Training camp is getting loaded up, the “Hard Knocks” juices are flowing, and we’re locking in on the home stretch of Best Ball drafts. And yet, there are still so many questions to be answered as we close in on the start of preseason games. We, fortunately, have free Best Ball rankings, and we can use those to draw conclusions on some of the biggest mysteries surrounding all NFL teams. Every division will get some shine, but today it’s all about the biggest Best Ball questions for each team in the AFC East.
Looking to master Best Ball? Matt Gajewski’s Best Ball guide is an excellent resource, covering key topics like optimal stacking strategies, draft timing, and general roster construction tips. Sign up with Underdog Best Ball and use promo code STOKASTIC6 to receive up to $250 in bonus cash on your first deposit!
Biggest Best Ball Questions for EVERY TEAM In The AFC East
You can find our other biggest Best Ball questions here:
Buffalo Bills: Are the receivers good enough to get Josh Allen to QB1?
No one needs convincing of Josh Allen’s fantasy value in a vacuum. Few quarterbacks in the NFL can rival his rushing production, and the ones who can (Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson) generally do not stack up to what he offers as a passer. The problem this year, though, is Allen has not one obviously dependable wide receiver this year.
The Bills’ top-2 pass catchers project to be second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid (ADP 51.5, No. 52 overall in our rankings) and rookie Keon Coleman (ADP 79.5, our No. 80 overall player). Both are being drafted right around where they should.
Behind them, though, are a series of receivers who could go any which way, and most are being overvalued by ADP:
- Curtis Samuel: WR53, No. 107 Overall, ADP 91.2
- Khalil Shakir: WR58, No. 116 Overall, ADP 108.5
- Dawson Knox: TE28, No. 209 Overall, ADP 212.2
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling: WR109, No. 244 Overall, ADP 215.8
Kincaid will almost certainly lead this team in targets, and any other high-end production will likely be the result of Allen’s talent. But the receiver talent isn’t boosting Allen much, so for now he is our QB3 behind Hurts and Jackson.
Miami Dolphins: How much of a RB committee will this be?
Three Dolphins running backs are going in the top 160 picks on Underdog. De’Von Achane is a top-25 guy, but Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright both are creeping their way up draft boards as well. Achane is clearly the most likely of the three to be A-level Best Ball asset; however, it’s tough to get him (or any of these three) in a range where you will get value back. As such, we are pretty low on all three backs at their current ADP:
- Achane: RB8, No. 32 Overall, ADP 24.0
- Mostert: RB29, No. 106 Overall, ADP 94.7
- Wright: RB53, No. 178 Overall, ADP 157.0
So the biggest question to be answered in training camp is whether Achane will be treated enough like a bell cow to be a legit late-Round 2 back. Right now, that seems unlikely — Mostert simply eats too much of the ground game for Achane’s volume to match his absurd efficiency.
New England Patriots: Who will be the QB most of the season?
This isn’t rocket science; the Patriots are not really playing for much this year and have one of the weakest wide receiver corps in the NFL. All we are really hoping for is some back-end difference makers, a Rhamondre Stevenson splash and one of the quarterbacks to step up.
Right now, coach Jerod Mayo has Jacoby Brissett as the starter, with rookie Drake Maye being one of several quarterbacks getting the opportunity to battle him in training camp. Mayo didn’t say Maye was definitely QB2, but our rankings prefer Maye as a Best Ball option at the moment. Here are the rankings for him and Brissett:
- Brissett: QB35, Not in Top 250, ADP 216.0
- Maye: QB30, No. 233 Overall, ADP 191.5
So the public likes both of these QBs more than we do — we don’t see much value in either of them, though Maye is at least draftable as a flier. All in all, until one quarterback shows out, avoid this team as much as possible (outside of Stevenson and a receiver flier or two).
New York Jets: Is Aaron Rodgers still good?
There is room to build a really nice Jets stack in Underdog drafts this year. If you are at the back end of the order, you can get Garrett Wilson around the turn (ADP 10.8, we rank him No. 12 overall), and then Mike Williams should be available at the Round 10/11 mark (ADP 125.2). Assuming he can stay healthy, we really like Williams’ value, as we have him 13.2 spots ahead of ADP.
Then you go the Malachi Corley situation. Our rankings have him as one of the best values among rookies, as his 179.7 ADP is two full rounds behind our No. 151 overall ranking for him. If you’re feeling super Jets-y this year, you could get all three of their top pass catchers at very different points in the draft. But it all could come down to one thing …
Aaron Rodgers is famously coming off an Achilles injury, one that saw him throw one pass in all of the 2023 season. He’s also going to be 41 in December, and though he is only three years removed from back-to-back MVPs, a 40-year-old quarterback being the lynchpin of the Jets postseason hopes AND a viable New York stack is tricky.
Since Rodgers’ ADP is a palatable 160.3 and we have him a few spots higher in our rankings, this could be a swing worth taking. But obviously, don’t get anywhere 100% on Jets stacks — as attractive and doable as it may seem.
