An easy way to gain an edge over your competition is to take advantage of the differences in the pre-draft automatic player rankings across the sites. There is a natural tendency for most drafters to be heavily influenced by the pre-draft rankings they see when they enter the Sleeper draft room. In today's article, we will compare the Sleeper ADP to the Footballguys Consensus to identify which players we could potentially steal later in Sleeper drafts than on a different platform.
Stealing these players is how you beat Sleeper Fantasy Football.
ADP Values on Sleeper
The ten players are drafted significantly later on Sleeper than on other sites. This allows you to get extreme draft value if others in your league stick too closely to the Sleeper automated rankings.
Players to Target on Sleeper
WR Amari Cooper, Cleveland
In Cooper's final three games of 2023, he caught 22 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns. Despite missing the season's final two games, he posted a career-high 1,250 receiving yards. The reports out of Cleveland all offseason have indicated the offense is likely to be more pass-heavy than in recent seasons. If Deshaun Watson can bounce back and perform like the quarterback he was in Houston, Cooper has easy WR1 upside.
WR Calvin Ridley, Tennessee
We saw Ridley as the top target in a pass-heavy offense back in 2020, and he produced elite numbers: 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. Ridley could be among the league leaders in targets as the Titans transition to a more aggressive offensive approach under new head coach Brian Callahan. His Sleeper ADP of 79.1 overall is an extreme bargain. Ridley makes a fantastic target as your WR3 or even WR4.
RB Zamir White, Las Vegas
White took over as the starter for the Raiders for the final four games of the 2023 season. If his performance in the season's final month carries over to 2024, he could be a steal. His production over the final stretch of 2023 extrapolated out to an entire 17-game season is 1,687 rushing yards and 255 receiving yards. The Raiders under Antonio Pierce are likely to be run-heavy on offense, and White could be a true workhorse back who averages nearly 20 carries per game.
WR Terry McLaurin, Washington
One of the top takeaways from training camp has been the quick emergence of Jayden Daniels. The Commanders offense should be fun this year. After a surprisingly large amount of negative vibes regarding Jahan Dotson, he was traded to Philadelphia, which leaves McLaurin as the clear-cut top option in the Washington passing attack.
Is Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin in for a big year? pic.twitter.com/UCzRHy8cRM
— Footballguys Fantasy Football (@Footballguys) August 19, 2024
Players Going Earlier on Sleeper
If you want any of the ten players listed below, you will likely have to draft them earlier on Sleeper than on most other sites.
Rookies are Fairly Priced
Sleeper is a popular platform for dynasty leagues, which may explain why the rookies are selected so much earlier in Sleeper drafts than on ESPN or Yahoo! Here's the thing...many of the players listed above are going higher on Sleeper than in the Consensus ADP across all sites, but are still worth targeting. The key is realizing that if you want Brock Bowers, Rome Odunze, Xavier Worthy, or Caleb Williams, you must target them more aggressively in your Sleeper draft than elsewhere.
- Rome Odunze and Xavier Worthy, despite having unfavorable ADPs on Sleeper are still strong targets. The combination of talent and situation gives them extreme upside.
- Other players on this list above are easier fades at ADP. Nick Chubb still has no timeline for his return. It makes sense to roll the dice at some point outside of the Top 100. Using a Top 90 pick is too risky. C.J. Stroud has a high floor. However, his lack of rushing upside and the extreme depth at quarterback makes him a bad pick at an ADP of 41.4.
Late-Round Sleeper Values
In addition to the potential value options going early in your draft, here are ten players going late in Sleeper drafts that are more highly valued in the Footballguys Consensus.
- Bucky Irving is one of the top late-round running back targets and should be a priority option anywhere near his 193.9 Sleeper ADP.
- Darnell Mooney is the clear WR2 in Atlanta. We know Kirk Cousins can support a high-end WR1, a top tight end, and a fantasy-relevant WR2. We saw Jordan Addison excel in a similar role to what Mooney should handle in 2024.
