Market Monday: Should We Buy The Rising Prices On Stefon Diggs, Josh Downs, and Denzel Boston? (Episode 1006 with Adam Levitan)

This is Adam Levitan's weekly Market Monday solo segment, working through best ball ADP movers on DraftKings from the past seven days. His central argument: the wide receiver range between roughly pick 85 and 170 is unusually deep this year, and that depth should push drafters toward lighter running back starts so they can load up on receivers like Diggs, Downs, Boston, and Addison in that window.

The arguments

Stefon Diggs remains a strong pick even after his price jump to 105.7 overall. Levitan notes Diggs played all 17 games last year post-ACL tear, posted an elite 2.42 yards per route run, and topped 1,000 yards on just 57% of snaps. He argues Washington's heavy two-tight-end usage will boost both Diggs and Terry McLaurin, and a healthy Jayden Daniels adds shootout upside; he'd rather have owned Diggs at his pre-signing price of 133 but still likes him at 105.

Josh Downs is a consensus favorite across every fan and analytics community, which makes the question about price rather than talent. Levitan says he can't find anyone bearish on Downs, citing tape, analytics, alignment, coaching, front office, and beat-writer buzz, compounded by Alec Pierce's lingering ankle injury. He flags two risks that could sink the pick at cost — a healthy Pierce reclaiming intermediate routes, or a Colts signing of Keenan Allen — but still takes Downs at 86, just not as aggressively as when he was near 100.

Denzel Boston is a market-catching-up story built on camp buzz and Todd Monken's arrival. Levitan cites beat reports naming Boston a camp standout alongside Jerry Judy, plus Monken publicly awarding him more first-team reps, as validation of a bet he already had at 22% exposure near ADP 168. He frames the pick as a bet against Jerry Judy and on Monken's scheme plus Boston's pedigree (20 touchdowns in his final 25 college games, 6'4", 212 pounds, 35-inch vertical), preferring him over Jauan Jennings, Tre Tucker, and Travis Hunter at cost.

Mekhi Lemon's hamstring-marred camp adds to legitimate role concerns, but his talent is tempting the price down. Levitan lists both the injury (missed OTAs and camp time, which hurts rookies disproportionately) and scheme fit issues — a slot profile in a run-heavy Eagles offense with low middle-of-field passing rate. He's only at 2.5% exposure now but says he'd rather bet on talent over Dontayvion Wicks as Lemon's price keeps sliding toward 100 overall, especially with Kevin Patullo gone and Sean Mannion in.

Oronde Gadsden's role got murkier once the Chargers overhauled the coaching staff and signed David Njoku. Levitan praises Gadsden's rookie efficiency (49 catches, 664 yards, 1.66 YPRR, 9.4 ADOT) but says reports have him running with backups in camp, and he expects new coach Charlie Kolar's staff to make Charlie Kolar the base tight end. He compares Gadsden's likely role to package-specific pass-catching tight ends like Kincaid or Gesicki — talented but capped in snaps — and says he's fading Gadsden at 155, preferring Hawk cousin bets like Hawkinson or later options like Terrance Ferguson and Gunnar Helm.

Jordan Addison's dip ties directly to Minnesota's messy quarterback situation, but his talent still makes him underpriced at 102. Levitan notes Kyler Murray is taking most first-team reps but that the Vikings remain incentivized to look at J.J. McCarthy if Murray struggles, which would gut Addison's value; he also flags that colleague Harmon has called Addison overrated. Still, Levitan argues that if Murray plays merely as well as Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, or Carson Wentz did under Kevin O'Connell, Addison — 24 years old with 20 touchdowns in two seasons — is a buy at cost.

What it means for your roster

• Draft Diggs around 105 if available; Levitan still likes him in a vacuum despite the price climb from his earlier 133 average pick, citing Washington's two-tight-end usage juicing volume for both him and McLaurin.
• Take Josh Downs at 86 but don't chase him higher; monitor Alec Pierce's practice status and any Keenan Allen signing, either of which would undercut the bet.
• Prioritize Denzel Boston over comparable-priced options like Jauan Jennings, Tre Tucker, and Travis Hunter given the Monken co-sign and camp reports; Levitan holds 22% exposure near ADP 168.
• Build toward Mekhi Lemon as a small speculative stake (currently 2.5% for Levitan) if his price keeps sliding toward 100, betting on talent over Dontayvion Wicks, but treat the hamstring/role concerns as real caps on ceiling.
• Fade Oronde Gadsden at 155; instead target Hawkinson, Terrance Ferguson, Gunnar Helm, or Michael Mayer at similar or later cost given the Njoku signing and reported backup-unit reps in camp.
• Buy Jordan Addison at 102 as a talent-over-price bet, but track the Kyler Murray/J.J. McCarthy competition closely since a QB change would sharply diminish his outlook.
• Structurally, lean toward lighter running back starts to leave draft capital for this wide receiver tier (Diggs, Downs, Jaden Reed, Jordan Addison, Matthew Golden, Worthy, Debo, Stribling, Coker, Boston), which Levitan rates above the parallel running back tier of Blake Corum, Chuba Hubbard, Kyle Monangai, and Kenny Gainwell.