As Cam said, the difference is that champs will always require skill and precision, while, with droppers, once you know where the water is, they are very straight-forward. This is of course why the harder droppers have repeat rewards. Look at Decrescendo; one of the only droppers where, even if you know exactly what to do, it still takes time and effort to get to the bottom.
For these reasons I wouldn't consider droppers big tickets, at least, not after you've completed them once.