It was week 17 of the 2019-2020 NFL season. Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison go down and backup to the backup, Mike Boone is being started on many Championship rosters…and disappoints. This disappointment was also blamed on Cook’s injury. Many listed Dalvin Cook as a player to avoid because of injury history. I almost did, but when he fell to me late in the first rounds, I couldn’t resist. Thankfully, I didn’t follow people’s advice to avoid him because he was a stud in 2020. Here is a list of three undervalued players not to avoid even though others may say otherwise. I’ll list out the narrative I’ve been hearing and give some reasons why those don’t deter me.

Note: my ADP is coming from Sleeper and my 2020 finishes assume half-PPR.

Ezekiel Elliott

Narrative: Ezekiel Elliott‘s washed, Tony Pollard is amazing, and Zeke’s getting old.

Truth: He is arguably the most consistent fantasy RB1 since he entered the league, his contract will demand usage (despite how great Pollard is), he’s still only 25, and everything went wrong last year yet he still finished as RB11. He got COVID-19, he had his first significant injury, his QB went down, his backup QB went down, he played behind a backup offensive line and he still managed to finish as a top-12 RB. He went from being a locked-in top-3 RB to a late-first-rounder. I’d love to get him late in the first round.

Michael Thomas

Narrative: Michael Thomas is injury prone, he lost his QB, and he’s getting old.

Truth: He has only missed one game before this year, Jameis Winston could be an upgrade for fantasy reasons, and a 28-year-old could still have a few great years ahead of him. For example, Julio Jones is 32 years old.

Matt Ryan

Narrative: Matt Ryan lost Julio Jones, the team is trying to replace him, his career is coming to an end.

Truth/Opinion: Kyle Pitts may not be Julio, but with Pitts, Hurst, Gage, and Ridley, Ryan still has the tools to be a solid QB streamer. His QB finishes since entering the league have been QB15, QB7, QB7, QB6, QB12, QB7, QB20, QB2, QB15, QB2, QB10, and QB12. There are few years when you’d use him as an every-week starter, but he’s definitely a good option if you’re looking for a QB late in drafts. If you don’t have a locked-in every-week starter, I wouldn’t recommend leaving Ryan on the waiver wire.

There is a bit more opinion along with truth to this one compared to the other ones, but I still believe he still has the potential to finish as a top-12 QB. This might have more pull in Superflex and 2QB leagues where he’d be a solid option in the Superflex or QB2 spot.

For dynasty leagues, people may be concerned about rumours of the Falcons searching for his replacement in a rebuild, but even if they do, I think Matt should be a starter somewhere else for years.

Wrap Up

There are often narratives that can lead to overvaluations and undervaluations for every player. There may be some truth to both, but some sides may have more pull than others. In my opinion, the narrative I keep hearing about these players shouldn’t outweigh the facts against them and these are players not to avoid.

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