Welcome back, DFF Army! NFL Football is just around the corner, and our amazing content team decided to put together our collective “DFF Sleepers” for our members!
For this article, we are defining a sleeper as a player with a 12th-round Dynasty startup ADP or later per Bulletproof ADP.
SLEEPER – Evan Hull – Colts
There are plenty of appealing options for post-12th-round dynasty sleepers, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Evan Hull’s ADP still holds in the 18th round of dynasty startups per Bulletproof ADP. The rookie has the unique opportunity of serving as the potential backup to Jonathan Taylor in his first year as a pro. His only real competition otherwise is Deon Jackson, who is a solid NFL player, but not nearly as well-rounded as Hull has proven throughout his collegiate career. His ADP has risen two rounds after the Jim Irsay and Jonathan Taylor debacle, but he’s still a massive value and should be going earlier regardless. He will have a role with or without Taylor. If you want to know more about Evan Hull, here is the DFF Film Room I published in February!
SLEEPER – John Metchie III – Texans
After missing his rookie season fighting Leukemia, many forgot about John Metchie III, who was drafted 44th overall and the ninth WR off the board out of Alabama in the 2022 NFL Draft. Metchie’s Traning Camp hype and situation in Houston, where no true Alpha pass-catcher has been established, make him a prime candidate as the WR1 for C.J. Stroud in 2023.
SLEEPER – Cade Otton – Buccaneers
Cade Otton is not a sexy pick by any means, but he is the clear TE1 in Tampa, and reports confirm he’s impressed at camp so far. He’ll be running plenty of routes in 2023, and if either Chris Godwin or Mike Evans were to go down to injury, Otton would see a significant spike in targets. He was 7th in routes run and 5th in red zone targets amongst tight ends last year, so the opportunity is there. At TE31 overall ADP, he’s a cheap buy that could put up respectable numbers.
SLEEPER – Sean Tucker – Buccaneers
Usually, promoting a UDFA running back that is currently last on the depth chart is bad for business, but Sean Tucker is a special case. He fell in the draft due to medical concerns potentially affecting his odds of having a multi-year NFL career, but they are not physically limiting. Other than that, Tucker is very talented and medically cleared to play football. While he may not have a long career in store, he might already be the most talented RB on the Bucs’ roster. So, if I can get a one-year rental potential team RB1 with good size and pass-catching ability in the 18th round, I will make that pick all day long.
SLEEPER – Jaylen Warren – Steelers
Stashing your Dynasty bench with a slew of running back options is always a good idea, as it is a position with high injury volatility. This presents a contingent opportunity for running backs lower on the depth chart. With all the contract chaos in the NFL currently, stashing a lot of running backs is even more critical this year.
Warren is among the few backup running backs with value beyond injury contingency. Warren was a better running back across the board than Najee Harris last year. Running behind the same offensive line, Warren put up 4.9 yards per carry vs 3.9 for Harris. Warren ranked 16 in the NFL in breakaway run rate to Harris’s 51. Harris was 154th in expected points added to Warren at 2. In yards created per touch, Warren ranked 5 to Harris’s 45.
SLEEPER – Nico Collins – Texans
Nico Collins is a sneaky third-year breakout candidate. Looking beyond the lackluster box scores, Collins played well in 2022. His underlying efficiency metrics were quite similar to Brandin Cooks, but due to injuries and the unfortunate existence of Davis Mills, his fantasy output was nothing to write home about. Now Cooks is gone, and Mills has been replaced by top draft choice C.J. Stroud, setting Collins up nicely to deliver fringe WR3 production and greatly boost his stock in dynasty.
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