Fantasy Football: 5 Players Undervalued on Sleeper

You shouldn’t go into a fantasy football draft with only players you like and players you don’t like in certain positions.

It also matters which site you write on.

The vast majority of fantasy football managers are not seasoned fanatics with their own individual rankings and in-depth knowledge of where a player is located. should be appreciated on any platform. When it’s busy, the masses will likely peruse the top of the site-generated draft rankings. I do that a lot when it’s my turn to pick — even as someone who does this for a living. It’s hard for most of us to fall all the way down 15 spots from a given site’s pre-draft rankings, especially when there’s not much time to pick.

That’s why it can be such a huge advantage to know that a player is vastly undervalued on a particular platform. At any point in a round, you can land a player that most of your league mates wouldn’t even consider for another 10 picks. It’s easy to find value, which is the name of the game in fantasy football.

In a three-part series, I’ll be taking a look at the predraft rankings from three of the world’s largest fantasy football platforms and seeing where their consensus rankings differ the most compared to the rest of the fantasy football community.

This piece will focus on Sleeper’s fantasy football platform. ESPN’s underrated players and Yahoo’s underrated players are also available.

Note: The expert consensus ranking of a player (ECR) comes from FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings data. The ECR used for Sleeper Ranking and FantasyPros is for half-PPR scoring.

Underrated Players on Sleeper’s Fantasy Football Platform

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sleeping player ranking: 29th (WR14)
ECR: 22nd (WR13)

Across all three sites we surveyed, you can see the top 30 picks roughly in line with the consensus. After all, these are the rounds where we obsess over value.

However, Mike Evans‘ slight dip among wide receivers is significantly impacted by a pair of quarterbacks (Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts), running backs (Isiah Pacheco and Josh Jacobs), and tight ends (Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce) slipping past him in this range. He goes at least a half-round later on Sleeper than he does on other sites.

I’m not sure this reduction in draft value can compensate for a player I’m not particularly fond of in fantasy football this year. While Evans is a 1,000-yard machine who has shown great durability and chemistry with Baker Mayfield, Evans’ 13 receiving touchdowns (tied for the most in the NFL) — plus one in the playoffs — were a perfect example of an outlier season in terms of finding the end zone.

Last year’s Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales is gone, Chris Godwin returns to the slot role for the Bucs, and rookie Jalen McMillan has been a focus of attention in training camp. I can see a lot of obstacles in Evans’ path to back-to-back top-15 seasons at the position, but Sleeper is the best place to get him if you feel otherwise.

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Sleeping Player Ranking: 40th (WR21)
ECR: 32nd (WR18)

It will be interesting to see how long Cooper Kupp remains buried here on this platform.

Kupp was one of five players my colleague Skyler Carlin wanted to target in fantasy football. He was also one of Kenyatta Storin’s buy-low fantasy football options. Wherever you go for fantasy analysis, chances are the folks on that site are high on Kupp, with reports of a return to form for the man who won the Triple Crown in 2021 with 145 catches, 1,947 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in a WR1 season.

That kind of buzz could result in a move up the rankings soon, but for now, he still sits behind Stefon Diggs, DK Metcalf, and Malik Nabers in Sleeper’s pre-draft rankings. Even if I believe Nabers is a league-winner in fantasy football, I’d have a tough time taking him in the fourth round if the established great, Kupp, was still available alongside him. That usually isn’t the case.

Either way, this site’s rankings make it even harder to invest a first-round pick in Puka Nacua.

Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers

Sleeping Player: 93rd (WR42)
ECR: 69th (WR34)

If you buy the new club from the aforementioned Canales, their attacking units are considerably more attractive than they were for most of 2023. Diontae Johnson goes so low with Sleeper that it might not even matter if there is no improvement in attack.

Johnson is expected to take over Carolina’s top receiving role after being traded in the 2024 NFL Draft. The former third-round pick of the Toledo Rockets broke out in 2021 with a WR9 season (in terms of total half-PPR points) in Ben Roethlisberger’s last campaign, but has struggled with injuries and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ terrible quarterback play in the two subsequent seasons.

How low is the bar for Sleeper? Bryce Young has already supported a WR31 in points per game in half PPR last year, which Adam Thielen was in his 32nd season. Thielen, Johnson and first-round rookie Xavier Legette will certainly create more competition for targets in 2024, but it should help the offense overall.

It’s bizarre to get Johnson anywhere near the 100th pick considering Canales just put together such a stellar season for Evans with yet another mediocre former first overall pick at the QB position.

Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders

Sleeping player: 111th (RB36)
ECR: 83rd (RB28)

Amari Cooper’s ranking on ESPN is way too low, but I share his gold medal for platform-based value with Brian RobinsonSleeper’s inexplicable draft ranking.

On this platform, Robinson is drafted at least two — sometimes three — rounds lower than he is on other sites. Consensus rankings elsewhere put Robinson around Tony Pollard and Javonte Williams as talented backs with a path to freeing up top spots. At Sleeper, he’s drafted around backups like Tyjae Spears and Trey Benson. It’s pretty much inexplicable, except that Sleeper — which has teammate Austin Ekeler at 95th — thinks Robinson is the backup.

Robinson led this backfield in snaps — albeit slightly — in the last Washington exhibition contest, and there’s little doubt about his efficiency. In 2023, Robinson has recorded 0.21 rushing yards per carry (RYOE/c) above expected, compared to Ekeler’s -0.27. Ekeler’s best work in the NFL has come as a pass catcher, so he could see third-down work, but Robinson should eat on early downs and at the goal line.

The Commanders are a tough team in fantasy football, as Kliff Kingsbury should dramatically increase the speed and pass rate of this offense. And that’s without taking into account the upgrade Jayden Daniels should provide at quarterback.

Daniels, Robinson and Terry McLaurin are all drafted lower than expected on Sleeper, so it’s possible the platform simply didn’t factor in Kingsbury’s arrival as much as other sites did.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Sleeping Player: 126th (QB17)
ECR: 106th (QB16)

As a fan of Trevor LawrenceFrom a fantasy football perspective, Sleeper is my favorite spot to secure the Jaguars’ franchise quarterback.

Lawrence typically trades around the 100th pick on other sites, but he falls comfortably below both Jared Goff and Justin Herbert on this platform. With Larwence usually drafted in a nearly identical spot to Goff, that’s a seemingly two-spot drop in the QB class, a drop that doesn’t make much sense.

While Goff’s Detroit Lions should be a significantly better offense, Goff’s lack of rushing upside hurts. T-Law actually has a decent upside to score on the ground, if a 22.6% red zone rush share last season (eighth among NFL prospects) was any indication. Despite being an extremely talented QB, Herbert appears to be a total avoid as new coach Jim Harbaugh brings his notoriously slow, rush-heavy offense from the Michigan Wolverines to Herbert’s offense in 2024. Michigan ranked 17th in FBS in rush rate (59.6%) a year ago.

The QB8 in 2022, Lawrence keeps you waiting long time for a decent quarterback on this platform.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not authorized to participate in public daily fantasy contests or place sports bets on FanDuel. The author’s advice does not necessarily represent the opinion of FanDuel. Following the author’s advice does not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports bets.