Fantasy Football PPR Strategy: 5 Undervalued PPR Specialists

Looking for some hidden gems for your PPR or half-PPR league? Target some of these players, who will definitely return much greater value than their ADP in 2019.

*All ADP data is courtesy of FantasyPros.

Nyheim Hines, RB, Colts (ADP: 116)

Hines is clearly the secondary back in the Colts’ backfield to Marlon Mack, who was a breakout in 2018, but he’s also carved out a clear pass-catching role in the Indy offense. Last season Hines averaged 10 touches (carries + targets) per game; he managed a somewhat pedestrian 3.7 yards per carry, but also caught 63 passes at a 6.7 yards per reception clip. Pass-catching RBs are fickle beasts, but they obviously carry greater significance in PPR and half-PPR formats. Hines is one of the highest-upside pass-catching RBs, and he benefits from catching those passes from Andrew Luck, whose 39 touchdowns were second in the NFL only to Pat Mahomes. Luck has a lot of mouths to feed, so a James White-esque explosion is probably not in the cards for Hines, but he will absolutely be in the weekly RB2 conversation in PPR formats and he’s currently going 43rd at the position. In a 12-team league, that’s low-end FLEX territory.

DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Broncos (ADP: 161)

Hamilton is basically a PPR specialist, but his upside is tremendous in this format if Emmanuel Sanders’ return from a torn Achilles doesn’t go well. Sanders has been insisting that he will be back for Week 1, but the odds of a 31-year-old receiver who relies heavily on speed and quickness returning this quickly is unlikely. If Sanders isn’t the same, or is out for an extended time, it’s going to turn Hamilton into a complete steal at this ADP.

His overall numbers as a rookie are not impressive to look at, but the important stretch of the season is Week 11-Week 14, when he averaged six catches, 43.5 yards and scored two touchdowns in Sanders’ absence. Even if Sanders is gone, Hamilton’s ceiling is low in standard leagues; he didn’t show much propensity for touchdowns as a rookie, and his yards per catch (8.1) were low even during his high-usage period. Hamilton isn’t a field stretcher, he’s a possession receiver. But in PPR formats, that kind of player is incredibly useful. Should Sanders miss time or be ineffective, Hamilton will easily be a viable WR2 in PPR leagues and in those formats he’s currently the 58th receiver drafted.

Chris Thompson, RB, Redskins (ADP: 202)

Thompson is a talented back, but he’s stuck in a very crowded backfield. He’s got no chance to become a workhorse back; that role belongs to either Adrian Peterson, an ageless physical marvel, or Derrius Guice, a second-year back who missed his whole rookie season with a torn ACL. There’s also rookie Bryce Love, whom the Redskins took in the fourth round this year. So Thompson is most definitely going to compete for touches in an offense that may or not even be a good offense. Still, when he’s right, Thompson can be a devastating force.

Thompson’s “breakout” was in 2017, when he totaled six touchdowns in 10 games, and averaged 4.6 yards per carry and 13.1 yards per reception. Thompson is too small to be a high-usage rusher, but he does make the most of his limited opportunities on the ground. Through the air, he’s a monster. He was averaging four catches and 51 receiving yards per game in 2017, and that’s the type of usage I’d expect if Peterson remains the leader of the backfield.

Guice, on the other hand, can be a problem. The ‘Skins spent a second round pick on him in 2018, presumably for him to be a three-down force. As a junior at LSU, Guice showed some receiving chops, catching 18 balls for 124 yards and two scores. He’s already dealing with an injured hamstring, so Guice could wind up being an injury-prone bust. But if he does make it through training camp in one piece, it’s not hard to see him as a three-down workhorse who crushes the value of every other Washington RB. Me? I’m betting against that right now though, so expect Thompson to do a lot with a moderate workload.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Jets (ADP: 203)

Crowder has been a receiver fantasy owners have been dreaming on for a while and hoping to see with a lead role opportunity. That was supposed to happen last season, but injuries and ineffective QB play squandered his first chance to be a No. 1 receiving option. Crowder finished the season with 29 catches, just 388 yards and two touchdowns. He was allowed to walk by a team with underwhelming pass-catching options and has now joined the Jets. Not great right?

I disagree. Crowder’s talent hasn’t changed, but he’s upgraded (potentially) in a big way at QB, and will play a completely different role than the Jets’ top wide receiver Robby Anderson, who serves as a deep threat. In the past, Crowder has been useful when the target share is there, and he even managed seven touchdowns in 2016. He’s still only 26 years old, and he’ll be the No. 2 receiver for Sam Darnold, whom the Jets drafted No. 3 overall just last year. The only issue I see for Crowder is the presence of Quincy Enunwa, who does some of the same things. Crowder has a quickness advantage though, and he’s proven to be much more consistent in the past. Expect Crowder to take ownership of the Jets’ slot, and benefit from the improvements we’ll see from Darnold in 2019. I see Crowder as a potentially high-end WR3, or serviceable FLEX in PPR leagues.

Albert Wilson, WR, Dolphins (ADP: 226)

Wilson is my favorite name in this group. He has always been reliable with limited work; he’s caught 60.8% or more of his targets every year since 2015, and in Year 1 with the Dolphins he was averaging 15 yards per reception, his best mark since his rookie season in 2014, and had set a career-high for touchdowns (4) in only seven games. He did all this while catching passes from Ryan Tannehill too; this season he will be upgrading, either to veteran stat stuffer Ryan Fitzpatrick, or high-upside Arizona castoff Josh Rosen. Either way, his only competition for a stranglehold on the WR1 role comes from DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills. Both are incumbents from last season, and both were being usurped by Wilson already prior to his injury. Wilson doesn’t just have a chance to be a viable PPR threat—he has the ability to be a Top 30 receiver. And at this ADP you can essentially get him for free.