The majority of Fantasy Football drafts in the world are taking place over the next week. It's an exciting time as we get closer to the start of the regular season.
With that in mind, I wanted to give you my final preseason deep sleepers column for this year. I've written about a lot of sleepers already dating back to just before the NFL Draft, but this is the list of guys you can draft late who could matter in a big way.
Hopefully, for those of you who drafted already or have been paying attention prior to this week, you've been well ahead of the field in drafting the obvious sleepers. We've had you covered in that regard for months.
Now, let's dig a little deeper. Here, we're looking at players going after pick No. 140 overall in the CBS Sports Average Draft Position data.
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Quarterbacks
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One of the best things about the preseason for any team was Pickett's performance for Pittsburgh. He looked great and vastly improved from his rookie campaign. Pickett played two drives in each of the Steelers' three preseason games and completed 13 of 15 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He did a lot of that damage against backups, but it was good to see he's made strides heading into his second year. We love his weapons with Diontae Johnson, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, and hopefully Pittsburgh allows Pickett to be more than just a game manager. He won't get drafted in many one-quarterback leagues, but don't be surprised if he's a waiver-wire option during the season. And in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues you should target Pickett with a mid-round pick. His ADP as of Aug. 30 was at 144.8.
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Three days after being named the Week 1 starter when he beat out Jacoby Brissett, Howell had a solid preseason showing against Baltimore, completing 19 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, along with three carries for 17 yards. He only started one game for the Commanders in 2022, which was Week 18 against Dallas, and he scored 19 Fantasy points with 169 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with 35 rushing yards and a touchdown. Howell could be a surprise rushing quarterback since he ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns at North Carolina in 2021, and that would make him appealing for Fantasy managers. He also has solid weapons, led by Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. Howell doesn't have an ADP on CBS right now, but he's worth keeping an eye on as a potential waiver-wire option in one-quarterback leagues. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, Howell is worth a mid-round pick.
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Running backs
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One of the biggest mysteries for Fantasy managers heading into the season is the Eagles backfield. We're not sure who will get the majority of touches from the group of D'Andre Swift, Gainwell or Rashaad Penny. All we've heard from the Eagles media in training camp is Gainwell has been treated as the starter, and we'll see if that carries over to when it counts in Week 1. I would still draft Swift first, but I'd take a flier on Gainwell next, especially at his current ADP of 146.3. We know Swift and Penny have struggled to stay healthy in their careers, and Gainwell has the longest tenure in Philadelphia, which helps his cause. Now, we also know the best rusher on the Eagles is likely Jalen Hurts, and Philadelphia doesn't throw much to its running backs, ranking last in targets to the position in 2022. Still, if you can get the starting running back on a great offense this late, it's a no-brainer to draft him as early as Round 10 in all leagues.
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Spears is one of my favorite lottery tickets this season given his role as the No. 2 running back in Tennessee behind Derrick Henry. I hope nothing happens to Henry this season, but he's a 29-year-old running back with a lot of mileage on his body over the past three years. If he were to miss any time, Spears could step in and be a potential starter in all leagues. He had 1,586 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns at Tulane last year, and he's flashed plenty of potential in the preseason, including a solid showing against Minnesota with seven carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, which came from 33 yards out. You'll likely have to be patient with Spears on your bench, but he offers plenty of upside given his cost on Draft Day with an ADP of 158.6.
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Jerick McKinnon The only change for McKinnon this season is he's a year older at 31, which is something that could be a problem, but expect the Chiefs to keep him in a limited role. The good news is that limited role is the passing game, and McKinnon should be a popular target for Patrick Mahomes once again, which we love. Last year, McKinnon was a monster to close the season when he scored nine touchdowns during a six-game scoring streak from Weeks 13-18. The touchdowns were awesome, but what I really liked was that he had three games with at least five receptions over that span. McKinnon brings a different skillset to the running back room in Kansas City compared to Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Mahomes could lean on McKinnon more this season since the Chiefs have a suspect receiving corps. It's easy to target McKinnon with a late-round pick in all leagues, and his CBS ADP is a bargain at 141.5.
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I wouldn't worry about the Vikings adding Myles Gaskin on Wednesday as a threat to Chandler's role as the No. 2 running back behind Alexander Mattison. Kene Nwangwu missed nearly all of training camp and the entire preseason because of an undisclosed injury, and seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride was waived in Tuesday's initial roster cuts. I would have been more concerned for Chandler if the Vikings signed Kareem Hunt, who visited Minnesota as a free agent this summer. Chandler now becomes to Mattison what Mattison was to Dalvin Cook for the past four seasons -- a lottery ticket. Should Mattison miss any time or struggle as the starter then we could see Chandler in an expanded role. He's an easy running back to target in Round 11 in all leagues, although his ADP is much later than that at 170.7.
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Wide receivers
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Bateman said last week that his surgically-repaired foot feels "99 percent" healthy, according to the Ravens' official site. Hopefully, he's at 100 percent by Week 1, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Bateman is the No. 1 receiver for Baltimore this year. While I would draft Zay Flowers first, and Odell Beckham Jr. will also be a factor, Bateman is the one with the best rapport with Lamar Jackson. Bateman is entering his third season in the NFL, so this could be his breakout campaign, and the Ravens offense is going to be more pass happy in 2023 with new coordinator Todd Monken. Last year, prior to getting hurt, had two games with at least 13 PPR points in his five healthy outings. Expect more big games this season, and he's a steal at his current ADP of 141.9.
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I'm cheating a little bit with Mims here because his ADP continues to climb following the injury to Jerry Jeudy (hamstring). We'll see what happens now that it appears Jeudy is on track to play in the first four weeks of the season since he avoided injured reserve, but I'm still concerned about Jeudy being 100 percent any time soon. That should allow Mims to play a prominent role opposite Courtland Sutton, and if he produces, he could be a significant contributor all year. At worst, he'll be the No. 3 receiver in Denver since Tim Patrick (Achilles) is out. Remember, Mims is the first receiver drafted since Sean Payton took over as the head coach, and the second-round pick is coming off a productive season at Oklahoma in 2022 with 54 catches for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns. His current ADP is 162.2, but you should plan to draft him as early as Round 11. Even that might be a bargain if Jeudy misses a lot of time this season.
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The preseason started off great for Dell, who caught five of eight targets for 65 yards and a touchdown in his first ever NFL action against the Patriots. He cooled off after that and dealt with some tightness in his hamstring and back, but nothing has changed about his opportunity in his rookie campaign. The Texans receiving corps is wide open, and while I like Nico Collins the best, Dell is the receiver I would draft second on this team. He should end up as a popular target for C.J. Stroud, and I expect Dell to stand out ahead of Robert Woods, Noah Brown and potentially John Metchie III as well. It's easy to target Dell with one of your last picks, and his ADP is 167.7. If Stroud leans on Dell as a reliable option, his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands should be evident right away.
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The Packers drafted Reed in the second round of the NFL Draft from Michigan State, and he should play a prominent role right away. He'll be the No. 3 receiver behind Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, and Reed should get a healthy amount of targets in his rookie campaign. He had a strong training camp by all accounts, and he was productive in 2022 for the Spartans with 59 catches for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jordan Love should lean on him quite a bit, and you're getting him for free on Draft Day since he currently doesn't have an ADP. And should something happen to Watson or Doubs, Reed will be thrust into an even bigger role. He has plenty of upside at minimal cost, which is what you should be looking for with a late-round pick.
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Tight ends
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In full disclosure, I've been all over the place with Okonkwo's ranking this offseason. I started with him as a breakout candidate when it appeared that he would be No. 2 on the team in targets behind Treylon Burks. But then the Titans signed DeAndre Hopkins, and it felt like Okonkwo wouldn't get enough targets to succeed, which still might be the case. But Burks was already banged up in training camp with a knee injury, and Kyle Philips (knee) was placed on injured reserve, which means he's out for at least the first four games of the season. Okonkwo should now get enough targets from Ryan Tannehill where he could be a low-end starter in all leagues. I like drafting Okonkwo with another tight end with upside -- like Dalton Kincaid or Sam LaPorta -- and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Okonkwo as the better Fantasy option. He's worth drafting at least one round ahead of his ADP at 148.9.
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Dak Prescott said in training camp in The Athletic that Ferguson will become a "big-time player in this league," and that's great news coming from the Cowboys quarterback. Prescott has loved leaning on his tight ends in his career. Since becoming the Dallas quarterback in 2016, his tight end (predominantly Jason Witten and Dalton Schultz) has been No. 2 on the team in targets in three of seven seasons. And in Prescott's rookie year in 2016, Witten was third on the team in targets with 95 but just three targets shy of leading the team. The top Cowboys tight end with Prescott has never had fewer than 83 targets in a season in six of seven years, and Schultz has posted quality stats the past three seasons, averaging 66 catches on 94 targets for 666.7 yards and 5.7 touchdowns. Dallas has a loaded receiving corps with CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup, but Ferguson should still be heavily involved. His ADP is 166.1, and I like to draft him in every league where I target a No. 2 tight end with upside.
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