellent mover, on-field arrow pointing straight up. “My guy” in this class.

Pro Comp: Jammal Brown

  1. Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M

Tweet-Length Summary: All-time athlete for DL, immediately clear ON TAPE that Stewart has the full toolkit. Skilled and powerful, sudden, quick hands, no question about effort. Ascendant 3-down player, slimmed down for Senior Bowl to show ceiling. Don’t conflate college sack total with production.

Pro Comp: Cameron Jordan

  1. Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Tweet-Length Summary: Ward is an experienced gambler who bets right more than wrong. Has a freaking whip of an arm, no throw is off the table given his skills. Strong and rugged. Will force some impossible throws and needs better consistency, but this is a natural-born QB. Round 1 pick in ANY draft.

Pro Comp: Steve McNair (Floor: Ryan Fitzpatrick)

  1. Nick Emmanwori, SAF, South Carolina

Tweet-Length Summary: After one of best Combines of all time, no hyperbole, I expected Emmanwori’s tape to be a mixed bag. Not the case. He’s a weapon in disguised coverages who can drop in an instant. Pure safety through and through despite looking like a linebacker. Smart, can hit, can cover. Buy in.

Pro Comp: Adrian Wilson

  1. Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

Tweet-Length Summary: For such a heavily debated prospect, Graham’s game is simple IMO. More stout and skilled than fast and twitchy. More of an every down nuisance than a game wrecker. Very heavy anchor, quick hands, savvy, crazy hot motor. Always finishing plays, every team would be lucky to have him.

Pro Comp: Christian Wilkins

  1. Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

Tweet-Length Summary: Johnson is composed, loose-hipped, and has great eyes with everything in front of him. Playmaker, extremely adept at passing off coverage assignments. Not that quick or fast and will compensate with grabbing. “Lose battles, win the war” type of CB, very high ceiling in right scheme.

Pro Comp: Aqib Talib

  1.  Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

Tweet-Length Summary: Feisty and obviously smart, Barron’s 2024 tape is as good as anybody’s in this class. Holds his own as outside CB. Teams were done throwing at him by the CFP. There are gripes: not tightest man coverage, could attack ball better, iffy tackling form. But he’s a baller who’s always in right place.

Pro Comp: Byron Murphy

  1. Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

Tweet-Length Summary: Golden is SO sudden with very quick feet. Has ball skills, can go up and high point it. Actually a decent blocker for his frame. He will let balls too into his body, releases still lack nuance, and 4.29 40 speed doesn’t totally show on tape. He’s a raw but tantalizing talent.

Pro Comp: Derrick Mason

  1. Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

Tweet-Length Summary: Athletic and fearless receiver, talented and powerful blocker. Huge catch radius, made some absurd grabs. Lacks special game speed, some teams were able to corral him (Ohio State). Right now I’d call Warren a GOOD blocker with GOOD hands. But there’s room for him to grow too.

Pro Comp: Kyle Rudolph

  1. Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

Tweet-Length Summary: Membou is extremely explosive with composed feet in pass protection. Immediately clear he’s a zone blocking weapon. Lot to work on: can find him looking where to go, vulnerable to inside pass rush, not consistently sticky with hands. Improved as season went on.

Pro Comp: Taylor Moton

  1. Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

Tweet-Length Summary: Don’t think Simmons is an amazing athlete but his movement is very fluid and controlled. Good in space and can definitely move people. Definitely skill > technique right now, needs to develop with his hands. Has injury and attitude question marks, but if right he’s a no doubt NFL OT.

Pro Comp: Laremy Tunsil

  1. Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

Tweet-Length Summary: Harmon is a pressure machine. Disruptive pass rusher who fires out of stance with strong and quick hands. Not a very good down-to-down run defender, nor is he as versatile as Oregon used him. Clearly best at 4-tech so maybe not for everyone, but easy first-rounder in right scheme.

Pro Comp: Christian Barmore

  1. Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

Tweet-Length Summary: Loveland is young (just turned 21) so he has more to learn, but he plays at full speed. Good at being QB friendly. Even if not the most technically sound blocker, he’s a scrapper. Not sure he has NFL level strength advantage at top of routes. 2024 stats mean nothing, QB was terrible.

Pro Comp: TJ Hockenson

  1. Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

Tweet-Length Summary: Loves tackling and hits like he’s made of bricks. Advanced pass rusher, especially out of full time position. Stays active throughout full rep. Walker isn’t the freakish hybrid LB we’ve come to expect in recent years. Clear why UGA played him at LB, SHOULD play EDGE but very short.

Pro Comp: Melvin Ingram

  1. Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Tweet-Length Summary: Milroe is just a phenomenal runner. Arm is fine! Nice deep touch, has enough anticipation. Ball placement isn’t special but good enough putting ball on guys; he hits his layups. Yes, questionable surveying field, needs to improve diagnosing things in front of him. But I like him.

Pro Comp: Vince Young

  1. James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee

Tweet-Length Summary: Good speed, packs some punch despite weight. Length = many easy pressures. Definitely has some twitch and hand quickness. Multiple perfect snap timing jumps on film. Engages in too much contact for his frame and isn’t very good countering. Can get totally manhandled vs the run.

Pro Comp: Randy Gregory

  1. Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas

Tweet-Length Summary: Banks is a likable watch, enthusiastic and plays hard. Good athlete but not a freak or anything. Fires out of his stance, fluid movement. Despite 3 years of starting experience, still a work in progress. Feet aren’t synced up enough, iffy balance/control. Could be better at OG.

Pro Comp: Laken Tomlinson

  1. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Tweet-Length Summary: Smart QB, strong decision maker with very good internal clock. Pre-snap recognition is there, anticipatory, adapts quickly after mistakes. Good touch, can stick it on his WRs. But his arm is otherwise mediocre. Doesn’t offer much with legs, not even play extension. Floor is LOW.

Pro Comp: Jimmy Garoppolo

  1. Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

Tweet-Length Summary: Mammoth DT who will appeal to teams as young, durable, and capable vs run and pass. Grant has superpower of getting his hands up for PBUs. Don’t think he’s a specimen despite size. Pretty slow off the snap, not necessarily easy power. Looked nothing like first-rounder at times.

Pro Comp: Jordan Phillips

  1. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

Tweet-Length Summary: McMillan is a fluid mover for his 6’4 size. Really good at catching the ball in stride and can deceptively change gears. Despite highlights, hands actually don’t seem all that great. Definitely slow off the LOS, maybe just flat out NFL slow. Blocking is shaky at best. X-only WR.

Pro Comp: Plaxico Burress

  1. Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

Tweet-Length Summary: Let’s start low with Williams. Doesn’t play with  most juice, doesn’t go through blockers like you’d want. His hands in pass rush aren’t there yet, and he’s not even a disruptive rusher schemed vs IOL. But he’s 20 with tree trunk arms and enticing flashes at UGA. He’s going high.

Pro Comp: Preston Smith

  1. Luther Burden, WR, Missouri

Tweet-Length Summary: Burden is an easy book to judge by its cover. Former 5-star, looked like a star on good 2023 offense, looked bored on worse 2024 offense. Doesn’t do enough to help QB, needs way better understanding of route nuance. Bad blocker. Don’t love game speed. But…some elite ability, so maybe all moot.

Pro Comp: DJ Moore

  1. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

Tweet-Length Summary: Campbell is a reliable gap filler vs the run and firmly above average for a LB prospect in man coverage. Overall rock solid tackler. Being a 6’3 LB can be a disadvantage IMO and he’s not at all suited for EDGE despite that hype. But still 21, will keep getting sharper with reps.

Pro Comp: De’Vondre Campbell

  1. Malaki Starks, DB, Georgia

Tweet-Length Summary: Starks was the hardest evaluation for me in this whole class. His length and frame are a real plus in coverage, and he’s SMOOTH flipping his hips and running. But I just don’t believe in his tape + tools in a few areas: deep safety, press slot coverage, blitzing. He might be a CB!

Pro Comp(s): Rasul Douglas

  1. Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

Tweet-Length Summary: Nolen has good bend and lateral movement for 300 pounds. Can explode out of stance. Like his effort. He plays undersized though, loses pad level too much for subpar height. Rarely stacks his blockers. Go-to pass rush move is just pushing with legs driving. Purely a 3-tech.

Pro Comp: Kobie Turner

  1. Donovan Jackson, OT/OG, Ohio State

Tweet-Length Summary: Rare true hybrid, Jackson cemented his status as an Ohio State legend by playing LT well. Tough, durable, even was involved in setting protections. As a prospect, he’s a great run blocker who’s long and strong. Changing direction isn’t easy for him so his ceiling is capped.

Pro Comp: Jermaine Eluemunor

0
MLB, Read

The Win/Loss Project

Posted on by PJ Moran

The MVP decisions in baseball this season will inevitably go down as some of the least dramatic in the history of the sport: Aaron Judge will win in the American League and Shohei Ohtani will win in the National League. 

And yet, while Ohtani has been the NL’s frontrunner for months now, his coronation wasn’t such a sure thing a few weeks ago. Francisco Lindor kept the race alive with his excellent and often clutch two-way play leading the Mets’ late charge into the playoff picture. Ohtani shut the door on debate with his otherworldly September, but not early enough for me – and likely others – to ask the question: can we quantify Lindor’s impact on Mets wins compared to Ohtani’s impact on Dodgers wins?

It’s not only a fair proposition with Ohtani being a full-time DH in 2024 compared to Lindor being a shortstop (and an elite one); it’s also a mostly fair question to pose on the basis of the Dodgers not exactly needing Ohtani heading into this season. They have Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez and Will Smith in the lineup too, and they had made the playoffs in 11 consecutive seasons with NL West titles in 10 of them. The Mets, on the other hand, have only made the playoffs twice since 2015, and they didn’t escape the Wild Card Round in either of those years. And while they have several above-average offensive players, Lindor is basically lapping his next-closest teammates in overall value on the season.

That note on player value brings us to WAR (Wins Above Replacement), which I have zero intent of dissing in this exercise. WAR, simply put, is one of the greatest statistical advancements in MLB’s long history. It does an excellent job of encapsulating one player’s total and well-rounded worth to his team’s win/loss record compared to the average Triple-A player they could call up in his place. Award voting in baseball still has its blemishes, but WAR has led the charge away from the days of MVP travesties like Justin Morneau over Derek Jeter or Juan Gonzalez over Alex Rodriguez because the winning players drove in more runs.

And yet, it does feel like we’ve entered a realm where the pendulum has swung too far and WAR is now the end-all-be-all stat for MVP discourse. Like I’ve established, it’s a great stat, but there is admittedly something lame about a baseball stat that you can’t visualize on the field itself. Also, it’s definitely weird that WAR is defined differently, and not minor differences in some cases, by its two sources: Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. Add in the consideration that advanced defensive stats, albeit improving yet still murky at best, are a key component of WAR, and it’s not hard to understand why it would be nice to have an alternate counter for player wins.

That brings us to WPA (Win Probability Added), another imperceivable yet valuable and easy to understand stat: how much – by fractions of 100% – did a player’s directly responsible plays add or detract from his team’s mathematical odds of winning that game? Cumulative WPA is a solid stat and does receive some attention from voters during awards season, but I chose to instead investigate WPA on a game-by-game basis. Because, at the end of the day, baseball is unique in its 162-game season that still always comes down to 1 or 2 games for many teams on either the right or wrong side of the postseason bracket. 

Also, I do think it’s fun that MLB currently faces somewhat of an inverse groupthink situation compared to other sports, including football at both the professional and college levels. In those sports, to much public outcry, the MVP/Heisman is usually handed to the quarterback on the best team regardless if he was actually the “best” player in the sport. Meanwhile, largely due to WAR in baseball, MVPs are usually given to the most dominant player across all innings regardless of his circumstances. There is practically nonexistent distinction for whether WAR-generating plays occurred in the 1st vs 9th innings or in back-and-forth vs blowout contests. Moments should matter though, and – aside from usually rewarding a player from a playoff team – we have lost sight of that in recent years.

Without further ado, the Win/Loss Project aims to give “wins” to ANY player – not just a pitcher like in standard baseball scorekeeping – with the most WPA in a team win. “Losses,” therefore, are handed to ANY player with the most reduced WPA in a team loss.

Below are the standings for each of MLB’s 12 playoff teams for the 2024 season (with bonus inclusion for the on-the-bubble Arizona Diamondbacks eliminated on the final Monday of the regular season). You’ll find individual “wins” as its own category, especially worthwhile for anyone like myself who has not thought about pitcher wins in at least a decade. More significantly, however, should be the “win/loss differential” statistic; in its ideal and intended use case, you can stack that number directly against WAR to measure individual player value in a different way. (Example, Aaron Judge is an 11 WAR player and a 9 WPA W/L player.)

NEW YORK YANKEES (94-68)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Aaron Judge: 12
  2. Carlos Rodon: 9
  3. Juan Soto: 8
  4. Nestor Cortes: 8
  5. Luis Gil: 7

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Aaron Judge: +9
  2. Juan Soto: +7
  3. Ian Hamilton: +4
  4. Luis Gil: +3
  5. Alex Verdugo: +3
  6. Austin Wells: +3

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Marcus Stroman: -2
  • Tommy Kahnle: -2
  • Anthony Rizzo: -2
  • Caleb Ferguson: -2
  • Victor Gonzalez: -2
  • Will Warren: -3
  • Clay Holmes: -5

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS (92-69)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Jose Ramirez: 10
  2. David Fry: 8
  3. Josh Naylor: 8
  4. Tanner Bibee: 7
  5. Andres Gimenez: 6
  6. Emmanuel Clase: 6
  7. Jhonkensy Noel: 6

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. David Fry: +8
  2. Jose Ramirez: +7
  3. Josh Naylor: +6
  4. Emmanuel Clase: +6
  5. Jhonkensy Noel: +6

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Logan Allen: -3
  • Xzavion Curry: -3
  • Gavin Williams: -4
  • Scott Barlow: -4
  • Nick Sandlin: -5
  • Carlos Carrasco: -7

HOUSTON ASTROS (88-73)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Framber Valdez: 12
  2. Hunter Brown: 11
  3. Ronel Blanco: 9
  4. Yordan Alvarez: 8
  5. Alex Bregman: 7

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Framber Valdez: +9
  2. Hunter Brown: +5
  3. Ronel Blanco: +5
  4. Yordan Alvarez: +5
  5. Alex Bregman: +5

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Justin Verlander: -2
  • Kyle Tucker: -2
  • JP France: -2
  • Rafael Montero: -2
  • Tayler Scott: -3
  • Ryan Pressly: -3
  • Spencer Arrighetti: -4
  • Bryan Abreu: -4

BALTIMORE ORIOLES (91-71)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Anthony Santander: 10
  2. Gunnar Henderson: 7
  3. Albert Suarez: 7
  4. Ryan Mountcastle: 6
  5. Cole Irvin: 6

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Anthony Santander: +7
  2. Gunnar Henderson: +6
  3. Adley Rutschman: +4
  4. Cedric Mullins: +4
  5. Ryan Mountcastle: +3
  6. Heston Kjerstad: +3
  7. Zach Eflin: +3
  8. Ryan O’Hearn: +3

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Yennier Cano: -2
  • Cionel Perez: -2
  • Tyler Wells: -2
  • Trevor Rogers: -2
  • Cade Povich: -3
  • Keegan Akin: -4
  • Dean Kremer: -5
  • Craig Kimbrel: -5

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (86-76)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Seth Lugo: 11
  2. Bobby Witt Jr: 9
  3. Sal Perez: 8
  4. Brady Singer: 8
  5. Michael Wacha: 7
  6. Cole Ragans: 7

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Bobby Witt Jr: +8
  2. Seth Lugo: +6
  3. Sal Perez: +4
  4. Michael Wacha: +4
  5. Adam Frazier: +4

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Alec Marsh: -3
  • Sam Long: -3
  • Will Smith: -3
  • Angel Zerpa: -3
  • Chris Stratton: -4
  • James McArthur: -6

DETROIT TIGERS (86-76)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Tarik Skubal: 13
  2. Wenceel Perez: 6
  3. Colt Keith: 6
  4. Riley Greene: 4
  5. Matt Vierling: 4
  6. Beau Brieske: 4
  7. Keider Montero: 4

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Tarik Skubal: +11
  2. Wenceel Perez: +5
  3. Colt Keith: +4
  4. Matt Vierling: +3
  5. Andy Ibanez: +3

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Reese Olson: -2
  • Will Vest: -2
  • Joey Wentz: -2
  • Andrew Chafin: -3
  • Alex Faedo: -4
  • Shelby Miller: -5
  • Kenta Maeda: -6

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (98-64)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Shohei Ohtani: 11
  2. Teoscar Hernandez: 10
  3. Gavin Stone: 7
  4. Will Smith: 7
  5. Freddie Freeman: 5
  6. James Paxton: 5
  7. Max Muncy: 5
  8. Mookie Betts: 5
  9. Tyler Glasnow: 5
  10. Kike Hernandez: 5

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Shohei Ohtani: +10
  2. Teoscar Hernandez: +8
  3. Will Smith: +6
  4. Freddie Freeman: +4
  5. Max Muncy: +4
  6. Kike Hernandez: +4

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Walker Buehler: -3
  • Daniel Hudson: -3
  • Michael Grove: -3
  • Yohan Ramirez: -3
  • Bobby Miller: -4

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (95-67)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Zack Wheeler: 11
  2. Ranger Suarez: 9
  3. Aaron Nola: 7
  4. Christopher Sanchez: 7
  5. Alec Bohm: 7

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Zack Wheeler: +7
  2. Alec Bohm: +7
  3. Kyle Schwarber: +5
  4. Christopher Sanchez: +4
  5. Ranger Suarez: +3
  6. Nick Castellanos: +3

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Seranthony Dominguez: -1
  • Connor Brogdon: -1
  • Jose Ruiz: -1
  • Johan Rojas: -1
  • Seth Johnson: -1
  • Michael Mercado: -2
  • Jeff Hoffman: -3
  • Taijuan Walker : -6

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (93-69)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Willy Adames: 9
  2. William Contreras: 8
  3. Rhys Hoskins: 8
  4. Jackson Chourio: 7
  5. Tobias Myers: 7

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. William Contreras: +6
  2. Jackson Chourio: +6
  3. Tobias Myers: +6
  4. Rhys Hoskins: +5
  5. Willy Adames: +3
  6. Christian Yelich: +3
  7. Blake Perkins: +3
  8. Sal Frelick: +3

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Joe Ross: -2
  • Joel Payamps: -2
  • Carlos Rodriguez: -2
  • Brice Turang: -3
  • Hoby Milner: -4
  • Elvis Peguero: -6

SAN DIEGO PADRES (93-69)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Dylan Cease: 12
  2. Michael King: 10
  3. Jurickson Profar: 8
  4. Jackson Merrill: 8
  5. Jake Cronenworth: 7

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Dylan Cease: +7
  2. Jackson Merrill: +7
  3. Jurickson Profar: +6
  4. Jake Cronenworth: +4
  5. Michael King: +3
  6. Fernando Tatis Jr: +3
  7. Kyle Higashioka: +3

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Matt Waldron: -2
  • Randy Vasquez: -2
  • Jhony Brito: -2
  • Stephen Kolek : -2
  • Yuki Matsui: -2
  • Adam Mazur: -2
  • Enyel De Los Santos: -3
  • Wandy Peralta : -3

ATLANTA BRAVES (89-73)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Chris Sale: 10
  2. Reynaldo Lopez: 8
  3. Max Fried: 8
  4. Spencer Schwellenbach: 7
  5. Charlie Morton: 6
  6. Matt Olson: 6

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Chris Sale: +8
  2. Reynaldo Lopez: +6
  3. Jarred Kelenic: +5
  4. Max Fried: +4
  5. Raisel Iglesias: +4
  6. Travis d’Arnaud: +4

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Pierce Johnson: -2
  • Bryce Elder: -2
  • Grant Holmes: -2
  • Whit Merrifield: -2
  • Aaron Bummer: -2
  • Allan Winans: -2
  • Jesse Chavez: -2
  • Hurston Waldrep: -2
  • Joe Jimenez: -3

NEW YORK METS (89-73)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Francisco Lindor: 9
  2. Luis Severino: 8
  3. JD Martinez: 6
  4. Jose Quintana: 6
  5. Brandon Nimmo: 6

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Francisco Lindor: +7
  2. JD Martinez: +6
  3. Brandon Nimmo: +6
  4. Jeff McNeil: +4
  5. Pete Alonso: +4
  6. Francisco Alvarez: +4

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Huascar Brazoban: -2
  • Jake Diekman: -2
  • Jorge Lopez: -2
  • Michael Tonkin: -2
  • Reed Garrett: -3
  • Christian Scott : -3
  • Edwin Diaz: -5
  • Adrian Houser: -6

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (89-73)

TOP 5, WINS

  1. Zac Gallen: 10
  2. Christian Walker: 7
  3. Brandon Pfaadt: 6
  4. Eugenio Suarez: 6
  5. Ketel Marte: 6

TOP 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  1. Christian Walker: +6
  2. Zac Gallen: +5
  3. Ketel Marte: +5
  4. Corbin Carroll: +3
  5. Joc Pederson: +3
  6. Randal Grichuk: +3
  7. Adrian Del Castillo: +3
  8. Gabriel Moreno: +3

BOTTOM 5, WIN/LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

  • Ryan Thompson: -2
  • Tommy Henry: -2
  • Bryce Jarvis: -2
  • Jordan Montgomery: -3
  • Justin Martinez: -4
  • Slade Cecconi: -5

For kicks, here’s how I would vote for the four major awards:

AL MVP

  1. Aaron Judge
  2. Bobby Witt Jr
  3. Tarik Skubal

NL MVP

  1. Shohei Ohtani
  2. Francisco Lindor
  3. Teoscar Hernandez

AL Cy Young

  1. Tarik Skubal
  2. Framber Valdez
  3. Seth Lugo

NL Cy Young

  1. Chris Sale
  2. Zack Wheeler
  3. Dylan Cease

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NFL, Read

Is Josh Allen the new Travis Kelce of fantasy football? Not exactly…but kinda?!

Posted on by PJ Moran

From 2018 to 2022, Travis Kelce had one of the more uniquely dominant five-season stretches in fantasy football history. Kelce scored 1,440 PPR fantasy points across those five seasons; the second highest scoring tight end during that span, George Kittle, scored 1,005 total PPR points. That gap between Kelce and Kittle is larger than the gap between Kittle and the TE12 over that time (Mike Gesicki). On an annual basis, Kelce finished as the TE1, TE1, TE1, TE2, and TE1, respectively, among tight ends from 2018 to 2022.

With hindsight being 20/20, Kelce was worth a first-round pick in fantasy drafts heading into each of those seasons. There was no better edge than having Kelce on your roster putting up the numbers of a WR1 when your league-mates limped to 7 points per game out of their tight ends. The fantasy football collective gets a pass for not identifying Kelce’s first-round value heading into 2018, his true breakout season into fantasy superstardom; his ADP was 28th overall that year. His overall ADP (slightly) crept up over the next few years:

2019: 17

2020: 18

2021: 12

2022: 14

With the limited exception from 2021 following Kelce’s outrageous 105/1416/11 season in 2020, most drafters missed out on golden years from Kelce because they were too afraid to allocate their first picks to a tight end – even the most bankable tight end we’ve ever seen in fantasy football in his prime.

And now, only a couple of years later, it seems like something similar might be happening with another of the NFL’s biggest stars. Josh Allen has been the top fantasy quarterback since 2020 almost any way you slice it. Patrick Mahomes has done an admirable job keeping the QB1 race (somewhat) close, but he’s also masking the total dominance of Allen over every other QB. The 2020-2023 cumulative gap between Allen and the QB3 during that stretch (Justin Herbert) is larger than the gap between Herbert and the QB15 (Matt Stafford). Annually, Allen has finished as the QB1, QB1, QB2, and QB1 over the last four seasons. On the most surface level, it’s similar positional supremacy to Kelce at his peak.

This begs the question: should Josh Allen be in line for the first-round treatment that Travis Kelce deserved but only occasionally received from 2018-2022? Going off early indicators for 2024 drafts, it’s an even more controversial proposition for Allen than it ever was for Kelce; Allen’s current ADP average is 22nd overall! 

The arguments against taking a QB highly in drafts, let alone with a top pick, are well-documented: you only start one of them in standard formats, there are multiple elite options at the position (Mahomes, Jalen Hurts), etc. Mainly though, fantasy football is a game of trying to outwit the opposition at as many positions as possible rather than trying to accumulate the most points, which quarterbacks do best. Managers are looking for a game-breaker with their first-round pick, and unless there was a surefire 2010 Michael Vick or 2018 Lamar Jackson season heading into drafts, in theory it tracks to target a skill player.

To what end, though? If Josh Allen is performing that much ahead of other players at his position, when does it make sense to pull the trigger on him? Might we be getting this totally wrong?!

Let’s take names out of the equation for a moment and look at the basics for Top 10 finishers at primary fantasy positions over the last four years.

 QBRBWRTE
# of Top 10 annual finishers over 4 years24292624
# of Top 10 finishers in 4 of 4 years2 (Allen, Mahomes)02 (Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs)2 (Kelce, Mark Andrews)
# of Top 10 finishers in 3 of 4 years3 (+ Jalen Hurts)1 (Derrick Henry)4 (+ Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams)3 (+ George Kittle)
Standard Deviation, Top 10 Range1.19 – 3.112.30 – 3.181.91 – 2.341.65 – 3.00
Standard Deviation, Top 10 Four-Year Average1.962.712.342.43

·   Top 10 finishers by total points, THEN sorted by PPG (Half-PPR). Availability matters!

·   I am using 2019-2022 in this analysis for tight ends to mirror Travis Kelce’s four-year curve. For standard deviation measurements, the time frame remains 2018-2022.

So, what does this begin to tell us? First, do not draft Josh Allen before anyone who you legitimately believe might end the season as the overall RB1. Premier running backs will always offer the highest ceiling among players on the board in fantasy football. Especially at the very top of drafts with the Christian McCaffrey’s of the world available, the reward is likely worth the risk. (The RB cliff is STEEP though, and the bottom can just fall out for ANY running back.)

After that confirmation of elite RB value, a top observation is that QBs are, on average, the flattest position among Top 10 performers – something that, in theory, doesn’t bode well for the prospects of Josh Allen as a top fantasy pick. That said, the gap isn’t all that wide; in fact, it’s interesting to see that Top 10 WRs are positionally placed exactly between RBs and QBs in terms of four-year average variance when wideouts are much more frequently correlated with RBs than QBs. Also, while the flattest single season for one position in this span belonged to QBs – every Top 10 QB in 2020 averaged at least 21.9 PPG – the second HIGHEST variance season among all fantasy positions in this span also belonged to QBs! And if you believe in patterns, then you should note that QB has been MUCH more of a boom-or-bust position in the last two seasons than it was from 2020-2021. Just last season, Josh Allen outscored the QB10 (Baker Mayfield) by a whopping 7.5 PPG. To put that in perspective, that would be equivalent to the team with Mayfield having an extra roster spot with Dallas Goedert in it.

To start to culminate this exercise, let’s bring names back into the equation. In addition to Allen and Kelce, it’s great that we have consistent Top 10 data across all four years from Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs, too.

To reach the below percentages:

1.      For each season individually, I took that player’s PPG and subtracted it from the 3rd ranking player’s PPG. For example, in 2023 I took Josh Allen’s 24.2 PPG and subtracted Lamar Jackson’s 21.1 PPG from it.

2.      Whatever the difference – which could be positive, negative, or zero – I divided that by the standard deviation across the Top 10 in that particular season. Sticking with the above example, I divided 3.1 (QB1-QB3) by 2.27 (STDDEV) to reach 1.36, or 136%.

3.      I repeated the same for all four seasons in the span – five in the case of Kelce and tight ends – then also repeated against the 5th and 10th ranking players’ PPGs.

4.      I averaged out the percentages over the spans.

2020-2023 (QB/WR)
2018-2022 (TE)		AllenHillDiggsKelce
vs QB3/WR3/TE390%15%-97%130%
vs QB5/WR5/TE5172%106%-20%199%
vs QB10/WR10/TE10293%192%80%299%

These results are more of the eye-of-the-beholder type. Personally, however, I cannot ignore Tyreek Hill’s percentages here – which are indicative of the alpha fantasy wideout. Beyond being over 100% more bankable than the typical WR5 overall on a season and nearly 200% over the typical WR10, don’t sleep on how ridiculously impressive it is that Hill performed ON AVERAGE above the typical WR3 overall even when accounting for fluctuation across other performers at the position. When you look back to the first table and remember that WRs have, by far, the thinnest range of year-over-year outcomes compared to the other positions – plus the obvious consideration that most fantasy leagues require 3+ WRs in starting lineups now – it becomes harder and harder to build a good argument for taking Josh Allen over wideouts with a realistic shot at finishing as the overall WR1 – WR3 on the season.

Then things get interesting, though. For a Stefon Diggs type of fantasy wideout, a veteran with static year-over-year ADPs near the Round 1/Round 2 turn, that quite evidently is seldom a league-winning player but should return positive value as a WR1 for your particular fantasy team – just maybe not the overall rankings. Looking at current 2024 ADPs, players like AJ Brown or Davante Adams could fit this bill.

Again, this is where eye-of-the-beholder fantasy preferences and strategies take over. I wouldn’t fault any fantasy manager for taking an extremely reliable wideout like Brown with their first pick and then swinging for the fences with their second or third pick. But, I’ll also be real with this data staring me in the face, you might want to take Josh Allen instead if you are seeking a true league-winner with your top pick! (This logic would apply to the top TE too, but there isn’t a clear top dog at that position with a track record heading into 2024.)

So, let’s now answer the question that kicked this whole thing off: should Josh Allen be in line for the first-round treatment that Travis Kelce deserved but only occasionally received from 2018-2022? 

There isn’t one cut-and-dry answer, but I’d start with a “not exactly.” Kelce seriously was 1-of-1 when it came to year-over-year dominance over even the best of the best of his peers at the position. Especially in best ball formats or more casual leagues without many transactions or lineup changes, Allen doesn’t keep pace with peak Kelce as a set-and-forget fantasy machine.

When you begin to widen the parameters though, even slightly, my answer becomes more of “…kinda!” The gap between Allen and Kelce over their QB3/TE3 counterparts shrinks a lot once you zoom out to their QB5/TE5 counterparts, and then the gap is basically gone between them once you get to QB10/TE10 benchmarks! Meaning that, in redraft leagues of 10+ members, the numbers indicate that you would have a remarkably similar edge with Josh Allen that prime Travis Kelce offered over STARTERS in lineups across your league.

So yes, in the regard of being a more bankable force multiplier than the lowest tier of starters at the position, 2024 Josh Allen is right there with 2018-2022 Travis Kelce.

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