The National Football League (NFL) is rounding off the regular season as teams look to begin the 2020 playoffs. With constant unknown whether games will be played or if players can play due to COVID-19, many analysts were not confident in the skill levels of all players this season. Despite this, some players have performed extraordinarily well this season, while others have declined significantly. Here’s a breakdown of some of the NFL’s most underrated and overrated players.

Overrated: AJ Green

At the Beginning of the season the Cincinnati Bengals were heavily looked at as a team that would improve from the previous sea- son. Many thought this because of their first-round draft pick, Joe Burrow.

Burrow was a Heisman Trophy and National Championship winner at Louisiana State University (LSU). The Bengals wide receiver options and tight end options are youthful but limited. Coming into the season, wide receiver AJ Green had high hopes for many, after an injury ridden 2019. Green has been a phenomenal wide receiver for the Bengals since he was drafted to the team in 2011.

With the excellence of Burrow and Green being a veteran in the Cincinnati system, the duo was expected to excel.

In 2013, Green was all you heard about in the football media. With 98 receptions, 1426 yards and 11 touchdowns, Green helped finish the season with a record of 11-5, while finishing 1st in the American Football Conference (AFC) north Division. Being picked to play in the pro-bowl at the end of the 2013 year, you can say that Geen was in the prime of his career. After his peak, it was clear Green was descending from the elite list of wide receivers in the league. He was still putting up record-breaking stats, but couldn’t break his 2013 year. Having made the pro bowl for 7 years straight, his streak came to an end during the 2018 season. Green was simply not performing like he used to.

In 2018, Green only played 9 games due to an array of injuries. The following year, again Green was riddled with injuries. Green took the time to get healthy and was beginning to look like the receiver NFL fans used to know and love coming into the current season.

Sadly this season, his production has only gotten worse and his statistics prove it. This season he has only had three games where he has had over 50 yards, two games this season he didn’t even catch the ball once. Some may say that Joe Burrow is the reason why Green is not performing well, however Tyler Boyd, another wide receiver on the bengals, has been looked at as a pro-bowl candidate with ranking in the top-10 WR this season.

In other news, the Bengals recently lost Burrow to a leg injury that will have him sit out the remainder of the 2020 season. Now the question will be, will Green get more or less yards and receptions with the backup-quarterback. Burrow or not, it seems as if Green’s career in Cincinnati is declining rapidly. His production is nowhere near the same, and unless he is 100 percent healthy, he does not succeed. Could it be that Green and the Bengals are not on the same terms, or he is just not the same player due to injury. No matter what the circumstance is, Green is an overrated player and should not be seen as a top receiver in the league, let alone his own team.

Underrated: Xavien Howard

Xavien Howard is a corner-back for the Miami Dolphins. Howard signed a fiveyear, $76.5 million contract in May 2019 with $46 million guaranteed. Howard was seen as a round two to three pick in the 2016 draft coming off an amazing season at Baylor University. The Miami Dolphins got a steal with picking him round two at pick 38 in the 2016 NFL draft.

The race for Defensive Player of the Year is up for grabs this year as many defensive linemen, linebackers, and cornerback positions compete to be the best. Former defensive player of the year, defensive tackle Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, is looking to reclaim the title, but Howard may give Donald a run for his money.

When looking at a cornerbacks statistics, their interceptions and the amount of yards they get after those interceptions is a key metric to evaluate their value.

In Howards case, he is leading the NFL in interceptions with seven through 11 games. Howard has had five games in a row with an interception, a truly remarkable statistic. He is proving himself as he competes for the best cornerback in the whole league.

Xavien Howard has the stats and the numbers to land him in around the top five defensive players in the 2020 season but just doesn’t get any recognition. Defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, Josh Boyer, raves over Howard and knows his skill level is largely undervalued

“In total honesty, many defensive players do not get enough credit, it’s mainly the offensive personnel, and that doesn’t just go for my team, it speaks on behalf of many NFL teams,” Boyer said.

Boyer and the Dolphins defense has grown to the second best defense in the league, just behind the 11 wins and two losses of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They proved their dominance in a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs have the best offense in the league and are led by Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl champions Patrick Mahomes. Go- ing into the game against the Dolphins, Mahomes only threw for two interceptions the whole season. While playing Miami, Mahomes had two interceptions in the first quarter, and another in the third by no other than Xavien Howard. Although he is not in the spotlight whatsoever, Howard is a sleeper cornerback and is leading the Dolphins to one of the best defensive seasons they have seen in years. He is unlikely to take home the Defensive Player of the Year award, but should be recognized as a top cornerback in the league.

Underrated: Stefon Diggs

The Buffalo Bills have had a tremendous season so far as they make their run to clinch the number one seed in the AFC East Conference. With a record of 10-3, the Bills certainly have a great offense and a great defense.

Many news sources avoid the Bills as they focus more on the Kansas City Chiefs or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One very overlooked player on this playoff contending team is Stefon Diggs.

Diggs was talked a lot about last year as a bust wide receiver due to the lack of usage. Diggs was on the Minnesota Vikings last season where he was not getting along very well with the quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Over the offseason, Diggs was traded to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for 2020 draft picks. Many thought the bills gave up too much in this trade and he wasnt worth all of that, however he was worth every penny.

Diggs has been mentioned many times due to his number four status on the list for receiving yards. He hasn’t been talked about as much as he deserves as he is having a breakout season. With already 100 receptions and 1,158 yards, Diggs has certainly gotten comfortable with his new quarterback Josh Allen. To add on top of that Diggs is now the leader for receptions.

As the season still goes on, it is without question you will see Allen target Diggs very frequently as he is Allen’s favorite target.

“I have a lot of respect for Minnesota, but playing this season, I haven’t felt the connection I used to, just maybe ain’t the place for me anymore,” Diggs said.

That brought a lot of attention to trading and the Bills didn’t waste any time taking advantage of him. Diggs and the Bills are coming off a win against arguably the league’s best team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Diggs had 130 receiving yards, 10 receptions, and a touchdown. Both Bills fans and Fantasy Football owners are thankful for the addition of Diggs as he has made an immediate impact on the Bills and should be perceived as a top receiver in the league.

The Bills look to win their division and claim a top playoff spot this year