NFL teams
Aaron Schatz, ESPN Writer 11y

Megatron, AP are overrated

NFL, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings

In conjunction with the release of the #NFLRank rollout on ESPN.com, Football Outsiders will provide an audit of the list, selecting the most overrated and underrated players revealed each day of the countdown.

Here are the most overrated and underrated players ranked 10-1 on both offense and defense:

Overrated

Peterson

Johnson

Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions (No. 2)
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings (No. 3)

Johnson is the best wide receiver in the NFL. In 2011, he had one of the greatest seasons any wide receiver has ever had. In 2012, he set the record for receiving yardage in a season, although the overall value of that season probably wasn't quite as good as 2011 because he had fewer touchdowns. The yardage also was boosted by the fact that the Lions had no other good receivers and were forced to throw him the ball 203 times. No wide receiver changes the defensive game plan like him.

Peterson is the best running back in the NFL. In 2012, he had one of the greatest seasons any running back has ever had. He came within nine yards of the record for rushing yardage in a season and seemingly willed his team into the playoffs. His season was even more remarkable than the basic stats would show because he was coming back from a devastating knee injury, and because defenses had no reason to fear his quarterback and therefore could load up the box to stop him. No running back changes the defensive game plan like Adrian Peterson.

^ Back to Top ^