Last week we asked our writers to provide a player that they felt was overvalued compared to our expert consensus rankings. This week, we’re looking at the other end of the spectrum, undervalued fantasy football players.
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Which player is most undervalued based on Expert Consensus Rankings?
Josh Jacobs (RB – OAK)
“I really can’t explain Josh Jacobs’ ranking. He’s currently the RB34 in the ECR (PPR) despite having a third-round ADP and typically being around the 16th RB off the board. Jacobs is, at the bare minimum, above replacement level. For redraft purposes, his talent really doesn’t matter as long as he is not terrible (he’s not). Jacobs walks into a largely vacant backfield ready to assume a three-down role. It is exceedingly rare that first-round rookie running backs aren’t given enough volume to be fantasy relevant. Jacobs just has to be mediocre to be an RB2 given how likely it is he sees close to 300 touches. That RB34 rank is sure to rise.”
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
Trey Quinn (WR – WAS)
“I think there are so many rookie running backs that are being undervalued like Jacobs, Montgomery, Sanders, and Henderson, but I will go with a sneaky second-year wide receiver. Mr. Irrelevant 2018, Trey Quinn, is poised for a breakout season. He showed glimpses at the end of last year before succumbing to an injury. He performed well despite being tethered to Colt McCoy. The Washington Redskins had one of the best drafts investing well on defense (Montez Sweat) as well as offense. They got a steal at pick 15, drafting quarterback Dwayne Haskins, and picked up a couple of solid outside receivers in Kelvin Harmon and Terry McLaurin, who incidentally, played with Haskins at Ohio. However, Quinn is the de facto starting slot option. With Jamison Crowder gone, Quinn looks to translate his highly productive college career to the NFL. He’s quick and shifty and has no problem getting open. He will be a target hog and a safe option for the newly-acquired Haskins who despite his 50 touchdowns thrown in 2018, likes to hit his shorter to intermediate guys. Let the Josh Doctson truthers get crushed again when they choose their darling a round or two before you select Quinn. He will lead your team to victory, causing you to secretly smile knowing you have picked up ECR’s current wide receiver 93 in the double-digit rounds.”
Marc Mathyk (@masterjune70)
David Montgomery (RB – CHI)
“Picking a rookie running back for the undervalued list almost feels like cheating. However, Montgomery’s current running back ECR of 40th overall (PPR) is ludicrous. Jordan Howard being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles vacated 250 carries. Unless you think Mike Davis has a chance to keep the Bears day two pick at bay, Montgomery needs to be much higher on this list. I understand that he did not light the world on fire with his performance at the NFL Combine, but you just need to watch some tape to understand he is not someone who wins with speed. He is arguably the top running back in this draft class due to his elite elusiveness and power. A slippery back who can break tackles with ease, Montgomery shines thanks to his great open field ability. He forced 100 missed tackles in 2018, and racked up 892 of his 1,216 rushing yards after contact. Montgomery will be in the top-24 in ECR, and perhaps even the top-20, by the time the season starts.”
– Raju Byfield (@FantasyContext)
N’Keal Harry (WR – NE)
“New England Patriots QB Tom Brady was not his normal Hall of Fame self last year, but a big reason the Patriots offense was not as explosive as past years was that they lacked depth at wide receiver. Julian Edelman led the wide receiver core in targets with 108 targets. The next most targeted wide receiver was WR Josh Gordon with only 40 targets. Improving the wide receiver position was a big priority for the Patriots and they used their first-round pick on Harry. The only player that is going to compete with him for a starting job is Demaryius Thomas, and he is still recovering from a torn left Achilles. Harry will likely start Week 1 playing with Tom Brady. That may not mean as much when Brady was playing MVP-caliber football, but Harry currently has an ADP of 111.3 and he is the 60th ranked wide receiver (PPR). The 58th ranked fantasy wide receiver last year was Carolina Panthers WR Devin Funchess, who had 100.9 fantasy points, 44 receptions, 549 yards, and four touchdowns. That is a pretty low stat line for a rookie wide receiver playing for arguably the best head coach and quarterback in NFL history. I think he is extremely undervalued given his 2,889 yards receiving and 22 receiving touchdowns at Arizona State over the last three years. His size in the red zone should allow him to score enough touchdowns to outperform his current ranking if he can hold onto that starting job. The sky is the limit for Harry in a Patriots offense that is in desperate need of a big wide receiver on the outside that can make an impact on deep passes and in the red zone.”
– Derek Lofland (@DerekLofland)
Devin Funchess (WR – IND)
“Devin Funchess is currently ranked as WR51 (PPR) and is coming off the board in the 11th round of 12-team PPR leagues. Much like the writing during this season of Game of Thrones, he’s an afterthought. At his current price, he’s a low-risk, late-round flier you can replace early in the season if he’s not producing. At best, though, he boasts double-digit touchdown upside after signing with the Indianapolis Colts and their top-five scoring offense. The big-bodied pass-catcher is still just 25 years old and posted 840 yards and eight scores in 2017. He was on pace for nearly 1,000 yards and eight TDs through the first six games of 2018 before the Panthers realized they weren’t going to re-sign him and torpedoed his playing time. You can expect some of Eric Ebron’s red zone usage to be differed to the 6-foot-4 Funchess as head coach Frank Reich compared the WR to Alshon Jeffery. The Colts ranked sixth in pass percentage last year and 10th in red zone pass percentage. Sometimes the right landing spot is just as important as individual talent. I just don’t see a ton of late-round picks that carry as much potential upside as Funchess.”
– Brandon Katz (@great_katzby)
Carlos Hyde (RB – KC)
“I can kind of understand the Damien Williams hype at RB16. The guy was an absolute stud at the end of 2018 and into the playoffs. But we’re also talking about a player that has never eclipsed 50 carries during his five-year NFL career and has failed to take advantage of opportunities in the past. We all know that almost any RB in an Andy Reid offense is a goldmine for fantasy value, but I’m not buying into Williams as the clear-cut guy in Kansas City. With that, I’m apparently fairly high on Carlos Hyde heading into 2019 as Hyde’s ECR currently puts him at RB43 (PPR). While Hyde has his blemishes as well, we’ve seen the former second-round pick be able to handle 200+ carries multiple times in his career, and even when he wasn’t the “perfect fit” for a Kyle Shanahan offense back in 2017, Hyde responded with a career-high 59 receptions on his way to a top 12 RB finish. While I would give Williams the slight edge straight up as of now, the Hyde value is unmistakable at this point.”
– Kyle August (@kyleFFfellas)
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