Fantasy Football Underpriced Veterans You Must Have in 2024

Fantasy football has never been more popular, so fantasy drafts are taking place all offseason long. One of the benefits of drafting at this point in the offseason is getting early discounts on potential sleepers or underpriced veterans.

Whether a player is coming off a down season or faces uncertainty in 2024, there are plenty of high-upside bargains to take advantage of before ADPs get corrected. In this article, we'll dive into four underpriced veterans you must have in 2024.

These average draft positions and discounts might not last long, so be sure to get exposure to these players as soon as possible. Let's dive in!

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Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

2023 Half-PPR Positional Finish: WR34 (11.6 FPPG)
2024 FFPC ADP: WR17

Jaylen Waddle's 2023 season was the worst campaign of his young career, yet he still finished with 72 receptions for 1,014 yards. Unfortunately, he caught just four of Tua Tagovailoa's 29 touchdown passes, which is why he failed to finish as a WR1 in any scoring format for the first time. Had he been to the end zone just two or three more times, he likely wouldn't be holding a WR17 price in 2024 fantasy drafts.

Although his surface-level stats were disappointing, Waddle continues to have high-end WR1 upside in one of the best offenses in the NFL when reviewing his advanced metrics. According to PlayerProfiler.com, Waddle ranked 10th in target rate (27.5%), 12th in yards after catch (421), 4th in target accuracy (7.6), eighth in yards per route run (2.68), 13th in yards per target (9.8), and 2nd in route win rate (62.7) among all qualified wideouts.

The former first-round pick finished as the WR24 in fantasy points per game, despite the low touchdown rate and missing three contests in 2023.

Jaylen Waddle 60-yard touchdown!

(Via: NFL, CBS)pic.twitter.com/PW8Kl3yGZt

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 17, 2023

On top of all that, the Dolphins failed to add legitimate target competition this offseason. Odell Beckham Jr. hasn't eclipsed 600 yards in a season since 2019, Jonnu Smith is a mid-level tight end, and sixth-round rookie Malik Washington should not be viewed as a threat to Waddle's piece of the pie in Miami. Meanwhile, superstar wideout Tyreek Hill is entering his age-30 season in 2024, meaning his risk of missing games will be higher than ever before. In the lone game Hill sat out last year, Waddle caught eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown and finished as the WR2 in half-PPR formats. And that was against the elite New York Jets secondary.

Waddle's reduced price in this year's fantasy drafts feels like an overreaction and a mistake, so make sure you have plenty of exposure to him heading into his fourth season as a pro. If things break right, a top-five positional finish is in his range of outcomes.

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

2023 Half-PPR Positional Finish: RB13 (14.2 FPPG)
2024 FFPC ADP: RB19

David Montgomery was one of the best draft values last season, and while his upside is likely not the same as Detroit feeds speedster Jahmyr Gibbs with more touches, he remains underpriced. The Lions are unlikely to run the sub-200-pound Gibbs into the ground, and the 26-year-old veteran should remain the top goal-line option in one of the NFL's elite offenses.

Despite missing three games, Montgomery finished as a fringe RB1 behind 1,015 rushing yards and 15 end-zone trips. Among all running backs, he was fifth in red zone touches with 53 and saw 13 touches at the goal line. Montgomery's advanced rushing and efficiency numbers were not earth-shattering last year, but he remains in a strong offensive environment with a stable quarterback, high-end weapons that prevent opponents from loading the box, and arguably the best offensive line in football.

It's also worth noting that Mongtomery is not "just" a physical between-the-tackles grinder who can only score from short range. He has juice in the open field, as demonstrated by his 75-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.

DAVID MONTGOMERY! 75 YARDS!

📺: #DETvsLAC on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/kECSNGc6Bj pic.twitter.com/pqetescitK

— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2023

Fantasy managers who like to spend early draft capital on elite quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends and go with a "zero-RB" approach can push the button on Montgomery in the sixth or seventh round. He has weekly RB1 upside alongside Gibbs, and if Gibbs is out of action for any length of time, he has an overall RB1 ceiling.

He's less valuable in PPR setups, but he remains at least a strong RB2 in leagues of all shapes and sizes.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2023 Half-PPR Positional Finish: WR30 (9.9 FPPG)
2024 FFPC ADP: WR38

Despite posting WR30, WR20, and WR17 finishes over the last three seasons, Chris Godwin is now being priced as a WR4. Fantasy managers should take advantage of the discount.

Godwin remained a top-36 fantasy wideout in a season that saw him play with a new quarterback and catch just two touchdowns. With Baker Mayfield at the helm in 2023, Godwin ranked 15th in receptions (83), 10th in EPA (+69.1), second in total routes wins (302), and eighth in route win rate (55.1%). Like Waddle, his "bad touchdown luck" prevented him from being a more significant fantasy contributor, but he remained a high-end "real-life" pass-catcher.

Chris Godwin running a Juke Route pic.twitter.com/LqLbR8OVIv

— Firstdown_XOs (@FirstdownX__Os) July 22, 2023

Heading into 2024, Mayfield is the locked-in starter and will take the majority of first-team reps, and Godwin is moving back into the slot role full-time. The 28-year-old's 7.6 targets per game in 2023 was his lowest clip since 2020, so perhaps a move back to his more natural position will see that figure come back toward the 9.0 per game range. Wide receivers Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan and tight end Cade Otton shouldn't scare anyone away from Godwin given their draft capital and previous record of production.

Although former offensive coordinator Dave Canales is gone, Tampa Bay should remain a pass-heavy attack given its personnel and lack of a high-end between-the-tackles runner.

Despite Mike Evans' monster 2023 season, there's a real argument for Godwin to be the better Tampa wide receiver to target at cost. You could say he is being priced at his floor outcome, but a WR36 finish is likely lower than his floor as long as he stays healthy.

Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers

2023 Half-PPR Positional Finish: RB21 (10.6 FPPG)
2024 FFPC ADP: RB36

While his name won't get many excited, Gus Edwards is a screaming value in 2024. The longtime Baltimore Raven is slated to begin his Chargers career as the clear starter, and the general belief is that head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman are in the process of turning the Bolts into a smashmouth football team.

There are plenty of J.K. Dobbins and Kimani Vidal enthusiasts around the fantasy football world, but one is coming off an Achilles tear, and the other is a rookie with sixth-round draft capital. While it's plausible for quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers to come back from a major Achilles injury and play up to their standard the following season, it's a nearly impossible task for a running back whose game was built on explosiveness like Dobbins. Vidal is a fun dynasty and deep-league stash, but it's too early to think he'll be a primary ball-carrier over the seasoned veteran.

Gus Edwards racked up the YAC on this 80-yard reception. 😤 (by @FastTwitchDrink) pic.twitter.com/h8pL4QDEB6

— NFL (@NFL) October 24, 2023

Edwards' 4.9 yards per carry ranks tied for 11th in NFL history among backs with at least 650 attempts. Sure, the threat of Lamar Jackson's legs and Baltimore's strong offensive lines over the last half-decade have helped, but he's more than a "fall forward" type of ball carrier.

Although the weaponry in L.A.'s offense took a hit this offseason with the losses of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Gerald Everett, there's a real chance stud quarterback Justin Herbert will exceed expectations with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, D.J. Chark, and Joshua Palmer and get the team into scoring range more often than the "experts" expect. Edwards, a 235-pound bulldozer, should have a monopoly on carries inside the five-yard-line.

Unless the Chargers bring in a veteran back like Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette, or Kareem Hunt -- Edwards should be primed for at least an RB2 season. Even those guys likely have less in the tank than Edwards, so he's one of the safest RB picks you can make at cost. His situation with another elite quarterback and projected opportunity could yield his best fantasy season to date.

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