Fantasy Football Sleepers: Deshaun Watson & Elijah Moore (2023)

Thankfully the 2023 fantasy football season is just around the corner. Each year fantasy players want to construct their team with a proper mix of good-value players and upside sleepers while avoiding players with high bust potential.

In the second part of an eight-part series, I will identify two ADP values, two likely-to-bust candidates, and two potential sleepers from the AFC North. Here is a closer look at a few players.

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Fantasy Football Sleepers: AFC North

ADP via FantasyPros

Deshaun Watson (CLE): ADP 81.3 | QB10

Last year was one to forget for Watson and his fantasy players. After averaging a 2.9-1 touchdown to interception ratio over the first four years of his career, the veteran had a 1.4-1 ratio last season. However, the fantasy football community should give the star quarterback a mulligan, given everything that happened over the past two years. Watson went 700 days between starts after his last game with the Texans was during the 2020 season. Furthermore, he changed teams and offenses before jumping in midseason with the Browns trying to make a playoff run.

Yet, the veteran played better to end the season. After having only two passing touchdowns over his first four starts as a Brown, averaging 11.5 fantasy points per game, Watson had five passing touchdowns and averaged 19.7 fantasy points per contest in the final two matchups last year. Meanwhile, Cleveland added several new weapons this offseason, giving the veteran quarterback arguably his best receiving core ever. More importantly, Watson finished as a top-five quarterback in each of his final three seasons in Houston. Expect the veteran to return to his superstar level of play this year.

Elijah Moore (CLE): ADP 126.7 | WR47

The entire fantasy football community had high hopes for Moore last year. He ended his rookie season on fire. The former Ole Miss star was the WR2, averaging 17.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over his final five games as a rookie, only getting outscored by Cooper Kupp during those five weeks. Unfortunately, last season was a nightmare for Moore and anyone who drafted the second-year receiver. Instead of having a sophomore-year breakout, the former Ole Miss star struggled to earn a role with the Jets.

Despite the team having a poor receiving core outside of Garrett Wilson, Moore couldn’t earn consistent snaps or targets. After having his trade request denied, he averaged only 4.4 fantasy points per game last season. However, Moore got traded to the Browns in the offseason and looks reborn in Cleveland. The former Ole Miss receiver has been the star of the team’s offseason workouts, building a strong connection with Deshaun Watson. While Amari Cooper remains the Browns’ No. 1 wide receiver, Moore is the better value as an 11th-round pick. The former Ole Miss star is my favorite post-hype sleeper this season.