2024 Fantasy Football: Players Undervalued by ESPN ADP
By: Gavin Babbitt
Interested in subjugating your chalk-drafting league mates on ESPN? The players below will help. Undervalued players can change the trajectory of a fantasy manager’s season whether they are household names at the top of a draft or late-round sleepers. Those included below are undervalued in terms of their average draft position (ADP) on ESPN’s fantasy football platform. Take these guys earlier than the average manager.
These picks are based on fantasy production in leagues where points are awarded for receptions.
Tyreek Hill- WR- MIA ADP 3.7
Tyreek Hill has produced consecutive seasons north of 1,700 receiving yards with 20 touchdowns in that stretch. Hill drew exactly 167 targets and caught 119 balls in both 2022 and 2023. He was the WR2 in fantasy football each year. With Tua Tagovailoa leading the NFL in attempts last season, Tyreek is one of the safest picks in fantasy football and deserving of being selected in the top two. If he makes it to number four overall in a draft, do not hesitate.
Bijan Robinson- RB - ATL ADP 6.5
Robinson’s usage under Arthur Smith in 2023 was puzzling. He was selected number eight overall in the 2023 NFL draft and had just one game with 20 or more rushing attempts in his rookie year. Robinson still managed 1,456 yards from scrimmage, 487 of them coming through the air, and eight touchdowns. This should be considered his floor in 2024. New Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has made it clear Robinson will be the focus of this offense behind an above-average offensive line. He is worthy of a top-five selection by fantasy managers.
Ja’Marr Chase- WR- CIN ADP 7.6
Ja’Marr Chase has played three NFL seasons and scored 29 touchdowns. His touchdown total is third-best at WR since he entered the league while missing six games. Chase knows how to find the end zone, and his yardage totals have been suppressed by injuries to him and QB Joe Burrow. The Bengals should be a pass-happy offense, Burrow’s 36.5 attempts per game in 2023 were on pace for the league lead in throws over 17 games. With his LSU confidant healthy, Chase’s ceiling is WR1 in 2024. He is seeking a contract extension, but the Bengals have little choice but to pay up. Do not let Chase slip past number five overall.
Mike Evans- WR - TB ADP 33.2
Mike Evans is similar to Larry Fitzgerald, perenially undervalued in fantasy football. Since 2021, Evans is tied for the NFL lead in touchdown receptions with 33 and is tenth overall in receiving yardage. Others cracking the top 10 in both categories include CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson, who have ADPs of 4.1 and 7.7, respectively. Evans does not rack up the receptions like these two, but his 14.8 yards per reception over the last three seasons set him up for another year of productive catches. He was paid handsomely by the Buccaneers this offseason.
De’Von Achane- RB - MIA ADP 33.9
De’Von Achane burst onto the NFL landscape last season in the Dolphin’s week three rout of the Broncos. On only 102 rushing attempts, Achane logged 804 rushing yards in 2023. His 7.9 yards per attempt led all RBs with at least 100 carries. Achane’s 11 touchdowns, 8 coming on the ground and 3 through the air, matched the number of games he played last year. With 4.32 speed, he could be a monster fantasy asset being selected in the third or fourth round. A top-five RB finish is in play.
Cooper Kupp- WR - LAR ADP 47.9
Cooper Kupp has battled injury in the last two seasons missing 15 games in that span. That said, near sixth-round value is a little harsh for a player of his caliber. Kupp is still paired with Matthew Stafford in an offense directed by Sean McVay. This should give him plenty of opportunities in the slot and out wide. Like Mike Evans, Kupp is in the top 10 in receiving yards and touchdowns at WR since 2021. If healthy, Kupp should approach 120 targets even with Puka Nacua in the picture. This would set him up for the third 1,000-yard receiving campaign of his career.
Kyle Pitts- TE - ATL ADP 70.7
Kyle Pitts has failed to return fair value for his ADP in consecutive seasons. 2024 is where that streak ends. The arrival of Kirk Cousins should help Pitts find the end zone more often. Cousins threw 18 touchdowns over eight games played in 2023. As a team, the Falcons managed only 17 throwing touchdowns all regular season. Despite playing on a poor offense, Pitts was eleventh at TE in targets with 86. If this number increases, his career 13.8 yards per reception will take him over the 1,000-yard plateau for the second time. He is a colossal red zone target at 6-foot-6, 246 pounds.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba- WR - SEA ADP 109.8
JSN showed flashes as a rookie but left fantasy managers longing for more between an early wrist injury and playing on a mid-level offense. In 2023, Smith-Njigba drew 90 targets converting 63 of them for receptions. He finished with 628 receiving yards. His reception percentage of 70.0% ranked 26th among all WRs in the NFL. His stellar efficiency should benefit a new offense in Seattle this year. The Seahawks have questions on their offensive line and Smith-Njigba is the perfect safety valve for Geno Smith.
Jerome Ford- RB - CLE ADP 133.7
Jerome Ford took the reigns of the Cleveland backfield last year after Nick Chubb’s horrific knee injury in week two. He amassed 813 rushing yards and four touchdowns on a respectable 4.0 yards per attempt. Ford is dependable. He did not miss a game last season and fumbled only once. It is hard to say when Nick Chubb will return, but Ford has major upside as the Browns’ lead back. He is low risk for managers going as late as the fourteenth round and could be a consistent flex option by year’s end.
Khalil Shakir- WR - BUF ADP 159.1
Buffalo is a land of vacated targets. The team lost WRs Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason. The good news is Khalil Shakir is one of the top candidates on the team to receive additional targets. Shakir received 45 targets in 2023. 39 of them went for receptions. His absurd reception rate of 86.7% is scary combined with an increased target share. The slot specialist logged nearly 47% of his total yardage last season after the catch, a higher clip than 2023 breakout star Puka Nacua.
Romeo Doubs- WR - GB ADP 162.9
Romeo Doubs’ eight touchdown catches quietly cracked the top 10 at WR last season. He is on a crowded offense as the Packers have three other young receivers, but Doubs paced the squad in targets in 2023. He carries a career 10.9 yards per reception and had the best-contested catch rate on the team at 52.0% last season. Jordan Love trusts him in tight windows, especially near the red zone. Doubs is an inexpensive asset that will expose managers to an ascending offense in Green Bay.
