The preseason is in full swing and we are just over 20 days away from regular-season NFL football … what a time to be alive. The next three weeks are going to fly by and your draft(s) will be here before you know it. If you haven't been totally plugged in throughout the summer don't sweat it, that's what we're here for. 

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To help you keep up with how the ADP landscape is shifting, I'll be checking in with a series of articles throughout the month of August looking at the biggest movers in ESPN ADP. I'll examine why they are moving up and down draft boards and whether the market is overreacting or if it hasn't gone far enough.

If you'd like, please check out Ian Hartitz's league-winning draft strategies for ESPN Leagues.

Biggest ADP Risers on ESPN

Keenan Allen signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers to bolster their passing game. It was just two seasons ago that Allen racked up 1,243 receiving yards and 7 TDs with Justin Herbert as his QB. At the same time, Keenan is now two years older and he didn't look like the same player last season in Chicago. This was a decent landing spot for him and he is now viable in PPR formats, but he is not a priority target for me.

I'm a little bit surprised to see Josh Downs at second on the ADP risers list, but I think this is just a function of him being drafted way too late to begin with. Downs has been really good in his first two seasons despite poor QB play and has a real chance to overtake Michael Pittman as the top receiver in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, reports from Colts camp don't make it seem like the QB play is going to level up this year, but 142.4 is still too low so I expect him to continue to rise throughout draft season. Warning: On Aug. 14, Downs left practice with a hamstring injury, which has to be monitored as drafts come together.

Drake Maye is another case where I think the player was just going too late and his ADP is correcting now that there are more rankings sources available. The Patriots weren't good last season, but Maye flashed real upside, in part thanks to his strong rushing ability that added 421 yards on the ground in 12 games. With Stefon Diggs, Kyle Williams, and TreVeyon Henderson all added to the offense this year, Maye is a good candidate to take a major leap and a great late-round QB option.

It isn't easy for kickers to garner fantasy football hype but hitting a 70-yard field goal is going to do it. You shouldn't be taking kickers before the last few rounds of your draft, but Cam Little is firmly on the radar to be the No. 1 kicker in fantasy this year on a revamped Jags offense and with nearly unlimited range. Don't reach for him but it is a name worth knowing in case your leaguemates haven't been paying attention.

We already knew TreVeyon Henderson was an explosive athlete from his time at Ohio State, but seeing his first preseason touch go for a 100-yard kick return has taken the hype to a new level. He's rocketing up draft boards in all formats and could easily settle as a top-60 pick in redraft leagues by the time September arrives. I love drafting Henderson and his price is still reasonable, but there could be a point where his ADP gets too rich for the role he is likely to have. We'll check back in a couple weeks and see where he is at.

Omarion Hampton has been steadily climbing draft boards since Najee Harris sustained his eye injury. Harris is finally back participating in drills, but we don't have any more clarity on when he will be a full go. His absence has allowed Hampton to dominate first-team reps and almost certainly sped up the rookie's takeover of the backfield. I am willing to take Hampton as high as the third round if he continues to rise. As usual, Matthew Berry's Ride or Die pick should be a priority selection on draft day.

Tucker Kraft profiles as a great mid-round TE target in a Packers offense that should pass more this year. Green Bay's WR room is dealing with a bunch of injuries so that may explain Kraft's recent rise, although he is only up a few picks so it might not be news-related. He's a great target if you miss out on the elite TEs.

Trey Benson flashed some ability as a rookie last year, although it was a relatively small sample size. Still, he has huge contingent value and could see a larger role this year even when James Conner is healthy. Benson is basically a cheaper version of Zach Charbonnet, which makes him a great bench stash to round out your RB room.

The Panthers offense has a chance to be sneaky fun this year and Tetairoa McMillan is a big reason why. The eighth overall pick should be Carolina's top target in the passing game right away and if the progress that Bryce Young showed to finish last season carries over, the rookie will be an immediate fantasy producer. The two already seem to be building chemistry and if the Panthers' defense is anywhere near as bad as last season, the offense is going to be forced to throw the ball plenty.

DeVonta Smith is simply too good to be going in the seventh round of fantasy drafts. With his recent ADP rise he is now at the end of the sixth round, but I expect him to continue to rise slowly as more drafters compare ADP to rankings. The Eagles were a very low passing volume offense in 2024 and Smith still finished as the WR17 in half-PPR fantasy points per game. He's currently one of the best values on the board, with potential to smash this ADP if Philly has to throw more in 2025.

Biggest ADP Fallers on ESPN

All signs are pointing to Jack Bech losing out to Dont'e Thornton Jr. for the final starting spot in the Raiders offense. Thornton is more of a vertical speed threat, while Bech profiles as a possession receiver in the mold of Jakobi Meyers. That duplicative skill set may be the reason Las Vegas has given the edge to Thornton, but it still isn't a great look for a second-round rookie to be beaten out by a fourth-round rookie. Bech may still turn out to be a good player, but his 2025 outlook has definitely taken a hit in recent weeks. 

Javonte Williams was the presumed starter in the Dallas backfield heading into training camp, but the reports haven't been glowing. The coaching staff has had more positive things to say about Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue so far, and Williams hasn't been very good for a few seasons now. He's undraftable for me at his current ADP.

The flip side of Keenan Allen's rise has been the Tre Harris fall. The rookie second rounder hasn't had the training camp he hoped for and has been overshadowed by fellow rookie Keandre Lambert-Smith. It looks like an uphill battle for Harris to be relevant in 2025 while playing in a run-heavy offense that suddenly has a crowded WR room.

We already knew Jordan Addison was going to be suspended and his ADP wasn't particularly high, but he is now down more than half a round over the past week. Three games is what was expected and those games will be the easiest for fantasy managers to handle with no bye weeks and minimal injuries. This makes Addison a nice option in the double-digit rounds, especially on teams that start RB-heavy and need to make up for some WR firepower.

There were brief concerns that Jake Ferguson sustained a somewhat serious back injury at practice, but that turned out to not be the case so I have no idea why he is falling. His ADP is already pretty low and the recent extension points to him being a big part of the team's plan. He looks like a great value this late in drafts.

Kaleb Johnson didn't turn any heads during his preseason debut and hasn't generated nearly as much hype as some other rookies. He should still be heavily involved in the Pittsburgh offense this season, but with other players moving up the board he is falling as a consequence. 

This is perhaps the most surprising faller to me. Marvin Mims was one of the bigger winners from preseason Week 1 after playing almost all the snaps with the first team offense. If Marvin Mims becomes a full-time player he should be going much higher than the 160s, but fantasy managers don't seem to be buying it. It's too early to call him a smash pick but I'm paying close attention to see if we get more positive usage numbers or coachspeak. 

Cam Skattebo was earning positive reviews early in training camp, but has been sidelined by injury for more than a week now. This has stalled his development and should solidify Tyrone Tracy as the lead back for the early part of the season. 

Quinshon Judkins still hasn't signed with the Browns, though no formal charges will be brought against him as the prosecution has declined to move forward with the case. This opens the door for Judkins to sign with the Browns, though with his having missed so much time during training camp it's hard to imagine him being a contributor early in the season.

We haven't gotten much news on Joe Mixon since the initial report that he is expected to miss an extended period of time. The Texans are prime candidates to add more depth to the backfield after less-than-stellar reports on how Nick Chubb is looking. While Mixon is old enough that I want to be cautious about a lingering injury like this, he would need to fall multiple rounds from here before I would consider drafting him.

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