But now you are putting your valuation on those guys just like the OP is doing with Cook. Your premise means you should draft completely nameless and go straight on ADP. Never reach because the ADP value is never wrong. Unfortunately that is not the case. You can do just fine and usually have decent seasons by going strict ADP and never reach but that has no personality or fun.
Wut?
Adams/Hopkins are the consensus 1-2 WRs. I’m not putting my valuation on them nor would they be a reach. That’s their ADP & they’re tier 1 WRs. Neither would be a reach at 1.05
it has nothing to do with “nameless & faceless ADP” and everything to do with tiers & VBD.
If I can get a top 3 WR & then either a top 7 WR or a top 10 RB in the 2nd, I’m going to do that over reaching a full round for Cook & taking a hit on my 2nd round pick.
Theres something to be said about “letting the draft come to you”. Another negative to teaching for Cook is that if an equal caliber RB does fall to you in the 2nd (as Cook may well have there anyway) you might feel pressed to take a 2nd OR 3rd. tier WR who carries significantly more risk than Hopkins/Adams (like Allen or TY Hilton) because the drop-off is even steeper after that. So now the reach for Cook in the 1st costs you value in the 2nd.
by letting the draft come to you & taking BPA in the first, maybe you land Cook in the 2nd.
Whats better:
A. Cook/Hilton
B. Hopkins/Cook
seems pretty obvious. Yes, it’s a risk that Cook won’t be there. But that’s the risk/reward, right? Maybe then it’d be ok to reach for a DWill in the 2nd, or take another elite or near elite WR, then go for a Montgomery or Carson after that in the 3rd.
Point is, ADP isn’t a maze that you’re forced to walk through, it’s a road map to where others generally value players.
Reaching for players isn’t terrible - I do it all the time. I just think the 1st round is too early to do it because it can cost you flexibility & value.’
The fun to make your own valuations and figure out where the consensus is off so you can brag on how you outsmarted everyone else. That is why many play FF. You need a happy medium of reaching where your convictions are to ensure you get the player you believe in and waiting to get value where lower valued players provide a positive inequity.
Of course that’s all true.
but it’d be silly to ignore where the general population values players. Using that as a guidepost can allow you to spot bargains.
fixating on any one player diminishes that potential to find bargains.
Just because you believe a player is more valuable than their ADP doesn't mean you should take them 10 picks before it. It means you recognize the value & take advantage of it if that player falls to you.
Bottom line is it's all a crap shoot anyway so make it fun for you and if that means reaching to get the player you want to root for then do it.
The answer is simple: because it’s more fun to win leagues than it is to root for a single player.
Don't let a mancrush dictate your early picks.