It’s not just who you draft, it’s when you draft them. You’ve probably heard this or some variation 100 times, but it’s definitely true. Fantasy owners really need to be on their toes to guess when their competitors will take a certain player. There are a lot of things that can affect the general perception of a specific player. For instance, if every single “expert” is raving about the same guy as a great target in the middle round, you’re going to have to be very aggressive to pick him up.
Vincent Jackson ADP: Why Yahoo! fantasy football ranks him lower than ESPN
Things are a lot different for Vincent Jackson these days. Can fantasy owners capitalize on drafting him later?
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Additionally, the platform for your draft is going to affect the average draft position. Not all sites feel exactly the same, so there will be some discrepancy on the ADP. For instance, if Yahoo! ranks Player X at 25 and ESPN ranks him at 75, his ADP on Yahoo! will be much higher than on ESPN. If some sneaky commish wanted to, he could choose his platform based on the rankings alone. If ESPN has his favorite guys higher than Yahoo!, he would want to do it on Yahoo!.
One other thing worth addressing is that ESPN uses two receivers and one flex while Yahoo! uses three receivers and no flex. This has very little impact on the rankings, but it’s just something to think about.
It wasn't too long ago people were drafting Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Vincent Jackson as a high-end WR1, but that's not the case now.
ESPN rank: 56Yahoo! rank: 73Fantasy Football Calculator (FFC) ADP: 76
The ESPN rank is awfully aggressive while many other sites tend to have V-Jax in the 70s, too. On the surface, it's going to be tough to count on him as a solid WR2. The Bucs aren't a very strong offense, their offensive line doesn't protect well for the deep ball, and he has a rookie quarterback in Jameis Winston.
However, it’s worth mentioning Jackson didn’t have a good QB last year. In fact, Pro Football Focus said only 55 percent of passes to Jackson were on target. In other words, his sub-par season wasn’t entirely his fault.
Still, he's way behind second-year receiver Mike Evans, who figures to get a ton of looks all over the field. Jackson would probably need Evans to miss time in order to be a strong start in normal matchups -- the Bucs do have a nice schedule, though.
Personally, I'd rather go for a guy with a higher ceiling like Philadelphia Eagles receiver Nelson Agholor. V-Jax is still a solid pick in the 70s for those who swung for the fences early.
