First - you will need to learn which ratings correspond to a highly or lowly rated player - and overall is not necessarily a good place to start that judgement.
Second- Players will always play to their ratings over a large enough sample size. In a small sample - even a full season- anything can happen. Highly rated players can play terribly, lowly rated players can play at an MVP level. At its core, the engine is a very complex random number generator, just like its less complex predecessor Strat-o-matic. Highly rated players increase the likelihood that the random number which is generated is favorable, but it isn't assured.
I would suggest getting very familiar with the forum search or finding a mentor you trust or who you believe is good at the game who you can bounce questions off.