RADIO
The 2024 NFL regular season is still a few months away. While redraft leagues won’t start drafting until mid-August, July is the perfect time for a best ball draft. There are a few differences between a redraft league and a best ball draft.
Unlike redraft leagues, fantasy players don’t set their lineup or make weekly transactions in a best ball league. Instead, you draft your team, and the highest-scoring lineup is selected every week. However, finding sleepers in the double-digit rounds is critical to winning in redraft and best ball leagues.
Let’s look at seven of my favorite best ball sleepers to draft in the double-digit rounds. ADP for this article is via Underdog Fantasy.
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
Fantasy Football Running Back Best Ball Sleepers
Gus Edwards (LAC): ADP 121.2 | RB36
Unfortunately, J.K. Dobbins has struggled to stay healthy in his career, opening the door for Edwards to be the starting running back for the Baltimore Ravens last season. The veteran had a career year, totaling 198 rushing attempts for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns. By comparison, he had 13 rushing touchdowns in his first 52 career games. Edwards had the third-most rushing touchdowns among running backs and the fifth most in the NFL.
Many have high expectations for the veteran running back this year. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman want a run-first offense. Roman was the Ravens offensive coordinator from 2019 through 2022. Baltimore ranked top three in rushing yards every year and top nine in rushing touchdowns in all but one season. Edwards is prime for another productive season despite being a double-digit-round pick.
Nick Chubb (CLE): ADP 141.5 | RB44
My stance on Chubb has changed from the start of the offseason to now. The veteran is coming off a gruesome knee injury, putting his status for Week 1 in doubt. However, there is optimism that he could be ready to play opening weekend, making him a steal at his current ADP. More importantly, the Browns didn’t make any significant additions to their backfield this offseason.
Browns RB Nick Chubb has a “decent chance” to be active in Week 1, rather than a mid-season return, according to Sports Therapy Doctor Jeff Mueller. Chubb has been making “great progress” in single-leg explosiveness and stability exercises. pic.twitter.com/0vVxBcYDya
— IG: NFLPreme (@premefootball) June 27, 2024
The team added D'Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines while letting Kareem Hunt walk in free agency. Jerome Ford returns, but he struggled as a runner in 2023. Meanwhile, Chubb averaged 6.1 yards per rushing attempt and a 57% missed forced tackle rate before getting hurt last year (per Fantasy Points Data). While fantasy players likely can’t start him until October, the star running back could be a league-winner if you can get him this late in your best ball draft.
Jaylen Wright (MIA): ADP 152.8 | RB47
Dynasty fantasy players love the former Tennessee star. Wright shot up dynasty rookie draft rankings after the Dolphins traded a 2025 third-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the explosive rookie running back. He had an outstanding final college season, posting the second-best yards after contact per attempt average (4.35) among running backs with at least 60 rushing attempts in the rookie class last year (per PFF).
While Wright joined a crowded Miami backfield, the rookie running back could quickly make an impact for fantasy players. The Dolphins had an outstanding rushing attack in 2023. However, Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane have struggled to stay healthy in their careers. Don’t be surprised if the former Tennessee running back is a league-winner as a rookie.
Jaleel McLaughlin (DEN): ADP 153.5 | RB48
Denver’s backfield is a wide-open competition. However, McLaughlin is the guy I want on my best ball teams. He was impressive as an undrafted free-agent rookie, averaging 11.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game and 6.9 yards per rushing attempt in the four contests with at least seven attempts. Furthermore, the former Youngstown State star was one of the more explosive running backs in the league.
McLaughlin had the 12th-best explosive run rate among running backs with at least 75 rushing attempts in 2023 (per Fantasy Points Data). Furthermore, he led the Broncos in missed forced tackle rate per rushing attempt (29%) and yards after contact per attempt (3.49). Don’t be surprised if Sean Payton views him as his next Alvin Kamara and gives the second-year player a significant workload.
Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Best Ball Sleepers
Darnell Mooney (ATL): ADP 149.1 | WR69
Some were surprised to see the Falcons give Mooney a significant contract in free agency this offseason. The veteran was an afterthought on an inconsistent Chicago Bears passing attack last year, averaging only 4.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Yet, there is hope for him in Atlanta with Kirk Cousins under center.
The veteran quarterback has been outstanding for his wide receivers’ fantasy value. He twice produced two top-12 wide receivers in the same season with the Minnesota Vikings (2018 and 2020). While Mooney won’t be a WR1, the veteran is a capable receiver, putting up a 1,000-yard receiving season in his career. He is underrated as the WR69 in ADP.
Wan'Dale Robinson (NYG): ADP 166.7 | WR75
After weeks of speculation, Darren Waller announced his retirement from the NFL. Robinson is the biggest beneficiary from Waller’s retirement. Daniel Jones loves to target the middle part of the field, which will help the slot receiver. In the five games he played with Jones last season, Robinson had a 26% targets per route run rate and a 20.2% first-read target share (per Fantasy Points Data).
Furthermore, the former Kentucky star had six or more targets in 45% of his games last year. More importantly, he should be the No. 2 receiving option behind Malik Nabers. Robinson will be over a year removed from a torn ACL this upcoming season. Don’t be surprised if he has a breakout year.
Wan'Dale Robinson Best Ball ADP 166 🧐
45% of his games in 2023 he earned 6 targets.
4th in the NFL for Target Separation.
1 full year removed from the ACL injury.
2nd receiving option on the team in an offense starving for talent.
Love adding him late in drafts this… pic.twitter.com/hMD5j3HrL8
— PeteNova (@SuperrNova38) June 23, 2024
Javon Baker (NE): ADP 194.5 | WR83
New England had the worst wide receiver corps in the NFL last season. Thankfully, it used a pair of mid-round picks in the NFL Draft at the wide receiver position. While Ja'Lynn Polk was a second-round pick, Baker is the Patriots rookie fantasy players want on their roster. He had over 1,100 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in his final year at UCF.
Fantasy players have recently seen NFL Draft Day 3 picks turn into fantasy stars as rookies, including Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Meanwhile, Baker had the 11th-highest PFF receiving grade in the draft class last season and posted a higher yards per route run average than Rome Odunze (3.21 vs. 2.93). The fourth-round rookie could quickly turn into the go-to target for Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye.
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