As an avid NFL fan, I’m always on the lookout for Fantasy Football sleepers. Every season there’s always those unexpected, under the radar players who go on to have breakout seasons.
Take a guy like Miles Sanders last season. After arriving from Penn State, no one expected much from him, but here we are a year later and he’s a top-five running back in the league.
For me, finding fantasy football sleepers is all about being two steps ahead of the rest of the competition. Knowing which players will break out before everyone else does is the key to success in fantasy football.
With the launch of the NFL draft inches away, there will be no shortage of guys who find themselves on the radar of fantasy owners. But what I’m really looking for is that few players on the outskirts, that could be real fantasy football sleepers.
It’s really important to look at where teams are drafting players in the draft, to get an idea of who you might want to keep a tab on, if you feel like taking a risk. For example, if a team uses a late-round pick or even a priority free agent on a player, that’s usually a pretty good sign they could be going for someone who impressed them in a big way.
It’s also important to pay attention to position battles, to see what really sticks out. If there’s a competition for the starting job at any position, that often means there’s at least one guy in the mix who’s close to getting the job. But that doesn’t mean that the other guys in the competition don’t have a shot. Last season, Gardner Minshew stepped up in a big way and proved that he was more than capable of succeeding under pressure.
Money savvy owners are always turning to the waiver wire to find those under the radar players too. Guys like Justin Jackson or the Dallas Cowboy’s Tony Pollard from last season are a few examples of people who came close to clinching a roster spot early on.
In my opinion, Fantasy Football sleepers can be found far beneath the radar during most drafts. Even if they start off as deep sleepers, there’s always a chance they could find themselves among the best at their position. It just requires a bit of luck.
That’s why I’ve been digging through the stats of every player I can get my hands on, and keeping an eye out for who I think is going to be the biggest breakout stars of the season. There’s just something special about finding one of those players before everyone else.
Some players I’ve been looking at that I think have a good chance of being fantasy football sleepers are Kolby Hurts, Najee Harris, Kylin Hill, Trey Sermon, Kadarius Toney, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Pat Freiermuth, Ian Book, and Kellen Mond.
It’s important to remember that when it comes to sleepers, a lot of it will come down to good luck, hitting on the right player and them becoming a legitimate break out star. That being said, I’m confident in my picks and I’m looking forward to seeing how the season turns out.