The following fantasy football sleepers at wide receivers have an average draft position (ADP) after 144 in Underdog best ball drafts, meaning they’re picked on average in the 13th round or later. The two wide receivers are youngsters, with one a third-year pro and the other an incoming rookie. Both players could have fantasy value from Week 1 through the end of the fantasy season.
The following fantasy football sleepers at wide receivers have an average draft position (ADP) after 144 in Underdog best ball drafts, meaning they’re picked on average in the 13th round or later. The two wide receivers are youngsters, with one a third-year pro and the other an incoming rookie. Both players could have fantasy value from Week 1 through the end of the fantasy season.
Best Ball Late-Round Targets: Wide Receivers
Amari Cooper was on the Browns through Week 6 last year before he was traded to the Bills. Cedric Tillman moved up the pecking order in the wake of the trade, albeit with a concussion in Week 12, cutting his season short. From Week 7 through Week 11 (the Browns had their bye in Week 10), Tillman had snap shares of 82%, 90%, 96% and 96%. He had only a 53% snap share in the game when he suffered a concussion.
Fortunately, the four-game stretch of healthy contests for Tillman provided reasons for optimism about his fantasy outlook. According to the data suite at Fantasy Points, Tillman had the following stats in those four games.
- 86.9 route%
- 31.5% air yards share
- 13.2-yard average depth of target (aDOT)
- 21.0% target share
- 0.22 targets per route run
- 25.7% first read rate
- 24 receptions (6.0 per game)
- 302 receiving yards (75.5 per game)
- 1.69 yards per route run
- Six end-zone targets
- Three receiving touchdowns
- 15.6 half-point per reception (half PPR) points per game (WR8)
- 18.4 expected half PPR points per game
Tillman benefited from gunslinger Jameis Winston throwing him most of his targets. Yet, if Joe Flacco wins Cleveland’s starting quarterback job, the veteran signal-caller is cut from the same cloth as Winston.
Flacco started for the Browns in Week 13 through Week 17 and in Cleveland’s Wild Card Round loss in 2023, thriving in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. In those games, Cooper had 17.6 half PPR points per game and 17.2 expected half PPR points per game, Elijah Moore had 6.4 half PPR points per game and 10.7 expected half PPR points per game and Tillman had 3.4 half PPR points per game and 8.4 expected half PPR points per game. Flacco wasn’t shy about feeding his wide receivers.
Flacco’s not a lock to start for the Browns, though. Furthermore, even if he begins the year as the club’s starter, the organization might want to get a look at rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders or young veteran Kenny Pickett. Cleveland’s quarterback play might leave much to be desired, but there should be targets to be had if the Browns are routinely in negative game scripts, as their consensus line of 5.5 for wins suggests they will be. Tillman should have a prominent role in Cleveland’s passing attack and is an intriguing sleeper after flashing his potential in 2024.
The Broncos picked Pat Bryant with the 10th pick in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft, making him the 10th wide receiver selected. Bryant isn’t fast. However, he’s big and jumps well.
Sean Payton loves big receivers, and Bryant fits the bill. He was also productive in his final collegiate season. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), among 119 FBS wide receivers with at least 50 targets in this year’s draft class, Bryant was ninth in yards per reception (18.2), 11th in yards per route run (2.83), eighth in PFF’s receiving grade (86.0) and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (10). Bryant also had only one drop on 78 targets, 54 receptions (4.5 per game), 984 receiving yards (82 per game), a 14.4-yard aDOT and 6.9 yards after the catch per reception. Bryant had a nifty combination of a deep target depth and a healthy amount of yards after the catch, which is an uncommon combination.
The Broncos signed tight end Evan Engram in free agency, adding a competent pass-catching weapon to last year’s lackluster group behind No. 1 wide receiver Courtland Sutton and big-play gadget wideout Marvin Mims. Still, there’s room for Bryant to carve out a sizable role in Denver’s passing attack, namely if the rookie wideout can play even a fraction like Michael Thomas, a player Payton compared Bryant to.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
