If you’ve participated in fantasy drafts, you’ll know that each year, there happens to be a player or two you gravitate towards. Whether it’s just a gut feeling, or you listen to the FantasyPros podcast and have heard Mike Tagliere gush over players like Trey Burton, there’s probably a reason why you’re targeting these specific guys. If you don’t have anyone in mind so far, we can help out with that.
We reached out to our featured pundits below and asked them what one player they’re hoping to end up with in all of their leagues. See the names that they picked and get their explanation for why these players should be on your must-have list.
Tag all your top sleepers and targets with our Cheat Sheet Creator 
Q. What one player outside the top 30 in the expert consensus are you hoping to end up with in all your leagues and why?
Marshawn Lynch (RB – OAK)
Overall Ranking: #55 | RB Ranking: #25
“My love for Lynch this offseason crescendoed to new heights after his monster run (that was erroneously called back). Unfortunately, his ADP also hit a new high. He’s still relatively cheap in drafts and if Gruden truly wants to play 90’s football, Lynch is going to see a ton of work. It’s a simple equation for Beast Mode this year, major opportunity + talent + top-5 offensive line = fantasy production.”
– Mike Wright (The Fantasy Footballers)
“I want Marshawn Lynch in every league. He is the only RB outside the top 16 that I’d be comfortable having as my RB2, yet somehow he is being selected as the RB29. Lynch was elite in terms of yards after contact last year which when added with an improved offensive line and Jon Gruden makes him an attractive sixth-round pick. Not only that, but once he got into game shape, Lynch was a top 12 running back over the second half of the season. He may not exactly be a workhorse, but you can bank on 225+ touches and all the goal-line carries which will be sufficient for him to outperform his ADP.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
Marquise Goodwin (WR – SF)
Overall Ranking: #75 | WR Ranking: #31
“Goodwin was a top-10 PPR WR over the final five games last season and should only get better in year two in Kyle Shanahan’s system. Goodwin is a former track star who’s also still developing as a receiver, which make’s last year’s performance (he ranked top-20 in Air Yards and yards per route run with mostly poor QB play) all the more impressive. Goodwin has emerged as San Francisco’s clear No. 1 wide receiver, and he looks primed for a big season with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing to him, yet his price tag doesn’t reflect his upside.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports)
Trey Burton (TE – CHI)
Overall Ranking: #45 | WR Ranking: #20
“Consider that I’m typing this response on late Saturday night, shortly after Trey Burton shined by catching all four targets with a touchdown in Chicago’s third preseason game. I was all in before he displayed more versatility from the slot and backup Adam Shaheen got carted off the field. Now I’m willing to reach a little higher in hopes of getting the former Eagles tight end, who looks poised to be a not-too-poor-man’s Travis Kelce in Matt Nagy’s revitalized Bears offense. Injuries to my other top tight-end targets, Delanie Walker and George Kittle, will also make me more aggressive on Burton before the position takes a nosedive.”
– Andrew Gould (FantasyPros)
Josh Gordon (WR – CLE)
Overall Ranking: #50 | WR Ranking: #24
“Even before the news broke that Josh Gordon returned to the Browns, I was all for rolling the dice on his immense upside. His ADP should climb now that he’s back on the field but provided he’s outside the top 30 and the price is right. He’s a guy I have to get.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)
Chris Hogan (WR – NE)
Overall Ranking: #58 | WR Ranking: #26
“It wasn’t the case at the start of the offseason, but Chris Hogan has turned into my favorite player to target in the 5th round, who you’ll often see fall into the 6th round, though I don’t expect that to last very long. He’s being drafted as a WR3 at this time, but presents WR1 upside as Tom Brady’s go-to wide receiver. In fact, prior to getting hurt in Week 8 last year, Hogan was the No. 7 wide receiver in fantasy football. With all the missing bodies, they’ll ask him to step-up in a big way.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Marvin Jones (WR – DET)
Overall Ranking: #45 | WR Ranking: #20
“As someone who likes to start their draft with running backs, Marvin Jones has found himself on a lot of my teams. Jones finished last season as a top 10 wideout in PPR formats and WR5 in standard leagues. Even still, we’re not asked to pay that price despite back-to-back productive seasons for Jones. There’s no reason to think his 1,101 yards from last season are not attainable after he racked up 930 in 2016 with one fewer game played. Nine touchdowns, not doable? Well, he had 10 in 2013. Detroit has made efforts to help the run game, but Matthew Stafford has finished inside the top 10 in passing yards and completion percentage in each of the last four seasons. Jones also led the Lions with 15 red zone targets in 2017, and second place finisher, Eric Ebron – and his 86 overall targets – are off to Indy. Jones’ 18.0 yards per catch ranked first in the NFL in 2017 and his 16.9 per the year before ranked fifth.”
– Chris Meaney (FNTSY Sports Network)
Rex Burkhead (RB – NE)
Overall Ranking: #64 | RB Ranking: #26
“All of a sudden, everyone is panicked with Burkhead’s value. Probably and hopefully his ADP will drop a little bit, he is a potential league winner asset. From weeks 7 through 12 last season and with Dion Lewis handling 38% of snaps, he was the RB13 in total fantasy points and top 12 in fantasy points per game. His injury is a minor tear in the knee and even though his knees have cause him problems, it seems Patriots are not concerned about his availability for Week 1.”
– Mauricio Gutierrez (Estadio Fantasy)
Thank you to the experts for naming their must-have players. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and for more great advice, subscribe to our podcast below.
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