By now, you’re well aware of what the Mock Draft Army is and exactly what we do. If you don’t, then click here and read about who we are and what our goals are here in the preseason.
Now that you’re all caught up, let’s take a look at the ADP that has been gathered so far. We’ve completed a total of 14 PPR drafts (10, 12 and 14-team) and six standard drafts (10 and 12-team) and while the sample size is obviously small, you can be rest-assured that these mocks are some of the best out there. Not only are the experts top-notch, but those readers and listeners who are taking part, have become savvy mock drafters, testing out a number of different strategies. And best of all, there is NO AUTO-DRAFTING.
After this week’s series of drafts, I will start to put together an ADP Trend Report which will also include a column so that you are able to see who is rising from week to week and who is falling. For now, here’s a list of some expected risers and fallers based on what’s been going on around the NFL.
Expected Risers
Alfred Blue, RB HOU – With the groin injury to Arian Foster, the Texans seem to be gearing up for Blue to be their No. 1 runner out of the backfield. In the last few drafts done, he was being taken somewhere around the fourth or fifth round, so with that happening, expect his ADP to take a significant increase by next week.
Doug Martin, RB TB – The Bucs have gone from endorsing Charles Sims to endorsing the Muscle Hamster as the team’s No. 1 running back. We’re not sure if head coach Lovie Smith will stand by this forever and both Sims and Bobby Rainey are expected to still see touches, but for now, it looks like Martin should start going higher in most drafts.
Markus Wheaton, WR PIT – While all the hype during OTAs was about Martavis Bryant, suddenly, the word out of Pittsburgh is that Wheaton is going to be the guy to really take a step forward this year. Bryant is still recovering from an elbow procedure he had a couple of weeks ago which means that it’s been Wheaton lining up as the team’s No. 2 wideout.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB NYJ – This might be a little bit of a reach, but there are many who believe that Fitzpatrick is a better passer than Geno Smith (and they’d be right). With Smith out for the next 6-to-10 weeks after suffering a broken jaw during an altercation in the locker room (he was sucker-punched by reserve linebacker Ikemefuna Enemkpali) Fitzpatrick will now be under center and throwing to the likes of Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Jace Amaro. Could be addition by subtraction for the Jets.
Expected Fallers
Arian Foster, RB HOU – A torn groin muscle has put Foster on the shelf and when it happened, the Texans said he would need two-to-three months to recover. Now that he’s had surgery, more recent reports are saying that he may only miss the first four or five games of the regular season. We’re willing to split the difference and assume that the Texans will place him on short-term IR which will make him available for the Texans final eight games. There’s a lot that still seems up in the air and for that, his ADP is going to plummet.
Mark Ingram, RB NO – Between a potentially recurring foot issue, the presence of C.J. Spiller and the recent chatter about an increased workload for Khiry Robinson, suddenly Ingram isn’t looking as attractive an option as he was just a few short weeks ago when everyone kept gushing about his career-year last season. If the Robinson reports come to fruition, look for Ingram to start falling down draft boards.
Kevin White, WR CHI – The shin splints that have plagued White throughout the summer are dragging his ADP down with him. He has been going alongside some of the other rookie wideouts like Amari Cooper in the fifth and sixth rounds, but the longer he deals with these leg problems, the less likely people will want to take a chance on him early.
Breshad Perriman, WR BAL – Similarly to White, Perriman is dealing with an injury (knee) which has now kept him out of practice for almost two weeks. Not everyone is Odell Beckham Jr. and not everyone can afford to miss the preseason. Look for his injuries to drop his ADP in the coming weeks. But also keep in mind that this might not be a bad thing. A discounted price for the talented receiver could be a great thing.
And now for the ADP….
As always, for a sortable and color-coordinated copy of the Mock Draft Army ADP, simply email me at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com and I will be happy to send one your way.