Fantasy Football: 5 most underrated players of 2014

Okay, before I get started, let me explain something. I am currently in two fantasy football leagues that I actually care about and a handful of leagues that I drafted for fun. Both of the leagues that I care about are 12 team PPR leagues and both require you to start a QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 2 Flexes, a kicker and a defense. What I’m trying to get across is this, both leagues are deep, meaning your team probably won’t be full of perennial pro bowlers.

Having been in leagues of this format for a nearly a decade, I have come to learn that you’ll need to have a few players on your squad that aren’t exactly household names. Your roster will likely have a player or two that other people will scoff at, but that’s okay. Sometimes it’s better to have a relatively unknown player put up solid, consistent stats than to have a well-known, hit or miss type of player fill that roster spot.

And that’s who this article is dedicated to, the players who produce under the radar. Here are the 5 most underrated players of 2014….in fantasy football, at least. To make sure that each position receives the praise that it deserves, I’ll be listing a QB, RB, WR, TE, and flex.

Quarterback – Philip Rivers

Outside of his poor performance last week against the Dolphins, Rivers has been fantastic this year. There’s a good chance that he was drafted outside of the top 10 in your league, which makes him a steal. After 9 weeks of play, Rivers has had 5 games with 3 touchdown passes. The only quarterbacks with more 3 TD games this season are Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning.

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Runner-up: Carson Palmer

Running back – Ahmad Bradshaw

Ahmad Bradshaw has been absolutely incredible this year for the Indianapolis Colts. With 421 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, Bradshaw isn’t exactly lighting it up as a runner. You can thank Andrew Luck for that. You can also thank him for Bradshaw’s ridiculous receiving stats. So far this season, Bradshaw has tallied 34 receptions, 294 yards, and 6 touchdowns. To put things into perspective, Bradshaw has more receiving touchdowns than A.J. Green, Sammy Watkins, Pierre Garçon, Emmanuel Sanders, Brandon Marshall, and Jimmy Graham.

Runner-up: Lamar Miller

Wide receiver – DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson have both been insanely consistent for the Houston Texans this season. Maybe it’s because Johnson is still on the team, but I don’t think people realize just how well Hopkins has played this year. Hopkins has recorded 5 or more catches in 6 games this season and has gone over the century mark on 3 occasions. I still consider Andre Johnson the better player of the two, but I don’t know how much longer that statement will remain true.

Runner-up: Andrew Hawkins

Tight end – Dwayne Allen

Dwayne Allen has played exceptionally well this season. Among tight ends, Allen is currently 11th in receiving yards. He also has 7 touchdowns on the season, each one of them coming in a different contest. Dwayne Allen has shown that he possesses the consistency that many fantasy owners long for and with Andrew Luck under center, he is always a threat to score.

Runner-up: Delanie Walker

Flex – Mohamed Sanu

Depending on how you want to fill out your roster, you can use the flex in a number of different ways. You might pass up on a strong number 2 running back to grab a top WR/TE to fill one of your flexes or maybe go with 3 top running backs and opt for weaker starting receivers. With that being said, I’m going to treat the flex as if I had already filled out all running back and wide receiver positions. This will lead to lesser names being available to fill the flex.

Mohamed Sanu is a player that probably wasn’t a hot commodity in your draft, he certainly wasn’t in any of mine. With injuries plaguing the season of A.J. Green, Sanu has stepped up in a big way for the Cincinnati Bengals. He has only recorded less than 3 receptions in a game once this season and has had 4 or more receptions on 6 separate occasions, making Sanu a solid flex option in PPR leagues.

Runner-up: Brandon Lafell

The 5 players that I named are just a few of many underrated players, though. Feel free to let me know some other players that you feel are underrated in world of fantasy football….but before you do that, take a look at these 10 quick hit fantasy stats!

1.) Antonio Brown currently leads the NFL in receptions (71) and receiving yards (996).

2.) It should be no surprise that Brown leads the league in receptions, though. The last time Antonio Brown had less than 5 catches in a game was December 30th, 2012 against the Cleveland Browns.

3.) Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3 touchdowns in that game, something he has done three times this season.

4.) With 22 touchdowns and 3 picks, Roethliisberger is tied with Tom Brady for the best TD/INT ratio in the league (7.33).

5.) Tom Brady may not have Antonio Brown, but he does have Rob Gronkowski. Gronk is responsible for 36% of Brady’s touchdown passes with 8 receiving TDs.

6.) Gronk trails only Antonio Gates and Julius Thomas in touchdown catches among tight ends, who have 9 and 10 respectively.

7.) Antonio Gates has as many touchdown receptions as Jimmy Graham, Jason Witten, and Vernon Davis combined.

8.) Meaning Julius Thomas has more receiving touchdowns than Jimmy Graham, Jason Witten, and Vernon Davis combined.

9.) Thomas’ 10 touchdown receptions account for 41% of Peyton Manning’s 24 touchdown passes.

10.) Manning is currently second in the league in passing touchdowns. He trails only Andrew Luck, who has 26.

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