In the modern era of ubiquitous information, it is fair to wonder if a sleeper even exists. 10 years ago, I could legitimately keep some guys a secret, say their names at my draft, and surprise people. In 2018, that’s damn near impossible.
Everyone knows everyone. Most fantasy owners can probably rattle off the QB and TE on every team as well as at least three WRs and two RBs. You can’t slip anyone by. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try!
In a standard-sized, 16-round league, 192 players are drafted. To qualify as a deep sleeper, a player must have an ADP lower than 192. To be clear, these aren’t players you necessarily should draft, unless, of course, you are in a deeper league.
I have a couple leagues with 19+ man rosters, so players unowned in just about every standard-sized league are owned in those leagues, and rightfully so. If you are in one of those leagues, this list is for you. Otherwise, treat these names more as guys to keep an eye on and possibly grab if you see something develop.
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Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
I am not suggesting that you draft Jackson. I am merely drawing attention to the fact that if and when Jackson becomes the Ravens’ starting QB, which very well may not be until 2019 or 2020, he will have immediate fantasy value. Tim Tebow was one of the worst QBs ever to take a snap in NFL history. He was also a weekly QB1 because of his legs. Jackson is 100x the athlete that Tebow was.
In the Ravens’ third preseason game, Jackson looked better as a passer and showcased his elite athleticism. If Jackson can merely be a competent passer, he can survive as a starting QB. If he’s starting, he’s fantasy relevant because he may average 40-50 rushing yards a game.
Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)
In deeper leagues, Goedert may very well be worth a roster spot. From what we’ve seen in the preseason, Goedert looks NFL ready and is capable of making an immediate impact. The only problem is that he’s behind Zach Ertz.
I think Goedert has eight-touchdown upside this season. He essentially replaces Trey Burton, who scored five touchdowns last season. Goedert is bigger than Burton, though, and far more suited to play in goal-line packages and jumbo sets in the red zone. Add in the fact that Ertz is always good for a couple of missed games and Goedert could touchdown his way to TE2 numbers.
Spencer Ware (RB – KC)
It’s amazing how quickly everyone has forgotten about Ware. When you get this deep into the RB pool, you’re just looking for plausible upside, particularly with “one step away” guys. Ware checks all the boxes. With most handcuff-type players, you are both gambling that the player is the actual handcuff and, that in the event of an injury to the starter, the backup can replace the production. It is exceedingly rare to find a backup that meets this criteria.
With Ware, we know he’s the clear backup to Kareem Hunt and, most importantly, we know he can replace the production of Hunt. Unlike almost every other handcuff in the league, we’re not speculating on Ware’s ability. We’ve seen him be an RB1. He had a 1,300-yard season in 2016 in just 14 games. No one roots for injuries, but we know they happen. You will be hard pressed to find someone outside the top-60 RBs with a higher ceiling should everything break right than Ware.
Chase Edmonds (RB – ARI)
Similar to Ware, I think it is safe to say Edmonds is the clear backup to David Johnson. From what we’ve seen in the preseason, Edmonds looks capable of producing should the worst thing ever happen — DJ going down for a second year in a row. We don’t know for sure given that he is a rookie and it’s also no guarantee the Cardinals don’t bring in someone or have him share the load with T.J. Logan. Regardless, Edmonds should at least be an RB2 in the event of a DJ injury.
Corey Grant (RB – JAC)
All we’ve heard from Jaguars camp this preseason about Grant has been positive. The team wants to get him involved more. We know he’s fast from his 4.33-40 time. We know he’s explosive from his 96th percentile speed score and 85th percentile burst score on PlayerProfiler.com. He’s a 96th percentile SPARQ-x athlete.
The only thing missing for Grant is the volume. In return yardage leagues, Grant has legitimate deep league value. He should touch the ball two-to-four times a game as well as return kicks. As we’ve seen from Grant, two-to-four touches might be all he needs. If Leonard Fournette went down, Grant would undoubtedly enter into a timeshare with T.J. Yeldon. Given how much cheaper Grant is than Yeldon, I’ll gamble on the better talent.
Phillip Lindsay (RB – DEN)
This one is digging deep. Lindsay is going to win the third RB job in Denver. Obviously, being the third RB on a professional team has no value. But Devontae Booker is terrible, and I think the writing is on the wall for this backfield to end up with Royce Freeman on early downs and at the goal line with Lindsay as the pass-catching back.
We’ve seen positive signs in not just Lindsay’s preseason performance, but the fact that he’s gotten some run with the first-team offense. Lindsay is incredibly fast with upper-percentile burst, making him a perfect satellite back. It would not surprise me if Lindsay had PPR RB3 value by the end of the season.
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
You certainly won’t have heard it here first, but you’ll hear it here again — Sutton is a future WR1, possibly as early as 2019. He won’t be drafted as a WR1 heading into 2019 leagues, but by 2020, I think it’s as close to a lock as you can get. The man is a mega talent. Right now, he’s buried behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Plus, Case Keenum cannot support three fantasy-viable WRs.
However, Thomas and Sanders are both over 30 and have been dinged up a fair amount the past few seasons. Thomas hasn’t missed a game since 2011, but he’s been on the injury report plenty, while Sanders missed four games last season. Sutton would instantly become at least a WR3 if anything happened to Sanders or Thomas and there’s the added possibility he plays his way into increased snaps. Sutton is someone worth taking a chance on in deeper leagues.
Quincy Enunwa (WR – NYJ)
It’s amazing what a year away from football can do to the perception of a player. Enunwa was all set to be the Jets #1 WR last season until he was derailed by a neck injury. He’s healthy now and even played in the Jets’ third preseason game, looking every bit like the breakout candidate from 2017.
What’s changed? Are we that convinced Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse are locked into the WR1 and WR2 roles? I’m not. Give me Enunwa to lead the Jets in receiving this season.
Taylor Gabriel (WR – CHI)
I don’t understand how Gabriel is so ignored by fantasy drafters. I’m not saying to move mountains to acquire this guy, but he’s going to open the season as the Bears #2 WR. That has to count for something.
Everyone is so convinced Anthony Miller is the other receiver to own alongside Allen Robinson. Miller is not playing in two-receiver sets; it’s going to be Gabriel. He has constant splash play potential, and in deeper leagues, he could be a WR4 through boom/bust weeks, with the booms being WR2 or even WR1 weeks.
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Jason Katz is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive, follow him @jasonkatz13, and listen to him on the Fantasy Forensics Podcast.
