Sleepers and busts can massively tilt your fantasy football season in any direction, as we know.
You can just as easily win your league if you pick the sleepers that burst into the top tier as if you pick league-winning production in your first pick, which makes researching your quarterback, running back, tight end, and wide receiver sleepers of paramount importance.
RELATED: See Quarterback Sleepers here >>>
RELATED: See Running Back Sleepers here >>>
RELATED: See Tight End Sleepers here >>>
Every year, there are players who go outside the top 20 for whatever reason, and picking the correct sleepers out of the rest can go a long way. Using our Footballguys' Average Draft Position and Rankings tools, I'll identify some of my favorite wide receiver sleeper candidates in fantasy drafts this season.
To be clear, we define sleepers as players who we think will perform better than most expect and be undervalued at their average draft position.
Sleeper WR: George Pickens, Pittsburgh (ADP: WR28)
Pickens' ADP has steadily dropped as the summer has gone along, ever since the Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors started popping up. A trade hasn't happened, and it certainly seems like it would have happened by now if it was going to.
The talented former Georgia Bulldog ranked first in Yards per Reception last year and now gets the best-throwing quarterback he's had since he's been in the NFL in Russell Wilson.
If the Aiyuk trade does not happen, there is really not much stopping Pickens from outperforming this ADP, not even Arthur Smith and his antics, making him a perfect choice to kick off our wide receiver sleepers.
Sleeper WR: Rome Odunze, Chicago (ADP: WR39)
What haven't we said about Odunze at this point? He just polished off one of the finest two-year stretches we've ever seen at the WR position in his last seasons at the University of Washington, and the ninth overall pick in this year's draft is a perfect fit in the Chicago Bears' new offense led by Caleb Williams.
Odunze is a field-stretching wideout who can run every route well, as evidenced by his Route Success chart, which you can find here on his profile on Reception Perception. Side note: former Footballguy Matt Harmon's work for wide receivers here is invaluable. It's totally worth the signup.
So far this summer and training camp, Odunze has flashed his game-breaking abilities more than once. Don't be terribly surprised if he is playing ahead of Keenan Allen sooner rather than later, as talent like Odunze's will be hard to ignore.
Sleeper WR: Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville (ADP: WR47)
It's hard not to look at Brian Thomas Jr. and see a slimmer version of DK Metcalf. His athletic profile, speed, and bare route tree resemble those of the former Ole Miss receiver when he was coming out of school, thankfully without the neck injury concerns that Metcalf had (knocks on wood).
Thomas has played exceptionally well this preseason, with multiple 20+ yard catches in the Jaguars' undefeated preseason. The man who led all of college football in touchdown catches last season is primed to play a near-every-down role for the Jaguars this season as the flanker receiver, and he and Trevor Lawrence already seem to have a great connection.
Sleeper WR: Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay (ADP: WR61)
Wicks put up less than 600 receiving yards in his rookie season of 2023, but if you look deeper on a per-route basis, he was a much more intriguing player than meets the eye. He played multiple positions for the Packers last season and was an important role player in their playoff run. Sometimes, that can lead to a more expanded role in the following year's offense.
Right now, Wicks profiles as the WR4 on the depth chart, sitting behind Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, and Romeo Doubs. However, the Packers have said multiple times this offseason that they're okay with mixing up the order from game to game, and we should see a healthy amount of all four receivers.
Wicks really seemed to shine against man and press coverage, the Reception Perception data showed. He had a 72.2% success rate versus man coverage, which is an excellent number for a rookie to post. He also averaged 10 yards per target, the 11th-highest number of any player, so he can be a downfield weapon for Jordan Love this season again.
