“I don’t know why you’re bragging.
He
was a sleeper”. Truer words may never have been spoken. What
a great line to throw out to silence the constant barrage of
gloating from an opponent who dropped 30
fantasy points with a
3rd string running back.
It’s not as if they knew that player would go off for that
many points, right? He was a sleeper.
I’m fairly certain the person who created the word “sleeper”, as it applies to fantasy sports, was referring to the players selected by GMs who are
asleep at the wheel in the
late
rounds of fantasy drafts. However, a sleeper has come
to be known as any player that exceeds expectations, regardless of
what round he was taken in. Targeting some of
these sleepers
in your draft could ensure you’re the one
gloating later.
Here at Fantasy JoneZ, we have compiled a list of
sleepers that warrant consideration in fantasy leagues. You’re obviously not going to be drafting all of these players,
but getting a couple on your team late in
your
draft could prove to be a home run (or touchdown, if that makes you feel better).
Since all
rookies are essentially sleepers, I will not be including any rookies on this
list. We will be posting
a list of top fantasy rookies of 2015 in
a couple of days.
20. Robert
Griffin
III – QB – Redskins
A year ago you would have thought RG3 and head coach
Jay
Gruden hated each other, after publicly outing each other. Well,
it seems Gruden has
changed his tune a bit during the offseason. “[He’s] taken over the leadership role….. It’s
exciting to watch him” Gruden
has stated.
Drafting Brandon
Scherff with Leonard Williams still
on
the board shows
that the Redskins want to protect their
QB and give him every chance to succeed.
Griffin has
plenty of talent around him in Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon,
Alfred
Morris, Jordan Reed, and a plethora of
rookie offensive weapons. He is currently
being drafted
in the mid 20’s
for QBs and
is worth a look late. His
potential value could be off the
charts.
19. Owen Daniels – TE
– Broncos
Goodbye Julius Thomas. Hello, Owen Daniels.
Peyton Manning has
always
loved his TEs
and it should be no different with new teammate Daniels.
New
head coach Gary Kubiak
loves utilizing TEs in his
playbook and one of his
first moves as
head coach was acquiring (and reuniting with) Daniels.
Daniels should be a reliable red zone target for Manning and has potential to finish as a top 10 TE. Keep in
mind that Manning threw 15 TDs to his
TEs last year.
18. Stedman Bailey – WR
– Rams
Bailey came on strong last year and
looks to continue where he left off. He should be lined up
opposite
Kenny Britt when the season begins. In the 46 times Bailey was targeted last year, he put up some of the
best numbers of
any receiver in the league.
It was a pretty small
sample, but his success
rate
was 3rd
among all
receivers. He should see a bigger workload this
year. The Rams used a 1st round draft pick on
Todd Gurley then proceeded to draft a
handful of O-Linemen. This
seems
to
bode well for Bailey, as the
Rams
seem to be moving to a heavy run attack, which could open up
Bailey for the big plays.
17. Austin
Seferian-Jenkins – TE – Buccaneers
It’s easy to write Jenkins off
after that pitiful fantasy performance last year,
but
it was not all the rookie’s fault. Tampa Bay could not seem to get their offense moving in the
right direction in
2014.
Jenkins was also hampered with
injuries during the season and only played 9 games. The additions of Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter – who has a knack for
getting the best out of his
TEs (Mercedes Lewis, Tony Gonzalez) - and rookie QB
Jameis Winston could help to bring this young TE to fantasy relevance.
16. Sam Bradford – QB – Eagles
Hopefully, Bradford doesn’t get a hang nail before week 1, because if he does, he’s sure to be out for the entire season. If Bradford can stay healthy, and all reports claim that he is, he has the chance to be a very productive fantasy QB. Bradford is a much better QB than Sanchez and Foles, who both had success as a starting QB in a Chip Kelly offense. Over the past 2 years Eagles QB's have averaged 4,500 yards and 30 TD's. That's a huge stat stat that makes Bradford a very tempting sleeper pick.
15. Monte Ball – RB – Broncos
New head coach Gary
Kubiak has
already declared that
CJ Anderson will
be
their starting running back,
but
Ball is convinced
he will be splitting time with
Anderson. It does look as though Ball is the early favorite for the backup spot, edging out Ronnie Hillman and the return to a zone blocking scheme
benefits Ball the most of all the RBs. Kubiak’s system has
room for multiple RBs
to
have success and Ball
is one injury away from being a tier 1 RB.
14. Teddy Bridgewater – QB
– Vikings
Just under 3,000 passing yards,
14
passing TDs, over 200 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, all
in 13 games. These
are the 2014 stats for
Teddy Bridgewater. Playing with mediocre offensive weapons, Bridgewater
quietly led all QBs in third down completion percentage and
red zone completion percentage. That’s right, Bridgewater was statistically more accurate in the red
zone than the big
four – Aaron Rodgers,
Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning,
& Russell Wilson (Maybe you expected Brees & Brady here. Sorry to disappoint. Wilson &
Luck are in the big four when it
comes to fantasy QBs). Add Mike Wallace, a healthy Kyle Rudolph, and
a rested Adrian Peterson and Bridgewater has
the
recipe for a
very successful sophomore year.
13. Marlon Brown
– WR – Ravens
The Ravens are looking to fill the
huge void at receiver that was left when Torrey Smith
headed to San Fran. In steps rookie receiver Breshad Perriman. Not so fast. Third year
receiver Marlon Brown
will
have a lot to say about this and could end up as the
number 1 WR week 1. Brown is a bigger target at
6’5” with better hands and has some chemistry with Joe Flacco. There’s
no denying Perriman’s speed but he has
been known to drop balls.
Even
if Brown does not get the nod for the number 1 spot, he will be on
the field quite a bit and is a huge end zone target.
12. Allen Robinson
– WR – Jaguars
Robinson was on pace for
a great rookie season in 2014 before his injury.
He is finally healthy and he will start
the 2015 season as Jacksonville’s number 1 WR and Bortles favorite target. Bortles
claims that Robinson can “do everything in the open field…. He’s unbelievable”.
Only five receivers were targeted
more than A-ROB in 2014, during his time on the field.
Some analysts have A-ROB listed as
a breakout star in 2015. He should be a monster in
PPR leagues.
11. Marvin Jones – WR – Bengals
Jones had a breakout 2013 season and was a promising prospect in 2014 drafts. Unfortunately injury
kept him out all season. Mahamed
Sanu did not pan out as a true
number 2 WR. So expect Jones to immediately plug in opposite AJ Green. Jones will be playing to secure a
big
contract from an organization next year and could end up having a very successful fantasy year.
10. Stevie
Johnson – WR – Chargers
Don’t call it a comeback. Johnson
has been around for years. The 49ers didn’t seem to know how to
utilize this guy correctly.
For a 3 year stretch in Buffalo Johnson was a WR1 in
fantasy leagues.
Now,
with the Chargers, Johnson may jump back up to fantasy relevance again.
Rivers will be the
best QB Johnson
has had throwing to him and the Chargers love to pass the ball.
With Antonio Gates suspended
for 4 games, an
aging Malcolm Floyd, and
a rookie RB
in Melvin Gordon,
Johnson could see a lot of
targets come his way. Johnson may end up being one of the steals of fantasy drafts
this year.
9. Josh Hill
– TE
– Saints
First it was Jeremy Shockey. Then it was Jimmy Graham.
Now
is the time for Josh
Hill. The Saints love
utilizing their TEs
early and often and it should not change in 2015. Drew Brees has
used
his TEs as a safety blanket since his days in San Diego.
Hill is no Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham but he is no rookie
either. He has been in the Saints system for 3 years
and plugged
in very well last year, catching 5 TDs on only 20 targets. This year Hill
figures to get at least three times as many targets. You do the math.
8. Reuben Randle – WR
– Giants
Eli Manning has
been raving about Randle all offseason stating, on one occasion, “I think Reuben’ll have a big year”.
Odell Beckham Jr is the clear number 1 on this team,
but
Randle will very likely line up at the number 2 position, as Cruz is
likely to play the slot. Randle quietly recorded 938 yards last
year and is primed to break the
thousand yard mark this year. He should
be seeing lots of single coverage.
7. Cody Latimer
– WR
– Broncos
I could just say this kid
is a WR on a Peyton Manning led
offense and that should be enough to cement
him
as a fantasy sleeper.
However, now that Wes Welker is gone, Latimer
figures to be the 3rd WR and will
play the slot or even line up at the
number 2 spot, if Emmanuel Sanders is moved
to
the slot. The upside value here is tremendous, if Latimer sees some significant playing time.
6. John Brown
– WR
– Cardinals
Brown’s ability to separate and
pile
up yards after catch,
make him a great fantasy sleeper
and a possible stud in PPR formats.
Head Coach and offensive mastermind Bruce Arians loves to mix his offense up and confuse defenses.
Brown was a
key to this
in 2014,
though the Cardinals got very poor QB play. Well, Palmer is back and fully healthy
and the pass
happy Cards will find a way to get one of
their biggest playmakers
the ball.
5. Shane
Vereen
– RB - Giants
Vereen is the most talented running back that the Giants have and should see a
lot of
playing time.
Though Rashad Jennings
will
likely get the starting nod early, look for Vereen
to
be the top fantasy
scorer
at RB for the Giants. He is a great
pass-catching back
and should be a top scorer at RB in PPR leagues.
The Giants have a lot of weapons
this year and Vereen will benefit
tremendously.
4. Alfred Blue – RB
– Texans
Arian Foster is out for what looks like a good portion of the season.
Alfred Blue is more than capable of carrying the load. You would think a starting RB would be higher on this list, but Chris Polk has been competing with Blue for touches. Blue is the tougher runner but Polk is a dual-threat out of the backfield. If this turns
into
a committee backfield, it could get frustrating for owners of either RB.
Blue is the more talented
and should retain the number 1 spot until Foster returns. Blue has
also
been working with Adrian Peterson this offseason to improve his footwork.
3. Davante
Adams – WR – Packers
One of my favorite sleepers
on
this list. Adams should thrive this year with Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Eddie
Lacy demanding coverage. Aaron Rodgers has given the second year
receiver high praise too, stating he is “going to be a star”. Green Bay coaching staff has also stated that
Adams will see a
lot more targets this year.
Oh, did I mention Aaron Rodgers is throwing him the ball? I’m almost convinced that Rodgers hates throwing to TEs and Adams makes a
great end zone target.
2. CJ
Spiller – RB – Saints
If so many fantasy owners hadn’t been
burned
by Spiller in
the past, I’m not sure he would even
be considered a sleeper. Yes
he’s playing behind Mark Ingram, but that’s it.
Khiry Robinson
is no threat to
Spiller for the backup role. Spiller
should be the new pass-catching back for Sean Peyton’s
Saints with the exit of Pierre Thomas
and Travaris Cadet. Pass-catching backs thrive in this offense. Spiller
is best used in space; not in that plod it between the tackles type of
system he was used
in in Buffalo. Spiller
should be an excellent RB2 for PPR formats with
potential for RB1.
1. Brett
Favre – QB
- ?
Obviously I’m joking, but wouldn’t it
be
great to see The Gunslinger suit up one more season and just destroy fantasy boards? He'd fit in great with Houston.
True 1. Martavis Bryant – WR – Steelers
So my true number 1 sleeper is Martavis
Bryant. Bryant exploded on the fantasy scene last year with 6 TDs in his first 4 games and never looked
back from there. He is
set
for an even bigger year this year.
Currently Bryant is moving up draft boards
and may not be a sleeper too much
longer. Bryant is
not
only a speed receiver he also offers a
big target at 6’5” for Ben
Roethlisberger to connect with.
Having Antonio Brown and
LeVeon Bell as teammates provide Bryant with more opportunity as well, as
both players draw a lot of defensive attention. It’s
a rare thing to have size and
speed and Bryant is a player who
should be drafted in
all formats. Some experts have even
claimed that Bryant could be the next
superstar WR.
Honorable Mention: Kenny Stills,
Kyle Rudolph, Charles
Sims, Carson Palmer
In Summary:
This list should help you to get value late in your
fantasy drafts, but remember, they are called sleepers
for a reason.
You
don’t want to reach
for these players
too early.
Keep in mind where your needs
are
at during your draft and select your sleepers accordingly.
If some of these players
don’t get drafted, make sure to keep an eye on them. You may want to snatch
them off waivers later.
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