With training camps concluded and all but one preseason game remaining for most NFL teams, rosters and depth charts are finally taking shape. Outside of a few injuries and contract disputes, we have sufficient evidence to gauge fantasy expectations for players around the league. That said, it can still be difficult to sift through the hype and coach speak in the days leading up to opening kickoff. Let’s take a look at some players who are getting more attention than they deserve and some who may be flying under the radar. 

OVERRATED:

Trey McBride (ADP: TE 4, Round 5)

Trey McBridge led Arizona in receptions (81), receiving yards (825), and targets (106) last season en route to a breakout rookie campaign. He should be primed for an even better sophomore season then right? I’m not so sure. While McBride’s rookie season was nothing less than stellar, he had very little competition for targets. Former Cardinals WR Marquise Brown had completely fallen out of favor with the coaching staff by midseason, and fellow receiver Michael Wilson really operates best as a team’s third option. With the arrival of No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. and the offseason acquisition of WR Zay Jones, I would expect McBride’s stock to take a sizable dip. The Cardinals drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. to immediately assume the team’s top receiving duties, and Zay Jones is one season removed from a career-best 82 reception season. Not to mention WR Michael Wilson has been a training camp standout as the team’s third option. While I am not necessarily “down” on McBride, I think his current ADP of 5.08 is a bit inflated. We need to acknowledge his target share will be severely diminished this upcoming season. I’d be more comfortable taking him in the late 6th or early 7th round of redraft leagues, but alas fantasy footballers love upside.

De’Von Achane (ADP: RB 10, Round 3)

When healthy last year, De’Von Achane led the league in yards per carry as a rookie (minimum 100 carries) with a staggering 7.4 YPC. In eleven games played, he rushed for 800 yards on 103 carries and 8 TDs, while adding 27 receptions for 197 yards and 3 TDs through the air. Those are highly, highly efficient numbers. Perhaps a little too efficient to recreate though. Achane will still be competing for carries with fellow RB Raheem Mostert, and will more than likely continue to cede goal line duties to his fellow stable mate. Do not forget, Mostert finished as fantasy’s RB2 last year with a bewildering 21 total TDs while sharing the backfield with Achane. Not to mention, health is a concern for Achane, as the former Aggie missed 6 games during his rookie campaign, while Mostert has only missed 2 games over the past 3 seasons. Achane should realistically be viewed as a high end flex play or RB2 with upside, but he is being drafted as a borderline RB1 just behind the likes of Derrick Henry. I am intrigued by Achane’s upside, but I think he should realistically be going closer to the 4th or 5th round.

Jahmyr Gibbs (ADP: RB5, Round 1)

Jahmy Gibbs had a stellar rookie season in a Lions offense that ranked 2nd in both rushing yards and rushing attempts. He finished 2023 as fantasy’s RB10 with 1,261 all-purpose yards and 11 TDs. The only problem – David Montgomery still plays for the Lions. Similar to Achane, Jahmyr Gibbs will be competing for touches with an equally impactful veteran running back. David Montgomery finished 2023 with 1,132 total yards and 13 TDs, and will continue to dominate the Lions’ goal line carries in 2024. While Gibbs’s youth and involvement in the passing game offers upside, he will still be the team’s third option through the air behind superstar WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and TE Sam LaPorta. Not to mention, Gibbs is dealing with a nagging hamstring injury that he initially injured back in June, and is now putting his Week 1 availability in question. There are too many mouths to feed in Detroit to warrant Gibbs’ high ADP in my opinion, and would rather target RB Travis Etienne or RB Derrick Henry.

Anthony Richardson (ADP: QB5, Round 5)

Anthony Richardson looked poised for a breakout rookie campaign before a shoulder injury cut his 2023 season short. In four games played, Richardson’s dual threat ability was on full display. He completed 50 of 84 pass attempts for 577 yards and 3 passing TDs, while adding 4 rushing TDs to the tune 5.4 YPC. While that small sample size presents high appeal for a strong fantasy showing in the former Florida Gator’s sophomore campaign, I do not think it warrants his 5th round price. Richardson’s dual threat ability offers huge upside, but it also creates high injury potential, which he obviously could not overcome last year. In addition, his accuracy as a passer is underwhelming at best. Richardson completed only 58.9% of his passes in four starts, which would have placed him outside of the top 35 QBs in that category for the 2023 season. Currently, Richardson is being drafted as the fourth or fifth QB off the board in most drafts with an ADP of 5.09. That is just entirely too high for a player that missed 13 games during his rookie season due to injury, and was largely labeled a “project” player coming into the league.

Rome Odunze (ADP: WR 38, Round 8)

The Chicago Bears hit an incredible stroke of luck when standout Washington WR Rome Odunze fell to them at the 9th overall pick of the 2024 draft. Pairing Odunze with No. 1 overall pick QB Caleb Williams offers Chicago an opportunity to grow their own elite QB-WR duo for years to come. But, I would limit that potential in Year 1. WR D.J. Moore is coming off a career year, in which he commanded a staggering 28.9% target share, and will continue to operate as the team’s number one receiver in 2024. In addition, the Bears signed WR Keenan Allen in the offseason to assume the team’s WR2 duties. Allen just so happened to score the second most fantasy points of his career in 2023 while averaging his highest point total per game. Odunze’s time to shine will come, but Chicago will rely on Moore and Allen as the team’s top receiving options in 2024, while they give Odunze time to acclimate to the NFL.

Underrated:

Amari Cooper (ADP: WR25, Round 7)

Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper has only finished outside of the top 20 WRs twice in his 10-year career. A perennially undervalued fantasy option, Cooper is coming off a career best 1,250 yard season in 2023 despite playing with four different starting quarterbacks. He also added 72 receptions and five touchdowns on 128 targets in 15 games. Cooper remains Cleveland’s number one receiving option this year in what is expected to be his first full season with (now healthy) QB Deshaun Watson. While I do not expect Cooper to make a leap to WR1 territory in his year 30 season, he is as solid as they come in terms of WR2s and offers luxury flex appeal.

D.K. Metcalf (ADP: WR20, Round 4)

DK Metcalf hasn’t been able to live up to the hype following his breakout 2020 sophomore season, but that doesn’t mean he is not a highly valuable fantasy asset. Since entering the league in 2019, Metcalf has finished within the top 5 wide receivers in end zone targets each year of his career. He surpassed 1,000 yards receiving the last two consecutive seasons despite mediocre quarterback play from Geno Smith, and now finds himself paired with a new offensive coordinator in former Washington OC Ryan Grubb. Grubb helped catapult Washington’s offense into elite territory by pushing the ball downfield during their 2023 CFP run. It just so happens Metcalf is not only a great red zone target, but quite the down field threat as well. In 2023, he recorded a career-best 16.9 yards per reception (WR6) and averaged more than 95 air yards per game (WR12). Given Metcalf’s redzone efficiency and down field success, I would expect him to absolutely flourish in Grubb’s offensive scheme. Metcalf is my favorite WR2 option in the draft, and offers serious WR1 upside.

Zamir White (ADP: RB23, Round 7)

Following the departure of RB Josh Jacobs, third-year RB Zamir White will be taking the reins of the Raiders starting running back position for the 2024 season. During his four game starting stretch to end the 2023 season, White racked up a league-high 84 carries and 457 yards from scrimmage, good enough to be the RB12 from Weeks 15-18. That was all while just scoring 1 rushing TD. While I do not expect the Raiders offense to finish with any scoring titles, he should certainly have more opportunities to find the end zone in 2024. New offensive coordinator Luke Getsy leaned heavily on the run game during his (albeit underwhelming) time in Chicago, with his offenses averaging 31.4 rushes per game (second), 141.1 rushing yards per game (second), and 4.5 yards per carry (sixth). I do not expect that to change at all in Vegas with new HC Antonio Pierce intent on instilling a defensive, run-first identity on this Raiders team. In addition, Getsy has a penchant for utilizing heavy personnel, as the Bears finished eighth in the NFL in snaps with multiple TEs last year, lending itself extremely well to a bruising back like White. Expect White’s workload to mirror that of his late 2023 starting stretch, but his TD efficiency to increase under Getsy’s tutelage. White is a solid RB2 with upside that you can snag in the early seventh round of your draft.

Chris Godwin (ADP: WR35, Round 8)

Perhaps one of the most “un-sexy” picks you could make in the middle rounds, Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin has been nothing but solid during his 7-year NFL career. Coming off three consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons, Godwin enters 2024 slated to return as the Bucs second receiving option behind WR Mike Evans. While Godwin has been overshadowed by Evans throughout most of his career, he quietly led the team in receptions (83) in 2023. One of Godwin’s knocks has been his inability to find the end zone (only 3 TDs in 2023), but with an anticipated return to the slot under new OC Liam Cohem, the eighth year veteran should be used more creatively in the red zone in 2024. If Godwin can mimic his success from earlier in his career (when he was used almost exclusively in the slot), he should be able to at least double his TD total from a year ago, and provide great flex value.

Chase Brown (ADP: RB38, Round 12)

Chase Brown buzz has been a plenty since the start of training camp. The second-year running back has made quite the impression despite the Bengals signing RB Zach Moss to assume the team’s lead back duties this offseason. While it is anticipated that Brown will start the season behind Moss on the depth chart, every indication thus far has leaned toward Brown assuming third down passing duties. I wouldn’t expect a journeyman like Moss to command a stranglehold on the starting position for the entirety of the year, and if Moss starts off slowly and Brown looks explosive in the passing game, expect Brown to gain more and more carries throughout the season. The later rounds are all about risk-reward, and Brown is a prime candidate to outperform his 12th round ADP.