Underdog Best Ball Risers and Fallers – Late June Edition   

by Jonathan Lange · Best Ball Plays & Strategy

This summer has been a scorcher, but the lobbies at Underdog have been burning up at a rapid pace! Welcome back to the second edition of this article series, and while there aren’t many big fallers, there are big risers. In fact, one player has jumped up more than two rounds! We’re still in the final weeks of that dry spell of no news, but redraft season is on the horizon in July. Before you know it, it will be time for team camp activities. Without further delay, here are our risers and fallers in Underdog Fantasy Best Ball. We will begin with a polarizing truther from the dynasty community.

Note: I am comparing ADP from June 15th to June 28th

Risers

Parris Campbell

ADP: 179 (Late 14th round- up 33 spots)

Yes, the prince that was promised is back in the headlines. This time it’s good news! The former Ohio State product took snaps all over the field when in college. New coach Brian Daboll looks to follow that method. Campbell has even been lining up at running back according to beat writers. The excitement only grows when hearing that current starting running back Saquon Barkley is at a stalemate with the team on contract talks. Additionally, the only back up running backs of note are Matt Breida and rookie Eric Gray. Campbell also has had a few uninspiring quarterbacks he was teamed up with such as Jacoby Brissett, late career Matt Ryan, and late career Philip Rivers. Things are looking good for the former second round pick. Now, he only needs to stay healthy.

Khalil Shakir

ADP: 184 (Early 14th round pick- up 11 spots)

While there hasn’t been major buzz coming out of Bills camp on Shakir, he checks a lot of boxes that most receivers can’t. He plays in an offense led by Josh Allen. The Bills have depth issues at wide receiver behind Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Beat reporters have said that his summer, Shakir has “pushed for playing time in three wide receiver sets” competing against Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield. I’d normally be impressed by this. However, remember that the Bills also drafted Dalton Kincaid, and the expectation is that Kincaid will get plenty of throws his way. So, how much work can Shakir get? We will have to wait and see!

Luke Musgrave

ADP: 198 (Mid 16th round pick- up 11 spots)

The Packers came out of the NFL Draft with two new rookie tight ends. Now, the news has come out of camp that Musgrave is TE1. The team has been impressed with him, but to be fair, every team has come out and said they are impressed by their rookies.

We also heard that Romeo Doubs is the favorite receiver of Jordan Love, and the ADP favors Doubs by nearly five rounds. But it’s a good sign that he has been given the nod as starting TE1 in the offense. Hopefully, he can keep making an impression on the coaches and Love.

Kenneth Gainwell

ADP: 176 (Late 14th round pick – up 9 spots)

This one is comparable to the Khalil Shakir ADP movement. There aren’t loads of beat reporters cramming highlights down our twitter feeds. Here, we are just following the breadcrumbs. It’s good process to take a running back late in a talented offense that’s likely going to employ a rotation. Add in that one of those backs is the oft-injured Rashaad Penny and Gainwell could take at least 30-percent of the running back touches from an elite offense.

Pierre Strong

ADP: 203 (Late 16th round pick- up 8 spots)

We got a tweet out from Evan Lazar stating that Pierre Strong has been on the “James White track from the get-go.” However, this tweet also comes in while Rhamondre Stevenson is a hotly debated player in the Twitter streets. Most people agree that he is talented. However, predicting his snap share and workload has been the inflection point that has caused many debates. Pierre will either be an RB2/RB3 in an RBBC, or a handcuff. As much as I like Rhamondre, it’s just good draft philosophy to be taking backup running backs late in your drafts.

Fallers

Jalin Hyatt

ADP: 180 (Early 15th round pick- down 21 spots)

Selected in the Round 2 of the NFL Draft, hopes were high for Jalin Hyatt. However, one tweet would put all hype to a screeching halt. It was reported that Hyatt was practicing with the third string offense. Ouch. There hasn’t been much hype surrounding the player, and this report was just a blow to any hope you had for him. The receiving options for New York aren’t great, so he has room to improve. But for now, there’s no real reason to reach on the rookie speedster.

The team did let leading receiver Richie James walk in the offseason, and fellow ADP faller Wan’Dale Robinson is still recovering from his knee injury. However, it’s hard to come back from the dreaded “third string offense” designation.

Wan’Dale Robinson

ADP: 189 (Late 15th round pick- down 13 spots)

This appears to be the market correcting itself, and while Robinson is a talented receiver, we must face facts that he’s returning from an ACL injury that occurred during Week 11. Most players need a full season to regain their speed and strength after such an injury. With the team adding pass catchers Parris Campbell and Darren Waller, the fall had to happen for someone. It just happened to squeeze Robinson and Hyatt. If Robinson can manage full practices later this summer, it’s possible his ADP can turn around because he did show some promise, finishing with one hundred receiving yards his last game.

Chase Claypool

ADP: 201 (Late 16th round pick- down 12 spots)

The dip of his ADP correlates to a report that came out that the organization is disappointed with the wide receiver after minor injuries forced him to miss offseason activities. Even if Claypool was receiving major offseason hype, it would be hard to see his ADP lurk into the 13th round, but his truthers are adamant that the third year was just a fluke. Hopefully, Claypool can clear his mind and become a reliable No. 3 for Fields in the new look Bears offense. On the bright side, he was seen at a fashion show modeling outfits in Paris, which is a lovely place this time of year.

Trey Lance

ADP: 208 (Early 17th round pick- down 12 spots)

I wanted to attempt to write about different players with each edition of this article, but I can’t get over how far Trey Lance has fallen. His ADP from June 1st was 184. Now he has fallen another full round since June 15th drafts with the team talking up Brock Purdy. I’m not sure there has ever been a stranger relationship than the 49ers and Trey. He used to be a first-round pick in dynasty superflex start up drafts. Now, after playing two games, the team seems ready to move on from the No. 3 overall pick. Love him or hate him, there isn’t a quarterback going near him that has the upside that Lance contains.

Rashee Rice

ADP: 141 (Late 11th round pick- down six spots)

There weren’t many big fallers outside of the four above, so I wanted to save this spot for Rashee Rice. His fall is more about Skyy Moore than it is about Rice himself. There have been plenty of glowing reports about the performance of Skyy Moore at practice, and he’s received praise from both Mahomes and Andy Reid.

That has pushed Rice’s ADP down, but also, it seems that the fantasy community have wondered if Skyy Moore had such a quiet first season, then maybe Rice would too? Moore’s ADP has gone up as the summer has gone on, but unless an injury occurs, the top three Kansas City pass catchers ranked by ADP will be Travis Kelce, Kadarius Toney, and Skyy Moore.