Bobby Sylvester’s Top-10 Deep Sleepers for 2018 (Fantasy Football)

Christmas tries to claim the title all for itself, but we all know fantasy football draft season is truly the best time of the year. We are not far along quite yet, but draft season is underway and that means we’ve got to start talking about everyone’s favorite topic: sleepers. Now, it seems everyone has something different in mind when we they hear sleepers, so before we jump into 10 that I love for 2018 drafts, let me first give my definition so you know just what I mean when I call these 10 sleepers.

• They’ve got to have an ADP outside the top 150 (100 usually, but today I’m sharing deep sleepers)
  • You can’t proclaim Sony Michel as a sleeper just because he hasn’t done it before.
  • You can’t proclaim Pierre Garcon as a sleeper just because your buddy might not know much about him
  • You can’t proclaim Greg Olsen as a sleeper just because he was injured last year
• It can’t be someone everyone is talking about and will thus see their ADP soar shortly
  • I’m sorry, no one is “sleeping” on Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Burton
• Kickers and defenses don’t count
  • Kickers also shouldn’t be drafted before the last round, or even listed as a position in your league for what it’s worth
• The player actually has to be good or have substantial upside
  • Clive Walford and Benny Cunningham are never going to be startable in fantasy football, so while everyone is sleeping on them, they still aren’t sleepers

Everyone else is fair game. Now let’s get to my top 10 deep sleepers.

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Honorable Mention: Chris Godwin (WR – TB), Kenneth Dixon (RB – BAL), John Ross (WR – CIN), John Kelly (RB – LAR), Michael Gallup (WR – DAL), Elijah McGuire (RB – NYJ), Matt Breida (RB – SF)

#10 Ricky Seals-Jones (TE – ARI)
I can’t believe we haven’t been seeing this guy’s name come up more often. RSJ is a big-time athlete having been ranked a top 60 high school recruit in both basketball and football. He looked tremendous at times last season, posting 170 yards and 3 touchdowns over just 40 snaps before the Cardinals. The issue, of course, is that his snap count was kept low because of Jermaine Gresham, who is still on the roster. While Gresham is staying, the Cardinals’ depth chart was blown up this year over 200 targets leaving. Granted, David Johnson‘s return will gobble up plenty of those, but Seals-Jones could be in line for a nice chunk as well if they begin using him more. It isn’t a lock by any means, but with significant upside at play, this pre-season battle between him and Gresham will be one to watch closely.

#9 Keelan Cole (WR – JAX)
Cole is another exceptional athlete, who went under the radar last season as a rookie because he attended Kentucky Wesleyan College. There were rumors of him impressing during the pre-season, but his snaps were limited until injuries forced the Jags to play him. What they quickly discovered was that Cole not only performed the best receiver on their team, but as one of the best in the NFL. In the five games he started to close the season, Cole somehow led the NFL in receiving yards. There will certainly be obstacles and regression coming, but he is being drafted far too low for someone with that fact to their name as a rookie. Don’t hesitate to reach for him in the late rounds of your draft before someone else beats you to the punch. Don’t forget, after all, Blake Bortles may be bad, but he has been a top 12 fantasy QB each of the past three seasons and with Allen Robinson gone, those points have to go somewhere.

#8 Ryan Grant (WR – IND)
No, this isn’t the former Packers’ running back, although that would be a great story. This is the receiver the Colts decided to fill their gaping hole with. Grant isn’t a super athlete, although he is plenty quick and should be able to create separation, but you don’t need to be Calvin Johnson to put up fantasy points if Andrew Luck is right. That is what is all boils down to, and while we have no guarantee Luck will ever play another game, the fact that he posted 356 fantasy points in his last full healthy season demands our attention. Grant just so happens to be the Colts’ #2 receiver on the depth chart. Again, he isn’t special, but then again, is T.Y. Hilton actually special without Luck? I think we found out last year that he isn’t.

#7 Sam Bradford (QB – ARI)
If you take all quarterbacks in the NFL and compare their previous 16 starts, Sam Bradford leads everyone in quarterback rating. Yes, that includes Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. This is not a joke. Here, just look if you don’t believe me.

422/584, 4,223 yards, 23 touchdowns, 5 interceptions — Sam Bradford
386/536, 4,334 yards, 23 touchdowns, 8 interceptions — Drew Brees

Sure, they drafted Josh Rosen, but if Bradford is healthy, you can bet your bottom dollar he starts Week 1. And yeah, health is a factor, but if it wasn’t, I’d be clamoring to pick him in the top ten QBs. That isn’t what I’m saying here. What I’m trying to tell you all is that we’ve got immense upside for two-QB leagues from a guy who is being selected outside the top 30 at his position. I’ve got loads of best ball shares and intend on using him as my 3rd QB in each of my two-QB leagues.

#6 Josh Doctson (WR – WAS)
The Redskins return Jordan Reed (at least for now) and added Paul Richardson while losing Terrelle Pryor, Brian Quick and Ryan Grant. Kirk Cousins is gone, but Alex Smith, who was even better, believe it or not, comes in. That all seems like a wash, so why then, would I expected Doctson to repeat his disappointing 2017 campaign? Let me just name a few of the players who shadowed him in the remainder of his starts: Richard Sherman, Xavier Rhodes, Marshon Lattimore, Janoris Jenkins (twice), Casey Hayward, Patrick Peterson and Aqib Talib. When you watch Doctson play, you’ll notice immediately that he is one of the best players on the field, which explains why he saw that attention. The schedule is much more favorable this year, too so we should be able to see just what him showcase that first-round ability.

#5 Justin Jackson (RB – LAC)
No, I’m not expecting a Melvin Gordon injury, but injuries do happen, and quite often to running backs. When you consider that Gordon has toothpicks for legs, rostering his backup becomes quite appealing. Now, some leagues don’t have deep enough benches to justify carrying a backup, but if you are in a deeper league, there is no better fantasy option in that role than Jackson. Some are suggesting Austin Ekeler is the main man behind Gordon, and while he may be the pass-catching threat, Jackson is the one who would likely step into substantial touches. Behind this offensive line, the tremendous athlete could excel with 15+ touches per game. Sure, an injury would have to happen, but every pre-season it does and those of us who selected Kareem Hunt just in case are dusting off our trophies about now.

#4 Spencer Ware (RB – KC)
Speaking of the Chiefs’ backfield, have we so quickly forgotten that Ware was every bit as sensational as Kareem Hunt before Ware’s concussion two years ago? Not that he is back to good, you can be sure Andy Reid will work him into the game plan. Now, of course, this is Hunt’s job, but if you look back at Reid’s offenses over the years, the carries distribution has been 60/30/10%. Last year it was 90/10, which was the widest spread in the NFL and I guarantee it won’t be anywhere close to that now that Hunt actually has a backup, and a great one at that. More importantly, selecting Ware is about what would happen if Hunt went down with an injury or suspension. As we’ve seen before, Ware would immediately become an RB1 each and every week. These are precisely the players you ought to use to fill out your bench.

#3 Eric Ebron (TE – IND)
I found myself toying with the idea of Ebron being a useful fantasy player even when he ended up the “second tight end” for the Colts. The reason, of course, is that Andrew Luck makes fantasy points rain and that he has given out plenty of fantasy points to multiple tight ends in the same season. I’m not so sure, however, that Ebron won’t be quite a bit more than that. I consider him to have both a safe floor and a huge ceiling at this stage. The reason why, is that the Colts, if you haven’t heard, are using Ebron all over the field as a move tight end. Think Travis Kelce or Zach Ertz, but with Luck tossing him passes. Obviously it would be absurd to expect that kind of production, but his athletic profile is similar and Ebron has had loads of success as a youngster even though many want to paint him as a bust. I’m buying myself a lottery ticket and won’t be all that surprised if he finds a way to end up top five at the position this year.

#2 Geronimo Allison (WR – GB)
Remember a few years back when one of the Packers’ starting receivers was injured, so Davante Adams jumped from 130 to 40 in ADP overnight? That is the magic of being Aaron Rodgers‘ number two receiver. So why then is Allison not even being drafted in many cases? Frankly if I had to, I’d nab him in the 9th or 10th round. Fortunately, I can secure him in the 14th almost every single time. You can say what you want about Randall Cobb, but the fact of the matter is that Green Bay has been using Allison in two-receiver sets and seems intent on doing so during the regular season. He hasn’t had all that many opportunities, but he knows the system by now and has apparently developed chemistry with Rodgers. if James Jones can have a breakout season as a grandpa in this role, you might want to be betting on Allison to do the same.

#1 Jordan Wilkins (RB – IND)
Do you like starting running backs? How about starting running backs on teams that score 400+ points? Even better, what if a player like that was going undrafted. Remember 2012 Alfred Morris? We may have another one here in Wilkins, who needs merely to beat out change-of-pace-back, Marlon Mack for the primary Colts’ backfield duties. Wilkins is not some can’t miss prospect like Saquon Barkley or even Sony Michel, but then again, neither was Morris, or Kareem Hunt, or Alvin Kamara or Arian Foster–need I go on? You can take your chances on an Isaiah Crowell somehow morphing into a competent football player while playing for one of the worst offenses in football, or you can take a chance on a young talented back with RB1 upside. I know which was I’ll be going.

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