Every year, a late-round player breaks out and helps fantasy players win their championships. They’re called “sleepers.” Last year, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVante Parker were strong sleepers. They went late in fantasy drafts (if they went at all) this time last year, yet both of them posted elite finishes — Parker as WR11 and Brown as WR21. They offered their owners a far greater return on investment than what JuJu Smith-Schuster and Odell Beckham Jr. drafters got.
This season, there are a handful of sleepers capable of exceeding or matching Brown and Parker’s impressive ROIs from last season. Who are they? Well, FantasyPros polled experts for their picks, and I’m here to contextualize them — and to give you my take.
View the full list of consensus fantasy football sleepers at WR 
1. Brandon Aiyuk (SF)
ECR: WR62; ADP: WR66
Experts in Support: 9
It’s hard to pass on a team’s WR1 this late in drafts. Yes, Deebo Samuel exists, but he’s still rehabbing a Jones fracture in his foot. While he may be active for Week 1, I’m unsure if he’ll be full-speed by then.
The 49ers landed Aiyuk in the first round, and they fell in love with him because of his explosiveness. The Arizona State product has 92nd-percentile burst, and he turned his 65 sophomore year receptions into 1,192 yards, good for 18.3 yards per catch. That said, he only has 65th-percentile speed.
I think Aiyuk in 2020 compares well to Marquise Brown in 2019 — both players were first-round picks to run-heavy offenses with elite tight ends. The 49ers had 467 total targets last season, and 107 (22.9%) of those went to George Kittle, while 103 (22%) of them went to running backs. That doesn’t give Aiyuk much margin for error, but he should be able to produce before Samuel gets back — unless the 49ers sign Mohamed Sanu.
Because of San Francisco’s offensive strategy, Aiyuk is a WR2 at best. He’s a boom-or-bust play at WR2 who will deceive lots of people at the start of the season if Deebo Samuel is limited. So while Aiyuk deserves to be on this list because of that expected early-season usage, you shouldn’t expect a full season of WR2 play out of him.
2. Allen Lazard (GB)
ECR: WR60; ADP: WR64
Experts in Support: 9
Lazard is probably the only Green Bay Packer that people are getting excited about after the club’s rocky offseason. People expect Rodgers’ WR2 to have a good season because he’s a great passer, and there’s some truth to this claim — Rodgers kept Adams, Randall Cobb, and Jordy Nelson fantasy-relevant at the same time.
That said, Rodgers isn’t a magician. Even without Davante Adams, he couldn’t make fantasy stars out of Marques Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison, or even Lazard himself. In the weeks that Adams missed, Lazard totaled 12 receptions on 14 targets for 149 yards and a score. He ended the season with a stat line of 52-35-477-3. That’s decent from a football perspective, but it only gave Lazard a WR67 finish.
My biggest concern with Adams has to do with his head coach, Matt LaFleur. While he can sustain WR1s, his WR2s have routinely failed to be fantasy-relevant (that’s 2017 Cooper Kupp, 2018 Taywan Taylor/Tajae Sharpe, and 2019 Allison/MVS/Lazard.
While I’m pumping the breaks on Lazard, he’s certainly a good sleeper pick. He can easily exceed his WR67 from last season with Allison gone, but his ceiling just isn’t high enough for me. He’s a good late-round pick to finish as a WR3, however, so roll the dice if you’re feeling good about Green Bay’s passing offense.
3. Parris Campbell (IND)
ECR: WR63; ADP: WR73
Experts in Support: 9
Campbell disappointed in his rookie season. The electric Ohio State product caught just 18 passes for 127 yards in an injury-plagued season, and the Colts have since added Michael Pittman to their receiving corps. That said, there’s a lot to like about Campbell.
Campbell has jaw-dropping speed. His 40-yard dash time of 4.31 ranks in the 100th percentile, and his 97th-percentile speed score and 97th-percentile burst are pretty good, too. He’s a lot like T.Y. Hilton — just with better acceleration.
He’ll have to compete with Hilton, Michael Pittman, Zach Pascal, and Jack Doyle for targets. That’s not exactly tough competition, and new quarterback Philip Rivers doesn’t hesitate to throw long passes — his 75 deep ball attempts ranked sixth in the league last year.
Yes, the Colts have Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor, but head coach Frank Reich loves to pass — when he has a quarterback who can throw. The Colts finished second in total passing attempts in 2018 when he had Andrew Luck, and Reich ranked third (2015) and 14th (2014) in his time with Rivers in San Diego.
Campbell isn’t a sure thing, but his athletic profile and interesting situation combine to make him a great buy deep in your drafts.
4. DeSean Jackson (PHI)
ECR: WR56; ADP: WR58
Experts in Support: 5
With Jalen Reagor and Alshon Jefferey injured, DJax is Philly’s unquestioned lead wide receiver. I still expect Carson Wentz to mostly target Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, but Jackson demonstrated a strong rapport with Wentz in Week 1 last year — Jackson caught eight passes for 154 yards and two scores.
People are napping on DJax because of his age and his injury history. The veteran receiver will turn 34 this season, but I think he can have a rebound year after his abdomen injury — a full offseason to heal should keep him from aggravating it.
While I think DJax is a great sleeper pick for 2020, I am a bit concerned about his role once Jalen Reagor gets healthy. The first-rounder looked like he was on track to have a role in Week 1, and he may reduce Jackson’s volume once he returns. That said, Jackson will offer WR1 upside until Reagor returns.
Since Jackson is a household name, you won’t be able to get him for as cheap as Aiyuk or Lazard. But what his proven track record more than makes up for the price difference, and you should feel comfortable landing him late in drafts as your WR4.
5. N’Keal Harry (NE)
ECR: WR55; ADP: WR65
Experts in Support: 5
Heading into his sophomore season, Harry has 24 targets, 12 receptions, 105 yards, and two scores. That’s not great, and it’s even worse when you consider that Harry was a first-round selection. But let’s forget about 2019 for a moment. Harry has 90th-percentile speed and an 81st-percentile catch radius. In his last year at Arizona State, he posted 1,088 yards on 73 catches, good for 14.9 yards per catch. That’s a little less than ex-teammate Brandon Aiyuk, but Harry also has two inches on him at six-foot-two.
Harry profiles somewhat well to Cam Newton‘s old WR1, Kelvin Benjamin. He’s a little bit shorter, but he’s about as fast and has a larger catch radius. Benjamin recorded a pair of fantasy-relevant seasons with Newton in Carolina; he earned 1,008 yards in 2014 and 941 in 2016.
The Patriots should embrace Newton and change their playbook now that Tom Brady is in Tampa Bay. While his shoulder injury kept him from passing beyond 30 yards, he should be recovered at this point, and Harry would benefit from some long passes from SuperCam.
Harry is the second-least expensive option on this list. I’m more comfortable with him than Aiyuk because I think that San Francisco may add another receiver, while the Patriots just dumped Mohamed Sanu to waivers. Harry is a great high-upside pick in a changing offense, and he could post WR1 numbers some weeks.
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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
