When it comes down to it, winning your fantasy football draft is all about maximizing value and snagging players for less than their actual worth. Fantasy owners are typically lower on players who are on struggling offenses (such as Jarvis Landry in 2017), suffered through an injury-marred campaign the previous year (a la Keenan Allen last preseason), or have gobs of talent but face major competition at their position (like Alvin Kamara around this time last year). Some of these guys will inevitably rise above our doubts and handsomely reward the drafters who took a chance on them. Who are those players, though? That’s the question our featured experts are here to tackle for you today. Please note that their selections will be based on our consensus PPR ADP rankings.

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1. Who is the most undervalued RB based on his current PPR ADP and why?

Lamar Miller (HOU): Consensus Rank: RB21
“20 running backs are being drafted ahead of him in PPR leagues. Miller has battled injuries, and yet, he still finished inside the top 20 the past four seasons, and was in the top 10 in two of those. There isn’t anybody behind him on the depth chart that is a threat to his workload, and that includes the passing game (averages 35 receptions a season). The same can’t be said for many players being drafted ahead of him, who are either splitting carries or not involved in the passing game…or both.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)

“Lamar Miller is the most undervalued RB. Everybody looks at the total season, especially his pedestrian 3.7 yards per carry, and then looks elsewhere. If you look closer, Miller averaged the 11th-most points for running backs who played more than one game during Weeks 2-8, which is when Deshaun Watson was playing.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Rex Burkhead (NE): Consensus Rank: RB28
“I’m going with Burkhead here. Despite seeing fewer than 10 touches per game in 2017, Burkhead finished as an RB3 or better in a higher percentage of games than Christian McCaffrey last year, yet he’s being drafted 20 running backs later? The loss of Dion Lewis is pretty huge, as Sony Michel and Jeremy Hill have to break into Bill Belichick’s circle of trust, making Burkhead and James White the only two who truly understand the offense. He’s going to get more touches, especially right out of the gate with Julian Edelman suspended for the first four games.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Carlos Hyde (CLE): Consensus Rank: RB37
“Seeing Carlos Hyde as the 37th running back off the board has me licking my chops. Players like Chris Thompson and Isaiah Crowell going behind him is comical. The Browns made it clear in Week 1 of the preseason that Hyde is their starter. When you consider that last season he was an RB1 behind a far inferior offensive line, it ought to make you wonder what he may do with the lion’s share of carries in a run-heavy offense.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Marlon Mack (IND): Consensus Rank: RB36
“Even before his recent hamstring scare, Mack (ADP RB36) wasn’t getting any love. Granted, the Colts drafted two rookie running backs, yet they opted to a) let Frank Gore walk and b) not pursue any major free agent backs, and there were plenty of one-year rentals available. Mack showed flashes of brilliance last year with five runs of over 20 yards in limited work, and if Andrew Luck is behind center, that offense may hit another level. If healthy, I can see Mack having a 2017 “Alvin Kamara-lite” kind of season with his receiving talent and big-play ability in a dynamic offense.”
– Donald Gibson (Fantasy Fusion)

2. Who is the most undervalued WR based on his current PPR ADP and why?

Chris Hogan (NE): Consensus Rank: WR28
“This one is tough because I have three receivers that jump off the page who are inside my top 36. Hogan, Jamison Crowder, and Sterling Shepard are all undervalued, but Hogan is the one who doesn’t even need an injury to finish as a WR1. With Brandin Cooks on the team, Hogan was the No. 7 wide receiver over the first half of the season before suffering an injury that had him miss a lot of time. It’s now his third season with Tom Brady, and he’s the only sure thing in the passing game, as Jordan Matthews and Malcolm Mitchell were cut, Danny Amendola went to the Dolphins, and Julian Edelman is suspended for the first four weeks. Yes, Rob Gronkowski is still going to get his, but Hogan could very well be a WR1 that you get at a WR3 cost.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Tyrell Williams (LAC): Consensus Rank: WR71
“The most undervalued WR is easily Williams. There are well over 100 targets available now that the Chargers don’t currently have Antonio Gates on their roster and lost Hunter Henry for the 2018 season. Mike Williams is the sexy name, but has not proven anything yet. Tyrell, on the other hand, had 16.9 yards per catch in 2017. With more targets likely headed his way, we could be looking at a WR4/flex option that you can get for free in drafts.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Jamison Crowder (WAS): Consensus Rank: WR36
“I’m going to be drafting Crowder until he retires, aren’t I? Crowder perceptively burned a lot of fantasy owners last year, but he still ended up with 66 receptions for 789 yards in 15 games. New signal caller Alex Smith is the prototypical safe passer, and Crowder will provide a short-yardage outlet that Smith is going to absolutely abuse. Sure, Crowder has his limitations in terms of touchdowns and big-play ability, but a WR36 cost is just insanely low to me.”
– Donald Gibson (Fantasy Fusion)

Nelson Agholor (PHI): Consensus Rank: WR44
“The guy who finished as the 22nd overall wide receiver in PPR last season is not getting much love so far in drafts. He is currently being drafted as the WR44, in the ninth round! Alshon Jeffery appears to need more time to recover from his shoulder surgery, and are we believing that the 32-year-old Mike Wallace is going to command that much of the target share? There is no reason to believe that the fourth-year, former first-round pick can’t replicate, or perhaps even expand, on his 2017 season that put him in the WR2 category.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)

Kelvin Benjamin (BUF): Consensus Rank: WR43
“You may never feel good about drafting Kelvin Benjamin, but the matter of the fact is that him being selected as the 43rd wideout off the board is far too low. There is zero competition for targets in this Bills’ offense that will likely be playing from behind much more often than not. Plus, just because he had a rough season in a year he was traded mid-season doesn’t mean he can’t bounce back to a historically impressive start to his career.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

3. Who is the most undervalued QB based on his current ADP and why?

Alex Smith (WAS): Consensus Rank: QB20
“It’s odd for me not to say Mitch Trubisky here since he’s still undervalued, but it’s Smith. Just one year after finishing as the No. 4 fantasy quarterback, many are concerned he’ll turn back to his game-manager days, but you’re missing something. While playing that game-manager style, he played alongside top-eight defenses for most of his career, topping out at 508 pass attempts. Under Jay Gruden, Kirk Cousins didn’t total fewer than 540 attempts and even had a year with more than 600 attempts. The Redskins do not have a top-eight defense. In fact, it’s likely not in the top 20. You will regret overlooking Smith, especially in two-QB formats.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“Alex Smith going as the 20th quarterback off the board is one of the most absurd ADPs I’ve seen in years. He finished as a top-four fantasy QB last season, folks! What’s more, is that he did it in a conservative offense where he threw just 505 passes. Washington may bump him up to 530 or perhaps even 560 this season. If that were to happen, we may be looking at an MVP candidate. ”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Philip Rivers (LAC): Consensus Rank: QB15
“Just like every other year, Rivers is perpetually underdrafted; he is currently the QB15 based on ADP. Since 2008, Rivers has only one season with fewer than 4,000 passing yards, and that was in 2012. The only drawback to Rivers is that he won’t have prominent red-zone threats in Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry, but the emergence of a healthy Mike Williams may offset that loss. Take Rivers in the 10th and reap the benefits, like you always do.”
– Donald Gibson (Fantasy Fusion)

Blake Bortles (JAC): Consensus Rank: QB29
“Call me crazy but the most undervalued QB has to be Bortles. I would not draft him as one, but he has finished in the top-12 QB in three straight seasons. However, to be the 29th QB taken is pretty crazy. It is never pretty with Bortles, but he gets the job done and should at the very least be a mid-level QB2.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)

Thank you to the experts for naming their undervalued players. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and for more great advice, subscribe to our podcast below.

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