X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Five "Sleepers" Who Will Stay Asleep for 2023 Fantasy Football

Kenny Pickett - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Justin looks at popular fantasy football sleepers who will not break out in 2023. These are players with bust potential who should be avoided in fantasy football drafts.

Not every fantasy football sleeper ends up being a breakout player. Sometimes, fantasy analysts will tout a player and then we'll just be wrong.

For example, last year there were plenty of people who thought Chiefs rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore was a strong sleeper pick, but Moore wound up with just 22 catches for 250 yards. Some sleepers just don't wake up.

Let's look at five sleepers who are going to stay asleep this season. These are players who are regarded as sleepers by a lot of people but I don't expect to see them make a huge impact in 2023.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Nico Collins - WR, Houston Texans

I'm a Texans fan, and I've spent the past two years hoping Nico Collins was going to break out. The former Michigan Wolverine is a talented player, and last year he averaged 48.1 receiving yards per game, a nice jump from his 31.9 per game as a rookie.

But while some people view Collins as someone set for a third-year breakout, especially now that Houston has a quarterback with some upside, I just don't see it happening.

The problem? There are a few. First, let's talk about the quarterback position. Yes, C.J. Stroud has more upside than Davis Mills. But Stroud is also a rookie. We don't necessarily know if he will be effective right out of the gate.

The bigger concern, though, is that the Texans have a stronger receiving room this year. Brandin Cooks is gone, but the team added Robert Woods in his place. They also signed tight end Dalton Schultz in free agency. Add in using a third-round pick on Tank Dell and you get a much more crowded situation than you had last year, when Chris Moore was second on the Texans in targets.

Dell has looked really good in camp and the preseason game he played in. He's going to command targets, hurting Collins' upside.

 

Elijah Moore - WR, Cleveland Browns

After catching 43 passes for 538 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, Elijah Moore was a popular breakout candidate last year with the Jets. And then... well, and then whatever happened last season happened.

Moore wasn't heavily involved in the Jets' offense, which led to him requesting a trade. The Jets finally shipped him to Cleveland in March.

Moore is now once again a breakout candidate with the Browns. There have been some encouraging signs in camp and the preseason that he might be one.

My concern here, though, is that I'm not sure how much to trust this Browns offense. Deshaun Watson played six games last year and looked beyond rusty, completing just 58.2% of his passes and averaging 183.7 yards per game. In his last season in 2020, he averaged 301.4 yards per game.

Maybe it's just that Watson hadn't played in a while, but there are other concerns about Moore's fantasy upside apart from his QB's accuracy issues. Amari Cooper is the clear No. 1 receiver in Cleveland, and Donovan Peoples-Jones has proven to be a reliable chain-mover. The offense is also likely revolving around Nick Chubb's rushing ability. I think Moore has a solid season, but I'm not sure he really overperforms his ADP as people expect.

 

Kenny Pickett - QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

I'm going to double down on what I thought after the 2022 NFL Draft: Kenny Pickett wasn't the top quarterback in that class and he should not have been a first-round pick.

The former Pitt product started 12 games as a rookie, going 245 for 389, a 63% completion percentage. He tossed seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also added 237 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Pickett's advanced metrics weren't great last year. Per PlayerProfiler, he ranked 33rd in adjusted yards per attempt and 34th in true passer rating. There were some promising signs with his deep ball, as he actually led the NFL in deep ball catchable pass rate. However, we should take that with a grain of salt since he was 23rd in the league in deep ball attempts. He was sixth in completion percentage when pressured, but was just 30th in pressured throws. Everything good seemed to have a caveat.

I think Pickett can be a solid NFL quarterback. However, his rookie year doesn't suggest he can be a top-10 quarterback, and it doesn't suggest he'll be a top-20 quarterback in 2023. I don't see the fantasy upside.

 

De'Von Achane - RB, Miami Dolphins

I started writing this before De'Von Achane was carted off the field in Saturday's preseason game against the Texans. If we find out that his shoulder injury is going to cost him time, then his placement here obviously becomes a moot point.

But in the event that he's good to go for all or most of the 2023 season, he earns a spot on this list because of the crowded nature of the Dolphins' backfield.

I'm not denying that Achane, a third-round pick this season, is a talented player. However, he's also on a depth chart with two other talented players, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. Those two have a lot of experience in this offense, both with the Dolphins and with head coach Mike McDaniel back when he was an assistant with the 49ers.

Last season, Mostert had 181 carries in 16 games, while Wilson had 84 in eight games. The two of them really dominated this team's backfield, especially considering Wilson started the season in San Francisco.

Let's take Chase Edmonds' 42 carries out of the equation since he was the No. 2 back until Wilson was brought in. Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin, the third and fourth backs, combined for 22 carries and seven targets. If Achane is third on the depth chart, it's just hard to see where his touches come from. Surpassing two players with experience in this system doesn't seem likely.

 

Sam LaPorta - TE, Detroit Lions

I've seen a fair amount of people call Sam LaPorta a sleeper for this season, but there's a pretty obvious counter to that: he's a rookie tight end.

Sure, he had a good camp. And sure, he went to Iowa, which is essentially just an assembly line that creates NFL-caliber tight ends. But he's also a rookie at the skill position with the largest learning curve.

Per StatHead, there have been 152 rookie tight ends since 2015 with at least one target. Just six of those players ended up with 500 or more receiving yards as a rookie: Kyle Pitts, Evan Engram, Noah Fant, Mark Andrews, George Kittle, and Chris Herndon.

Expecting a rookie tight end to perform at a fantasy-relevant level in his first season is a stretch. I like LaPorta, but it's hard to see him doing much this year. He should get some targets just because of how this roster is built, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Brock Wright be the team's leader in targets at the position.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tom Hoge20 mins ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews25 mins ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones29 mins ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin38 mins ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice46 mins ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep48 mins ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson56 mins ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell1 hour ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao1 hour ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry1 hour ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey1 hour ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt1 hour ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz2 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman2 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford2 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi3 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen3 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick3 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners3 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay3 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López4 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland4 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia4 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti4 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL4 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette4 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus4 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants4 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears4 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Aaron Civale4 hours ago

Plays Catch On Tuesday
Masataka Yoshida5 hours ago

Resumes Swinging
Sam Ehlinger5 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Liam Hendriks5 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Guerschon Yabusele5 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Kutter Crawford5 hours ago

Hasn't Faced Hitters
Karl-Anthony Towns5 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals5 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Lucas Giolito5 hours ago

To Make A Rehab Start On Wednesday
Jevon Carter5 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry5 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Brayan Bello5 hours ago

To Make Rehab Start On Tuesday
Julian Phillips5 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexis Díaz5 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Throws Live BP On Tuesday
Jalen Smith5 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Max Scherzer5 hours ago

Day-To-Day After Getting Cortisone Shot
Lonzo Ball5 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Freddie Freeman5 hours ago

Likely Out Until Friday
Kevin Huerter5 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey5 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton6 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale6 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant6 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal6 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II6 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons6 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young6 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser6 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo6 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud6 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart6 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba6 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga6 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry6 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown6 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault6 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere7 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn7 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro7 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions9 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans9 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders9 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear10 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins10 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL10 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä10 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway10 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys10 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal10 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy10 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Geno Smith10 hours ago

Raiders Working On Extension With Geno Smith
Chris Godwin10 hours ago

Buccaneers Optimistic Chris Godwin Will Be Ready For Week 1
Josh Norris10 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk11 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth12 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp13 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim13 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood13 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau13 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole13 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith17 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment17 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka17 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov17 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov17 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes17 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum4 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.4 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]