RJ Harvey and 6 Other Fantasy Football Steals on ESPN Fantasy Football
Depending on which fantasy football platforms your league uses, players will be selected at varying spots in your draft. Most fantasy managers draft off of the platform's built-in rankings. That will gauge when a player is listed near the top of the "best available" players and thus go off the board. That makes the tool something to take advantage of and find great value.
When reviewing ESPN's current average draft position, I find significant differences compared to the two other top platforms, Sleeper and Yahoo. These are 7 players who are going multiple rounds below consensus re-draft ADP.
Tucker Kraft
ESPN ADP: 90.9
Consensus ADP: 71.7
Kraft's varying ADP is not too unexpected. He is returning from injury, and Kraft has said he will be on a minor snap count. His true value varies widely from manager to manager. Nonetheless, he is ranked much higher on platforms not named ESPN. In 10-team leagues, you can get Kraft in the 8th or 9th round.
My projections for Kraft are quite high. His snap count is being overplayed by some. The most explosive tight end in 2025 will be used in high leverage by the Packers. He is my TE6.
Christian Watson
ESPN ADP: 97.2
Consensus ADP: 78.3
I am personally very high on Watson this season. He is the Packers' WR1 and the sole name to do so in a true Z-receiver role. He will be involved in a lot of motion, flanking, and being a heavy red-zone threat.
The Packers are rated as the 4th-best offense in the NFL. My projections hand Watson a 25.5% share of the passing game. That results in 3.4 receptions, 60 yards, and 0.52 touchdowns per game; my WR23.
Jaylen Warren
ESPN ADP: 99.5
Consensus ADP: 83.1
Warren is going into the double-digit rounds. That is a big steal in value for a player who is his team's RB1. The margin may be thin to Rico Dowdle, but Warren is not going anywhere in this offense. Despite a big 2025 out of Dowdle, it is not a certainty that Dowdle is a better player than Warren. My take would be that he is not better than Warren, but rather was in a much more favorable position in 2025.
Warren is my RB24, projected for a 49% share of the rushing offense, resulting in 49 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards, 1.9 receptions, and 0.53 touchdowns per game.
Chuba Hubbard
ESPN ADP: 121.9
Consensus ADP: 94.5
While Hubbard is technically injured, the Panthers have him slated as a full-go for Week 1. This is the team's starter, who carries much less risk than his backup, who has only two games in his entire NFL career. Hubbard is my RB22, projecting for a 50% share of the rushing offense with 54 rushing yards, 13 receiving yards, 2.1 receptions, and 0.51 touchdowns per game.
Dalton Kincaid
ESPN ADP: 132.3
Consensus ADP: 107.0
Kincaid is among my biggest gambles in 2026 fantasy football. I have Kincaid rated as the TE5, much higher than the consensus. He finally enters a season fully healthy. In 2025, Kincaid managed to be No. 2 in yards per reception among tight ends, doing so while playing just about zero games at 100% reception health.
RJ Harvey
ESPN ADP: 139.1
Consensus ADP: 107.4
What I imagine is a Saints backfield of the past, reimagined as JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Dobbins is Sean Payton's new Mark Ingram. Harvey is his new Alvin Kamara. Is it really not far-fetched to expect? The Broncos nearly made the Super Bowl 7 months ago. They have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL.
Harvey is going as a late-round pick in fantasy football, especially on ESPN. This is an absolute steal. Dobbins rates among the highest injury risks in the NFL this upcoming season. It is just a certainty that Dobbins misses football games. While Jonah Coleman would have a reserve role, his unproven ability is the opposite of Harvey's, who is well-proven, and that's without Dobbins in 2025.
I have Harvey as the RB31. My projections give Harvey 31% of the rushing offense, going for 33 rushing yards, 17 receiving yards, 2.2 receptions, and 0.41 touchdowns per game.
Chris Godwin
ESPN ADP: 144.5
Consensus ADP: 112.5
Much of Godwin's valuation relies on Emeka Egbuka's turf toe. That much is a fact. Regardless, this is way too low for a team's WR2. In fact, Godwin is a higher-end WR2 in the NFL, projected as my WR34. If Egbuka did miss any games, Godwin flies up to a borderline top-20 wide receiver in the game. Let's also not forget that for half of 2025, Baker Mayfield was playing hurt, and he is now healthy. Something to note...
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.