Everyone defines “hype” differently. For this article, I’m going to use the loosest definition possible and say it means a player who has underperformed and is a sleeper candidate to do well in the future.
A lot of players on this list are only here due to injury, which isn’t fair, but since I’m writing this, I get to decide the rules. With that out of the way, let’s look at who I think will be in line for a dynasty boost in value from their current valuation.
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Post-Hype Dynasty Sleepers
Anthony Richardson (QB – IND)
There aren’t many quarterbacks hyped more than Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis. In 2023, Richardson was seen as the next Lamar Jackson. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to injury. Last season, he only played in 11 games, again due to injury. This is largely why his value has cratered to QB19 in FantasyPros’ dynasty expert consensus rankings (ECR). However, I think this is probably about as low as it gets for him.
There aren’t enough quality quarterbacks in this draft and the free agents are all aging out rapidly. I would fully expect the Colts to bring in some competition. Ultimately I think Richardson wins that battle. He should be 100% healthy again for the start of the season. If his legs are truly back, he should be able to beat his QB19 ranking. As fantasy managers focus on the few shiny new signal-callers, I’m trying to acquire Richardson at a discount heading into 2025.
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
I went back and forth on including Christian McCaffrey on this list. It’s not fair to call him a “post-hype sleeper” since his hype was entirely warranted, but the shine is gone. This is due to injury; not bad performance.
McCaffrey has plenty left to offer for fantasy. His dynasty RB15 ranking seems about right but his upside is top-10 if he can stay healthy. It’s a little cheap to include him on this list, but I think he’s someone people are passing on a little too hard at the moment.
Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAX)
Travis Etienne is much further down the list of running back rankings at RB25. There’s a lot of speculation he gets traded. For now, he’s on the Jaguars, which lowers his value. Similar to McCaffrey, he isn’t a perfect definition of a post-hype sleeper, but I’m calling him one anyway.
If and when Etienne gets moved, his value should shoot up immediately. The hype on him has worn off, but I think this is a bounce-back year for him.
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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.