Fantasy sleepers
Fantasy sleepers
QB:
Justin Herbert : Despite having a lack of weapons, Herbert is still an elite QB and may benefit from new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Jayden Daniels: There’s no secret that Daniels has tremendous fantasy upside due to his rushing ability. He had a rushing TD on his first drive of his first preseason game. Fantasy managers can stash him later on in the draft.
Caleb Williams: The Bears first overall pick in the 2024 draft is absolutely surrounded with talent. Williams has a cannon of an arm and has very good playing ability as he plays like Patrick Mahomes. I expect a solid year for Williams and i think he will very much be fantasy relevant.
TE:
Brock Bowers: Bowers is a stud and was one of the most productive tight ends in college football history. He was drafted in the first round this year by the Raiders so you can expect the Raiders to get him involved in the pass game. Despite being a tight end Bowers also lined up as a Slot WR and wideout in the first Raiders preseason game clearly indicating they want to have him involved in any way they can. The one concern is the Raiders QB situation which is a big question mark. The ceiling is there for Bowers if he gets good QB play and the targets necessary.
Mike Gesicki: TE1 on a Joe burrow pass heavy offense.
Ben Sinnott: Sinnott was the 53rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft for Washington. He was a star at Kansas State showing tremendous talent and can line up anywhere on the line. Sinnott will definitely be involved in the Washington offense and will see an increasing amount of playing time throughout the season. He’s a sleeper with tremendous upside.
Luke Musgrave: The former 2nd round pick has shown flashes of being a nice contributor to the Packer offense but the consistency just isn’t there. He’s the TE1 on the Packers and stands at 6’6 with 4.61 40 yard speed proving the raw talent is there, he just needs volume.
Pat Friermuth: New Steelers OC Arthur Smith loves using tight ends, expect Pat to get more targets. Keep in mind Pat is on a contract year as well.
Tyler Conklin: Deeper sleeper but he’s the TE1 on the Jets and Rodgers is back.
WRs:
Xavier Worthy: Worthy started for the Chiefs alongside Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown in the Chiefs first pre-season game. Hollywood Brown just injured his shoulder in the first preseason game and will miss time in the regular season. Don’t forget WR Rashee Rice may be facing a suspension during the regular season. Worthy is a speedster and has tremendous potential with Patrick Mahomes. Make sure you grab Worthy.
Brian Thomas: The Rookie WR from LSU has a real chance to be the #1 receiver in Jacksonville. The Jags lost Calvin Ridley to free agency opening up a nice door for Thomas to have a lot of volume this year even as a rookie. Sure Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk are there but they’re nothing but WR2s and Kirk is a slot WR. Thomas has a lot of talent and was drafted in the 1st round for a reason. His ADP is roughly the 10th/11th round, which is great value.
Curtis Samuel : Samuel will eat up a bunch of targets in the slot and be a nice security blanket for Josh Allen.
Brandin Cooks: the veteran WR is the clear cut #2 WR in Dallas on a heavy pass offense.
Javon Baker/ Ja’Lynn Polk / Demario Douglas : I understand no patriots players can be trusted for fantasy football but there’s opportunity here for these three to be stashed in deeper leagues, someone has to catch the ball for NE.
Ladd McConkey: The number one WR in LAC and as I mentioned in my breakout players, Chargers lost Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams and all pro WR Keenan Allen. That opens up a ton of targets for Ladd McConkey, the 2nd round pick by LAC. Very high ceiling as McConkey will see a ton of targets. McConkey has tremendous ability to create separation to get open.
Keon Coleman : Coleman can easily be the #1 for the Bills this year based off his talent. Bills lost Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs this offseason so this opens up a lot of targets. Yes Curtis Samuel will probably be a primary targrt but Coleman easily has the ability to be a #1 WR for the Bills and his talent is superb. Coleman has tremendous hands, he’s a red zone threat and he’s got tremendous jump ball skills. He’s primed for a big year as a rookie.
Romeo Doubs : There’s no real #1 in Green Bay but Doubs is probably the best and most consistent out of the Packers receiving core. You can get Doubs around the 10th round which is very good for value. Packers QB Jordan Love can really throw the ball so getting Doubs or any Packers WR for that matter is almost a must.
Adonai Mitchell: Mitchell is a 1st round talent who fell to the Colts in the 2nd round of the 2024 NFL draft. Mitchell is a freakish athlete with tremendous raw talent. Josh Downs is dealing with an Ankle sprain and will most likely miss the start of the regular season. Mitchell will be the WR2 for Indianapolis sooner rather than later. Stash him later on.
Rashid Shaheed: the clear WR2 on the Saints and Speedster who had 5 TDs last year with upside for his ADP which is around the 10th round. QB Derek Carr also talks highly of Shaheed and talks about the reliability Shaheed provides for Carr.
Xavier Legette: Legette is a freakish athlete who can play a nice role due to his potential for a breakout season with the Panthers, given his impressive physical attributes and the team’s need for impactful playmakers.
Jermaine Burton: Burton is a tremendous route runner and has Joe Burrow as his QB I expect his volume to go up as the season goes on for the rookie who’s filling in the Tyler Boyd role. Keep in mind to temper expectations for him as he’s still the WR3. Stash him on your bench as Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will chew up most of the targets.
RBs:
Zamir White: This is Zamir White’s backfield in Vegas. He will play most of the snaps and will get the goal line work. Tremendous upside for White and potential league winner if he’s efficient with the volume he has.
Tyjae Spears / Tony Pollard: Both RBs are good pickups in the later rounds. I’ve been a fan of Spears since he was drafted, he’s got a lot of skill but this backfield will be a true 50/50 split and looks like Pollard will be getting the goal line work. I anticipate Spears will be the 3rd down receiving back.
Trey Benson: Benson is a great pick in the later rounds. He’s the backup to James Conner but will still have a role on the Arizona offense. If a situation occurs where Conner misses time which is very possible considering Conner’s injury history and Benson is needed for spot duties for a few games, I have no doubt Benson will step in and do fine.
Gus Edwards: It’s clear he will be the starter with JK Dobbins coming of an Achilles tear. I expect Edwards to be the goal line back as well. New Head coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear he wants to run the football so I definitely anticipate Edwards getting a decent amount of TDs this year.
Javonte Williams: Contract year for Williams and right now he’s roughly the RB29. He’s done nothing to get anyone excited but if there’s a time for him to finally show something it’s now.
Jaylen Warren: Warren is a very solid RB and he’s pretty much splitting snaps now with Najee Harris. PIT will be running the ball a lot this year with a revamped O line and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith does indeed like to run the ball. Warren can be a solid flex play every week.
Rico Dowdle: Dowdle has a lot of potential if he ends up being the RB1 in Dallas. It’s understandable to feel that the Cowboys may run a RB committee because Zeke Elliot is back. However, at this point in Elliot’s career he’s nothing more than a backup. I would definitely take a chance on Dowdle later on in the drafts as his ADP should be around the 12th round.
Jerome Ford: Ford is the RB1 right now in Cleveland as Nick Chubb will be starting the season on the PUP list due to his knee injury and there’s no timetable for his return. You can get a legit RB1 for several weeks in the later rounds with Ford. Ford is a must draft especially because even when Chubb does come back he will be eased in slowly.
Deeper Sleepers:
Kimani Vidal
Jonnu Smith
Jameson Williams
Jonathan Brooks
Zach Charbonnet
Jaylen Wright
Ty Chandler
Bucky Irving
Khalil Herbert
Audric Estime
Michael Wilson
Jalen Tolbert