Every year, fantasy football owners reach for hyped up players and overlook available options that end up being more productive than their reach selections. Instead of reaching for the big-time players everyone knows about, owners should consider these eight undervalued players in 2019.
(Current average draft position in parentheses.)
1. QB Matthew Stafford (24th among QBs)
It’s not a huge slight to have Stafford drafted 24th (he was the 20th-best QB in fantasy last season) but Lamar Jackson (20th) is getting selected ahead of him. Even with his rushing value, Jackson’s not going to put up better numbers than Stafford in 2019. You shouldn’t reach for Stafford but he should probably be receiving more respect.
2. QB Mitch Trubisky (22nd among QBs)
Trubisky ranked 15th in points among QBs last year and there’s no reason to believe he won’t rank near the top 15 again in 2019. His supporting cast includes Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Taylor Gabriel, Riley Ridley, Cordarrelle Patterson and Tarik Cohen. Trubisky shouldn’t have any trouble topping his 24-touchdown total from last season.
3. RB Kareem Hunt (36th among RBs)
Hunt will be suspended for the first eight games of the season but he will be back for late-season runs and, more importantly, the fantasy playoffs. It’s probably worth grabbing Hunt well before 35 other running backs go off the board because of the value he’ll offer late in the year. He missed five games last season and still ranked eighth in scoring among RBs.
4. RB Tarik Cohen (28th among RBs)
Cohen scored the 17th-most points among RBs last year so his low ADP is perplexing. He’ll share touches with David Montgomery and Mike Davis this season but losing snaps to Jordan Howard didn’t seem to hurt Cohen’s fantasy value last year, especially in PPR leagues. He gained 1,169 yards from scrimmage in 2018 and should top 1,000 yards again in 2019.
5. RB Derrius Guice (27th among RBs)
There’s uncertainty with Guice because a torn ACL ended his rookie season before it even began. He might be worth a flier, though, because the Redskins will likely run often regardless of whether Case Keenum or Dwayne Haskins line up under center. Washington has a crowded backfield but Guice is the favorite to be the team’s featured back — the Redskins selected him in the second round of last year’s draft for a reason.
6. RB Royce Freeman (39th among RBs)
Many fantasy owners seem to be forgetting that Freeman would have been Denver’s bell cow last year if not for a lingering ankle injury. Before his injury, Freeman had a three-week stretch of scoring a touchdown. Phillip Lindsay is the Broncos running back to own (especially in PPR leagues) but Freeman will get plenty of touches, including goal-line carries. And if anything happens to Lindsay, Freeman will get even more carries. Freeman isn’t worth reaching for, but he’ll be a valuable handcuff if nothing else.
7. WR N’Keal Harry (39th among WRs)
Julian Edelman is still the top fantasy receiver in New England but Harry should get plenty of targets as a potential Josh Gordon replacement. Harry is within one inch and three pounds of being the same size as Gordon and he should be in line for plenty of action as a rookie. Before receiving yet another suspension, Gordon hauled in 41 receptions for 737 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games last year.
8. TE Delanie Walker (12th among TEs)
Everyone has seemingly forgotten how crucial Walker was in Tennessee’s offense before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 last year. When he was healthy in 2017, Walker received a whopping 111 targets (third-most among tight ends) and scored the sixth-most points among TEs. If he fully recovers from his ankle injury, Walker could have a big bounce-back year.
This column originally appeared in the fantasy football edition of Sports Weekly. You can subscribe to Sports Weekly here.
