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Sleeper Picks from the Top Experts (Fantasy Football)

Sleeper Picks from the Top Experts (Fantasy Football)

Three weeks of preseason football are wrapping up and if you haven’t drafted yet, you’ll want to keep reading. Why you ask? It’s because we recognize the value of getting advice from the most accurate experts in the industry. To help with your preparation, we reached out to that group of experts and asked them one of the most common questions out there: Which sleeper should I target? Here’s what they had to say.

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Q. If you could just pick one player, who is your must-have sleeper this season beyond ADP 115?

Robby Anderson (WR – NYJ)
Overall ADP: 180
Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are gone, Quincy Enunwa is out for the year, so the Jets are missing no fewer than 254 targets from last year’s team. The undrafted Anderson caught 42 passes for 587 yards and two touchdowns on 78 targets as a rookie and it now appears that he’s stepping into the Jets’ WR1 role. Anderson averaged 1.44 fantasy points (PPR) per target in 2016, so if he sees 120 or so targets and produces at the same rate, he’s looking at a WR4-type fantasy season. He’s currently the 62nd receiver off the board.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)

“I’ve already called my shot with Green Bay running back Jamaal Williams as a 2017 breakout. I can guarantee another writer here selected Detroit wide receiver Kenny Golladay so I’ll trust their write-up to cover him as a sleeper. But, I want to go just a little deeper and that’s why I’m recommending New York Jets wide receiver, Robby Anderson. He is just your classic size-speed athlete that is built to shine at this position. And let’s face it, there’s almost nobody else to compete against him on the Jets. Coming in with an ADP of 180(!), he has to be on your radar as a late-round flier and must-have sleeper to finish off all your drafts.”
– Matt De Lima (ScoutFantasy)

“While I expect that Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews, Darren Sproles, Rex Burkhead, and Kenny Golladay aren’t always available after pick 120 in sharp drafts, Robby Anderson is still largely ignored. He’s reportedly been a strong player at Jets training camp, and he’s ostensibly functioning as the No. 1 wide receiver on the team following Quincy Enunwa’s season-ending injury. He had a respectable rookie season last year with 42 receptions for 587 yards and two touchdowns, and he’s on a team that will need to throw to stay competitive. With his size (6’3″ and 187 lbs.) and speed (4.36-second 40), Anderson has the potential to turn targets into touchdowns.”
– Matthew Freedman (FantasyLabs)

Tyrell Williams (WR – LAC)
Overall ADP: 117
“Williams is a player who is being selected right around the 120 mark that should be going a couple rounds earlier. The market is correctly adjusting him down this year due to much more competition this year for targets with Keenan Allen healthy again and the Chargers drafting Mike Williams. However, Tyrell’s talent alone should keep him relevant and is an absolute steal this late in the draft. If the fragile Keenan Allen were to miss significant time again this year, people will look back at the draft kicking themselves for letting Tyrell fall this far.”
– Sean Koerner (STATS)

Ted Ginn (WR – NO)
Overall ADP: 148
“‘Must have’ is never my mentality, but I’ve drafted Ted Ginn Jr. quite a lot this season. Targeting players in good, high-volume offenses is a bit of a no-brainer, so I don’t fully understand why he’s 52nd in wide receiver ADP. Last year, he finished as the WR47 in standard scoring with the Panthers in a down year from Cam Newton. Now he gets to catch passes from Drew Brees, one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL. Don’t let the overblown stigma of dropped passes scare you away from drafting Ginn this season.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)

Rishard Matthews (WR – TEN)
Overall ADP: 131
“The Titans may have added Eric Decker and Corey Davis to their arsenal this offseason, but Rishard Matthews will be their top wide receiver for the 2nd year in a row. He and Marcus Mariota showed great chemistry in 2015, with Matthews coming up just 55 yards short of 1,000 yards and finished with just one TD under double digits. 30-year-old Decker is coming off two surgeries and Davis has practically missed all of training camp. Matthews is the 48th WR off the board despite finishing 11th in standard and 19th in PPR just a year ago, that’s some insane value for a proven commodity in the Tennessee Offense.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)

DeAndre Washington (RB – OAK)
Overall ADP: 196
“Whether I draft Marshawn Lynch or not, I’ve been grabbing as many shares of DeAndre Washington as I can. Lynch is going to start the year strong, rejuvenated after his one-year sabbatical and now playing behind a dominant Raiders line, but the odds are against the 31-year-old back staying healthy and effective deep into the fantasy season. Washington is the favorite to serve in the passing-down role, and if Beast Mode is sidelined at any point this year, it’s Washington who will take over the Oakland backfield, not Jalen Richard. Few players available in the 14th round or later offer as much upside.”
– Justin Boone (theScore)

Darren Sproles (RB – PHI)
Overall ADP: 149
“I’ve talked about Jamaal Williams enough, and I’m sure there will be answers or discussion over Patriots receivers with Julian Edelman down and out. So, let’s talk about Mr. #149, Darren Sproles. How about the fact that Sproles accounted for nearly half of the Eagles’ backfield last year? How about the fact that Sproles was RB30 in non-PPR despite being a wanted only by PPR owners? Oh, and those PPR owners? They had the RB24 in Sproles last year. What about LeGarrette Blount looking like toast that you spilled milk on and tried to still salvage by blotting it dry? Or that Wendell Smallwood has yet to show reason to believe he’s the answer for the departed Ryan Mathews? Getting the idea here? Enough questions?”
– Jake Ciely (RotoExperts)

Kenny Golladay (WR – DET)
Overall ADP: 168
“After waiting on perennial sleeper Eric Ebron to deliver the fantasy goods, I waved the white flag and set my sights squarely on a newcomer to the Motor City-rookie wideout Kenny Golladay. The big-bodied Northern Illinois product achieved college success as a deep threat-known for his athleticism, wide catch radius, jumping ability, and soft, Velcro-esque hands. Golladay could very well be the answer to the Lions red-zone prayers. Of the 95 targets up for grabs following the departure of Anquan Boldin, 22 were red-zone looks-third most in the league. Boldin converted 14 of those targets into catches, including six for a score. The versatile Golladay soundly checks off the talent, athleticism and metrics boxes NFL teams and fantasy owners value-and more importantly, for fantasy purposes, he landed in a spot where his big play and red-zone abilities can be put to the test almost immediately. With an ADP of 160+, Golladay offers low-risk, high-reward sleeper potential at the end of your fantasy draft.”
– Allie Fontana (The Fantasy Fix)

Thank you to the experts for naming their must-have sleepers. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.


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