Justin Herzig said DeMario “Pop” Douglas should stay in Best Ball Mania draft pools because his role is safer than drafters assume. Herzig does not view rookie Kyle Williams as a real slot threat and thinks Stefon Diggs will spend more time outside, leaving Douglas to handle most underneath work. He reminded listeners that Mike Vrabel has explicitly asked for yards-after-catch weapons rather than down-field bombers and called Douglas one of the roster’s best YAC options. ETR projections still give the second-year wideout a solid target share, and with Drake Maye expected to take a sophomore leap, Herzig believes Douglas can provide 3-5 usable spike weeks despite a capped ceiling. At a price range typically littered with pure zeros, that combination of weekly snaps, scheme fit, and Vrabel’s stated offensive philosophy makes Pop a smart late-round floor play in Best Ball builds.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound advised fading Demario “Pop” Douglas at his current 170-ish ADP in Underdog’s Sprint and similar playoff-focused drafts. Pat noted that Bill Belichick’s offense ranked near the bottom of the league in three-wide-receiver usage last year, and nothing from early camp suggests a philosophical change. Because Douglas can play only in the slot, his snap share will be capped unless the Patriots suddenly lean on 11-personnel. Pat said he looks for wideouts who can pop 20-plus point weeks in the playoff window, and Douglas simply will not see enough routes or targets to provide those spike games. In Pat’s words, “he needs more looks to be fantasy-relevant,” making him a roster clogger rather than a ceiling piece.

Michael Leone called DeMario Douglas the "boring guy" you absolutely want when you start drafts with heavy running back capital. Douglas projects to be a locked-in member of every three-wide package even if rookies like Ja’Lynn Polk or Kyle Williams pop in camp, giving him the snap security most late receivers lack. Leone liked the added bonus of correlation with Drake Maye— they had already drafted the rookie quarterback—so any surprise competence from Maye doubles the payoff on Douglas. The second-year slot man quietly earned a 22 % target per route rate as a rookie and now gets an up-tempo Alex Van Pelt scheme that should lean on quick throws behind a shaky offensive line. Leone said that archetype—high-floor PPR sponge tied to your quarterback bet—is exactly how you survive the receiver "dead zone" in Best Ball Mania without chasing WR7s who might never see the field.