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USATSI

The most Fantasy drafts of the year are happening now in the final week of August, and this is an exciting time. And we know many of you will use the CBS Sports Average Draft Position data as a guide, which you can view here. I encourage you to study the ADP because it's a good blueprint for how your draft might go.

But you never want to follow ADP directly for your drafts. The idea is to see where you can find potential value picks -- and players going too soon that you might want to avoid. We'll help you to navigate the ADP to make the best decisions for your real draft.

Let's take a look at the updated CBS Sports ADP for PPR, and we're focusing on running backs here. The first round has changed slightly, especially with De'Von Achane (calf) falling into Round 2 with an ADP of 18.2. That makes sense, but he could be a value there if he's ready to play in Week 1.

The first round running backs are Bijan Robinson (ADP of 2.6), Saquon Barkley (3.2), Jahmyr Gibbs (3.9), Derrick Henry (8.4), Christian McCaffrey (9.2), Ashton Jeanty (11.7) and Josh Jacobs (12.0). My favorite value here is McCaffrey, who I would draft as high as No. 5 overall. I don't love Barkley as the second running back off the board, and I would rather have Gibbs and McCaffrey over him.

In Round 2, Kyren Williams (19.3) has moved ahead of Jonathan Taylor (19.8), Chase Brown (20.1) and Bucky Irving (21.5), and I would rather have Brown, Irving and Taylor, in that order, ahead of Williams. But that list likely comes down to personal preference with those running backs.

Alvin Kamara (27.5) is the first running back being selected in Round 3, which is way too soon. The earliest I would draft Kamara is the middle of Round 4, and there are several running backs I'd rather have instead of Kamara, including James Cook (28.2), Kenneth Walker III (34.2), Omarion Hampton (38.1), Chuba Hubbard (44.2), TreVeyon Henderson (46.0) and RJ Harvey (57.6).

I'm excited about this rookie class, which is why I would draft Hampton and Henderson in Round 2, along with Harvey in Round 4. I love all of their values here.

I'm also excited about several running backs being selected in the Round 5-6 range, including D'Andre Swift (51.0), David Montgomery (59.0), Tony Pollard (63.8) and Isiah Pacheco (69.2). I have them ranked Swift, Pollard, Pacheco and Montgomery, and all four are worth their cost here. I would also draft all of them ahead of Breece Hall (38.9), who is falling, but is still being selected too high.

Joe Mixon (69.1) is going to see his ADP plummet now he's expected to miss the first four games with a foot injury. And we'll see where Nick Chubb's ADP settles following this news since right now he's at 122.2 and rising.

Other running backs on the rise include Jacory Croskey-Merritt (84.8), Austin Ekeler (95.5), Zach Charbonnet (96.3), Jordan Mason (98.4) and Braelon Allen (129.4). I would like to draft all of these running backs, and the Washington situation has changed dramatically with Brian Robinson Jr. being traded to San Francisco. I prefer Croskey-Merritt over Ekeler, but both should play prominent roles and are worth targeting as early as Round 8. 

Robinson (116.8) has been among the biggest fallers, but I like targeting him as a lottery ticket since he's now the handcuff for McCaffrey. The sweet spot for Robinson is Round 10, but you can draft him as early as Round 8 if you want to lock up a piece of the 49ers backfield.

Some other backfields to monitor include Jacksonville, Cleveland, Dallas and the backups in Miami behind Achane. For the Dolphins, Ollie Gordon II (136.9) is on the rise, while Jaylen Wright (164.4) is falling due to a leg injury. I would look for Gordon as early as Round 9.

I'm also looking for Dylan Sampson (155.1) as early as Round 9, and he could be the starter for the Browns in Week 1. Quinshon Judkins (110.8) remains unsigned, and it's hard to draft him before Round 10. And Jerome Ford (141.7) should work in tandem with Sampson early in the season, making Ford a great value selection at this cost.

Javonte Williams (111.4) will likely open the season as the starter for the Cowboys, and he's a great value pick here. It's also worth drafting Jaydon Blue (132.9), and hopefully the low-ankle sprain he's dealing with will heal sooner rather than later.

Finally, in Jacksonville, we're waiting to see if the Jaguars will potentially trade Travis Etienne (94.6) or Tank Bigsby (109.6), but both are currently on the roster at the time of publication. This is good value for both given the potential split in workload, and Bhayshul Tuten (143.9) is also a great selection at his cost since he could play a prominent role for the Jaguars this year.

Best Value

Ollie Gordon II

ADP: 136.9

Gordon could be the starter for the Dolphins in Week 1 if Achane (calf) and Wright (leg) are out. Even if Achane plays, we could see Gordon handle a decent amount of touches in a secondary role, and he might have earned the No. 2 job for the Dolphins for the season ahead of Wright with a strong training camp. I plan to target Gordon as early as Round 9 in the majority of leagues, and he's become one of my favorite sleepers for 2025.

Worst Value

Aaron Jones

ADP: 56.9

I'm expecting the Vikings to use Jones and Mason in a potential 50-50 split this season. If that happens then Jones being drafted in Round 5 is a mistake, and I'd much rather have Mason in Round 9 based on his current ADP. The earliest I would draft Jones is Round 7, but I tend to pass on him for Mason since I like his value much more.