Matt Jones could make a major impact in 2016 without Alfred Morris in the picture

If you haven’t noticed yet, our NFL preseason consensus rankings are live with over a handful of experts kicking off the 2016 season. Sure, you may be thinking, “It’s too early for rankings”, but don’t forget that the NFL has evolved into a year-long spectacle with the next big event being the NFL Combine in just another week. We also just saw on Tuesday that teams will not waste time to cut a player. Just take a look at how many things take place before the NFL Draft alone.

2016 NFL Key Dates:

• February 16: First day for clubs to designate franchise or transition players.
• February 23-29: NFL Scouting Combine
• March 1: Deadline (4 p.m. ET) for clubs to designate franchise or transition players.
• March 7-9: Clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4 p.m. ET on March 9.
• March 9: 2016 league year begins. Free-agency period begins at 4 p.m. ET.
• April 4: Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2015 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.
• April 18: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
• April 22: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
• April 28-30: 2016 NFL Draft, Chicago.e franchise or transition players.

The point is, even if the rankings may be “early”, they still hold weight and we’ve asked our featured experts to name who they feel are undervalued based on the early consensus. See their picks below and read on to get their take on each player.

Undervalued Players by Position

Q1. What QB is the most undervalued based on the early consensus preseason rankings?

Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
Positional Rank: #6
“Roethlisberger might be properly ranked at QB6, but perhaps he should be closer to the top of that uppermost QB tier (he’s my QB2). With the return of Le’Veon Bell, the continued development of Martavis Bryant and the dependable excellence of Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh’s offense has a chance to be historically prolific. I rarely take quarterbacks in the early rounds of fantasy drafts, but I might not be able to resist Big Ben if I can get him in the third round.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Jameis Winston (TB)
Positional Rank: #18
“He finished at QB13 in FOXSports.com scoring this season, but is ranked as QB18. We should assume that he’ll improve, right? I know he might not run for six TDs again, but I bet he’ll throw for more.”
– John Halpin (Fox Sports)

Derek Carr (OAK)
Positional Rank: #12
“The twelfth best QB in fantasy over 2015, Derek Carr has a ton of upside. He’ll enter his third season in the league at just 25-years-old and is surrounded by two top-24 receiving talents as well as last year’s 10th best fantasy RB. I prefer his youth and potential over a Hue Jackson-less Andy Dalton and an increasingly fragile Tony Romo.”
– Liz Loza (Yahoo)

Eli Manning (NYG)
Positional Rank: #13
“Manning being ranked behind Derek Carr and Andy Dalton seems like an odd stance to take after the 2015 season. Manning finished as the 7th overall QB in 2015 without the use of a secondary weapon in Victor Cruz. Odell Beckham Jr. will continue to thrive and his presence will open up the other wide receivers and backs out of the backfield. The Giants defense is not going to make huge strides in just one year, so I think Eli will have to continue to air it out to keep pace. I have him as my eighth overall QB early in the offseason.”
– Dennis Esser (Coach Esser)

Q2. What RB is the most undervalued based on the early consensus preseason rankings?

Carlos Hyde (SF)
Positional Rank: #19
“RB19 seems pretty light for Carlos Hyde. There’s obviously going to be an injury discount, and the incompetence of the 49ers will scare off some potential buyers. But what’s nice is that Hyde hasn’t accumulated much mileage, yet his body of work has been extremely convincing. I like Hyde more than Mark Ingram, Lamar Miller, Jeremy Langford and several of the other RBs ranked ahead of him.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Melvin Gordon (SD)
Positional Rank: #29
“Gordon looks attractive at RB29. We can’t blame his bad season entirely on the offensive line, but that unit certainly didn’t help. New OC Ken Whisenhunt says he wants to get the Bolts’ running game going, and the organization probably wants its high draft pick to get the chance to produce. If he’s the team’s lead back, he’ll be a top-20 pick when the season gets closer.”
– John Halpin (Fox Sports)

Isaiah Crowell (CLE)
Positional Rank: #38
“Over the last five weeks of the season, he averaged nearly 5.0 YPC, scored three TDs, and cracked the top-30 fantasy players at the position three separate times. With Hue Jackson calling the plays in Cleveland, the Crow should finally get fed. Look for him to be in better shape and prominently featured come September.”
– Liz Loza (Yahoo)

Matt Jones (WAS)
Positional Rank: #31
“Matt Jones being ranked 31st overall is way too low for me. His outlook took a big jump up with the news that the Redskins were not going to try to resign Alfred Morris. Jones showed power, speed and nice run-after-the-catch skills last season, but needs to get a handle on his fumbles. If Kirk Cousins is still at quarterback keeping the Redskins in good down and distances, then Jones could crack my top-12 overall, even with Chris Thompson stealing some passing down duties.”
– Dennis Esser (Coach Esser)

Q3. What WR is the most undervalued based on the early consensus preseason rankings?

Josh Gordon (CLE)
Positional Rank: #42
“Josh Gordon at WR42? Do we expect him to show up at training camp with a 3-foot bong and a candy jar full of cannabis edibles? Yes, there’s a risk here, but a ranking of WR42 grossly overplays the downside and doesn’t pay heed to Gordon’s extraordinary talent. His reinstatement from suspension is imminent, he’s reportedly intent on getting his career back on track, and we’ve seen him produce huge numbers despite mediocre QB play. I think Gordon should be considered a top-20 receiver at bare minimum.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Keenan Allen (SD)
Positional Rank: #17
“Let’s stick with the Chargers and pick Keenan Allen, who was tracking toward a 1,500-yard season before getting hurt in Week 8. If he’s healthy – which is supposed to be the case – he’s a top-10 wideout for sure.”
– John Halpin (Fox Sports)

Jordan Matthews (PHI)
Positional Rank: #27
“The whole of Matthews’ second pro season would be a wash, were it not for his ability to produce in garbage time. Relegated to the slot under Chip Kelly, Matthews’ involvement should increase with Doug Pederson installing his West Coast offense. At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, Matthews has the size and athletic versatility to play outside as well as underneath. I suspect his breakout is more likely in 2016 than the previous go-around.”
– Liz Loza (Yahoo)

Stefon Diggs (MIN)
Positional Rank: #44
“With the Josh Gordon situation being the total outlier in the rankings because of his suspension, I turned my focus to Stefon Diggs at 44th overall, which is too low for me. While Teddy Bridgewater may never be a 4,000 yard quarterback, he may just approach the 3,500 yard mark this year. If Diggs is the full-time number 1 or number 2 wide receiver in that offense, I believe his numbers will put him into the low-end WR2 conversation. I personally have him at 29th overall with an upside of around 25th.”
– Dennis Esser (Coach Esser)

See who the experts picked as overvalued based on the consensus >>

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Thank you to the experts for naming their undervalued players according ot our early consensus rankings. For more advice, please be sure to give them a follow on Twitter. Got thoughts on their picks? Leave a comment below.