Football is in the air folks! Training camp highlight tweets are crackling on our timelines and the preseason overreactions are flying through the air. Most importantly, the DFF Kickoff Countdown marches on! So, with eight days left until kickoff, I’ll be bringing you one sleeper from all eight divisions.
AFC East – Jonnu Smith
Redraft Half PPR ADP: Round 12
Dynasty Half PPR ADP: Round 10
We could debate all day about what constitutes a “sleeper,” but for the sake of this piece, I’ll define it as late-round players that should greatly outperform their ADP. I’m choosing to triple down on Jonnu Smith as my AFC East Sleeper. I know you heard that last year was the year for the breakout, and I’m willing to say it again this year. Smith is now in New England and has a new situation. Yes, he shares the tight end room with Hunter Henry, but one will be the Move Tight End, and the other the Inline. Do we need a reminder of what Josh McDaniels and Belichick did with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski? The Patriots went out of their way to sign pass-catchers to fit a rookie and Cam Newton, so there’s no reason that both can’t exist. Check out his Dynasty Profile for a deeper dive.
AFC North – Donovan Peoples-Jones
Redraft Half PPR ADP: Undrafted/Basically Free
Dynasty Half PPR ADP: Round 17
The Browns’ third receiver is by no means a sexy option, but luckily we’re talking sleepers. Peoples-Jones only has an even less sexy Rashard Higgins to take the number three spot. This is a late-round stash to keep on your bench in case we see another injury to Odell Beckham Jr. or Jarvis Landry. Higgins saw flex relevance with this same situation last year. We’re gambling not only on an injury but that the younger and more athletic player also wins a job. He’s a perfectly fine Dynasty stash but only take him in redraft if your receiver situation is dire and you want to save FAAB on the waiver wire.
AFC South – Kylen Granson
Redraft Half PPR ADP: Definitely Undrafted
Dynasty Half PPR ADP: Somehow Undrafted
This is a little uglier, but we’re sticking with the theme of divisional sleepers and he is the closest thing to a sleeper without cheating and choosing an obvious breakout. I’ve said this before in my Five Late-Round Rookies to Monitor, and I’ll say it again. You might not like undersized slot tight ends who don’t block, but Frank Reich loves them. Granson is a younger and more explosive Trey Burton, and we’ve already seen Reich loves to utilize two tight ends. Furthermore, Wentz likes to target them across the middle of the field and is already said to be featured in the offense. This is a dynasty taxi candidate that can be had for nothing or a redraft draft-and-stash in a 16 team Two-Start TE Premium league.
AFC West – Josh Palmer
Redraft Half PPR ADP: Last Round/Undrafted
Dynasty Half PPR ADP: Round 16
If there’s such a thing as the wide receiver handcuff, Josh Palmer should be considered one of the best options. Neither Keenan Allen nor Mike Williams are the models of a clean bill of health, and there’s currently a battle for the Chargers’ third receiver spot between Palmer and Tyron Johnson. Palmer has the draft stock and the blend of skills of both Allen and Williams whereas Johnson has a speed element that better complements the two starters. There will be leftover targets for Palmer if he wins the three job, but I believe he’ll step in for Williams or Allen if there’s injury regardless if he wins the battle or not. It’s because he’s such a blend of Williams and Allen that I believe he’s the better handcuff. I don’t see why Tyron Johnson’s role would change, since he has a different skillset. Furthermore, the entire Chargers’ organization loves Palmer, so we probably should too.
NFC East – Dalton Schultz/Blake Jarwin
Redraft Half PPR ADP: Undrafted/Round 16
Dynasty Half PPR ADP: Undrafted/Round 16
Okay, I cheated a little and picked two. Blake Jarwin definitely gets the nod as the favorite to start, but I don’t think we can be so sure. Schultz seems to be leading the race for TE1 in Dallas after Jarwin spent last season on IR. Schultz finished as the TE11 while posting a modest 63/615/4 without Dak Prescott. Late rounds are for reaching for rookie lottery tickets, handcuffs, or getting pieces of high-powered offenses. Taking a flier on either of these players is about that last part.
NFC North – Amon-Ra St. Brown
Redraft Half PPR ADP: Round 14
Dynasty Half PPR ADP: Round 10
Close your eyes and visualize the Lions’ current WR1. When you realize you can’t think of one, get excited about drafting one of the cheaper rookies in the draft. Amon-Ra St. Brown shockingly fell all the way to the fourth round and right into Detroit’s lap. Now, St. Brown has already worked his way into the starting slot role at the end of training camp. Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams were brought in this off-season, but we’ve seen what they’ve done with plenty of opportunities. St. Brown profiles similarly to Robert Woods, who thrives after the catch with passes near the line of scrimmage. Jared Goff just so happens to be the type of QB who doesn’t excel throwing far from the line of scrimmage. This certainly caps his ceiling to be a major boom in comparison to other receivers like Rondale Moore or Terrace Marshall. He’s somebody anybody should target at the right price in dynasty, but he still holds value as a redraft flier.
NFC South – Terrace Marshall Jr.
Redraft ADP: Round 14
Dynasty ADP: Round 9
Is this even a sleeper anymore? Full disclosure, I am a full-on Terrace Marshall stan at this point. I’ve been high on him since before the draft and even go into a deep dive at his value and why to target him in my Dynasty Draft Strategies series. The Marshall take has only aged like wine now that we’re at the end of the NFL preseason. The rookie has posted an impressive 9/181/1 throughout eight quarters of the preseason. To make these numbers sweeter, PFF gave him a score of 78.2. That’s the highest among rookies this preseason before his impressive Game Three first-team dress rehearsal state line of 3/43/1. Marshall landed in the perfect situation to thrive with his old LSU National Champion OC Joe Brady and slid into an offense that just produced three fantasy-relevant receivers. Curtis Samuel is now gone, and Marshall can find himself in a similar role. The sky is the limit for the rookie, so buy him before his ADP creeps up any higher.
NFC West – Gerald Everett
Redraft ADP: Round 14
Dynasty ADP: Round 14
Gerald Everett is my favorite late-round TE2 flier in any format. Will Dissly doesn’t matter. Read that again. Former Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron has taken over as Seattle’s OC and brought Everett with him. Everett never having a breakout despite huge games was never about lack of talent, it was about Jared Goff’s limitations and so many mouths to feed. Dissly has had the opportunity and a phenomenal quarterback and has either gotten injured or has been touchdown-dependent to even be a flex play. Trust that Waldron brought over Everett to feed out of the slot while Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf lockdown the outside. Take a deep dive further into his situation here.
Come find me on Twitter @SportsJag to give me a hot take or see any of my future work.
