Discover a diverse range of fantasy football sleepers, from under-the-radar gems with substantial upside to late-round steals who can outperform their average draft positions. This comprehensive list of players, spanning from Round 8 to the double-digit rounds, aims to provide potential league-winning options while offering tremendous value. I selected the start of Round 8 as my cut-off for sleepers because I’ve often found that’s the range in the draft when we start to see breakout RBs emerge.
The main goal is that one or several of them beat their average draft positions (ADP) by a significant margin, akin to performances from Rhamondre Stevenson, Tyler Allgeier, Dameon Pierce, Jerick McKinnon, Isiah Pacheco, D’Onta Foreman, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian Kirk, Garrett Wilson, Justin Fields, Daniel Jones and Tyler Conklin last season.
Be prepared to find hidden talents across all teams, including those in unexpected situations like the Arizona Cardinals. My only requirement is that these players possess ADPs outside the top-84 players (in some capacity because this can vary by draft platform). It’s too soon for me to be attacked by “he’s not a sleeper in MY league” social media trolls.
For the avid fantasy football enthusiasts, we’ve even included some deep sleepers who are perfect for 18-round-plus best ball leagues and deep 40-man dynasty rosters. Get ready to make strategic moves and uncover the next breakout stars! Here are my top fantasy football sleepers for all NFL teams. Below we’ll offer a free look at a few of these names.
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Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers
Rooke tight end Trey McBride was the TE11 from Weeks 14-18 as his role expanded due to injuries on the Cardinals roster. His major highlight came against the Falcons in Week 17, where he caught 7 balls for 78 yards and 1 TD on ten targets with Marquise Brown active in the lineup. That earned him a top-3 weekly fantasy finish, making him one of just 23 unique tight ends to do so. Obviously, there are a lot of question marks about the potential QB play in Arizona this season. Veteran Zach Ertz also remains on the roster. But we are just looking for any opportunity when it comes to sleeper tight ends. Ertz is coming off a season-ending knee injury suffered in Week 10 and will be 33 by November. McBride should be able to assert himself as the Cardinals TE1 to start the season and hold the job if/when Ertz returns. His decorated college profile – 1,125 receiving yards and 30% target rate per route run in 2021 – suggests he can post points with a starting role. It’s not crazy to think he could be the No. 2 pass-catcher on this offense in 2023.
Desmond Ridder stands out to me as a sleeper. With Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London at his disposal, one would think Ridder can facilitate an offense that can win games in 2023. And there’s some fantasy sleeper appeal with his game considering he offers mobility. Ridder rushed for over 2,700 yards during his four-year college career (58 per game). That combined with elite weaponry, suggests he can make some noise as a late-round fantasy quarterback in 2023. Recall that Marcus Mariota was a top-20 fantasy quarterback last season in points per game. And who can forget how well Ryan Tannehill played for fantasy under Arthur Smith’s coaching in Tennessee? It’s an offense that relies heavily on play action and Ridder was PFF’s 3rd-highest graded QB when using play action during his final season at Cincinnati. No. 1, you ask, in last year’s class? Brock Purdy. Mic drop.
Zay Flowers spent four seasons at Boston College simply dominating as the team’s best wide receiver. He posted a career 33% dominator rating — highest in the draft class. His senior year was truly special as the 5-foot-9, 182-pound wideout racked up 78 receptions for 1,077 yards and 12 receiving TDs. Per Sports Info Solution, Flowers finished 3rd in the class in unique routes run, 6th in target share (30%) and third in deep route percentage (49%). With first-round draft capital and projected inside/slot usage that will work well with QB Lamar Jackson…don’t count out Flowers emerging as Baltimore’s WR1. The best ability is availability… which has not been the case for either Odell Beckham Jr. or Rashod Bateman. Targeting highly drafted rookie WRs tends to be a +EV strategy anyway. 26% of 1st round WRs drafted since 2013 have finished as top-24 options. 32% inside the top-36. Rookie WRs ADPs often do not fully capture the upside they possess. Draft them all day every day.
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