Many football fans have already drafted their fantasy teams, but there is still another week to go before the start of the season and thus another week of drafts yet to unfold. Based on average draft position data available so far, there are some clearly undervalued assets who could make the difference for a fantasy championship.
As much as anything these days, fantasy football has truly become America’s favorite pastime — from the “Gulf of America” to “Lake America,” coast to coast and all parts in between other soon-to-be-renamed bordering bodies of water.
To that very (lighthearted!) point, it may be the only vestige of ubiquitous common ground left overlapping blue states and red states.
After all, almost everyone has a fantasy football team these days and an opinion on the risk/reward calculus of using that mid-first-round pick on Christian McCaffrey.
Unlike anything aside from March Madness brackets, fantasy football brings together friends old and new, becomes a source of competition and conversation among co-workers, takes over family group texts in the fall, etc. In many cases, fantasy football is the only connection two otherwise strangers share on any level.
And because of all that, TeamFB7 will deliver a weekly fantasy football column this season with the aim of providing original perspective to cut through the cacophony of overstated, oft-repeated and obvious opinions.
To that end, we’re not going to give you another set of position rankings, hype up Jaylen Waddle’s role in the Broncos offense or tout Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd as a value pick when he’s no longer available at any value whatsoever in drafts.
Instead, for those still left to have their drafts over this next week or to help evaluate a roster already selected, we’re going to kickoff our season of fantasy content by spotlighting the 10 players most likely to swing leagues and decide championships.
Finding Hidden Value In Your Fantasy Football Drafts
In identifying the most undervalued fantasy football assets in drafts so far, the guiding principle is simply peak upside relative to draft slot — which players are most likely to significantly outplay their draft position. That has always been the recipe to winning a fantasy league.
In some cases, that could be a “sleeper” in the true definition of the word, but unlike 5-10 years ago it’s hard for anyone to truly stay under the radar now. Fantasy football analysis has gone from a few notable voices on the flagship platforms to an oversaturation of readily available rankings, predictions and insight (of varying value) across the internet, social media, podcasts and even television.
So this list isn’t just about sleepers. It’s the running back going in the middle of the second round who could finish as a top 5 fantasy asset. It’s the seemingly uninspiring pick who because of that is falling way too far in most drafts to the point of ironically becoming a hidden value.
Here are 10 players who for whatever reason are undervalued at their average draft positions (ADP) that we are confident can have big seasons and help win fantasy titles.
(We’ll reference the latest available ADP data from Yahoo and ESPN)
10 Undervalued Fantasy Players That Could Swing Fantasy Football Leagues
Quarterbacks
Of course, you probably can’t go wrong reaching early for Bills QB Josh Allen, especially with a bolstered receiver corps and former OC Joe Brady taking over as HC from the conversative Sean McDermott. This could well be a career year ahead for Allen, but that’s not saying anything revelatory.
Next to Allen, the Patriots’ Drake Maye has a real chance to finish as the highest-scoring fantasy QB with the addition of a true star WR1 in A.J. Brown, his own underrated mobility and his general trajectory through his first two seasons. But Maye is being drafted as the QB3 (with ADPs of 47.5/47.4), so there’s not a ton of untapped value there. Though, as with Allen, reaching a few picks early to secure Maye certainly won’t hurt you.
The following QBs are deeper hidden gems, meanwhile, especially in leagues that have two starting QB spots or a superflex position.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 112.5 (QB16)/138.4 (QB17)
As noted in the disclaimer, this recommendation is more geared toward fantasy leagues that start two quarterbacks or have a superflex position. Either way, Kyler Murray is our favorite lock among QBs to vastly outplay his current ADP.
That requires accepting that two things can be true at the same time.
Yes, Murray was overall a disappointment with the Arizona Cardinals and multiple times to fantasy owners.
But these are also facts …
– He’s been given the reins to one of the most loaded offenses in football. The Vikings won 14 games and ranked ninth in the NFL in scoring two seasons ago — the last time they had a competent starting quarterback (Sam Darnold). They only regressed last season due to the failed decision to let Darnold leave in free agency and trust unproven second-year QB J.J. McCarthy with well-past-his-prime Carson Wentz and never-going-to-have-a-prime Max Brosmer also making starts. That’s it.
Justin Jefferson is still Justin Jefferson, one of the five best receivers in football. Jordan Addison and new addition Jauan Jennings round out one of the better WR trios in the league, T.J. Hockenson has always been a productive TE when healthy (and not playing with McCarthy/Brosmer/Wentz), the Vikings have a respectable offensive line (12th in PFF’s preseason rankings) and a savvy offensive-minded head coach in Kevin O’Connell.
– Murray has everything to prove after being released by the Cardinals and now on a one-year trial with the Vikings (while still being paid gobs of money this year by Arizona). Where his football career goes beyond this year depends on how he performs.
– Murray is still one of the more intriguing dual-threat talents at the position. In the four seasons (out of his seven in the NFL) in which he played at least 14 games, Murray’s rushing totals were as follows: 2019 (544 yards/4 TDs), 2020 (819/11), 2021 (423/5 in 14 games), 2024 (572/5). So just two years ago, even after the ACL surgery that derailed him for parts of two seasons, Murray ranked fourth among QBs in rushing yards. O’Connell is smart enough to take advantage of that ability.
– Murray isn’t Tua Tagovailoa. While both former high draft picks were released this offseason and are on one-year deals with new teams, they aren’t the same. Murray has a 121/60 touchdown/interception ratio for his career and has shown no obvious off-the-cliff decline as a passer like Tagovailoa. Two seasons ago, he passed for 3,851 yards, 21 TDs and 11 INTs with the second-best completion rate of his career at 68.8%.
Murray might never match his 2020 production again, but he doesn’t need to in order to be a QB2 steal in drafts this year. If he stays healthy, he has real potential to finish as a top-10 fantasy QB and maybe even a couple spots higher, making him one of the biggest potential values at the position.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 56.8 (QB6)/54.5 (QB6)
Jalen Hurts is a divisive quarterback both in reality and in fantasy coming off a disappointing season in which he cut back significantly on his rushing attempts, thus tanking his fantasy value (and making the Eagles offense much easier to defend).
But there were a few other factors to consider in viewing his 2025 campaign more as a singular frustration rather than a career trend.
The Eagles new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo seemed overmatched and the entire offense suffered — RB Saquon Barkley went from a 2,000-yard season on 5.8 YPC to 1,140 and 4.1 YPC in the same number of games while WR A.J. Brown vented about his role and had a falling out with the organization that led to his trade this offseason. All the while, the Eagles’ offensive line was compromised by injuries.
Patullo was promptly fired after the season, replaced with former Packers QBs coach Sean Mannion. The offensive line looks to be in much better physical condition entering the season (and ranked No. 2 on PFF’s preseason list).
And most importantly, those covering the team on a daily basis sure seem to think Hurts looks more comfortable running the ball this year and that Mannion intends to dial up more designed runs for the dual-threat QB. (Mannion has also said he will continue to embrace the “Tush Push,” which has padded Hurts’ rushing TD totals in the past.)
That is, after all, the X-factor when it comes to Hurts’ value in fantasy (and reality!).
According to data compiled by FantasyPros.com, Hurts finished the 2022 season as the highest-scoring QB on a per-game average (he missed two games) and was second among QBs to Allen in per-game and total fantasy scoring in 2023. He dropped to sixth in per-game scoring in 2024 in large part because he was knocked out of his Week 16 game after just 4 pass attempts due to a concussion.
Last year, though, Hurts’ fantasy scoring went off a cliff as his 105 rushing attempts for 421 yards and 8 TDs were the lowest by far since his rookie season. In 2024, Hurts posted a 150-630-14 line in one fewer game, for comparison.
Hurts’ willingness and effectiveness rushing the ball is the only thing keeping him from being a top 3 fantasy QB. Furthermore, he is the lowest QB down the ADP list with any chance at finishing as the QB1 this season.
Bet on the bounceback.
Running Backs
The Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs and the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson deserve to be the top two running backs off the board — and in many drafts the top two players period. Everyone knows the upside of drafting the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey in years he stays healthy and the risk otherwise. The Colts’ Jonathan Taylor (ADP as RB 4/3) has as high a floor as anyone and is worth his draft slot, and while he lacks just a little in PPR leagues these days the Ravens’ ageless Derrick Henry (RB 11/8) is a good bet to outplay his draft position by a notch or two. But let’s dig a little deeper into the true RB values …
De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 15.3 (RB7)/12.1 (RB6)
We’ll keep this short and simple. Yes, De’Von Achane is already being drafted in the early second round of most drafts, but he’s the second-rounder with the best chance to finish with top 3 overall value (or higher depending on who stays healthy and who doesn’t).
The general reluctance to be invested in the Dolphins offense is baked into Achane’s ADP a bit and really the only reason not going in the top half of the first round.
Achane has shown durability, playing all but one game the last two seasons, and he’s just entering the peak of his prime at 24 years old and now in his fourth NFL season.
In 2025, he ranked sixth in combined rushing and receiving yards (1,350 and 488 for a total of 1,838 despite missing a game). On a per/game basis, he ranked fourth. Achane led the NFL in yards per carry at 5.7 — a full half yard ahead of overall rushing leader James Cook, of the Bills.
In 2026, he is the unquestioned focal point of an offense that released WR Tyreek Hill, traded Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos and signed no notable offensive playmakers to replace them. Achane’s backup RB is Jaylen Wright, which is all that needs to be said there.
Not only is Achane in for what should be a career-high in carries and the preferred goal-line option, but he could also be the Dolphins’ leader in receptions. Two seasons ago, he led all NFL RBs in catches with 78 before dropping to 67 last year.
And while, yes, the Dolphins offense is likely to be one of the more limited units overall, the switch to dual-threat QB Malik Willis should help Achane overall in stretching opposing defenses in the way that running QBs do.
In summation, Achane should be in for one of the largest overall workloads of any RB, with both increased carries and a chance to lead the position in receptions. If he stays close to his elite efficiency (career 5.6 YPC), Achane has every chance to finish much closer to Gibbs/Robinson than his draft slot would indicate.
More to the point, he is the player being drafted the latest (by far) who has a legitimate chance of contending for the No. 1 fantasy rank in the end.
Reach a few spots early for Achane and reap the rewards.
Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 64.7 (RB25)/68.3 (RB25)
It’s hard to even make sense of where Jadarian Price is being drafted.
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is gone, off to Kansas City. His backfield mate Zach Charbonnet is still rehabbing back from a torn ACL sustained in January. He’s out at least the first four games (by being placed on the PUP List), but there’s zero reason for the Seahawks to rush him back.
Price was the Seahawks’ top draft pick, No. 32 overall, and the second RB taken in the entire draft after his Notre Dame teammate Jeremiyah Love. For a reason.
He’s a dynamic talent who fills a pressing need for the Super Bowl champs.
Sure, Seattle coach Mike Macdonald has said George Holani and Emanuel Wilson will also be part of the RB mix to start the year. But Holani is a former undrafted player who has a meager 3.3 YPC in his limited opportunities the last two years while Wilson was also undrafted but has showed some value in his time with the Packers. Neither has anywhere near the upside of Price, though, and neither is much of a pass-catching target.
Price wasn’t asked to do a ton of that in college either, but it doesn’t mean he can’t.
Even with the personnel losses at RB and losing offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (now the Raiders head coach), the Seahawks aren’t suddenly going to become a more pass-heavy offense. Their offensive M.O. will remain to lean on the rushing attack, take pressure off QB Sam Darnold and let him pick his spots for big plays rather than having to carry the offense.
Price being limited physically in the preseason and sitting out preseason games has perhaps kept his draft price such a bargain, but only injury can keep the rookie from greatly outperforming that ADP.
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 54.2 (RB22)/49.4 (RB19)
The Browns’ dismal quarterback situation undercuts the intrigue for all of their young playmakers, but more so for receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
It’s pretty clear Cleveland is going to lean as heavily on the run as it possibly can — perhaps as heavily as any team in the league — and that is enough to raise both Quinshon Judkins‘ fantasy floor and ceiling as the team’s clear RB1.
Judkins didn’t have an overwhelming rookie season — rushing for 827 yards and 7 TDs on a meager 3.6 YPC with 26 catches for 171 yards in 14 games — but he missed all of training camp last year due an ongoing legal matter that delayed his signing with the team. The Browns’ QB situation was also just as bad last year, maybe even worse.
While it came with a lot of weekly volatility, Judkins flashed his potential despite the circumstances with rushing performances of 94 yards and a TD, 82 yards and a TD, 110 yards, 84 yards and 3 TDs, 75 yards, 47 yards and 2 TDs and 91 yards.
It’s also worth noting that he averaged 4.8 YPC in his first four games before that rate dropped precipitously over the rest of the season. One can read into that what they will — one way to digest it is that his peak upside was much better than his overall numbers as the Browns’ QB situation deteriorated.
With a full offseason and still no real threat to his RB1 status — backup Dylan Sampson averaged just 2.7 YPC in 65 carries as a rookie — it’s fair to expect more consistency, efficiency and overall volume from Judkins in his second season.
He has the potential for high-end RB2 value while possibly outscoring RBs going two rounds earlier in drafts.
Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 61.6 (RB24)/62.4 (RB22)
With Travis Etienne leaving in free agency for New Orleans, the Jaguars’ backfield will have a new look in 2026 with Bhayshul Tuten, a fourth-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech last year, and free agent addition Chris Rodriguez Jr. looking to split the role.
To what degree that split goes remains a bit of a mystery ahead of the season, but Tuten is the one generating the most buzz and with good reason.
Rodriguez was a solid rotation RB in three seasons in Washington, averaging 4.6 YPC overall and setting career-highs with 500 rushing yards and 6 TDs last season. But if the Jaguars didn’t see Tuten as their new RB1, doesn’t it stand to reason they would have brought in a higher-profile free agent than Rodriguez? That signing only makes sense if the Jaguars have a great deal of confidence in Tuten.
That’s our read, at least.
Tuten rushed for 307 yards and 5 TDs on 3.7 YPC last season. But it’s hard to make a full read on such a limited game-by-game sample size. The only game in which he received double-digit carries, he went for 74 yards and a TD on 15 attempts (4.9 YPC) in a win over the Chargers.
Both RBs will surely both be involved, and neither is particularly noted as a pass-catcher, but if one of the two is going to pull away with the job Tuten is the better bet.
He’s more of a gamble than the others on this list, but the upside — potentially a high-end RB2 taken this deep into the position group — is enticing.
Wide Receivers
There’s incredible depth at the WR position from a fantasy standpoint this season with plenty of enticing values to be had, so we had to be extra selective here on the truly undervalued assets.
A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 24.1 (WR10)/21.4 (WR8)
We like Brown’s chances to provide first-round value while coming off the board near the end of the second round of drafts.
Forget last season in Philadelphia when his numbers dipped. The offense was a mess across the board, Brown was frustrated with both his usage and seemingly QB Jalen Hurts. He has a fresh start now in New England and is playing with the MVP runner-up in Drake Maye, who is both one of the most accurate QBs in the league and one of the best downfield passers.
This is a dream situation for Brown, who is also the unquestioned WR1 in that offense.
Look at Brown’s first three seasons in Philadelphia for a starting point on his 2026 upside.
– 2022: 88 catches for 1,496 yards (4th in NFL) and 11 TDs (T-3rd) … WR6 per FantasyPros.com database.
– 2023: 106 catches for 1,456 yards (5th in NFL) and 7 TDs … WR5
– 2024: 67 catches for 1,079 yards and 7 TDs in only 13 games
That was playing in a fairly limited passing attack with Hurts, who as noted up top derives his true value comes from his dual-threat abilities, and while having a clear 1B WR in DeVonta Smith.
The Patriots have good WR depth overall, but Romeo Doubs as the WR2 isn’t close to the same tier as Brown.
The Pats actually ranked middle of the league in pass attempts, but they were fourth in passing yards while the Eagles were 23rd (nearly 1,000 fewer yards) last year and 29th in passing yards in 2024.
Brown is in a much better passing offense overall and specifically one that will maximize his downfield abilities.
He’s only 29 years old and has frankly never played with a QB on Maye’s level as a passer, so a career year is absolutely realistic — which could put him in the range of a top 5 or even top 4 fantasy finish at WR.
To find that late in Round 2 is frankly a steal.
DJ Moore, Buffalo Bills
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 59.7 (WR25)/61.4 (WR24)
Like we mapped out with Brown, situation is everything when evaluating fantasy potential.
No, DJ Moore isn’t a top 15 NFL wide receiver in raw talent, but he might well be one in fantasy this year now that he’s Josh Allen’s unquestioned WR1 in Buffalo.
Fantasy drafters are dwelling too much on Moore’s finish in Chicago as his numbers plummeted last season to 50 catches for 682 yards — his lowest totals since his rookie year in 2018 — with 6 TDs.
Two years prior, in his Bears’ debut, Moore had a career-best season with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and 8 TDs.
By 2025, the Bears had a new coaching staff in place, had loaded up on young pass-catchers with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and TE Colston Loveland and for whatever reason he got squeezed out.
If Moore had landed in, say, Philadelphia or Washington or Baltimore, etc., his ADP might make sense.
But he got traded to the Bills, who have been desperate for a WR1 to take over on the outside and let standout slot weapon Khalil Shakir fill the role he’s meant to play.
Not only is Moore now playing with arguably the best quarterback in the league but his new head coach Joe Brady was also his former OC in Carolina and specifically wanted him in this offense.
It’s reasonable to expect a more aggressive passing attack from the Bills in 2026 in general — with the addition of Moore, with the offensive-minded Brady taking over from stodgy, conservative-minded former head coach Sean McDermott and maybe with a desire to limit the pounding Allen takes when he runs the ball.
All of that points toward Moore a high-volume, big-play and key red zone target for the Bills. To find that in the fifth round of fantasy drafts is incredible value.
Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): N/A
OK, now this is a true “sleeper” as Caleb Douglas, despite plenty of training camp buzz, is still going undrafted in most leagues.
Use your last draft pick on the rookie wide receiver out of Texas Tech as a lottery ticket to a potential payoff.
As much energy and words have been spent on dogging the Dolphins’ passing attack this offseason and preseason, that was largely because of the middling veteran wide receivers assembled as the presumed top of the depth chart.
That wasn’t accounting for Douglas, a third-round pick, to flash as much as he has this preseason, and it shouldn’t have been a reflection of new quarterback Malik Willis either. Willis was excellent in all regards when he got his time to shine off the bench with the Packers late last season.
This isn’t a Deshaun Watson/Shedeur Sanders situation. Willis will make plays, and while Malik Washington may still be the WR1, he’s a complementary weapon at best. Douglas has shown true big-play ability and chemistry with Willis.
What’s the harm in using the final pick on a player who could end up startable with upside at some point this season?
Tight Ends
The Raiders’ Brock Bowers and the Cardinals’ Trey McBride are the clear 1-2 at tight end in some order, and then there is a solid second tier with the likes of the Bears’ Colston Loveland, Colts’ Tyler Warren, Falcons’ Kyle Pitts, Lions’ Sam LaPorta, maybe an upside dice role on the 49ers’ George Kittle coming off a rapid return from a torn Achilles. Meanwhile, there’s one high-upside value play that stands out most.
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
ADP (Yahoo/ESPN): 60.5 (TE5)/91.4 (TE9)
Those are two very different draft data points, but from what we’ve seen in live drafts Tucker Kraft has been more toward the ESPN value, which is why he’s on this list.
He absolutely has top 5 potential at the position as he returns from a torn ACL that cut short what was shaping up as a breakout third season (32 catches for 489 yards and 6 TDs in eight games).
The Packers have since lost two of their top receivers in Romeo Doubs (free agency to the Patriots) and Dontayvion Wicks (trade to the Eagles), leaving a thin WR corps behind for QB Jordan Love.
Love was already developing a lot of confidence in Kraft last season — including 7 catches for 124 yards and a TD vs. the Commanders and 9-143-2 vs. the Steelers — and the tight end should be an even more prominent part of the passing attack now.
That Kraft can be had 40 or more picks after Loveland and perhaps even Warren while having a real chance of matching their production makes him the best target pick at the position.
