ESPN Fantasy Football: 10 Player Hacks For The Draft Room

I am not a jealous person, but after seeing the ADPs on ESPN, I am green with envy, since I have yet to draft on there. If you’re drafting on ESPN and consistently on Fantasy Life, there’s an extremely high chance a fantasy football championship is in your future. 

Thanks to me. 

Using this ADP tool we can see a number of big differences between the ESPN ADP and the Fantasy Life consensus rankings. I could have written 100,000 words with all the insane values, but here are the ones that stood out the most.

And hey, to access all our tools (including our full 2025 fantasy draft rankings), use the promo code "RONIS" for a 20% discount on a year's subscription to a FantasyLife+ package. I'll love and respect you forever. 

Quarterback

Caleb Williams (FL Rank: 94, ADP: 123.9)

Williams had a tough rookie season, but poor coaching and a bad offensive line didn’t help. The excuses are gone for Williams. Ben Johnson took over as head coach after being the offensive coordinator the last three seasons for the Lions and led them to a Top 5 offense each year.

The Bears improved the offensive line, and added receiver Luther Burden and tight end Colston Loveland in the draft. Pairing Williams with another quarterback is a plan if you miss out on elite quarterbacks.

Drake Maye (FL Rank: 100, ADP: 138.7)

Maye didn’t have a good environment to play in as a rookie last season and still had some impressive games. He can run and averaged 7.8 yards per carry, rushed for 421 yards and didn’t make his first start until Week 6.

The Patriots improved the offensive line and added receivers Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams and TreVeyon Henderson provides a lot of speed out of the backfield. Maye is an ideal QB2 that can become a weekly starter.

Running Back

RJ Harvey (FL Rank:61, ADP: 89.3)

Harvey going that late on ESPN is a steal. The second-round pick is in a good position to play a big role in the backfield. J.K. Dobbins will be in the mix and could see more passing down work early in the season as Harvey works on his pass protection. Harvey has good speed and fits in well in the Sean Payton offense.

Tony Pollard (FL Rank: 68, ADP: 86.2)

Pollard is in line for a big workload to start the season. Tyjae Spears has a high-ankle sprain and could miss the start of the season. He could also struggle when he returns, which often happens coming off that injury. Pollard has rushed for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. Pollard had 301 touches last season behind a bad offensive line and with poor quarterback play. The offensive line added veterans and Cam Ward is a big upgrade at quarterback.

Jordan Mason (FL Rank: 79, ADP: 140.6)

This is one of the biggest differences you’ll see and the Fantasy Life ranking is accurate. Mason is going to play a big role in the Vikings’ offense. Aaron Jones turns 31 in December and is coming off the most touches in a season of his career. Coach Kevin O’Connell has said he looks at Jones and Mason as 1A and 1B. Mason should be going much closer to Jones. Take advantage of this steal.

Wide Receiver

DeVonta Smith (FL Rank: 49, ADP: 70.3)

Smith is being penalized for the lack of passing by the Eagles last season. The Eagles were last in pass attempts per game with 25.7. The running game was so potent and the team had big leads in the second half of many games and didn’t need to pass often. Smith played in 13 games and had 68 catches for 833 yards with eight touchdowns.

While the numbers seem disappointing considering Smith was coming off two straight 1,000-yard seasons, he ranked 16th in point per game at wide receiver in PPR formats. He has finished Top 20 in three straight seasons in points per game. The Eagles offense is condensed and Smith is a primary part of the passing game. Smith is a safe pick at ADP 70 that can finish higher if the Eagles are in more competitive games.

Calvin Ridley (FL Rank 60: , ADP: 71)

Ridley has two consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards despite bad quarterback play, especially last season. Cam Ward can get the ball downfield and the offensive line is improved. Ridley is going to lead the team in targets and get elite usage. Ridley should be higher than 71.

George Pickens (FL Rank: 55, ADP: 77.1)

Pickens was the receiver the Cowboys desperately were missing. He’s a great fit opposite CeeDee Lamb and can stretch the defense as a deep threat. This is the best offense Pickens has played in after spending the start of his career in a conservative Steelers’ offense. The Cowboys will be pass-heavy and run a lot of plays. The Steelers had the fourth-fewest pass attempts per game last season, while the Cowboys had the third most.

Pickens makes big plays and has averaged 16.3 yards per catch in his career. He has a good chance to finish as a Top 25 wide receiver and the 77 ADP is a gift. I like gifts. The Fantasy Life ranking is more accurate and I would draft higher.

Tetairoa McMillan (FL Rank 46, ADP: 83)

McMillan is another steal. The Panthers selected McMillan eighth overall and he will lead the team in targets. McMillan is 6-foot-5 and the big target Bryce Young needed. McMillan steps into an offense where no player had a target share of more than 15% last season. The path is there for McMillan to finish as a WR2.

Tight End

Dallas Goedert (FL Rank: 108, ADP: 125.8)

This is the first one where I am more in line with the ESPN ADP. Goedert is overvalued and has a very low ceiling. Goedert only becomes appealing when either A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith are out. Goedert has missed at least three games in each of the last three seasons, including seven last year. He has never reached 60 receptions and has only 12 TDs over the last 51 games.