There aren't many things that compare to feeling like you've gotten your money's worth for making a smart purchase. Similarly, it's the hallmark of a solid fantasy football manager to be able to find players who will outperform their draft value. Of course, it always helps to know where to look. In that vein, we offer up some players who could exceed their fantasy draft value in 2016.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It's hard to find a lot of value at quarterback because the position is so deep and you can often wait before selecting a good one. But that doesn't explain why Winston is seemingly overlooked in lots of drafts. He finished just outside of the top 10 last season (QB13), but was the seventh-best overall QB-scorer from Weeks 7 through 17. While Winston didn't frequently offer big point totals (he scored 20-plus points just twice), he offered one of the safer floors at the position by never scoring fewer than 12.4 points in any contest. Yet somehow he's the QB17 in plenty of fantasy drafts. With one full year under his belt and a chance to build a better rapport with Mike Evans, Winston could be a fringe QB1 this season.
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
It's time for the Dalton slander to end. Had an injury not cut his season short in 2015, the Bengals quarterback was on track to finish the year as the QB8. Moreover, Dalton offered a pretty safe week-to-week floor considering he had a pair of nine-point games to bring down his overall average. That would have made two of the past three seasons with Dalton as a top 10 fantasy signal-caller. Even if you don't believe in him as a weekly QB1 option, there's no reason that he should be drafted as a low-end QB2, as he is on Fantasy Football Calculator.
Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Jeremy Hill has looked revitalized in the preseason, but Bernard will still see a significant number of snaps during the regular season. The Bengals' pass-catching back has finished in the top 25 among RBs in each of his first three NFL seasons -- including two top-20 finishes. After scoring 15 total touchdowns in his first two campaigns, it's hard to imagine Bernard won't surpass the two scores he had in 2015. Combine a hopefully increased touchdown total with the 1,200 scrimmage yards he's posted in two of his three years in the NFL and Bernard should be coming off the board at least a round or two earlier than he currently is (Round 9 on NFL.com).
James White, RB, New England Patriots
James White is about to become a very popular name, so this bargain might not exist for too much longer. With Dion Lewis set to undergo a second knee surgery, White will gain a bigger role in the Patriots offense. No one will confuse White with Lewis, but he did an admirable job as New England's pass-catching back last year. After taking over in Week 10, White owned a 15 percent share in the passing game (44 targets in eight games) while playing 41 percent of the running back snaps. It appears likely that Lewis will miss a significant part of the season and while White won't completely replace his production, his currently ultra-low draft price makes the draft risk nearly nil while providing major potential upside -- especially in PPR leagues.
Rashad Jennings, RB, New York Giants
The Giants backfield wasn't exactly fantasy friendly for much of 2015, but things did start to settle down later in the year. From Week 13 until the end of the season, Jennings owned 48 percent of the running back snaps. He enters this season as the prohibitive favorite to be New York's primary back. Jennings will cede third down and passing game work to Shane Vereen, but he remains one of just 32 starting running backs in the league and a player who could see close to 200 touches this season. For that reason alone it's a little baffling why he would be coming off the board after reserve runners like Derrick Henry and Charles Sims.
Theo Riddick, RB, Detroit Lions
The hardest part about decoding the Lions running back situation is that they have two players who are nearly identical to one another. Ameer Abdullah is getting more of the hype, but Riddick is getting more work while his counterpart rehabs a shoulder injury. If Abdullah misses any time in the regular season, it will open a larger share of the snaps and targets. Riddick's value will mostly be limited to PPR leagues but there's plenty of upside to adding him to your roster as a fourth running back option with near weekly flex appeal.
Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers
It seems crazy to think that you can find value for a third-round pick. But last season, Allen was on his way to 180 targets before injuries cut his season short. Going back over the past five seasons that target number might not be a guarantee of top 10 fantasy success, but it is pretty close. During that span, 11 players tallied 180-plus targets in a season with eight of them finishing as a top-10 fantasy wideout. Allen should get plenty of work as the primary pass-catcher in the Chargers offense and the potential for a huge season from the Cal product is legitimate.
Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens
We've now reached the "don't forget about Mike Wallace" portion of the proceedings. If it feels like you hear this every season, you're probably not wrong. Here is 2016's list of reasons why Mike Wallace could be a relevant fantasy receiver. First, he's paired with the big arm of Joe Flacco -- something he certainly missed while playing with Ryan Tannehill in Miami and Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota. Second, Flacco helped Torrey Smith to a top 20 fantasy season and got the wideout 1,100 yards in a season. Finally, even if Wallace tops out at 900 yards and five touchdowns (certainly attainable) it should put him ahead of Steve Smith on draft boards. I know we're all pining for Triple S to come back strong but right now Wallace has a clearer path to production.
Zach Miller, TE, Chicago Bears
Because tight end has been so hard to figure over the past couple of years, there are a few potential value picks to be had late in drafts. One of them is Miller, who took over for Martellus Bennett in Chicago midway through last season. From Weeks 9 through 17, Miller was a top 5 fantasy tight end averaging 8.8 fantasy points per game. Those numbers were thanks, in part, to the 41 total targets he saw in that span (second-most behind Alshon Jeffery). Miller has become a reliable part of the attack for Jay Cutler and there's no reason to think the veteran tight end won't see plenty of work again this year.
Dwayne Allen, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Let's just keep it 100, Allen was always a better player than Coby Fleener. But between injuries and general indecision on the part of Colts play callers, Fleener seemed to get more opportunity than he deserved. That won't be an issue this year now that Coby is chilling in the French Quarter. Well, it at least solves the issue of target splitting. The injury thing ... yeah, it's still a concern. But you can't worry about that.
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Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter **@MarcasG**.
