Fantasy: Super-deep sleepers for 2024

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In an effort to shine a light on the unnoticed or outright ignored, we’ve built a list of players with average draft positions outside the top 200 who could become fantasy-relevant if things fall their way this season.

Keep these players on your watch list and be ready to pounce when their opportunity arises.

Drew Lock, QB, Giants

Daniel Jones is still in the process of recovering from a torn ACL, but the hope is that he’ll be cleared for training camp. It’s the latest in a long line of injuries Jones has dealt with since entering the league.

Banking on him staying healthy and performing at a high enough level to put to rest any doubts about his long-term future with the team seems like a risky bet at this point.

If the Giants are struggling and decide partway through the year they want to move on from Jones after the season, the organization might not want to risk an injury down the stretch that could complicate matters.

That’s likely why the team signed Lock this offseason. The former second-round pick showed signs of maturity and improvement in a couple of relief appearances for the Seahawks last season and might be ready for another starting opportunity.

Whether that comes this year in New York remains to be seen, but with head coach Brian Daboll expected to handle play-calling duties and first-round wideout Malik Nabers poised for stardom, Lock could find himself in an intriguing position later this season.

Other super-deep sleeper QB candidates:

• Joe Flacco, Colts – Anthony Richardson should be completely recovered from the shoulder sprain that cost him most of his rookie campaign. With former backup Gardner Minshew now in Las Vegas, Indy found another strong veteran passer to support its young starter. As a late-season injury replacement for the Browns last season, Flacco averaged the fourth-most fantasy points per game among QBs from Week 13 on. Given the Colts’ skill-position talent and Shane Steichen’s up-tempo scheme, Flacco could be a decent fantasy option if Richardson misses time again.
• Sam Howell, Seahawks – As the Commanders’ starter last year, Howell was a top-eight fantasy QB over the first 10 weeks of the season before fizzling out. Now, he’ll have a chance to learn from the sidelines behind Geno Smith in a Seahawks passing attack that should be much more prolific under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. If Howell is called upon, his rushing ability alone would make him a must-add waiver-wire pickup.

D’Onta Foreman, RB, Browns

Foreman is an underrated NFL player and fantasy option who’s proven his ability whenever a path to volume presents itself.

In the five games where he played at least 45% of the snaps for the Bears last season, Foreman averaged 86.8 yards and almost a touchdown per game.

In 2022 with the Panthers, Foreman posted five games with more than 100 rushing yards after the team traded Christian McCaffrey. And the year before, he had three 100-plus-yard performances as an injury replacement for Derrick Henry on the Titans.

Nick Chubb is doing everything he can to return from last year’s serious knee injury, but the degree of difficulty coming back from that type of ailment is a lot tougher entering your age-29 season.

While the Browns will likely roll with Jerome Ford as the starter until Chubb is back to 100%, Foreman could see the field as a power complement in short-yardage or goal-line situations. He’ll also be the immediate backup if Ford is sidelined early in the season.

Other super-deep sleeper RB candidates:

• Chris Rodriguez Jr., Commanders – The sophomore back is currently No. 3 on Washington’s RB depth chart, but he’s one Brian Robinson injury away from fantasy production. At this stage of Austin Ekeler’s career, it would be surprising to see him handle a full workload. So if Robinson goes down, expect Rodriguez to be involved. In his final appearance last season, Rodriguez totaled 65 yards and a score on 11 touches versus a tough Jets front and finished as the RB6 overall on the week.
• Dylan Laube, Raiders – Zamir White is the Raiders’ starter and will be their bell-cow back on early downs, but he hasn’t proven himself as a pass-catcher in the pros. Laube, his sixth-round rookie teammate, caught 117 passes for 1,163 yards over his final two seasons at New Hampshire. It might not happen right away, but Laube could carve out a role as a passing-down specialist alongside the bulked-up White.
• Deneric Prince, Chiefs – Prince made noise in last year’s offseason practices and earned the praise of teammates, coaches, and beat writers before ultimately spending most of the season on the practice squad. He’s now battling for the No. 3 job behind Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. With Pacheco’s violent running style, fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Chiefs’ backup RBs in case the starter gets banged up.

Greg Dortch, WR, Cardinals

Dortch is already a fantasy darling after popping up for a handful of big performances on limited snaps over the last two years. But he’s been buried on Arizona’s depth chart.

However, in the four contests where he played at least 70% of the Cardinals’ offensive snaps in 2023, Dortch posted stat lines of 6-76-0, 3-27-1, 2-45-1, and 7-82-0.

In 2022, he had six such games and provided stat lines of 7-63-0, 4-55-1, 9-80-0, 9-103-0, 10-98-0, and 4-15-0. So over the past two seasons, he’s delivered double-digit fantasy points in nine of the 10 outings in which he’s played at least 70% of the snaps.

Heading into this season, Dortch is finally expected to start in three-receiver sets. Kyler Murray has talked up his potential on several occasions, even suggesting the 5-foot-7 wideout would be a top-five receiver in the NFL if he were 6-3.

With Murray in his corner and no clear No. 2 receiver behind Marvin Harrison Jr., this could be the year Dortch emerges as a fantasy option.

Other super-deep sleeper WR candidates:

• Xavier Gipson, Jets – Gipson was a part-time player on the Jets’ offense and mostly made his mark on special teams as an undrafted rookie in 2023. However, some beat writers have implied Gipson could start over this year’s third-rounder Malachi Corley. And with Mike Williams making his way back from a torn ACL, Gipson could see increased targets early in the season. With Aaron Rodgers providing a massive upgrade at quarterback, the Jets should have a much more dangerous passing attack in 2024. Gipson is a very cheap stash in deep leagues.
• Malik Washington, Dolphins – Washington fell to the sixth round but found a soft landing spot in Miami’s offense. He’s a dynamic receiver who’ll compete with Odell Beckham Jr. (age 32 in November) for the No. 3 role behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Though the rookie will likely need an injury or two ahead of him to climb the depth chart, he has the talent to capitalize.
• Chase Claypool, Bills – The Claypool redemption tour got off to a positive start during OTAs and has put him in a position to battle for the No. 4 receiver role on a Bills WR depth chart that’s undergone a lot of change this offseason. It’s rare for a player to break out after stumbling the way Claypool has in recent years, but talent was never his issue. If Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, or Khalil Shakir miss time, you could argue that Claypool is the next-best option in Buffalo’s receiver room.

Lucas Krull, TE, Broncos

Greg Dulcich is expected to be healthy and on the field for training camp, but it’s hard to feel good about his outlook until we see him practicing for an extended stretch without injuries.

Meanwhile, Krull has been making plays and getting spotlighted by many around the team – including his head coach.

Sean Payton said he believes Krull can do a lot of the things Dulcich can and praised him for looking sharp during OTAs.

When he noticed beat writers looking down at their sheets to figure out who the playmaking tight end wearing No. 85 was, he told Krull “Someday soon, they’re going to know who 85 is.”

It’s still a long shot, but with an unproven receiving corps and a starting tight end dealing with durability concerns, Krull could be a surprising producer in 2024.

Other super-deep sleeper TE candidates:

• Robert Tonyan, Vikings – T.J. Hockenson suffered ACL and MCL tears in late December, which puts his availability for the first half of the season in doubt. Backup Josh Oliver is more known for his blocking ability, so the team signed Tonyan to help fill the void. The veteran made enough of an impression in offseason practices that many beat writers are penciling him in as the likely Week 1 starter. With Hockenson sidelined and No. 2 wideout Jordan Addison dealing with off-field issues, Tonyan could be a sneaky fantasy option early in the season.
• Theo Johnson/Daniel Bellinger, Giants – With Darren Waller retiring, the Giants will have an open competition for a new starting tight end. Bellinger has experience in the system, but Johnson is a better athlete with a higher ceiling if he can win the job. Both players are dealing with injuries entering camp, which complicates their projections. If forced to pick in mid-July, I’d go with Johnson for his upside.

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