As redraft season takes over, it’s critical to locate value wherever possible. While Sleeper is one of the best fantasy football platforms out there, occasionally, their ADP can turn up diamonds when we scroll a bit further.
This article will give you players you should add to your queues at the start of your draft, ready to snap them up before your opponents. Don’t forget that our Expert Consensus Rankings cover all formats of fantasy football and collate many top experts rankings to show you who is undervalued.
Running Backs
Chase Edmonds (RB – MIA): RB34
Drafters might be put off slightly by what appears to be a running back committee in Miami. Still, Chase Edmonds was signed as a priority free agent at the beginning of free agency and carries the thirteenth-highest salary at the position for this league year.
Edmonds might not profile as a three-down back, but in 2021 he set career highs in total yards (903), missed tackles (1.8 per game), and rushing expected points added (11.6). Edmonds is a useful player for in the flex position or covering bye weeks at a bare minimum. Our Expert Consensus Rankings place Edmonds two full rounds ahead of ADP.
Chase Edmonds: “The running back here does a lot. It’s primarily why I came here. I believe in McDaniel, especially out of the backfield because I feel like I can utilize my special abilities coming out the backfield, my route-running and mismatches on ‘backers.” https://t.co/miXlyhhPfJ
— NFL Beat Writers (@32BeatWriters) June 1, 2022
Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN): RB39
Most hardcore Melvin Gordon truthers will admit it’s unlikely he sees as much work as last year’s 51.2% opportunity share. Yet, it’s worth remembering how good Gordon looked at times and that his play kept the promising Javonte Williams in a timeshare. Gordon finished the season as the PPR RB20 and now is being drafted as the RB39. Gordon outplayed his ADP in 2021, and it won’t be surprising if he does so in 2022.
Wide Receivers
Michael Pittman (WR – IND): WR21
If you’ve been busy in the best ball streets this offseason, it might surprise you to see Michael Pittman this low. But drafters on Sleeper haven’t pushed him as high as he’s going elsewhere. ECR currently has Pittman in the third round, but Sleeper’s ADP has been slow to catch up to this. Pittman is the WR1 on an offense that got a quarterback upgrade, has a solid offensive line, and has a good head coach. Pittman was amongst the top ten in snaps played at the position and featured highly in many advanced stats.
DJ Moore (WR – CAR): WR16
Despite dealing with Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, and P.J Walker as his quarterbacks, DJ Moore put up career highs in targets in 2021 (153) and air yards (1,627). Moore hasn’t managed a WR1 season yet, but he doesn’t deserve to fall quite this far down draft boards. He’s shown that he can deliver no matter the circumstances, and it would be a surprise to see him fail to in 2022.
Brandin Cooks (WR – HOU): WR31
Only seven players had a better target share amongst receivers than Brandin Cooks’ 26.7%. Cooks finished the season as the WR20 in PPR points per game. Yet, he goes into the offseason with doubts about his ability to put up points. The Texans haven’t gotten hugely better across their skill position players, and there should be no reason to think Cooks can’t repeat 2021’s returns. The ECR suggests Cooks is being undervalued by over three rounds currently.
Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL): WR40
When the Baltimore Ravens drafted Rashod Bateman, sections of the fantasy community felt he had landed in a wide receiver graveyard. Still, the last fourteen months have been a reminder of just how quickly situations can change.
While Bateman’s rookie season was slightly disappointing, he had few opportunities to get on the same page with quarterback Lamar Jackson. At the beginning of training camp, Jackson had COVID-19, and then Bateman suffered a groin injury. Once Bateman got up to game speed, Jackson became injured for the rest of the season. Now Bateman finds himself the clear WR1 with minimal competition from the other receivers. Bateman was a highly-rated prospect and is precisely the type of receiver Lamar Jackson needs. This passing game may start with Mark Andrews, but Bateman is undervalued as things stand.
Don’t sleep on Rashod Bateman’s ability in the deep passing game with Marquise Brown gone. It’s two different players/styles, but Bateman is a legit downfield threat too.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) June 1, 2022
Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE): WR57
Jakobi Meyers value has been slightly dinged by the arrival of DaVante Parker, who was traded to the Patriots from the Dolphins. Still, Meyers is more typically a slot receiver, and Parker will be relied upon to play on the boundaries. The Patriots will no doubt continue to lean toward the running game, but Mac Jones has shown he can be an efficient NFL quarterback.
Meyers’ lack of career touchdowns became meme-worthy at times last year until he eventually put it to bed. Having developed a rapport with Jones, it would be surprising to see him score as few as two again. At WR57 in drafts, Meyers represents an excellent depth target to deploy in the right matchups.
Tight Ends
Robert Tonyan (TE – GB): TE22
The Packers’ depth chart gets awfully thin when you look at players likely to catch passes. Robert Tonyan is returning from a torn ACL that forced him to miss over half of the 2021 season. When Tonyan did play, he wasn’t playing to the highs of 2020 when he scored 11 touchdowns and had the highest QBR when targeted of any tight end. With the Packers receiving core looking very different in 2022, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Aaron Rodgers favor Tonyan as someone he trusts. As long as your fantasy team isn’t depending on Tonyan week in and week out, he represents excellent value.
What if this year’s 2020 Robert Tonyan is Robert Tonyan
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 12, 2022
Gerald Everett (TE – LAC): TE25
After leaving the Rams for the Seahawks in 2021, Gerald Everett had a fairly quiet season as the Seahawks struggled to be productive under Russell Wilson‘s below-par quarterbacking. Now Everett finds himself on the highly desirable Chargers offense, replacing Jared Cook as the primary pass-catching tight end. While Everett might not ever make it to the elite tier, he still ranked ninth in yards after contact at the position and had the joint-most broken tackles (9). We shouldn’t be relying on Everett every week, but he has shown he is better than a TE3.
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