DLF’s 2015 Predictions: Most Undervalued Dynasty Player
This is one of our favorite times of the year. After working hard to produce content all off-season, we can finally look forward to the 2015 Fantasy Football season in our beloved dynasty leagues – that means it’s time for our annual fantasy predictions. We gathered some opinions from the DLF Team and compiled eight different articles for the upcoming fantasy year. The categories were as follows:
Fantasy MVP
Fantasy Rookie of the Year
Most Overvalued Dynasty Player
Most Undervalued Dynasty Player
Fantasy Sleeper
Best Dynasty Buy
Best Dynasty Sell
Fantasy Comeback Player of the YearÂ
We’ll cover the undervalued players today and bring you another category every day until the season starts. Trust me, it’s better this way. Otherwise, you’d have a 45-page, 17,500 word novella to go through this morning and that’s a lot, even for avid DLFers.
Let’s get to it!
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Austan Kas
Lamar Miller, RB MIA
Miller is a 24-year-old running back who has improved in each of his three seasons and he’s playing in a up-and-coming offense. He finished 2014 as the RB9 despite never receiving more than 19 carries in a game. There’s so much to like, but for some reason, he’s the 15th running back off the board in startups.
Jacob Feldman
Calvin Johnson, WR DET
People are suddenly acting like Megatron is 35. He’s 29 right now and is every bit as dominant now as he was a few years ago. The only reason his stats have slipped is due to some injury issues. If he’s healthy for 16 games, he could easily be a top three receiver this year and push for that spot for several more years. Don’t forsake elite production just because he’s a little older.
Eric Olinger
Golden Tate, WR DET
When Calvin Johnson went down last year, Tate was a bona fide WR1 in fantasy. When Megatron was in the lineup he was a very solid WR3. He has the ability to be a team’s WR1 and now he has a year’s worth of chemistry with Matthew Stafford in this offense and should take the next step toward consistent WR2 status.
Chris Heil
Mark Ingram, RB NO
He is coming into the prime of his career and his stock is somehow continuing to decline. The Saints drafted a lineman and traded with the Seattle Seahawks for another one. I love Mark Ingram in 2015 and believe he can finish as a top 12 running back.
Jarrett Behar
Josh Robinson, RB IND
Still going in the late 3rd/early 4th of rookie drafts. He’s going to be the Colts’ starting running back when Gore is done, which could be this season. I think he’s going to have a Jeremy Hill-type ascension.
Benton McDonald
Josh Huff, WR PHI
Riley Cooper is really bad at football and Huff has the talent and familiarity with Chip Kelly’s offense to take over the third wide receiver spot. An intriguing 23-year-old flier, his price is so cheap (WR76) it’s almost impossible to pass up. High upside should be targeted in the late rounds and Huff will have a shot at opportunity this season.
Ryan Finley
DeMarco Murray, RB PHI
Murray had a ton of carries last year and the book on backs with tons of carries is that they regress in the following year. On top of that, he has a spotty injury history and 2014 was the first season he didn’t miss any games. He also led the league in rushing last year and although he left the vaunted Dallas O-line behind, the Philly line is pretty good as well. I think the naysayers are swaying too many and Murray could very easily have another great season.
Matt Price
Jarvis Landry, WR MIA
In a part time role, Landry caught 84 passes as a rookie. In 2015 he will once again be Ryan Tannehill’s most trusted wide receiver and could approach 100 receptions in a full-time role.
Nathan Miller
Carlos Hyde, RB SF
I’m a big fan of Hyde. He averaged four yards per carry on a middling offense behind a below average line last season, has soft hands and is serviceable in pass blocking situations. There is little-to-no competition on the San Francisco roster and the dude is a straight up animal. Entering only his second season in the league, the tread is thick on his tires. Choose talent over situation in dynasty and Hyde has plenty of it.
Scott Peak
Lamar Miller, RB MIA
Miller doesn’t seem to get much credit. Whether he’s not shifty or is a straight-line runner, it seems fantasy analysts spend a lot of time dissecting his game and obsessing over his flaws. I get the feeling Miller can be acquired at a substantial discount, despite finishing as the RB9 last year. Bad press was so rampant in the off-season, rumors floated that Jay Ajayi might take his job. Miller will be a big part of the Miami offense this year and could finish as a top ten running back two years in a row.
James Simpson
Calvin Johnson, WR DET
Veterans are often disrespected and riding out an aging star can be the key to a winning team (ask owners of Marshawn Lynch or Matt Forte in recent years). Calvin was the top overall PPR receiver in 2011 and 2012 and finished in the top six on either side of those years. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for those of us who want him on our teams), his most recent and memorable year was poor. He played in thirteen games, including a couple where he was merely a decoy and Golden Tate had a storming debut year with Matthew Stafford. However, we are talking about one of the greatest receivers in the game who will only just turn 30 at the end of August. He still has years of top-scoring potential.
Brian Malone
Carlos Hyde, RB SF
For this choice, I compared my Top 100 rankings with the consensus. Boy, was I surprised to see I have Hyde rated much higher than others. Hyde is a talented back on a team everyone expects to be a dumpster fire. But I’m willing to bet his talent wins out and at 23, he has plenty of time to make that happen.
Eric Breeze
Carlos Hyde, RB SF
This entire off-season it has been the cool thing to do to hate on Hyde. Yes, the Niners are in rough shape but everyone seems to downplay how good of a running back he truly is. He is a compact runner with impressive power to run opponents over and is quick enough on his feet to make defenders miss. There also seems to be a stereotype that power running backs do not have good hands – Hyde has the skills to put this myth to rest.
Rob Leath
Martellus Bennett, TE CHI
One of the league’s premier tight ends (in the midst of his prime no less) is going off the board in round eight, behind perennial superstars such as Cody Latimer. I’d be comfortable with Bennett as the fourth tight end off the board and he can give you comparable production to Jimmy Graham and Travis Kelce at a fraction of the price.
Adam Tzikas
Josh Robinson, RB IND
We’re going deep. I’m mad at myself for even uttering his name in public because I feel the need to keep the wraps on this kid. Robinson is a very productive college athlete drafted to replace Frank Gore when the time comes. He also receives his handoff from the best young quarterback in the game. I can see him taking carries early and often from Gore, especially at the goal line. He will be the little bowling ball that could.
Jeff Beran
Joseph Randle, RB DAL
The working theory this off-season is Dallas will employ a committee to replace the departed 2014 rushing champion, DeMarco Murray. However, I’m not buying it. Darren McFadden will again spend more time on the training table than the field and Lance Dunbar is nothing more than a backup. Randle won’t average 6.7 yards per carry like he did in 2014, but the NFL’s best run-blocking offensive line will provide him with plenty of opportunities to rack up the yards.
Izzy Elkeffas
Matthew Stafford, QB DET
Stafford is one of eight quarterbacks to finish as a QB1 in three out of the last four years. Among those eight, only three are younger than 30 years old – Andrew Luck, Cam Newton and Stafford. Newton still gets the love despite scoring fewer points than Stafford did last season. Newton is currently the QB4 and Stafford is the QB10. To top it off, Drew Brees is the only quarterback with more passing yards in the last four years. Touchdowns vary, but Stafford has shown he can throw for 40+.
Kyle Pollock
Mark Ingram, RBÂ NO
Ingram is being drafted as the RB17 and #52 player overall in dynasty startups. He’s 25, just signed a new contract with the Saints and played at a near RB1 level last year. Also, the Saints appear to be going with a more run heavy offense, as the team traded both Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills. If you could get Ingram for a late first or a lesser running back and a later rookie pick, I would go for it.
Jeff Miller
Brian Quick, WR St. Louis Rams
If you follow me on Twitter (@FFJeffM) you’ve likely witnessed my unrequited love for Mr. Quick. It isn’t that I think he is a future stud and all that, but with an ADP of WR51 and our non-me writers ranking him from 48 to 72, I see tremendous value in the 33rd overall pick in the 2012 draft. Why do I love him so? Read the rest of my predictions later this week to find out.
Jeff Levy
Isaiah Crowell, RB CLE
The quarterback and receiver situations in Cleveland look dismal right now. The coaches are openly complaining that none of their running backs want the starting job. They drafted Duke Johnson in round three this March. I’m calling it a smoke screen. They’re going to feed their running backs the ball early and often and Crowell will emerge with the lion’s share.  And lest we spend all our time talking about the Dallas offensive line, remember that Cleveland’s unit ranked third in run blocking in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus.
Mike Valverde
Jarvis Landry, WR MIA
Watching him last season and this preseason it appears as though both Landry and Ryan Tannehill have a great connection. Tannehill is not a strong-armed quarterback, so he needs someone like Landry to dump-off and go. Miami has a surging offense as well and with the young studs of Landry and Tannehill working in cohesion for years down the road, it only increases the value of both tandem pieces.
Tyler Huggins
Deone Bucannon, S ARI
The top of the dynasty safety pecking order is well established. Harrison Smith, Morgan Burnett, Reshad Jones and Jonathan Cyprien occupy the top slots of most dynasty rankers. After we clear out this initial group, things become a bit cloudy. Bucannon is a player whom I could easily see crashing this party in short order. He will again be used as a safety-linebacker hybrid which brings him in the box allowing for the accumulation of those sweet, sweet tackles.
Eric Burtzlaff
Jeremy Maclin, WR KC
This is a tough one for me. There are plenty of very undervalued dynasty players. However, I went with Maclin. He was nothing short of fantastic last year and everyone is on the “He can’t mirror that season especially with Alex Smith” train. Do I think he can match his numbers from last year? Probably not. Do I think his value as a WR2 or high-end WR3 goes out the window with Smith? I absolutely don’t. He’s young in his prime and the WR1 on his team. I am a massive buyer at his current Dynasty ADP of 55, I predict WR2 numbers this year.
Justin Huestis
Ryan Mathews, RB PHI
I think some will be surprised with how much Mathews is going to get the ball as an Eagle. There are so many carries to go around and such fragile running backs around him. At minimum, Mathews will have a lot of hype at various points in his career as an Eagle.
Bruce Matson
Michael Floyd, WR ARI
This time next year, Floyd’s fantasy value will be much higher. He is going to benefit from Carson Palmer being healthy. He’s still going to be used as the field stretcher in Arizona’s offense and this season he should receive a higher percentage of catchable targets. We were a year early predicting his breakout campaign and this could be the year he utilizes his potential and becomes a WR1.
Doug Green
Calvin Johnson, WRÂ DET
People seem to think because he’s 30, he’s as good as dead. He’s Calvin Freaking Johnson. Snatch him up where you can and smile every time you set your lineup.
Carla Gruse
Frank Gore, RB IND
If you own Gore, you are pleased with his new landing spot. His age is a concern, but he is one of the best one or two year gap running backs for your dynasty team.
Eric Hardter
Jarvis Landry, WR MIA
What more does this guy have to do? He already functioned as Ryan Tannehill’s safety blanket last season, and thus far has dominated targets in the preseason. Tannehill clearly trusts the guy and he’s significantly more integrated into the system than any of his new teammates. I currently have him ranked as my WR20 (consensus WR31 in our rankings) and think that might even be too low. I believe he could be a better version of Julian Edelman moving forward, an enticing prospect for forward-thinking owners.
In case you’re counting, that gives us the following votes:
Calvin Johnson (3 votes)
Jarvis Landry (3 votes)
Carlos Hyde (3 votes)
Lamar Miller (2 votes)
Mark Ingram (2 votes)
Josh Robinson (2 votes)
Golden Tate (1 vote)
Josh Huff (1 vote)
DeMarco Murray (1 vote)
Martellus Bennett (1 vote)
Joseph Randle (1 vote)
Matthew Stafford (1 vote)
Isaiah Crowell (1 vote)
Brian Quick (1 vote)
Jeremy Maclin (1 vote)
Ryan Mathews (1 vote)
Michael Floyd (1 vote)
Frank Gore (1 vote)
…and a shout out to Deone Bucannon from Tyler, who went outside the box to take the IDP angle for us this year.
So, who do you predict will be this year’s most undervalued player? Let us know in the comments below.
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Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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