Fantasy football drafts aren't won in Round 1. It's the picks you make later that define your team, along with the savvy waiver wire pickups you make along the way.
That means deviating from ADP in drafts, which is easier said than done. Nobody wants to be the person whose picks are mocked by their friends. It's a lot more fun to have a roster worth flaunting about, like Patrick Bateman flashing his business card to his highfalutin buddies in American Psycho.
Winning the draft, however, pales in comparison to winning a championship. So, have some gumption about your guys, even if it means taking them well before they were slated to go. And even if they haven't exactly proved worthy of their draft position yet.
We're highlighting four players who
fit that second category, so here's a look at a group worth being blindly confident about in drafts.
Luther Burden III
Burden was incredible in limited snaps for Chicago last season, plus with DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus gone, he's slated to be a full-time starting WR in Ben Johnson's explosive offense. While Burden is going as early as the fourth round despite a lack of production and a training camp groin injury, he has the talent to be a top-10 player at the position.
Jadarian Price
Fantasy football managers may be wary of rookie running backs after Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton underwhelmed last season. Price, though, is worth taking another swing, as he very well could be the leading rusher for the reigning Super Bowl champions. Zach Charbonnet is coming off a torn ACLa and Kenneth Walker is on the Kansas City Chiefs, while Seattle invested a first-round pick in Price and clearly believes in him.
De'Zhaun Stribling
Kyle Shanahan has been known to make rookies work their way onto the field gradually, but Stribling's dominance in camp -- combined with injuries to Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall, the latter of which is season-ending -- won't allow him to wait. Stribling has a chance to be San Francisco's top pass-catcher from Day 1, as he offers a strong 6-foot-2 frame and plenty of athletic ability after the catch.
Bhayshul Tuten
A blazing fast running back who sat behind Travis Etienne Jr. last season, Tuten is expected to be the lead ball-carrier now, and Liam Coen could turn him into a fantasy football superstar. Chris Rodriguez could potentially steal goal line carries, but Tuten's immense athletic ability will make him difficult to take off the field in any situation. He's going much higher in drafts than his rookie year production would suggest, and he's worth the gamble.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 4 fantasy football targets worth investing blind confidence in
