Sleepers may no longer be hidden gems given how much fantasy football news and information is readily available. Still, there are players available later than they should be who provide huge upside for the wise fantasy football manager that drafts them. Let’s take a look at a few of the top fantasy football sleepers that you should be targeting this draft season.
Rankings noted using FantasyPros half-PPR Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) and Consensus ADP.
Running Back Sleepers to Target
Rhamondre Stevenson (NE): ADP RB38 | 103 Overall
Rhamondre Stevenson experienced a very successful rookie season that should not be overlooked. After fully escaping the Bill Belichick doghouse in Week 9, Stevenson earned top grades across the board.
He was PFF’s third-highest graded running back (84.2). Stevenson also ranked 13th in rushing yards and in yards per route run (1.41). For fantasy, the rookie running back was the RB25 in total points scored, eight spots behind his backfield teammate Harris.
There’s a high ceiling for Stevenson, especially if you ask former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich. The ESPN analyst went as far as saying that Stevenson “…will be one of the better, if not one of the top three, running backs in the league based on what I saw with his strength, explosion and catch-and-run ability.”
Rachaad White (TB): ADP RB47 | 130 Overall
Rookie RB Rachaad White looks just like Leonard Fournette‘s backup at the moment. But there’s an outcome where he delivers massive upside should Lenny go down with an injury or revert back to Fat Lenny.
White has shades of David Johnson and Le’Veon Bell in his style of play, which clearly didn’t go unnoticed by the new senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians.
The Arizona State product ranked first in his class in receiving yards, No. 1 in yards per route run (2.24) and second in receptions (43).
His 16% target share is absolutely bonkers for a running back at the college level, and it did wonders to generate his third-round draft capital.
The same sentiment can be made for White’s 31% dominator rating and 3.33 offensive yards per snap over the past two seasons. Both would have ranked in the top three in last year’s class.
His yards per snap and PFF receiving grade also both rank first among the class. White’s career receiving grade was superior to anybody from last year’s class as well.
After a strong showing at Senior Bowl week – PFF’s highest-graded rusher (74.9) – and at the NFL combine – and NFL Combine performance – 38-inch vertical jump (86th percentile), 125-inch broad jump (87th percentile) – White has league-winning potential if given the opportunity in the Buccaneers offense.
Darrel Williams (ARI): ADP RB55 | 161 Overall
RB Darrel Williams signed with the Cardinals this offseason.
Former teammate Patrick Mahomes vouched for Williams, informing Arizona that he was a back he both liked/trusted. Williams posted 1,000 yards from scrimmage, scored 8 TDs and had zero fumbles on 191 touches in 2021.
He also proved that he could shoulder the load with Clyde Edwards-Helaire sidelined with injury. In the six games that Williams was the clear-cut starter in the Chiefs backfield, he averaged 19 fantasy points per game (PPR) on 18.3 touches per game. Also averaged nearly 100 yards from scrimmage (96.3).
Williams is the James Conner backup to target across all formats, as he’d likely inherit the RB1 role should the injury-prone starter go down. His body of work as a receiver and goal-line back presents him with immediate fantasy RB1 upside.
The former UDFA led the Chiefs backfield in red-zone touches and averaged 4.5 receptions per game as the starter in 2021. His 47 catches overall ranked ninth.
Tyrion Davis-Price (SF): ADP RB62 | 188 Overall
I didn’t even think that highly of the San Francisco 49ers running back prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, citing his lack of elite explosiveness – seventh percentile vertical jump, 39th percentile broad jump – lack of pass-game pedigree, and underwhelming 19% dominator rating during his final breakout season at LSU.
With arguably the worst yards per scrimmage play in the class, TDP initially looked like a carbon copy of the 49ers’ third-round pick last season Trey Sermon. His profile as a gap scheme runner makes the pick questionable to a zone-heavy team.
Davis-Price is also not elusive – 29th in broken tackle rate per Sports Info Solutions – so he will require wide-open lanes to be effective. He also struggles to create yards after contact. His 2.8 yards after contact per attempt ranks 28th in the class.
But all of these concerns are being baked into his free ADP, which isn’t capturing his initial burst and long speed – 77th percentile 40-yard dash and 73rd percentile 10-yard split time – or the important metric regarding his Year 1 projection: Round 3 draft capital. And above all, the 49ers’ offense breeds an efficient running game like no other.
It’s not hard to envision a scenario where the 49ers are forced to turn to their physical bruising rookie running back in the wake of a potential injury to an undersized Elijah Mitchell in 2022 or just use the two in tandem.
San Fran’s coaching staff liked how Davis-Price bullied over defenders in the 4th quarters of games at the college level, so it’s easy to picture him in a similar “finisher” role in the pros.
FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings
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