The term “sleeper” has different meanings for different people in the world of fantasy football. Some folks believe it’s simply a player who will outperform his draft position. That would include the likes of Joe Burrow, Damien Harris or Michael Pittman Jr. in 2021. Others believe it’s a relative unknown or once forgotten player who emerges into a very useful fantasy option, such as Cordarrelle Patterson or Dalton Schultz.
However, I think there are different levels of sleeper value among NFL players.
For example, the athletes who I labeled as traditional sleepers are all likely to come off the board in the middle to late rounds. Then, you have another tier. I like to call them the “deep sleepers.” These are the players who have average draft positions (ADPs) in the double-digit rounds but could bring back some level of value based on their skills and potential offensive opportunities based on their respective team’s depth charts.
