I don't think anyone is downplaying Sanji, he's been weak, but he's going to get strong now which is good to see.
As for Sanji's antics with Women, I think Oda did a poor job explaining the situation. Sanji physically cannot hurt women even if he wanted to. It's not a matter of choice.
Although, he did still leave the group to chase women whilst Momonosuke was kidnapped... that's a situation where hurting women wasn't the situation, would think he had the wherewithal and mental clarity to still have a functional brain.
Sanji is a controversial character. In the Anime, it was actually something I found funny whereas in the Manga, it's annoying.
I guess some things don't quite play out the way the author intends in the Manga, and is far more effective in the Anime, so it's not so much shade on Sanji as a person, I think it's more of a case of Oda using Sanji as a gag in situations where it's a zero-sum-game depending on the medium he's showcasing it.
When it comes down to it, I guess Sanji will make the right choice except it comes to fighting women in which he can't do anything. In the SBS, he did point out Sanji physically can't, so I think he made some mistakes in the Manga in conveying those intentions to the reader, and I guess that's why I've hated Sanji for a good while until now.