This isn’t going to be a list of fantasy football players that have already broken out (Eric Ebron, James Conner) or rookies that every NFL analyst is talking about (David Montgomery, Josh Jacobs) as these are not sleeper picks. They are great fantasy players, but not sleepers. Lettuce begin:
Josh Oliver, Jaguars rookie Tight end. – Foles will need reliable pass-catchers in Jacksonville where Marqise Lee and Dede Westbrook haven’t come up strong in the past as reliable pass-catchers. Oliver was a high volume receiver (among tight ends) at San Jose State and is set up nicely to become a starting caliber, high volume pass-catcher for Jacksonville and the Nick Foles show.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Wide Receiver. – With the departure of Desean Jackson and Adam Humphries Godwin will have substantial opportunities to grow his involvement in the Tampa offense. UDFA Anthony Johnson will be worth a look at in non-ppr leagues due to his “explosiveness” at the University of Buffalo and how much Tampa is likely to run three or four man receiver sets with one of the league’s most inefficient rushing attacks.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Wide Receiver. – McLaurin is instantly the best wide receiver on the Redskins roster. Whether Case Keenum or Dwayne Haskins is throwing McLaurin the ball he demonstrated elite speed and ‘get-open’ skill as a deep threat at Ohio State. McLaurin shared time with Johnnie Dixon and Parris Campbell who were both very productive so his college numbers weren’t as gaudy as say Davante Adams at Fresno State who was the lone big dog.
Mark Andrews, Ravens Tight end. – Andrews outperformed first round pick Hayden Hurst last season in his rookie season with QB Lamar Jackson. With a full offseason working together, Andrews will become a more trusted weapon in the Ravens offense.
Daniel Jones, Giants QB. – Hear me out. Jones ran for 17 TDs in his three seasons at Duke. Dual threat passers are GOLD in fantasy. Unless Jones totally reeks of bad during the preseason there will be enormous fan pressure for the Giants to start Jones over Eli as early as week one. Jones doesn’t have to Rex Grossman the ball every play 60 yards downfield to Odell Beckham. Shurmur’s offense is asking the future starter to throw a short pass to Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, or Golden Tate, who are all excellent at catching passes of that manner. Jones will have a much stronger supporting cast in New York with a reasonably talented offensive line and skill position players that don’t drop tons of passes.
Arizona Cardinals Defense – New DC Vance Joseph earned a head coaching gig because of his work with the 2016 Miami Dolphins defense that thrived despite substantial injury issues. The Cardinals legitimately have a group of successful athletes in the secondary and in the defensive line. Newcomers Byron Murphy, Zach Allen, Deionte Thompson all thrived on elite defenses in college and present value acquisitions for the worst team in football. Kingsbury’s Air raid offense will invite opposing offenses to throw the ball quite a bit and the addition of Terrell Suggs to a defense that already had Chandler Jones and Brooks Reed sets up the Cardinals secondary to capitalize on rushed throws. It’s worth nothing that Arizona’s secondary is very strong before adding Deionte Thompson and Byron Murphy.
Spencer Ware, Colts RB – Colts back Marlon Mack is a great runner and a not so great receiver. Nyheim Hines is a great pass catcher and not an elite runner from the backfield. Spencer Ware has thrived as both a runner and a receiver in his offenses he’s been a part of in the past. Whoever gets the most carries for the Colts should have plenty of running room as the Colts now have actual receiving weapons (Parris Campbell, Eric Ebron, Devin Funchess) who will stretch the field. Ware’s ability to catch well and run well should give him the edge up in that backfield.
Matt Gay, Tampa Bay Kicker – If you miss the boat on a kicker in the draft, former Utes specialist Matt Gay connected on over 85% of his kicks and repeatedly made kicks past 50 yards. This is an asset Tampa Bay’s not had in some time. Obviously you’ll want to make sure Gay makes the final roster and kicks well in preseason. Roberto Aguayo had great college stats too but failed to transition at the next level.
Darwin Thompson, Chiefs RB – Thompson was one of the top backs in college for yards after contract. He stands at 5’8″ but repeatedly pushed past contact better than almost anyone else draft eligible for 2019. The Chiefs made it work last season after parting ways with Kareem Hunt, Thompson has every opportunity to thrive in KC.
NOT A SLEEPER
Marquise Brown, Ravens WR – Brown is widely regarded as the top receiver in the 2019 draft class. He will wow Lamar Jackson with his ability to get open and his ability to catch the football, and his ability to not drop the football after catching it (Michael Crabtree). Brown moves crazy fast during speed drills and in real world game-play. Jackson has the arm strength and has a reasonably deep ball to be able to find Brown when he inevitably gets open against the rest of the AFC North’s old man defensive backs.
The Redskins and Bills backfield is an interesting situation to watch. Adrian Peterson performed well in 2018 and Derrius Guice and Bryce Love will both be motivated to show they are true lead backs after struggling from injury during the 2018 season. In Buffalo, LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore are both performing well and motivated to show they’re not too old to compete. Rookie Devin Singletary was essentially a one man show at Florida Atlantic and should eventually win the starting role in Buffalo, though getting those meaningful snaps may be difficult.
Gridiron Seasonal 