Let’s dive into fantasy football sleepers! 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).
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
Treylon Burks dealt with numerous injuries throughout his rookie campaign but showed flashes of WR1 ability from Week 10 onward. In his final six healthy games played, Burks led the Titans in targets and receiving yards. He earned 6-plus targets in all but two games and eclipsed 66-plus receiving yards in half the contests. In the 3 games started with Ryan Tannehill Weeks 10-12, Burks was very productive. Team-high 21% target share, 11.5 PPR points per game and 2.56 yards per route run. With the 2022 TEN leaders in overall targets and red-zone target between Robert Woods and Austin Hopper gone from the roster, Burks should see ample opportunities in his second year for volume and TDs.
Elijah Mitchell had an up-and-down second season in 2022, mainly due to injuries. Mitchell got injured in Week 1 and couldn’t return to the field until Week 10 after the team traded for Christian McCaffrey. However, in his first game back, he showed flashes of his potential by rushing for 89 yards on 18 carries. Unfortunately, Mitchell got hurt again after seeing middling usage over the next two weeks. During the 3-week stint playing alongside McCaffrey, Mitchell earned 40% of the team’s RB touches to CMC’s 51%. However, it’s very much worth noting that 65% of Mitchell’s total touches came in the second halves of those games, with the 49ers protecting leads in two of the contests. Despite his injury downside, Mitchell’s efficient play last season solidified him as the primary handcuff to McCaffrey in 2023. He could see occasional spikes in production even while CMC is healthy, as he did at times in 2022. However, it’s unlikely he’ll have a consistent role as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart. Overall, Mitchell’s injury history is a downside factor, but his potential and role as the primary handcuff to McCaffrey make him a valuable late-round pick in fantasy drafts.
Isaiah Hodgins seems like a completely forgotten WR, despite the fact that he could lead New York in targets in 2023. Once fully entrenched in the offense from Week 12 onward, Hodgins has zero drops on 45 targets and averaged 10.9 fantasy points per game – equivalent to Chris Olave and Deebo Samuel (WR25). He averaged 9.1 fantasy points per game overall and finished as a top-24 option in 44% of his 9 games played from Weeks 1-17.
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