While drafting some of the best players in the NFL through the first couple of rounds in your fantasy football draft might be good enough to get you into the playoffs, finding steals in the later rounds of the draft is crucial when it comes to becoming a league champion. However, it can be pretty time-consuming to keep track of every depth chart and piece of news. That is why a lot of people rely solely on fantasy football rankings on draft night. Luckily for you, I have all the time in the world so I did the hard part for you. Here are the most underrated fantasy football players on each NFL team.
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WR Andy Isabella – Arizona Cardinals
Selecting a depth wide receiver from an “Air Raid” offense is always a good choice which is why I believe that Andy Isabella has a bit more value than what his WR107 indicates. Isabella is a speedster who can burn any cornerback so more playing time might go a long way. However, that could potentially change this season since Isabella is currently being listed as the starting slot wide receiver heading into the preseason. As a result, he provides value off of the waiver wire midseason after being unselected on draft night.
RB Mike Davis – Atlanta Falcons
Volume is an important factor for finding undervalued players and Mike Davis should get the ball frequently in 2021. After becoming the starting running back last season in Carolina following the injuries to Christian McCaffrey, Mike Davis showcased his talent as he recorded 642 rushing yards and 373 receiving yards in 15 games of work. Plus, he was adept at finding the endzone as he recorded eight total touchdowns. Now, he finds himself in Atlanta in the post-Todd Gurley era. While Atlanta should be a terrible football team, Davis should offer some extra value in PPR leagues due to his ability to catch the ball with ease out of the backfield during garbage time. As a result, RB23 seems a bit low.
WR Rashod Bateman – Baltimore Ravens
Drafting rookie wide receivers is always a risky proposition. However, some possess serious upside and I believe that Rashod Bateman is extremely undervalued. Baltimore has had serious wide receiver issues over the past few seasons due to Marquise Brown‘s inability to play like a consistent WR1 on a depth chart so I can see Rashod Bateman getting more opportunities than what projections anticipate. Although the addition of Sammy Watkins hurts, Watkins is frequently injured and a 17-game regular season will not change that. Plus, unlike Brown, Bateman possesses enough size to be a serious red-zone target for quarterback Lamar Jackson. At WR59, I expect him to over-perform.
WR Gabriel Davis – Buffalo Bills
While people got distracted by Stefon Diggs‘ numbers last season, Gabriel Davis quietly had a solid season. He managed to record 599 receiving yards and seven touchdowns despite being the WR4 on the depth chart. Now, WR John Brown is no longer in Buffalo and WR Cole Beasley might have some issues due to his desire to avoid getting the coronavirus vaccine so there is a path for Gabriel Davis to become a much more integral part in this offense. Although Buffalo signed Emmanuel Sanders in free agency, he has missed at least two games in each of his last five seasons so durability is a serious concern. At WR61, Davis should be able to perform like a top-50 WR with relative ease.
WR Terrace Marshall Jr. – Carolina Panthers
With a new quarterback behind center in Carolina, it could be tough to predict how the Panthers will look offensively. As a result, some fantasy football team owners might be scared out of selecting wide receivers from this team. However, Terrace Marshall Jr. showcased his skills in college and I expect him to turn some heads in 2021. In college, he recorded 23 touchdowns in his final 19 games so he knows how to reach the endzone. However, he is on less than 15% of fantasy football rosters so he is still being overlooked.
QB Andy Dalton – Chicago Bears
While Chicago selected Justin Fields with the 11th pick, there is no guarantee that he will start in week one. Andy Dalton is listed as the starting quarterback for week one and yet he is still being listed as QB38. While there is always the threat of Andy Dalton being benched in the middle of the season due to poor play, he still has a lot of veteran experience and quality wide receivers including Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney so I expect Justin Fields to remain on the bench for a bit longer than what most fantasy football owners anticipate. As a result, Dalton should be listed as a top-30 fantasy football quarterback.
WR Tee Higgins – Cincinnati Bengals
Most people still have no idea that Tee Higgins led the Cincinnati Bengals in receiving yards last season. However, that was the case as he recorded 908 receiving yards while appearing in every game. While rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase should steal a bit of his production, Higgins built up a ton of chemistry with quarterback Joe Burrow last season so I expect him to remain a key part of this offense. Plus, Cincinnati should be terrible once again so garbage time to help boost his receiving numbers. At WR25, I still believe that he is a bit undervalued.
QB Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns
After leading the Browns to the playoffs last season, Baker Mayfield is still being slept on in fantasy football. Last season, he had 3,563 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns while only throwing eight interceptions. Plus, Mayfield only threw one interception over the last nine regular-season games combined so it appears that he finally has a full understanding of this offense which gives him a bit of extra upside for the 2021 season. At QB17, he has the ability to over-perform if he continues to make smart decisions in the pocket.
TE Blake Jarwin – Dallas Cowboys
Quality players are sometimes forgotten about due to injury and Blake Jarwin is a perfect example. In 2019, Jarwin had 365 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns as he looked extremely comfortable in the NFL. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in week one last season and became an afterthought to fantasy football owners. Luckily, he is still listed as the starting tight end on the depth chart and he will have Dak Prescott behind center once again so I can see Blake Jarwin topping the 400 receiving yard mark for the first time in his career. However, he is owned in just five percent of ESPN fantasy football leagues so people are still underrating him.
WR Courtland Sutton – Denver Broncos
Similar to Blake Jarwin, Courtland Sutton had his 2020 season cut short due to a serious knee injury. The injury was especially disappointing since Sutton had recorded 1,112 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in 2019. However, at WR27, it is painfully obvious that the hype that once surrounded him has faded. Assuming that Sutton is able to stay healthy, he should have another shot at reaching 1,100 receiving yards. As a result, he can potentially be a top-20 wide receiver by the season’s end. Sutton should bounce back and be a beast among players this year for fantasy football so his ADP is a massively underrated value.
WR Tyrell Williams – Detroit Lions
Players on bottom feeders sometimes possess fantasy football value due to the presence of garbage time in several regular-season games. One example is wide receiver Tyrell Williams who signed with the Detroit Lions during this past free agency period. Williams has been a consistent wide receiver lately as he has recorded at least 651 receiving yards and at least four receiving touchdowns in each of his last four seasons so I expect him to continue playing well in Detroit this season. At WR89, Williams should be able to break the top-70 mark assuming that he is able to stay healthy. His big play and big game potential puts him in a tricky tier of fantasy football players, but he is still an underrated player this year.
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling – Green Bay Packers
Now that quarterback Aaron Rodgers has reported to training camp, everything appears back to normal for the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers’ MVP season in 2020 consisted of 4,299 passing yards and he should put together similar numbers in 2021. As a result, Green Bay wide receivers are undervalued and Marquez Valdes-Scantling proved that last season. In 2020, Valdes-Scantling had 690 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns during the regular season before recording a receiving touchdown in two of the three playoff games. At WR76, I expect him to finish the 2021 season somewhere in the top-65.
QB Tyrod Taylor – Houston Texans
Even though Deshaun Watson reported to training camp this week, legal trouble still might prevent him from playing this season. As a result, I have to be tempted by Houston’s backup play at quarterback which is centered around Tyrod Taylor. Taylor is a veteran who possesses mobility which should give him a bit of upside in comparison to other quarterbacks. Plus, Houston is expected to have the worst record in the league so garbage time should all him to stat-pad. At QB36, Taylor will be available on waivers after the draft and could provide some value as a “plug-and-play” starter. Taylor comes cheap but could become a value play despite this underrated Texans’ offense that seems to lack fantasy football players.
TE Mo Alie-Cox – Indianapolis Colts
With more playing time, Mo Alie-Cox made the most of his opportunity in 2020. Alie-Cox recorded a career-high 31 receptions and a career-high 394 receiving yards on just 39 targets. Now, he has the chance to put up even bigger numbers since Trey Burton is no longer on the roster. Alie-Cox has a ton of athleticism which makes him a serious matchup problem for opposing linebackers while also possessing a ton of size which makes him a serious matchup problem for opposing defensive backs so I can see him having another solid season for the Colts in 2021. At TE39, he should be able to finish the regular season ahead of his projections.
RB Travis Etienne – Jacksonville Jaguars
Even though James Robinson was solid last season, it is extremely unlikely for the franchise to draft a running back in the first round of the NFL Draft without having any intentions of giving him a ton of playing time. As a result, I expect Travis Etienne to play a huge role in this offense. He played with starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence in college and he has the skills to contribute in several ways. In college, Etienne had at least 1,500 scrimmage yards in each of his final three seasons so he can be relied upon in both the running game and in the passing game. At RB25, I expect him to exceed 1,100 scrimmage yards which makes him underrated and a value among players in fantasy football this year. Etienne could break out and be a massively underrated fantasy football value when compared to players around his ADP.
RB Darrel Williams – Kansas City Chiefs
Even though Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the starting running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, he had an underwhelming rookie season. As a result, there might be a bit of value with backup running back Darrel Williams as a handcuff. Not only did Edwards-Helaire have less than 810 rushing yards but he also only played in 13 games due to injury so Darrel Williams would become the starter if history were to repeat itself now that Le’Veon Bell is no longer on the roster. Plus, Williams is already the third-down running back so he already possesses some value as a pass-catcher. At RB59, he is worth a late-round flier due to Edwards-Helaire’s durability issues.
WR Hunter Renfrow – Las Vegas Raiders
Hunter Renfrow might lack elite explosiveness and size but he has managed to be a consistent wide receiver in the league for the first two seasons in his career. Renfrow has never had less than 605 receiving yards in a season so the floor is high for a WR88. At the same time, he is more durable than other Las Vegas wide receivers which gives him some upside. Henry Ruggs III missed three games last season, Bryan Edwards missed four games last season and John Brown missed seven games last season so there is a good chance that Hunter Renfrow will be moved up the depth chart at some point this season if history repeats itself.
TE Jared Cook – Los Angeles Chargers
Despite being 34-years-old, Jared Cook is in a fantastic spot with the Chargers that should yield a lot of success. In addition to having a fantastic young quarterback in Justin Herbert, Jared Cook should also find himself on the field a lot due to the lack of quality tight end depth on the roster. With Hunter Henry heading to New England, Los Angeles found a replacement tight end via free agency. Cook has recorded at least six receiving touchdowns in each of his last three seasons so he has a ton of touchdown-upside even if his yardage total drops for the fourth-straight season. At TE19, he possesses a lot of underrated value, even as players his age rarely have fantasy football value.
TE Tyler Higbee – Los Angeles Rams
Tyler Higbee has been a consistent tight end throughout his NFL career due to his durability. Higbee has played in a minimum of 15 games in each of his first five seasons. Plus, he became an integral part of the offense recently as he has recorded over 1,200 receiving yards since 2019. Now, he should have an even bigger role in this offense with the departure of Gerald Everett in free agency. As a result, expect Higbee to be the clear number one starter throughout the entire 2021 season. However, he is currently owned in just 27% of ESPN leagues so people are still sleeping on him.
QB Tua Tagovailoa – Miami Dolphins
Despite the inconsistent rookie season, Tua Tagovailoa is still the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins and he has the chance to be a fantasy sleeper now that he has more experience in the NFL. Plus, Miami acquired wide receiver Will Fuller V and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle so the Dolphins should become more explosive. While Tagovailoa will not be anybody’s first choice when it comes to selecting a fantasy football quarterback, he is being listed as QB20 which seems a bit low considering the fact that he still completed 64.1% of his passes last season.
TE Irv Smith Jr. – Minnesota Vikings
Irv Smith Jr. is a player that most people outside of Minnesota do not know too much about. However, that will definitely change during this season. After being the backup tight end to veteran Kyle Rudolph over the last couple of seasons, he is now the starter and he has the tools to be a serious fantasy football sleeper in 2021. Despite only playing in 13 games last season, Smith Jr. recorded five touchdowns so he is a serious red zone threat. Plus, Kirk Cousins targeted tight ends on over 20% of his attempts last season so the volume should be there. At TE13, Smith Jr. definitely possesses top-ten upside assuming that he can stay healthy.
WR Jakobi Meyers – New England Patriots
New England had the worst receiving corps in the league last season and it got worse with Julian Edelman’s retirement. While the Patriots did acquire Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne during the offseason, Jakobi Meyers is projected to take over for Julian Edelman as the starting slot receiver which could result in some underrated numbers. Meyers came out of nowhere last season and provided a spark as he recorded 59 receptions and 729 receiving yards. He was Cam Newton‘s favorite target in 2020 and that chemistry will grow even stronger moving forward. At WR74, he has the upside to shatter some projections. When looking at underrated players, it is important to look at glimpses of fantasy football success.
WR Tre’Quan Smith – New Orleans Saints
Depth chart changes can cause a player’s movement into relevancy and Tre’Quan Smith‘s situation is a great example of that. After recording just 448 receiving yards last season, Smith was going to need some outside interference if he planned on bumping up his numbers and that definitely took place over the past few months. First, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders took his talents elsewhere during free agency. Then, star wide receiver Michael Thomas underwent ankle surgery which will cause him to miss some regular-season games. As a result, Tre’Quan Smith should be the WR1 on New Orleans’ depth chart in week one of the season. However, he is still being listed as WR61 which is way too low.
RB Devontae Booker – New York Giants
Drafting the backup of an injury-prone starter has merit and that is the case for the New York Giants. Devontae Booker was brought in during the offseason to be the backup running back behind starting running back Saquon Barkley. However, Barkley has been unable to stay healthy as he has played in a combined 15 games since 2020. To make matters worse, Barkley had a serious knee injury so his explosiveness is a bit in question. As a result, investing in Booker as a handcuff is a smart strategy in the late rounds of the draft. Booker is an underrated great pick and could return massive value for brave fantasy football players.
WR Elijah Moore – New York Jets
The New York Jets underwent an overhaul during the offseason including changes to the coaching staff and to key personnel. However, one constant under general manager Joe Douglas has been the desire to select playmakers in the NFL Draft. That strategy caused the Jets to select wide receiver Elijah Moore with the 34th overall pick this past offseason. According to initial reports, Moore was turning some heads at practice as his explosiveness became apparent extremely quickly. While he might start the season on the bench, he has the chance to blossom if given the opportunity. As a result, he should possess some value on the waiver wire after being unselected in most fantasy football drafts.
RB Kenneth Gainwell – Philadelphia Eagles
Sometimes, talent is worth investing in all by itself and Kenneth Gainwell is a perfect example of that. Despite being the third-string running back behind Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell has all of the tools to be a successful running back at the next level and he proved that in college. In 2019, Gainwell recorded 1,459 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in just 14 games. In addition, he was valuable in the passing game as he recorded 610 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. If Miles Sanders continues to be bitten by the injury bug in 2021, expect Kenneth Gainwell to perform a lot better than RB55.
TE Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers
After the offense fell apart down the stretch of the regular season last year, Pittsburgh decided to address some holes quickly in the NFL Draft by selecting offensive players in each of the first four rounds. One of the players selected was tight end Pat Freiermuth which surprised a decent amount of fans due to the presence of Eric Ebron on the active roster. However, Ebron had a mediocre at best 2020 season and it appears that the Steelers wanted to get a bit younger at the tight end position. Plus, Freiermuth has been impressive at practice and there are already rumors that he can be the starting tight end. Although those are just rumors, it appears that winning the starting tight end job might be inevitable for Freiermuth which is why he is worth monitoring on the waiver wire.
WR Deebo Samuel – San Francisco 49ers
After having a fantastic rookie season in 2019, Deebo Samuel had expectations to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in 2020 as the number one wide receiver threat for the San Francisco 49ers. However, injury interfered with that plan as Samuel recorded 391 receiving yards in just seven games. Now, Samuel is healthy once again and he is expected to put up solid numbers. In 2019, Coach Shanahan found interesting ways to manufacture extra touches. For Samuel as he recorded three receiving touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. Plus, with the departure of Kendrick Bourne during the offseason, there is no reason why Deebo Samuel cannot score at least five total touchdowns while accumulating at least 1,000 all-purpose yards. Samuel is a buzzy pick but is still underrated as to his final ceiling among fantasy football players.
TE Will Dissly – Seattle Seahawks
After being forced to accept a backup tight end role last season, Will Dissly is now the projected starter in 2021 following the retirement of Greg Olsen. Dissly was on the verge of being a fantasy football monster in 2019 as he recorded four touchdowns in just six games before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. Luckily, he remained healthy for the entire 2020 season so those durability concerns have quickly faded. While the upside might not be as noticeable with Dissly as with other tight ends, he still has a familiarity with quarterback Russell Wilson and he is still very adept at getting into the endzone. At TE37, he should be able to play like a TE27. Dissly could carve out enough of a role to be one of the more underrated players and tight ends in fantasy football.
WR Antonio Brown – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After winning the Super Bowl, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to bring back the majority of its roster including wide receiver Antonio Brown who was acquired in the middle of last season. In eight games with the organization, Brown recorded 483 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. In other words, he was on pace for over 900 receiving yards and about eight receiving touchdowns if he played in all 16 games. As a result, it is a little puzzling to see him being ranked as WR49. Brown has had legal issues in the past but his talent on the field is undeniable which is why he should be able to silence some doubters in 2021 by performing like a top-32 WR in 2021.
TE Anthony Firkser – Tennessee Titans
Volume is one of the most important variables when it comes to predicting the success of a player in fantasy football and Anthony Firkser should be getting a huge boost in targets soon. With the departure of starting tight end Jonnu Smith during the offseason, Tennessee seemed content with passing the starting tight end baton over to Anthony Firkser. Last season, Firkser put up solid numbers as a backup as he recorded 387 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Now, he has the ability to easily surpass 500 receiving yards with the expected boost in snap percentage. As a result, TE26 seems a bit low due to the amount of volume that he will likely receive with Tennessee this season. Firkser’s value has him as an underrated value among fantasy football players this year.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – Washington Football Team
After having an undefined role last season with the Miami Dolphins, NFL journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the clear starting quarterback with the Washington Football Team in 2021. While Washington’s offense was underwhelming as a whole last season, there is still a lot of buzz surrounding wide receiver Terry McLaurin who should become best friends with Ryan Fitzpatrick extremely quickly. Fitzpatrick is a gunslinger who will always be willing to push the ball downfield and that should lead to a decent amount of passing yards. Last season, Fitzpatrick recorded 2,091 passing yards along with 13 passing touchdowns in just nine games so it is quite realistic to imagine him throwing for at least 3,500 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns in a 17-game season. As a result, he should provide a lot of value as a late-round quarterback option.
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