Fantasy Football ADP Risers & Fallers: Aug. 12

If there is one word I wish for the Fantasy Alarm Community to remember after the first week of preseason games it would be overreaction! There was plenty of it in the offseason based on “news” that came out over the Spring and early Summer, but now that there are actual games to watch, the overreaction will continue. Remember, most teams played their starters one series, if at all. Next week’s games will be much better barometers of each team’s intention with their players. However, it wasn’t all garbage this weekend, and below are three risers and three fallers in ADP in the last few days, as well as one to watch in the near future. 

 

 

Just when you think the hype train can’t get any more momentum, please watch Murray’s preseason debut. The kid looked poised, showed a strong arm, and the ability to get out of trouble with his legs. The Kliff Kingsbury offense sure looks nothing like what the Cards were running last year and that is good news. It is tough to trust a rookie quarterback as your every week starter in fantasy football, however with the depth at the position this season you can take a chance on Murray, and still get a Philip Rivers /Tom Brady /Dak Prescott later in the draft for stability. Murray is now going among the top 12 fantasy quarterbacks and he could easily crack the top ten after this performance. If you want to get on board, draft accordingly. 

 

 

Sure he might have two long time NFL veterans in front of him in Frank Gore and LeSean McCoy , but let’s be honest, McCoy is shot. He barely averaged three yards a carry last season, and rumors of his trade or release have been around all summer. While Gore still was productive last season, he is 36-years old, and his best days are behind him. Singletary looked exciting in the first preseason game. At times he used his smaller 5’7” frame to elude tacklers, and his agility was impressive. However, he also was able to show some power for a man that size, and often wasn’t taken down by the first tackler. His three catches in the first preseason game shows his versatility as a back as well, and he could easily be the starter within the first month. McCoy’s ADP continues to fall, while Singletary’s arrow is certainly pointing up. 

 

Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins. 

 

The undrafted rookie has been the talk of Dolphins training camp all summer long. He backed up all of that talk when he tallied four catches for 97 yards in his preseason debut. You can’t overreact to preseason at times, but if you saw the game there was a lot to like. He caught a pass near the ground, he made a one handed catch on a 36 yard throw and he went up and over the defense for another long grab. These may not all have been against first team defenses, but the skills are evident. 

 

 

This saga just keeps getting weirder. First reports were that Brown was missing from Raiders camp and they had no idea where he was. Then he was dealing with a foot injury stemming from frostbite from not wearing correct footwear in a cryotherapy treatment. Now, Brown is complaining about the helmet that the NFL requires him to wear, stating that it hinders his field of vision. He has said that he will not wear this new helmet, and if he is forced to, he will sue the NFL if he suffers a head injury wearing it. While the Raiders are publicly supporting him, this has to be the last thing they need. There are 1,698 active players in the NFL, and Brown is the only one who is making a big deal out of this. He has gone from quirky to becoming a real problem to deal with. This has to make Tyrell Williams at least a little more attractive. Can’t wait for the next episode of Hard Knocks. 

 

 

Stop me if you’ve seen this before. Andrew Luck has an injury in the preseason, and it isn’t getting better. While Luck still says that he will be ready for Week 1, it has to concern fantasy owners that he isn’t going to practice still this week, and his availability for the second preseason game is certainly in jeopardy. His drop in ADP hasn’t been dramatic as of yet, but if this lingers another week, being drafted as the fourth or fifth quarterback certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility. If this does heal in time for the opener, or even the fourth preseason game, getting Luck two or three rounds later will be one of the better bargains in fantasy football this season. It will be your desire to take on the risk that will determine if you draft Luck or not in the coming days. 

 

 

After only being able to play six games in 2018 due to injuries, it was disconcerting to see Coutee leave the first preseason game with an ankle injury. Many fantasy players have high hopes for him as a third receiver on what should be a powerful Houston offense, especially since their second receiver (Will Fuller ) is also oft-injured. The diagnosis hasn’t been official yet, but it certainly didn’t look good as the ankle rolled underneath him as he was being tackled. For what it’s worth he had posted on Twitter that it was just a mild setback, but that tweet was deleted. Coutee was a very popular sleeper a week ago, but his ADP is certain to drop from this news.  

 

 

With all around putrid quarterback play in his first two seasons, it isn’t surprising if you don’t know much about Higgins yet. He had three solid games in December with Baker Mayfield at quarterback to the tune of 200 yards and a touchdown. He looked to be the fourth receiver, but with Antonio Callaway ’s double whammy of a high ankle sprain and a four-game suspension, this gives Higgins a third receiver role on the team. Odell Beckham hasn’t exactly been the picture of health in his career either, so who knows what kind of role Higgins might play himself into. “Hollywood” Higgins got off to a great start with five catches and 98 yards with a score in the preseason opener, and could be worth a dart throw at the end of drafts with a chance of being more.