DLF Staff Undervalued players
Some people don’t realize it but July is one of the most dangerous times for dynasty owners. The NFL takes its final break before training camps and preseason kicks off. We’re just over a month away from the Hall of Fame game and the fantasy juices are starting to flow. That’s why you need to be careful this month, especially on social media sites like Twitter. Every year Twitter either hypes a player to the point you draft him a round or two higher than you should or you get talked into hating a player you have no good reason to. I asked my fellow DLF writers for who they think is currently being overvalued and undervalued in fantasy leagues. These are our undervalued players for you to consider.
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Malcolm Smith, ILB OAK
There’s a weird dark cloud hanging over Malcolm Smith’s head this offseason and I don’t quite get it. Smith had a monster first season in Oakland after coming over from Seattle, finishing with 100 solo tackles, 23 assists and four sacks while forcing four turnovers from the weak side of the team’s 4-3 defense. This offseason the Raiders switched to a 3-4 defense and Smith should be an every down linebacker on the inside. I like his chance to duplicate, if not improve on, his 2015 numbers. Eric Olinger
Mohamed Sanu, WR ATL
He’s a low-end flex play, which is what you expect from a 13th-round startup pick (or the 3.08 rookie pick in an existing league). But one Julio Jones injury and he’s a potential league winner. There’s plenty of upside for the price. Brian Malone
Julius Thomas, TE JAX
His first year in Jacksonville was a disaster. The chemistry with Blake Bortles just wasn’t there, probably because he missed almost all of training camp and the first part of the season with a hand injury. Getting the two of them on the same page and getting Thomas more involved has been and will continue to be a focus for the Jags. I’m expecting a big bounce back season from him as the go to guy behind Allen Robinson. I think he’ll be a top five tight end this season and considering he’s often being valued at the TE1/TE2 border that is quite the deal. He should be in the prime of his career, and he could easily approach career highs in receptions and yards while coming close to double digit touchdowns as the chemistry continues to develop and defenses focus on Robinson. Jacob Feldman
Jerick McKinnon, RB MIN
McKinnon was the 115th player off the board in our June staff mocks. I’ve stated my love for McKinnon before, and I’m going to keep driving his fan bus. The dude has insane athletic ability, and he’s put up good numbers in his limited opportunities. All that’s standing between McKinnon and big-time fantasy production, in my opinion, is Adrian Peterson, which will keep McKinnon’s price low as long as Peterson is playing at a high level. While he is one of the best running backs of all time, Peterson is entering his age 31 season. I don’t know when the wall is coming, but Marshawn Lynch was one of the best backs in the game 12 months ago. Players with McKinnon’s upside can rarely be had for so cheap. You should be trying to acquire him. Austan Kas
Danny Trevathan, LB CHI
This is an easy one for me. Currently sitting at LB18 in our LB ranks, I can easily see Danny T surpassing that spot a year from today. A team that has very few sure fire tacklers and even less IDP assets, the Bears will need someone, anyone, to sure up the running backs and short route receivers that will inevitably slip pass their insipid front four. The 26-year-old signal caller for the defense should have no trouble shaking off any worry from nearly elder statesman Jerrell Freeman. Get in now folks. Adam Tzikas
Michael Floyd, WR ARZ
After a very slow start due to a mangled hand, Floyd broke out against the tough pass defenses of Cleveland and Seattle totaling 219 yards and three touchdowns on 17 targets, looking fantastic in the process. Three of Floyd’s next six games went over 100 yards. With Larry Fitzgerald aging, we could easily be looking at the next target leader in Arizona. Dwayne Brown
Eddie Lacy, RB GBP
His season was just garbage last year and almost lost his job to James Starks, who lucky for him, was worse. He did bounce back in the later portion of the season and is showing dedication to his workout regime (P90x). In 2013 and 2014 he finished in the top 10 of all running backs and considering those were just his first two seasons in the NFL, it’s a solid job done, and what made him a top five draft selection in 2015. Now, he faces redoing all that he did in his first two seasons and proving that he is a top five running back for fantasy football owners. DLF has him at nine in their consensus fantasy rankings, but I see that climbing as the season draws closer. In any drafts right now, I would put him back in the top five. Mike Valverde
Thomas Rawls, RB SEA
Rawls has fallen to RB15 and into the fifth round at 63rd overall according to June ADP data. I know I’m higher than most on Rawls but I don’t understand how a 22-year-old starting running back for a championship caliber team isn’t being drafted as a fantasy RB1. The tape he put up last season on 147 carries is nearly flawless. Other than Rawls, only five other players in NFL history (Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Clinton Portis Franco Harris, and Cam Newton) eclipsed 5.5 yards per carry on 125 carries or more during their rookie season. As long as Rawls’ ankle is right there is nothing stopping him from picking up where he left off in 2015. No, not even C.J. Prosise. Matt Price
Nelson Agholor, WR PHI
Currently sitting with an ADP of 95, the former 2015 NFL 1st-round pick is behind his classmate Breshad Perriman (ADP 59), but why? Agholor is a much more complete player and he at least played in 2015. The Eagles were a mess, Agholor was a rookie and he has very few holes to his game. The legal concerns are the only thing that should damage any of his value and those are very unknown. Nick Whalen
Travis Benjamin, WR SD
I’m shocked that Benjamin tops my undervalued list. Ironically, if it wasn’t for Tyler Lockett, he probably wouldn’t be here. Why? Well, as I’ve watched Lockett’s meteoric price rise I kept focusing on the lack of volume for the number two option while I scoured the DLF ADP. The player that caught my eye was Mr. Benjamin. He’s being drafted 132nd overall and as the WR60. That means he’s basically being drafted at the end of the 11th round as a WR5 or WR6 on someone’s roster. Unlike Lockett, Benjamin will be the number two option in an offense that threw the most passes in the NFL last year. Couple that with his field stretching prowess and Philip Rivers’ penchant for the deep ball, and we may be looking at our 2016 steal of the year. Izzy Elkaffas
Adrian Peterson, RB MIN
I think one of the biggest mistakes dynasty owners make is looking to closely at the number that follows “age.” Age can be an indicator, but it isn’t a guarantee. Did Peterson fall off considerably last year? No. Did he really show any signs of falling off? Not really. So why are we so ready to bury a Hall of Fame bound running back? In a year with so many question marks around running backs, I’m banking All Day all day. Ryan Finley
Follow me on Twitter @OlingerIDP.
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