Ranking the Most Overrated & Underrated NFL Players in 2019

With preseason in full swing, everyone in the NFL is hopeful. Even the squads that will inevitably be sulking at the bottom of the league come December have fans right now saying, “I think we could make a run at the playoffs.” Gotta love the optimism that the parity of the NFL engenders.

But the reality is that none of us -- regardless of how much offseason reading material we’ve consumed -- really knows what will happen. Some teams will surprise; others will disappoint. Just look at last year’s AFC South. Who could’ve seen the Texans and Colts rising to the top of the division while the Jaguars plummeted to the basement at 5-11?

Actually, we probably should have had an idea expectations for those three teams were off. Indy and Houston had two of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Jacksonville had Blake Bortles, who, while not considered a star by any means, still had managed to develop a generous reputation (a competent game manager!). After tossing 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions with a QBR of 79.8 in 2018, Bortles is now the Rams’ backup -- a much more fitting role.

Though surprises are inevitable again this season, we’re here to share our perception on the most overrated and underrated players in the game heading into the 2019-20 season. This is not to say that the guys on our overrated list are bad players -- just that their play hasn’t warranted their reputation. Similarly, it’s not to say that the underrated guys are absolute stars -- just that they deserve more love from the general public.

Here are five players we see fitting into each category.

The former Fresno State standout has made three Pro Bowls in his career, and for a time he looked like one of the brightest young QBs in the game. Alongside Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, Carr looked poised to lead the Raiders into Super Bowl contention for years to come. But, of course, the Raiders have significantly declined in the past couple years -- and Carr hasn’t grown into the superstar we thought he’d be.

His TD percentage last year was 26th in the league. Meanwhile, his QBR of 93.9 was 18th in the NFL -- and that was the second-best QBR of his career. Though Carr may be better than these admittedly cherry-picked numbers indicate, he’s proven himself to be no better than a middle-of-the-pack signal-caller -- a rich man’s Case Keenum.

The Raiders seem to be on the upswing, given all the youth they’ve infused into the roster. They’re now under the guidance of former NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. It wouldn’t be surprising (or unfair, really) if Mayock wanted to pursue a different QB as the team’s franchise guy -- it’d be stunning to see Carr lead the Raiders to postseason success.

Complicating matters, however: Carr is in the midst of a massive five-year contract that will carry him through 2022. The Raiders probably won’t be able to unload him for draft picks, as they did with Mack and Cooper, so he’ll be in the black and silver for the foreseeable future.

Thomas was undeniably one of the league’s best defensive backs for years. As the free safety fueling the Legion of Boom, he was a six-time Pro Bowler and won a title with the Seahawks in 2015. No one dared test the man.

Thomas was often to a strong start last season, but during Week 4 broke his left leg and was carted off the field. While being carted off, Thomas -- unhappy with his contract situation -- gave coach Pete Carroll the finger. It was not at all surprising, then, to see Thomas sign with a new team (the Ravens) this offseason, inking a four-year, $55 million deal.

Baltimore might come to regret that. As J.T. once sang, “the old me is dead and gone.” Every athlete hits a wall and starts declining at some point -- Father Time, that callous bastard, doesn’t discriminate -- and Thomas has hit his. At 30 years old and coming off a devastating lower-body injury, Thomas is on the decline. He was No. 30 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017, but fell to No. 42 in 2018 and was left off the list entirely this year.

Though he’s still Baltimore’s best safety since Ed Reed, we won’t see Vintage Earl Thomas this season -- it’d be unfair to expect that, given all he’s been through. And it’s not right to still consider him one of the top D-backs in football.

Foles is a magician in the postseason. He just turns into a different animal when the stage is the biggest, as we saw when he led the Eagles to a still-unbelievable Super Bowl win over the Patriots in February 2018. (Did that really happen?)

But, if you look at the whole of his career, Foles hasn’t been all that good. Like Carr, he’s a league-average QB -- if that. He's never thrown for more than 2,891 yards in his career. For reference, Sam Darnold came close to that mark in his up-and-down rookie season, and Baker Mayfield -- who started only 13 games -- easily cruised past it as a first-year signal-caller. Foles' QBR of 69.5 last season didn’t even crack the league’s top 30.

Yet the Jaguars signed him to a four-year, $88 million deal this summer, and he can make up to $102 million with incentives. Nick Foles is on a deal worth over $100 million!

The recent debate of “Would you rather have Carson Wentz or Nick Foles?” is egregious -- Wentz is clearly better. He returned from an ACL tear last season to put up solid numbers (21 TDs to seven picks) and could land back in the MVP conversation this season. The fact that people are even posing such a question just goes to show how overrated Foles has become.

Cousins is another guy making serious coin -- $28 million a year from the Vikings. In 2019, he’ll be the second-highest-paid QB in the league. Take that, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers!

Though he put up big numbers last season and even made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2016, Cousins has never successfully led his team -- either the Redskins or Vikings -- to a playoff run. He's started only one playoff game, in 2015 with the Redskins, a game Washington lost 35-18 to Green Bay despite being favored.

When he’s faced top competition, Cousins just hasn’t shown up. This isn’t the QB you want under center for the big game. You want Cousins as your QB...if he’s playing at home on Sunday and facing a bad team.

Despite these illuminating numbers, some continue to mention him among the game’s elite quarterbacks. He may be better than Foles, sure, but not by much. He’s a second-tier QB playing with one of the best supporting casts in the game. Even Keenum nearly led the Vikings to a Super Bowl. Minnesota won 13 games in 2017 and then eight with Cousins last season.

Cousins’ deal is fully guaranteed through 2020. Not long ago, the New York Post declared that contract a “disaster.” That might be hyperbole, but the Vikes probably are wondering whether their current QB1 will ever be able to get the job done when it matters.

Dak wants to get paid, and Dak should want to get paid. The QB market has rocketed up -- Russell Wilson got a $140 million extension this summer -- and Dak is the franchise QB for America’s Team. Plus, at 26, he’s in his prime, and this next deal will be the one that defines his career.

Nonetheless, all this talk about how the Cowboys should dish out a long-term deal to Dak has ratcheted his status above an appropriate level. He somehow rapidly ascended from underrated to properly rated to way, way overrated.

Look, the Mississippi State product has never thrown for 4,000 yards, and his TD percentage last year was 22nd in the league, while his QBR was below-average among starters (18th). Further, he took 56 sacks, second most in the league, and his net yards gained per pass attempt was 24th. The numbers tell the story of yet another league average QB.

It’s important to remember, too, that Dak is playing with a high-quality supporting cast. Granted, the wideouts behind Amari Cooper aren’t great, but you certainly shouldn’t feel bad for a QB who has Dallas’ talent, including two of the best offensive linemen in the league (Zack Martin and Tyron Smith), supporting him. It’s a whole lot better than the talent supporting, say, Marcus Mariota or Matthew Stafford.

He’s young, yes, but Dak has won only one playoff game in his career -- that narrow win over Seattle last season -- and his team is loaded, so we need to chill with the talk of him being a superstar.

Watson is known for his legs, but he was prolific with his arm last season. His completion percentage was eighth best in the league, and he tossed 26 touchdowns to only nine interceptions. He showed himself to be one of the most reliable outside-the-pocket passers in the league.

Most impressively, he led the perennially disappointing Texans to an 11-5 record and first place in the AFC South. It's important to remember that this was only his second season, and in his first he started only six games because of a torn ACL. He’s still developing! This guy is going to compete with Pat Mahomes for MVPs.

Watson led the second most fourth-quarter comebacks in the league last season (5), trailing only Drew Brees (6), and also led five game-winning drives. If it wasn't clear from his time at Clemson, it certainly is now: Watson is a big-game, big-moment QB, the anti-Kirk Cousins.

Somehow, Watson is underrated by his peers, too. He was only No. 51 on this year's top-100 list -- behind Baker Mayfield and Ben Roethlisberger, falling one spot from his 2018 mark of No. 50. This year should be his national coming-out party. Expect him to climb significantly higher on that list.

Woods simply gets the job done. He was great in Buffalo, and he’s been great on the opposite end of the country in Los Angeles. Last season, Woods racked up 86 catches (17th most in the league) for 1,219 yards and six touchdowns. In Sean McVay's creative offense, he also carried the rock 19 times for 157 yards and a score.

Despite his high usage, Woods didn’t fumble once. Also important: he’s one of the best blocking receivers in the league. It’s not normal for a receiver to stand out for his blocking, but Woods does just that.

At 27, he seems to be getting better every year, and the former USC Trojan was Jared Goff’s go-to target last season. With the Rams trying to figure out how much to use Todd Gurley, given concerns about his (arthritic?) knee, Woods could see an even larger role in McVay’s offense this season. He was targeted 130 times last season and might even eclipse the 150-target mark -- a threshold typically reserved for superstars like Julio Jones and Travis Kelce -- this year.

Woods got some love from his peers when he was voted No. 76 on this year’s top 100, but the public seemingly hasn’t caught on to the Rams receiver’s greatness yet. That might be because he’s not a deep threat -- his longest catch last season went for 39 yards, so he’s not a highlight-reel guy like Brandin Cooks. But Woods does all the little things right and shows up and gets the job done. Give Big Block Bob some love!

Allen's stock climbed in the top 100 this year, as he went from No. 41 to 38. That's a high mark for a wide receiver -- Davante Adams was No. 35.

Yet Allen seems to be another guy more respected by his peers than the public. Last year, he posted 97 catches for 1,196 yards and six touchdowns despite consistently drawing double teams and starting only 14 games due to injury.

As Philip Rivers’ primary receiving weapon, Allen was targeted 136 times. He’s the best third-down receiver the game. His catch percentage of 71.3% was strong for a wide receiver (running backs put up the highest marks in that category). The former third-round pick from Cal is poised to flirt with another 100-catch, 1,000-yard campaign as the Chargers -- with or without Melvin Gordon -- have Super Bowl aspirations.

At 27 and coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances -- Allen was also the Comeback Player of the Year in 2017 after returning from an ACL tear -- there are rumors Allen might hold out for a new contract next year (he’s only making $12 million this year). If that happens, maybe people will finally start talking about him in that first class of dominant wide receivers -- up there with the likes of Jones, Adams, and Odell Beckham Jr.

Wagner took the bold step of negotiating his own contract extension with the Seahawks this offseason, and it paid off. The 29-year-old landed a four-year, $140 million extension -- who needs an agent?! With a new average of $24.5 million per year, Wagner is now the highest-paid linebacker in the game, eclipsing the likes of Khalil Mack and Von Miller.

And Wagner deserved the big pay day. He had 138 tackles last year, fourth most in the league, to go along with eight QB hits and two forced fumbles. Most importantly, he’s consistent; he has averaged 140 tackles in his eight pro seasons out West. And he has proven himself to be durable, too, playing at least 15 games each of the past four seasons.

Wagner conducts his business the right way on and off the field, and the Seahawks are thrilled to have the 2012 second-round pick -- a five-time Pro Bowl player and four-time First Team All-Pro -- as the face of their defense. At No. 13, he was the third-highest LB in this year’s top 100 -- behind only Mack (No. 3) and Miller (No. 10). It’s time to put some respect on Wagner’s name.

It’s hard for any Patriots running back to stand out these days. How many capable playmakers do Bill Belichick & Co. have back there now? It’s easy to lose count: White, Sony Michel, Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead…

Though New England splits its opportunities amongst its stable of backs, White has emerged as the cream of the crop and proven himself to be a downright gamer. He's been a big reason the Pats have won three Super Bowls since he entered the league in 2014. With Dion Lewis injured, 2016 was White's breakout year. That was the season in which he scored the winning touchdown in overtime against the Falcons in the Super Bowl.

White doesn't get much acclaim in the press because that's just life for a Pats RB, but his numbers across the board are impressive. He ran the ball for 425 yards and five touchdowns last season, and also caught 87 passes -- 87 passes! -- for 751 yards and seven touchdowns. His reception total was second among running backs, behind only Christian McCaffrey (who had 107 catches) and Saquon Barkley (91). Fantasy managers in PPR leagues already know about White, one of the most under-the-radar backs in the league.

This guy will never be considered a superstar -- as long as he’s playing for the Patriots, at least -- but he’d likely get more attention if he suited up for a different team. He’s only playing for $4 million a year through 2020, but he’s in line for a major pay raise.