FOOTBALL SZN! The best words you could hear in the middle of the summer.
If you’re prepping for your 2023 fantasy football season, now’s the time you’re starting to think about sleepers, some of whom we may see in action a lot during the preseason.
And that’s what this annual list is for: A collection of sleepers from around the NFL, 32 of them to mark on your cheat sheet for your upcoming draft.
Of course, they may not end up being sleepers by the time you’re drafting. We’ll still list them here and hopefully, they’ll continue to be well-kept secrets:
MORE:
- Our latest fantasy football mock draft
- One bust for all 31 teams for 2023
- The best team names for 2023 (that we could print)
- The biggest busts by year since 2010
1
Arizona Cardinals: TE Trey McBride
Joe Rondone-Arizona Republic
Someone’s going to catch some footballs on this team beyond Marquise Brown, and maybe it’s this 2022 second-round pick.
2
Los Angeles Rams: QB Matthew Stafford
(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
He still has one of the game’s best WRs to throw to, and the Rams might be playing from behind more than usual.
3
San Francisco 49ers: RB Elijah Mitchell
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
If Christian McCaffrey can’t stay healthy, he inherits one of the best running attacks in the league. A high-level handcuff.
4
Seattle Seahawks: RB Zach Charbonnet
(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The rookie may split time with Ken Walker III … or if Walker isn’t healthy, he could end up with the majority of the workload.
5
Dallas Cowboys: WR Brandin Cooks
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
CeeDee Lamb is WR1 in Dallas. Cooks has been Mr. Reliable for years, so he could be a good candidate to catch a bunch of passes when Lamb is doubled.
6
New York Giants: QB Daniel Jones
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Do you know how many rushing yards he had last year? That would be … 708. And seven rushing touchdowns. YUP YOU’RE SLEEPING ON HIM.
7
Philadelphia Eagles: RB Rashaad Penny
(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
You know whichever Eagles RB you pick will be the wrong one. And we know he’s struggled to stay healthy. But he’s going to be available later than you think, and he could be worth a pick by then.
8
Washington Commanders: WR Jahan Dotson
Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports
He looked good in his rookie year and could be ready for another step forward in Year 2.
9
Chicago Bears: RB Khalil Herbert
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
He might split a bunch of carries with D’Onta Foreman, or Roschon Johnson might be a thing. I’m willing to take a gamble on him winning the lion’s share of carries given what we saw last year.
MORE: The best fantasy football team names of 2023 (that we could print
10
Detroit Lions: WR Jameson Williams
.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Simple: Just draft him when people let him drop because he’s suspended to start the year. Stash him on your bench. Then? Reap the benefits when he returns.
11
Green Bay Packers: QB Jordan Love
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Maybe all that sitting on the bench and learning from Aaron Rodgers will lead to a breakout?
12
Minnesota Vikings: WR Jordan Addison
(Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP)
Let’s see … a first-round talent who’s a second receiver behind Justin Jefferson, who will get lots of attention while still catching everything. Worth a shot!
13
Atlanta Falcons: RB Tyler Allgeier
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
A handcuff, yes, but also: If they run the ball a lot, will he get more work than we think, especially after last year? Hmm.
14
Carolina Panthers: WR DJ Chark Jr.
(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Well SOMEONE has to catch passes in Carolina, and I’m not sure about Adam Thielen.
15
New Orleans Saints: WR Michael Thomas
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Olave is WR1 and a good one. But maybe the vet has dropped far enough where he’s actually a sleeper?
16
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Defense/Special Teams
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The defense? Really? Yes, really. I don’t trust anyone on their offense to label them a sleeper, and their defense could be good in a weak division.
17
Buffalo Bills: RB Damien Harris
(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
James Cook will probably be the preferred RB in Buffalo … but what if Harris casually scores 10-plus touchdowns?
18
Miami Dolphins: RB De'Von Achane
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The buzz about the rookie is there, along with the fact that Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert aren’t the youngest of running backs.
19
New England Patriots: TE Mike Gesicki
(AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Yes, yes, Hunter Henry is still there, and they might form a two-headed tight end monster. But I wonder if Gesicki could be the one to take over.
20
New York Jets: WR Allen Lazard
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Garrett Wilson is the obvious WR1, but can we remember that Aaron Rodgers threw to this guy last season in Green Bay? And also threw to him for four seasons before that?
21
Baltimore Ravens: WR Zay Flowers
Brent Skeen-USA TODAY Sports
I’ll throw a late pick at the rookie, even though the top receiver is Mark Andrews, followed — maybe? — by Rashod Bateman.
22
Cincinnati Bengals: RB Chase Brown
(AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
The talk about Joe Mixon this offseason has made me uneasy about him … and has made me intrigued by the rookie.
23
Cleveland Browns: WR Elijah Moore
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The Browns run the ball A TON, but when they throw? Maybe the ex-Jet gets more work behind Amari Cooper?
24
Pittsburgh Steelers: WR George Pickens
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Does he count as a sleeper after last year’s intriguing rookie year? Sure. Maybe he’s a top-20 WR waiting to happen.
25
Houston Texans: WR John Metchie III
(AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
All the training camp videos have me wondering if he’s going to break out on a team that will probably throw A LOT.
26
Indianapolis Colts: QB Anthony Richardson
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
I think he’ll run a bunch, which is enough for me to draft him as a QB2 with some upside.
27
Tennessee Titans: TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
He was pretty good last year with 14.1 yards per catch, so maybe he slots in as a good target behind DeAndre Hopkins?
28
Jacksonville Jaguars: WR Zay Jones
[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
29
Las Vegas Raiders: RB Zamir White
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
If Josh Jacobs is going to hold out, I’d draft White over Ameer Abdullah. White was a sleeper who was a bust last year, but he could end up with a lot of volume.
30
Denver Broncos: RB Samaje Perine
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
How confident are we in Javonte Williams bouncing back after a horrible knee injury last year? I’m not.
31
Kansas City Chiefs: WR Kadarius Toney
Michael Chow/The Republic via USA TODAY Sports
The training camp injury wasn’t great, but I still think he could be the second receiver behind Travis Kelce.
32
Los Angeles Chargers: WR Quentin Johnston
(AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Maybe he gets more work as a rookie than we think, and Keenan Allen’s not the youngest, so betting on the rookie getting a bigger role at some point isn’t that nuts.
