I’ve got another deep sleeper for you, one who may still even be on waivers. However, even he is not, he should be easily acquirable at his current value. The dynasty community is always in search of affordable running backs. This one comes at little to no cost and finds himself in an intriguing situation.

Mekhi Sargent (RB – TEN)

SLEEPER HISTORY

Mekhi Sargent, a former JUCO All-American, spent his three-year college career behind Iowa’s offensive line, running with moderate success at best. He finished his Junior year with 119 attempts for 563 yards and four touchdowns. He followed that up with 76 attempts for 432 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games in 2020, a Covid-19 shortened season. While his numbers didn’t garner much attention, he was efficient if nothing else. He posted 5.7 yards per attempt his Senior season and scored a touchdown just about every 10 attempts. Sargent was fairly effective in the passing game as well, when given the work. He collected 300 yards on 32 receptions for one score over his three years at Iowa. 

Mekhi Sargent measures in at 5’9” 209 pounds and his compact build allows him to run with strength and balance. He doesn’t possess elite speed but shows enough quickness to beat linebackers and burst upfield through a hole. Sargent possesses a few traits that translate well at the next level. However, he certainly doesn’t exhibit great vision and in the past has avoided contact too often, which likely contributed to him going undrafted before signing with the Titans.

SLEEPER HERE AND NOW

I have a question for the audience: Who is Derrick Henry’s backup? Few probably know it’s fourth-year veteran Jeremy McNichols and rookie Mekhi Sargent. Henry is 27 years old with tons of extra mileage on his wheels and is approaching the historical age of decline for workhorse running backs. He’s signed through 2024 but there is a potential out in his contract at the end of the 2021 season. The future of the running back position in Tennessee is more uncertain than it seems and while he hasn’t received much work, Sargent is in a particularly compelling situation even though it seems few have taken notice. 

Jeremy McNichols’ touches through three weeks have also been limited. He’s received just five carries to Sargent’s two. McNichols hasn’t shown anything special in the running game but the Titans clearly view him as their passing down back. He’s caught seven of nine targets for 60 yards and a touchdown through three weeks with just 18 rushing yards on the season. Up to this point, Sargent has just two carries for four yards in three games, so we have very little to go off of from his short time in the league. But that doesn’t necessarily mean stay away.

DYNASTY ANALYSIS

Sargent is the ideal dynasty sleeper because of the cost. He’s virtually free and, if not, you could find a way to acquire him for little to no fee. We hear all the time volume is king. Well, so is opportunity. Especially for Sargent, who would stumble into an immense amount of work if our worst fears became a reality and Derrick Henry suffered a multi-game injury.

Injuries aside, it would be encouraging to see Sargent earn a few more carries, and more importantly, targets. While it’s obvious why the Titans trust McNichols, a veteran, with most of the passing work, the rookie needs to make some progress to get on the field and produce for us to continue to be excited. For now, Sargent is a solid stash if you have the roster spot. I’d rather roster him over a player like Wayne Gallman, or even former second-round pick Andy Isabella at this point. I mean, this isn’t some crazy gamble or anything, I just think the upside is there and the risk is minimal. 

Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or questions and would like to discuss them, you can reach out to me on Twitter @WillieBeamanDFF.  You can read previous articles in this series here: Pharaoh Brown, Demetric Felton