Most Underrated Player on Each NFL Team (2023 Fantasy Football)

NFC East

TEAM	Andrew	Derek	Pat
Dallas Cowboys	Brandin Cooks	Brandin Cooks	Jake Ferguson
New York Giants	Isaiah Hodgins	Darren Waller	Isaiah Hodgins
Philadelphia Eagles	Rashaad Penny	Rashaad Penny	Rashaad Penny
Washington Commanders	Jahan Dotson	Jahan Dotson	Jahan Dotson

Brandin Cooks (WR – DAL)
Dallas made a major move during the first weekend following free agency, sending a 2023 5th-round pick and 2024 6th-round pick to the Houston Texans for Brandin Cooks. Cooks saw a reduced role in the Texans’ offense this past season, but he still has plenty in the tank. The soon-to-be 30-year-old earned a 22% target share in 2022 (6.7 targets per game). After re-entering the lineup in Week 16 for Houston, Cooks finished the year as WR18 in points per game. He also averaged 1.64 yards per route run (39th), which was superior to anyone on Dallas last season not-named CeeDee Lamb (Noah Brown, 70th). The former first-rounder is a great fit in Dallas. He finished 9th in the percentage of catches for 20-plus yards (23%) and as PFF’s 7th-highest graded WR on targets 20-plus air yards – highlighting his big-play ability. – Erickson

Isaiah Hodgins (WR – NYG)
Hodgins seems like a completely forgotten WR, despite the fact that he could lead New York in targets in 2023. Once fully entrenched in the offense from Week 12 onward, Hodgins has zero drops on 45 targets and averaged 10.9 fantasy points per game – equivalent to Chris Olave and Deebo Samuel (WR25). He averaged 9.1 fantasy points per game overall on the year. – Erickson

Rashaad Penny (WR – PHI)
Rashaad Penny has arguably been the most efficient running back in the NFL over the last few seasons. Since 2006, Rashaad Penny has been the only running back to eclipse 4.50 yards after contact per attempt in a single season (2021 per PFF). Penny has led the NFL in yards after contact per attempt in each of the last two seasons with insane 4.52 and 4.23 marks. Over that span, he’s also led the NFL in breakaway run rate in back-to-back seasons. Penny’s health concerns will keep his ADP in check all off-season, so the floor is appropriately factored in. However, his ceiling has not, so if he stays healthy, he is being massively underrated. – Dbro

Jahan Dotson (WR – WSH)
As a rookie, Dotson scored 7 touchdowns in 12 games and had five weeks as a top-20 scorer at the WR position. Dotson is fast, a good route runner, great after that catch and is good in contested catch situations for a smaller receiver. There’s a reason Washington drafted him in the middle of the first round a year ago. Dotson has a bright future. – Pat Fitzmaurice

NFC North

TEAM	Andrew	Derek	Pat
Chicago Bears	Darnell Mooney	Chase Claypool	Roschon Johnson
Detroit Lions	Amon-Ra St. Brown	Sam LaPorta	Jared Goff
Green Bay Packers	Jordan Love	Jayden Reed	Jayden Reed
Minnesota Vikings	Jordan Addison	Jordan Addison	Alexander Mattison

Chase Claypool (WR – CHI)
Ok. Is everyone done telling their tired Chase Claypool jokes? Yes? Ok. Let’s have a real conversation about Claypool, then. He flashed monstrous talent in his rookie season but found himself locked in pitiful offenses with pop gun-armed quarterbacks in the following seasons. With a full offseason to learn the playbook and build rapport with Justin Fields, we should see Claypool revitalized. Last year in three games with the Bears, in which he played at least 63% of the snaps, he saw a 22.1% target share, a 50% end zone target share, 1.77 yards per route run, and a 28% target per route run rate. Claypool will bury the haters in 2023. – Dbro

Jared Goff (QB – DET)
Goff is still a punch line to a lot of people, but he tied for fifth in the NFL in touchdown passes last season and was sixth in passing yardage, seventh in passer rating and QB10 in fantasy scoring. Goff will have a good offensive line in front of him this season, some exciting skill-position talent around him, and Lions OC Ben Johnson is a sharp play-caller. – Pat Fitzmaurice

Jordan Love (QB – GB)
Jordan Love is slated to start for the Green Bay Packers in 2023 after sitting on the bench behind a future HOFer, Aaron Rodgers, for the past three seasons. Love was viewed as a raw prospect – a poor man’s Patrick Mahomes because of his traits and ability to make off-script plays – who needed time to marinate entering the league, so I am cautiously optimistic about his prospects this season and beyond. He played well in limited action in 2022 and possesses athletic traits that could translate to rushing production. Green Bay added a plethora of weapons to aid in Love’s first season in the 2023 NFL Draft between Jayden Reed, Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. The Packers also have a very favorable schedule to open the 2023 season and the No.1 easiest strength of schedule for fantasy QBs per FantasyPros’ strength of schedule tool. Through seven games, they will face Atlanta, New Orleans, Detroit, Las Vegas, Denver, Minnesota and the Rams. Therefore, Love has the chance to surprise in fantasy circles early on, even if he’s just an average quarterback in real life. – Erickson

Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)
The Vikings’ release of RB Dalvin Cook seems inevitable, and when it happens, Mattison will be Minnesota’s lead RB. It’s possible the Vikings will sign a veteran free agent to add depth at the position, but Mattison will play a significant role regardless, and he’s been effective when he’s seen bigger workloads in the past. – Pat Fitzmaurice

NFC South

TEAM	Andrew	Derek	Pat
Atlanta Falcons	Drake London	Drake London	Drake London
Carolina Panthers	D.J. Chark	Chuba Hubbard	Chuba Hubbard
New Orleans Saints	Chris Olave	Rashid Shaheed	Jamaal Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Rachaad White	Rachaad White	Rachaad White

Drake London (WR – ATL)
The case for Drake London is pretty simple. The only reason he is being undervalued is because of the offensive environment he currently finds himself in. If he played in a more pass-friendly offense, he’d be a Round 2/3 pick in redraft formats. London commanded a 29% target share as a 21-year-old rookie WR. Madness. Ridiculousness. His potential is through the roof if/when Atlanta can figure out their play under center. – Erickson

Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR)
Miles Sanders is Carolina’s lead RB, but his workhorse credentials are dubious. Hubbard is the clear No. 2, and he was admirably efficient last year, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per target. He’s a compelling handcuff who might have some stand-alone value. – Pat Fitzmaurice

Rashid Shaheed (WR – NO)
Shaheed flashed at times in 2022 and came on strong at the end of the year in a bad offense. He finished the year with 28 receptions on 34 targets for 488 yards and two touchdowns, but nearly all of that production came over the season’s final six games, when he caught 22 balls for 377 yards and one touchdown. In 2023, he’s penciled in as a starter alongside Chris Olave and Michael Thomas in what should be an improved offense. His early ADP is 185 overall (WR70), so he’s a late-round dart throw with potential and opportunity. – Dbro

Rachaad White (RB – TB)
As a rookie, White was remarkably competent as a pass catcher and pass blocker, and he was able to earn close to a 50/50 workload split with veteran Leonard Fournette by midseason. From Week 10 to Week 17, White was the RB20 in PPR fantasy points per game despite scoring only two touchdowns over that stretch. White is the Buccaneers’ No. 1 RB as of now, and even if the Buccaneers add a veteran free agent, White’s strong work in the passing game will keep him heavily involved. – Pat Fitzmaurice

NFC West

TEAM	Andrew	Derek	Pat
Arizona Cardinals	James Conner	Rondale Moore	Clayton Tune
Los Angeles Rams	Cam Akers	Puka Nacua	Cam Akers
San Francisco 49ers	Brandon Aiyuk	Elijah Mitchell	Elijah Mitchell
Seattle Seahawks	Geno Smith	Geno Smith	Zach Charbonnet

Rondale Moore (WR – ARI)
With DeAndre Hopkins out of town, Moore could revisit last year’s production, which would be a huge win for fantasy GMs. He commanded a 22.7% target share in his seven full games and averaged 12.6 (PPR) fantasy points per game. That’s fantasy WR3-level production that’s available in early drafts for a fraction of the cost. Invest in Rondale Moore in 2023. – Dbro

Cam Akers (RB – LAR)
Cam Akers had a rocky start to the 2022 season, getting benched in Week 1 and facing doubts about his role in the Rams’ backfield. However, Akers eventually emerged as the team’s RB1 and finished the season as the RB4 in the final six weeks leading the NFL in rushing yards (85 yards/game). Akers is still only 24 years old, and with free agency looming after this season, the Rams have every reason to ride him hard in 2023. – Erickson

Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF)
A decisive one-cut runner who fits Kyle Shanahan’s system well, Mitchell has averaged 77.6 rushing yards per game since entering the league in 2021. He won’t average that many rushing yards when Christian McCaffrey is healthy, but Mitchell will still be involved. And if McCaffrey does go down, Mitchell immediately becomes a weekly RB1. – Pat Fitzmaurice

Geno Smith (QB – SEA)
Geno Smith. 20 games as the starter in Seattle. 20.1 points per game. This generation’s Ryan Tannehill. ECR QB14. LOL. – Erickson

To read the complete breakdown of every team’s most OVERRATED players from a fantasy perspective, check out our complete Most Overrated Player on Each NFL Team article.

Fantasy Draft Advice Featured Pros NFL Brandin Cooks Jake Ferguson Isaiah Hodgins Darren Waller Rashaad Penny Jahan Dotson CeeDee Lamb Noah Brown Chris Olave Deebo Samuel Darnell Mooney Chase Claypool Roschon Johnson Amon-Ra St. Brown Sam LaPorta Jared Goff Jordan Love Jayden Reed Jordan Addison Alexander Mattison Justin Fields Ben Johnson Aaron Rodgers Patrick Mahomes Luke Musgrave Tucker Kraft Dalvin Cook Drake London D.J. Chark Chuba Hubbard Rashid Shaheed Jamaal Williams Rachaad White Miles Sanders Leonard Fournette James Conner Rondale Moore Clayton Tune Cam Akers Puka Nacua Brandon Aiyuk Elijah Mitchell Geno Smith Zach Charbonnet DeAndre Hopkins Christian McCaffrey Ryan Tannehill