tucker-kraft-green-bay-packers-usatsi.jpg
USATSI

Now that we're past the first week of preseason games, it's time to start looking at the CBS Sports Average Draft Position data, which you can view here (INSERT LINK). 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 for the rest of this month to make the best decisions for your real draft.

So let's get started with our first look at the CBS Sports ADP for PPR, and we're focusing on tight ends. There are three guys who will headline the position this season, and that's Brock Bowers (ADP of 25.3), Trey McBride (ADP of 35.5), and George Kittle (ADP of 39.6).

I haven't seen Bowers fall to early Round 3 often in my drafts, and McBride is typically selected in early Round 3. But if either is available based on this ADP, then you should pounce. Both have tremendous upside, and I would draft Bowers in the top 20 overall picks, with McBride toward the end of Round 2.

Kittle's ADP seems right at 39.6, and I would consider him toward the end of Round 3. He was actually the No. 1 Fantasy tight end last season in PPR points per game (15.8), which was just slightly ahead of Bowers (15.4) and McBride (15.2). San Francisco's receiving corps is a mess right now, with Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Jauan Jennings (calf) hurt, which should only benefit Kittle's Fantasy value this year.

Once you get past the top three, we have five tight ends who will have a major impact on the position this year -- positive and negative. Sam LaPorta (ADP of 59.1), Travis Kelce (ADP of 67.2), Mark Andrews (ADP of 77.4), T.J. Hockenson (ADP of 78.6), and David Njoku (ADP of 82.8) all have enough pros and cons to make Fantasy managers excited and confused at the same time.

My favorite of this group is Njoku, who should benefit in a big way if Joe Flacco starts the majority of games this year for Cleveland. The last five times Njoku and Flacco were together in 2023, Njoku averaged 20.7 PPR points per game. And, in 2024, Njoku played six games with Jameis Winston, and Njoku averaged 15.2 PPR points per game. He could be a Fantasy stud this season, and you can draft him in Round 7 or later, depending on the league.

Two rookie tight ends are getting plenty of hype in Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland, but Loveland is the much better value based on ADP. Warren's ADP is 116.2, while Loveland is at 130.1. At cost, I'll take Loveland, who could be special in Ben Johnson's offense in Chicago.

Best Value

Tucker Kraft
ADP: 117.1

Kraft averaged 9.6 PPR points per game last year with 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns on 70 targets. Those numbers are expected to go up with Jordan Love healthy (he dealt with knee and groin injuries last year), and Matt LaFleur wants to feature his tight end more in 2025. I have Kraft as a top-10 Fantasy tight end, and you can draft him in Round 10. He also might benefit if Jayden Reed (foot) misses any time in the regular season, and I can see Kraft being second on the Packers in targets behind Matthew Golden.

Worst Value

Jonnu Smith
ADP: 129.9

Smith being drafted in Round 11 isn't a huge problem, but he's the No. 14 tight end off the board. There are several tight ends being drafted after Smith that I'd rather have, including Loveland, Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid, and Kyle Pitts. While Smith was better than all of the veterans last year when he averaged 13.1 PPR points per game, he did that in Miami. With Pittsburgh, it's doubtful Smith will get 111 targets, so expect his production of 88 catches, 884 yards, and eight touchdowns to plummet. I don't see myself drafting much of Smith this season.