How ADP Rankings Can Help Your Fantasy Football Team

Aug 16, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone (C) talks with running back C.J. Spiller (28) and running back Fred Jackson (22) during the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Football is almost upon us and you may find yourself asking questions like “ How can I draft well regardless of my position?” or “ What does ADP stand for?”. We all want to draft the best team possible but luck has a funny way of toying with our dreams and ambitions. However, there’s one thing luck can’t change and it is ADP, or average draft position. ADP rankings will be your key to greatness.

Average Draft Position rankings are key to deciding when a player is most likely to go in your draft and the worth of a player if he has not been drafted yet. Based upon the mock drafts of many sources, such as ESPN and NFL.com, this number will tell you the average position ranking that a player is drafted.

So why use ADP rankings?

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It’s pretty simple. Initially in the first three to four rounds of your draft, you should address running back and/or wide receiver. Depending on your position in the draft you will be forced to pick the best player out of either positions. In some leagues quarterbacks like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees may be picked early in the third or fourth rounds. ADP rankings helps you by relying on the statistics of when players are drafted which gives you the advantage of drafting a team with better depth than your opponents.

For example, if you drafted Jamaal Charles in the first round you will find yourself looking for wide receivers in round two. Using the ADP rankings, you see that many of the receivers are on average drafted closer to your third pick as compared to your second pick, say 18th in a 10-team league. This means you can draft a running back with your 18th pick, solidifying your RB1 and RB2 spots, because you can pick a receiver of the same value five picks from now.

ADP rankings will also help you draft quality picks in later rounds. Players who fall to lower rounds will still have a high ADP rank which tells you as their worth. The lower their number compared to your draft position equals a solid pick for your team.

Now ADP rankings are simply averages, this alone will not save your team from playoff elimination. You still have to pay attention to the trends in your league above all else. Where ADP rankings will make a difference is the quality of your fantasy team’s depth in the playoffs.

Best of luck!

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