Fantasy football may be a casual game for some, but one of the best ways to enhance your experience and knowledge of the sport – and thus your resulting success – is to get to know a deeper section of the player pool.
For a greater challenge, why not try a 12-team or 14-team league or even a dynasty league? Stepping out of your comfort zone and demanding to know more about the 160+ players selected in the standard ESPN draft can boost your success in this superficial format, as it requires you to know advance Players who will end up being regulars in the standard leagues during the season. Getting access to these players before the competition is crucial.
Remember that things change quickly and dramatically in the NFL, even in the first few weeks of the season. By the middle of the season, most successful fantasy teams are different than they were when they came out of the draft.
To help you get started digging deeper into the player pool, here is my annual list of “deep sleepers,” players who will not sleep deeply in many cases. He should These players aren’t selected in ESPN’s standard 10-team drafts, but they have good odds of contributing to fantasy teams at some point next season. Some of these players could be useful targets in the late rounds in those 12- and 14-team leagues, as well as in dynasty formats.
Write these names down and keep an eye on them in the first few weeks. If all goes well, any of them could become a key part of your quest for the championship. For example, Boca Nacua was one of the names on last year’s list.
First, remember that this is deep The list of players I value in the last rounds of the Standard Leagues, such as Jaleel McLaughlin, Marvin Mims Jr., and Lockie Musgrave, is an open-ended list, meaning you won’t even find players I value in the last rounds of the Standard Leagues, such as Jaleel McLaughlin, Marvin Mims Jr., and Lockie Musgrave. The purpose of this list is to delve deeper into the group of players, and introduce you to names you may not know yet but definitely want to know.
Greg Dortch, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals: We’ll start with the most notable name on the list, though that means he’s only been selected in 0.5 percent of ESPN’s drafts so far. Dortch has had his moments with the Cardinals over the past two seasons, playing at least 75 percent of their offensive snaps in nine games in that time and averaging 14.5 PPR fantasy points with a 71.3 percent reception percentage. Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. is drawing nearly all the attention from their roster in early drafts, but Dortch should be a more frequent target option as a slot receiver or on the outside in three-receiver sets.
Andre Iosifas, wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals: Princeton dual-sport star Iosifas got a brief, extended look with the Bengals over the final three weeks of 2023, during which time he caught nine passes and scored 28.2 PPR fantasy points while playing 62% of offensive snaps. He then spent the offseason training with receivers coach Drew Lieberman, who previously worked with former prospects Brandon Aiyuk, Evan Engram and Mohamed Sanu. Iosifas is shaping up as a potential slot receiver for the team following the departure of Tyler Boyd in the offseason. Considering the team’s top two receivers, Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins, have missed a combined 15 games over the past three seasons, Iosifas should see a big boost in opportunities in what will likely be one of the team’s best scoring attacks.
Bo Milton, wide receiver, Green Bay Packers: After spending most of last season bouncing between the practice squad and the starting lineup, Milton made a breakthrough with 105 yards and 22.5 points in Week 17. That earned him a spot on the team’s playoff roster, as well as a chance to compete for a more prominent role this year. He’s a speedy receiver who’s been praised for his work ethic, good qualities for a player who, despite being ranked fifth on the depth chart, is still part of a promising offense that likes to use the hot hand at the position.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens: His rookie campaign may have been cut short by a torn ACL in Week 15 — an injury that threatens to keep him on the PUP list until September of this season — but once he recovers, he could quickly emerge as a primary backup to Derrick Henry thanks to his explosive speed. Mitchell converted 26% of his rushing attempts into gains of at least 10 yards, and he averaged 4.3 yards above expected per attempt, both of which are the best in the league among players with at least 47 attempts. While players coming off such surgery often aren’t fully themselves until their second season back — and Mitchell isn’t likely to see game action until October — he’s also one of the top running backs on a run-oriented team that lacks competition at the position.
Colby Parkinson, Offensive Lineman, Los Angeles Rams: The Los Angeles Rams surprised many by signing the 25-year-old, who has caught 57 career passes, to a three-year deal that included $15.5 million guaranteed, but they seem to have seen something in his performance with the Seattle Seahawks. Of Parkinson’s 50 passes over the past two seasons, 10 have gone for 20 yards or more and his average depth of target was 7.3 yards. The Rams appear committed to using multiple TE combinations more often this season, a strategy that makes sense at least in the early stages of the year as Tyler Higbee works to regain full strength after suffering ACL/MCL injuries in January.
Michael Penix Jr., quarterback, Atlanta Falcons: While a tantalizing draft-day pick, Penix’s arrival in Atlanta gives the team an intriguing and well-tested prospect in case Kirk Cousins misses any additional time as a 36-year-old man recovering from Achilles tendon surgery. Penix played in 48 games across six college seasons between Indiana and Washington, and in the latter two years, he totaled 67 touchdowns while being dropped on just 1.4 percent of his throws and 5.5 percent of the time when under pressure, both top-four numbers. He’s unlikely to see a snap except in late-game blowouts or barring another injury to Cousins, but he’s one of the more intriguing replacements. After all, the Falcons have a solid receiving game between Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney, Bijan Robinson and Ray Ray McCloud III.
Bryce Young, quarterback, Carolina Panthers: His first season was one of his worst ever. any Young was the best quarterback of the century. His 33.4 QBR ranked sixth-worst among quarterbacks who started at least 15 games (only Mark Sanchez in 2012, JaMarcus Russell in 2008, Matt Cassel in 2009, DeShone Kizer in 2017, and Sanchez in 2009 were worse). Still, the Panthers have done their best to improve some of the roster flaws that contributed to Young’s struggles, including adding Diontae Johnson and Javier Leggett to their receiver room, beefing up the offensive line with the signings of Robert Hunt and Damian Lewis, and hiring head coach Dave Canales, who has had great seasons under Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield in 2022 and 2023. Young has a lot He has proven himself worthy of the praise. He also has a lot of career potential. Many successful midfielders have had poor campaigns early in their careers, but Young at least has more of the ingredients to help him get his career on track this season. He is definitely someone to watch in pre-season and in September.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., running back, New York Giants: A wide receiver turned wide receiver who opened his eyes with his metrics in the NFL, Tracy has a clear path to a useful role for a Giants team that will rely heavily on running backs in the passing game. Devin Singletary’s three-year, $9.5 million contract gives him the look of a clear-cut linebacker for the team, but be aware that Singletary’s 0.27 PPR fantasy points per touch over his five-year NFL career ranks last (among those with at least 500 touches from 2019-23). Tracy had made strides in his race to start 2024 as Singletary’s primary backup, until he suffered an ankle injury in mid-August. Now it looks like he may have to wait a little longer before he can become a potentially useful piece in PPR formats.
Kimani Vidal, cornerback, Los Angeles Chargers: Vidal, a sixth-round rookie who scored 14 touchdowns and led FBS running backs with 47 rushes of 10 yards or more for Troy last season, begins training camp third on the depth chart for a Chargers team that is expected to be one of the league’s most run-dependent teams under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Keep in mind that the team’s top running backs, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, have missed a combined 33 games with injuries the past two seasons, and Roman, on Baltimore Ravens teams that featured both Edwards and Dobbins, has taken 331 carries from the other running backs on his roster in those seasons. Vidal brings a physical element that this Chargers team will need; 60% of his rushing yards last season came after contact, and he ranked fourth in forced tackles (84). He’s a perfect speculative pick in any league larger than ESPN’s standard.
