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

Nick Mariano's PPR Draft Sleepers List for Fantasy Football - Samaje Perine, Rashee Rice, Jayden Reed, Tyjae Spears, more

Cade Otton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Nick Mariano's 2023 fantasy football draft sleepers for PPR leagues - NFL running backs (RB), wide receivers (WR) and tight ends (TE) to target in PPR drafts.

The term "Sleeper" is thrown around more haphazardly than a Mitchell Trubisky out route, but there's no doubting its place in our fantasy lexicon. I do think that everyone that uses it then needs to define what it means within the context of the article. In my mind, we need to head outside of the top-36 RB & WR, as well as the top-10 TE. That's not helpful to me. No one is gaining much of an edge inside of that.

For me, the term sleeper just means a mid-to-late round pick who could be an excellent value where they are currently being drafted. In this article, I will highlight two or three of my favorite sleepers at each of the three traditional positions. Those of you seeking kicker or defense sleepers, feel free to try me on Twitter but really you just need to play Week 1 schedules.

I'd advocate you avoid drafting K or DEF and use the extra bench slots on late-round fliers, anyway. All ADP data used for this article is from FantasyPros aggregate ADP data for PPR drafts and was updated on 09/03/2023.

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

 

2023 Running Back PPR Draft Sleepers

Samaje Perine (DEN), RB38

Perine was brought in by Sean Payton as a strong option as Denver waits to see how Javonte Williams recovers after dealing his ACL and LCL in October 2022. The Broncos let most of the RBs who played for them in ‘22 move on. Guys like Latavius Murray, Melvin Gordon III, Chase Edmonds, Mike Boone, and Marlon Mack are all elsewhere (or still a free agent).

The thin depth chart in Denver is a bit strange given Payton’s desire to pound the rock and his history of deploying RB rotations in New Orleans. And the ‘22 Broncos had a timeshare rocking even when Williams was 100% anyway. Of course, the offense collapsed and was usually forced into catch-up mode that required more passing.

While Perine hasn’t handled a starter’s workload since his rookie year in ‘17, he stepped up with 237 total yards and three TDs in two games he started for an injured Joe Mixon last year. He also caught a career-best 38 passes last year (287 yards, 4 TDs) and owns an 82.7% catch rate over his six-year NFL run. He can earn touches with a hot start as Williams gets up to speed and be a nice value with pass-catching chops in Denver.

Tyjae Spears (TEN), RB60

Father Time comes for us all, and that includes Derrick Henry. Now, the rookie is not here because Henry is “dust” or anything of the sort. But Henry has plenty of mileage and another year increases injury risk and workload concerns. The Titans have built this team around his availability and offer relatively little competition from receivers for the ball.

Spears steps in with notable buzz about his worn-down knee that doesn't have an ACL tendon, with other words like arthritis being thrown around, but I'm not asking you to take him in dynasty leagues. He looked A-OK at Tulane last year, posting over 1,500 rushing yards with 19 ground scores with a 22-256-2 receiving line. Tennessee saw fit to invest in Spears, and now Hassan Haskins was arrested on an aggravated assault charge.

Working Spears into being comfortable at NFL speeds can come in many ways. Spelling Henry on passing downs is a logical one. His size limits the pass-pro potential, but his draft profiles all rave about his willingness to enter the fight. If he gets a few chances per game to show off his explosiveness then he could wind up as a de-facto WR3/4 in Tennessee. And look at this man bully USC:

 

2023 Wide Receiver PPR Draft Sleepers

They’re too high for inclusion here but the band of WR36-40 in Treylon BurksJaxon Smith-Njigba, Kadarius Toney, Jahan Dotson, and Jordan Addison is very exciting. All could easily pop 10 spots beyond their ADP and I wouldn’t be too shocked.

Rashee Rice (KC), WR68

Rice hype finds itself in a strange bind. On the one hand, he’s on the Chiefs and that automatically puts a player on the map. But the Chiefs haven’t thrown rookie WRs into a heavy rotation either.

Many are looking to fellow second-round pick Skyy Moore now after a very limited rookie campaign with only 22 receptions. And back in 2019 it was Mecole Hardman being taken in the second. He would tally 26 catches (with a wild 538 yards and six touchdowns on them, of course) before earning a larger role.

Perhaps one difference working in Rice’s favor is he played four years of college ball versus the three by Hardman and Moore. Hardman had just 60 catches at Georgia and Moore only popped in his junior year, while Rice had a steady increase leading his senior-year explosion (96-1355-10). Does a more polished Rice make an easier transition? Gain trust earlier? The KC upside is worth a shot.

Jayden Reed (GB), WR75

Reed could easily be Green Bay’s starting slot receiver from Week 1 on if he performs well this preseason. The Michigan State man was taken inside the top 50 in 2023’s NFL Draft and enters a Green Bay WR room that is, well, very green.

Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are both entering their second year. Other rookies such as Dontayvion Wicks and Grant DuBose are high up on the depth chart as well. The Pack also used a second-round pick on Luke Musgrave before a third-rounder brought in Tucker Kraft.

Jordan Love has a chance to grow with the next generation of Packers and could easily find chemistry with a safety-blanket slot man in Reed. Not all slot receivers are automatically Wes Welker or Randall Cobb, and the Pack will surely buy Love space with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, but Reed is in an excellent spot to make good on a low ADP.

 

2023 Tight End PPR Draft Sleepers

Sam LaPorta (DET), TE18

Rookie tight ends can face a steep climb when it comes to immediate NFL production but Detroit has little competition in the room. LaPorta was taken 35th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft as a replacement for now-Viking T.J. Hockenson.

The Lions boast an exciting offense, ranking fifth in the 2022 season with 26.6 points per game. That mark climbed to a league-leading 33.1 at home. This is a great offense to grab a piece of and no one here thinks Brock Wright is a fantasy-relevant threat. And Detroit needs some additional firepower at the season’s start with Jameson Williams suspended for six games.

Outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions don’t have standout producers to start. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are solid receiving options out of the backfield but not to D’Andre Swift’s degree. At least as far as median projections are concerned. Get LaPorta as a way into Detroit’s offensive upside at a position where it’s essentially top-8 production or “bust” (aka streaming).

Cade Otton (TB), TE37

The Bucs inspire little confidence going into 2023, what with an uncertain QB competition and a disappointing ‘22 campaign. But volume and opportunity still count, no matter what the uniform says. While I like Payne Durham in the long-term for Tampa, this should be Otton’s show in 2023.

Otton’s rookie year was helped along by Tom Brady’s NFL-leading (and career-high) 733 pass attempts. The Washington alum would catch 42-of-65 targets for 391 yards and two scores over 16 games, but inconsistency seemingly drew Brady’s ire at times (understandable) and Otton’s weekly floor remained low.

Between Weeks 4-10, Otton was the TE10 in PPR formats as one of six tight ends with over 275 yards in said window. The encouraging piece was their willingness to utilize him in the slot. But Tampa’s Week 11 bye was followed by a goose egg, and Otton wouldn’t top 30 yards again over their final seven games.

There’s no putting lipstick on a pig and saying Tampa will be a Cinderella story. But trailing often should lift the passing volume a touch and could give us a store-brand version of the 2022 Lions. As long as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are out there then no secondary would ever give Otton a spotlight.

(Those understandably unenamored with Otton should be sure to give Tyler Conklin, Hayden Hurst, Irv Smith Jr., Hunter Henry, and Noah Fant a long look in the TE27-31 band.)



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

Boston Red Sox

Brandon Clarke Earns Call To High-A
Boston Red Sox

Hayden Mullins Joining Double-A
Kristian Campbell

Stuffs Stat Sheet In Win
Franklin Arias

Promoted To High-A
Nolan Jones

Only Source Of Offense Sunday
Jordan Sprinkle

Heading To High-A
Braden Montgomery

Promoted To High-A
J.P. Crawford

Launches Second Homer
Chayce McDermott

Struggles In First Rehab Start
Anthony Volpe

Picks Up Two More Knocks In Nightcap
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Erik Swanson

Starting Rehab Assignment On Tuesday
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Wade Miley

Exits Rehab Outing On Sunday
Yordan Alvarez

Smacks Third Home Run
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Roman Anthony

Dealing With Foot Injury
Andrew McCutchen

Picks Up Four Hits In Loss
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Slade Cecconi

Throws Bullpen On Sunday
Geraldo Perdomo

Homers, Swipes Two Bags
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Matt Wallner

Could Miss Most Of May
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Ceddanne Rafaela

Racks Up Five RBI In Rout Of Guardians
George Kirby

Set To Throw Live Batting Practice On Monday
Connor Norby

Collects Three Hits, Homers
Ivan Demidov

Has Historic Outing In Game 4
Timo Meier

Records Two Points Sunday
Andrei Svechnikov

Nets Hat Trick In Game 4 Win
Leon Draisaitl

Caps Off Four-Point Effort With First Postseason Overtime Goal
Connor Hellebuyck

Gets Pulled Again
Alexandre Carrier

Fails To Finish Game 4
Tyler Tucker

Makes Early Exit Sunday
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Frederik Andersen

Exits Game 4 With Injury
Jake Neighbours

Shines On Sunday With Three Points
Jordan Binnington

Makes 30 Saves In Game 4 Victory
Patrik Laine

Not Expected To Play In Game 4
Sam Montembeault

Labeled Day-To-Day
Aliaksei Protas

Considered A Game-Time Decision Sunday
Logan Thompson

A Game-Time Call Sunday
Max Brosmer

Minnesota Adds Insurance With Max Brosmer

Donovan Edwards Inks Deal With Jets
Nick Nash

Signs With The Falcons
Cam Ward

Xavier Restrepo Reunites With Cam Ward In Tennessee
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
William Nylander

Posts Two Assists In Losing Effort
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Jake Sanderson

Keeps Senators Alive With Overtime Winner
Mackenzie Blackwood

Records First Postseason Shutout
Gabriel Landeskog

Scores First Goal In Nearly Three Years
Ivan Barbashev

Gives Vegas Vital Win
Nikita Kucherov

Records Three Assists In Game 3 Win
Troy Stecher

Cleared For Sunday
Jimmy Butler III

Ruled Out On Saturday
Isaiah Stewart

Questionable For Sunday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 4
Jrue Holiday

Won't Play On Sunday
Quinn Ewers

Dolphins Select Quinn Ewers In Seventh Round
Mitchell Robinson

Questionable For Game 4 Versus Detroit
Michael Porter Jr.

Available On Saturday Night
Russell Westbrook

Won't Suit Up For Game 4
Riley Leonard

Drafted By Colts Saturday
Will Howard

Steelers Select Will Howard In Sixth Round Of NFL Draft
Kyle McCord

Eagles Add Kyle McCord To Quarterback Room
Ollie Gordon II

Miami Adds Ollie Gordon II To Backfield
Oronde Gadsden II

Chargers Add KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Oronde Gadsden II To Offense
DJ Giddens

Colts Add DJ Giddens To Backfield
Jaydon Blue

Dallas Cowboys Draft Jaydon Blue In Fifth Round
Jordan Watkins

49ers Add Jordan Watkins To Offense
Shedeur Sanders

Browns Trade Up To Select Shedeur Sanders In The Fifth Round
Sam Howell

Seahawks Trade Sam Howell To Vikings
Elic Ayomanor

Titans Continue To Address Offense, Select Elic Ayomanor
Jalen Royals

Chiefs Bolster Receiver Room With Jalen Royals
Jaylin Lane

Commanders Add Jaylin Lane To Wide Receiver Room
Dylan Sampson

Browns Select Dylan Sampson With 126th Pick
Gunnar Helm

Titans Use Fourth-Round Pick On Gunnar Helm
Jarquez Hunter

Rams Select Jarquez Hunter In Fourth Round
Darius Garland

Won't Suit Up For Game 3
Darius Garland

Unavailable For Pregame Warmup
Jrue Holiday

Classified As "Day-To-Day"
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF