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Fantasy football sleepers emerge every year no matter how deep of a league you play in. They can provide tremendous value. Especially to dynasty managers considering the quality of options often available on the waiver wire. If you correctly identify just one or two sleepers, they can help plug holes in your lineup and keep your team competitive.
There are several ways to identify sleepers in dynasty leagues. They can range from underperforming vets to undrafted rookies or even highly touted prospects whose careers have gotten off to rocky starts. There are always a plethora of options. You just need to know what your dynasty team needs and who to target.
Make sure you keep up to date with all your fantasy football needs by following RotoBaller on X. Let’s take a look at several sleepers to target in your dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Quarterbacks
Tennessee has shown its commitment to building around its young quarterback this offseason. With the seventh pick in the NFL Draft, the Titans selected tackle JC Latham to protect Will Levis' blindside. The team also signed Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd in free agency to beef up the skill players surrounding Levis. He had an up-and-down rookie season, but the 2023 second-round pick flashed upside throughout the year.
WILL LEVIS! 4 TD PASSES!
📺: #JAXvsPIT on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/18G0sx962C— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023
Levis only ranked 40th in Pro Football Focus's (PFF) Adjusted Completion Percentage. He will need to make improvements in Year 2. New head coach Brian Callahan does have experience working with young quarterbacks as he was instrumental in Joe Burrow’s development in Cincinnati. With a plethora of weapons at his disposal, Tennessee has done everything it can to set Levis up for success. There is sneaky breakout potential here. The days of acquiring Levis cheap might be coming to an end.
2023 was a complete disaster for Young.
Kenny Moore pick-six off of Bryce Young!
pic.twitter.com/b4Ov8T3cP0— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) November 5, 2023
As bad as things were, there’s reason for optimism in 2024. New Panthers head coach Dave Canales has a strong track record with quarterbacks. In 2022, Canales was the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks. He worked closely with starter Geno Smith and helped guide him to an out-of-nowhere career year culminating with Smith winning the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award. Canales then moved on to Tampa Bay where he was the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers last year, working directly with quarterback Baker Mayfield. Once again, Canales’ signal-caller enjoyed a career year as Mayfield posted career highs across the board.
Carolina has also done its best to add more weapons around Young. It traded for receiver Diontae Johnson this offseason. He is now a legitimate WR1 target for its young quarterback. The Panthers also drafted rookie receiver Xavier Legette and running back Jonathon Brooks in the NFL Draft. The second-year pro is in a much better position for success in Year 2.
Young was bad across the board as a rookie. Any metric would show that. We still shouldn’t completely give up hope.
1st Overall Pick Quarterbacks to post LESS than 15 PPG as a Rookie
[ Matthew Stafford ]
[ Trevor Lawrence ]
[ Sam Bradford ]
[ BRYCE YOUNG ]you should NOT be giving up on Young after a disappointing Rookie Season pic.twitter.com/IHsxFdxaRs
— DynastyIM (@dynasty_im) May 5, 2024
He’s a fantastic buy-low option for Superflex managers needing quarterbacks. In short, this is a play on a strong offensive mind uniting with a former No. 1 overall pick. We saw Sean McVay work wonders for Jared Goff in Los Angeles after the latter endured a tough rookie season. There’s hope Canales can have the same effect on Young.
Running Backs
McLaughlin displayed impressive burst and quickness whenever he touched the football as a rookie.
Who picked up Jaleel McLaughlin 💪
pic.twitter.com/9EmqarvKMi— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) October 8, 2023
He graded out very well across several metrics. PFF graded McLaughlin as its 16th-highest rusher in 2023. He also finished seventh in PFF’s signature Elusive Rating among all rushers. Running backs have always been heavily involved in Sean Payton’s offense. After a disappointing season from Javonte Williams, McLaughlin may command more touches in 2024.
Listed at 5-foot-7 and 180 lbs, it’s unlikely McLaughlin ever becomes a featured back. However, he can still be a useful asset in PPR leagues if he can carve out a Reggie Bush-type role. McLaughlin is currently ranked as RotoBaller’s dynasty RB71. At this cost, he is the exact type of player who can help win your league if he hits. If he doesn’t, just kick him to the curb.
It was a tough rookie season for Miller. The 2023 third-round pick out of TCU missed time during the season due to knee, ankle, and hamstring injuries. He would be limited to just eight games. While he struggled to get on the field, Miller did briefly show why the Saints invested a third-round pick in him.
Don’t forget about #Saints RB Kendre Miller in your #fantasyfootball leagues.
Talented player. Could thrive if the opportunity presents itself.
— The Fantasy Football Stallion (@FF_Stallion) May 10, 2024
Alvin Kamara is currently ahead of Miller on the depth chart. However, he turns 29 this year and has shown signs of slowing down. He posted a career low in rushing yards and finished 46th out of 49 eligible backs in Next Gen Stats Rush Yards Over Expectation (RYOE).
If Kamara’s play continues to decline, Miller is in a position to capitalize. He’s lined up for a camp battle with Jamaal Williams for the backup running back job. Given Williams’ struggles last year, it’s a battle Miller can win. This would put him among the top handcuff options for 2024. Owners may have soured on him after his extremely disappointing rookie season and might be willing to move on from the second-year back. While his stats underwhelmed, Miller passed the eye test in limited action. He’s an intriguing stash/trade candidate.
Wide Receivers
Wicks flashed potential in his debut season with the Packers. He certainly looked the part as his route-running acumen turned heads throughout the year.
37 seconds of Dontayvion Wicks shredding defenders 😮💨
(via @ReallyRichx2)
pic.twitter.com/z7BvVu3SHp— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) February 6, 2024
In limited action, Wicks posted some impressive advanced metrics. He checked in with a 23% targets per route run (TPRR) along with a 2.31 yards per route run (YPRR), per Fantasy Points Data Suite. This comes in a small sample, but it’s the kind of data you love seeing from a rookie. Green Bay’s receiving room is crowded, yet it’s unclear who will eventually emerge as the top option.
With a RotoBaller dynasty ranking of WR72, Wicks is a good dart throw in startup drafts. He should only improve going forward and can become a go-to option in this offense. With a little luck, he can become Jordan Love’s top target.
The Saints need another receiving threat behind star receiver Chris Olave. Shaheed quietly made improvements during his sophomore season. The big-play specialist posted career highs in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in 2023.
Derek Carr 🎯 RASHID SHAHEEDpic.twitter.com/AQdSbdW5up
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) October 15, 2023
He needs to further develop his route running to become more than a boom-or-bust player. Despite this, Shaheed is a sneaky Year 3 breakout pick. If he continues developing, he can become a strong WR3 or flex option for players in deeper leagues. Ranked as RotoBaller’s WR73, Shaheed can be had for relatively cheap in dynasty startups and is a good throw-in target to aim for in dynasty trades.
Tight Ends
Smith opted to leave the Atlanta Falcons and signed a two-year, $8.4 million deal with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. It was a logical signing for Miami as it needs a third option in the passing game behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Smith is an athletic tight end and has big-play ability.
After this Jonnu Smith 60-yard catch-and-run TD, Arthur Smith is never going to call a play for Kyle Pitts againpic.twitter.com/Yi2kuthF5k
— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) November 5, 2023
Coach Mike McDaniel comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree and is very familiar with how to use an athletic tight end (see George Kittle). No, Smith is not going to produce Kittle-like stats. He could, however, produce enough to become a back-end TE1 and be a cheap option for managers in desperate need of a tight end. Smith is currently ranked as RotoBaller’s dynasty TE34, so the price of acquisition shouldn’t be too expensive.
Conklin had a sneaky good season last year for managers in tight end premium formats. With 87 targets, he was the next-best receiving threat behind Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. Veteran newcomer Mike Williams is turning 30 and coming off a torn ACL injury. Rookie Malachi Corley has talent but is a project receiver at this stage.
Conklin may establish himself early as one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets. If that happens, Conklin could return top-12 production at the position. Depending on how high the tight end premium is in your league, Conklin could even be a viable flex option in deeper leagues with larger starting lineups. He’s another cheap alternative if you’re in a bad spot at tight end.
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