We have officially entered the beginning of the fantasy football draft season, which has fantasy managers in search of the next big sleeper who can help elevate your team to a championship contender in 2024.
Here are some sleepers to target in the later rounds of your fantasy draft.
2024 Fantasy Football Sleepers
The term sleeper in the fantasy football world can be used quite loosely depending on the individual analyst’s definition of the word.
For this exercise, we’re going to qualify these sleeper options as players who are currently outside of the top 120 overall, according to ADP data. This means these players should regularly be available past the 10th round of your fantasy drafts.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After playing for three different teams in two years, most fantasy managers were not expecting much fantasy success from quarterback Baker Mayfield during his first campaign in Tampa, Fla., in 2023.
Well, not only did Mayfield help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play a winning brand of football last season, but he produced a career year across the board. His 4,044 passing yards and 28 passing TDs were career highs and helped him finish as the QB10 overall in 2023.
This may come as a bit of a surprise, but Mayfield threw for more touchdown passes than Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson last year. Some could argue that Mayfield played at a higher level in 2023 than Tom Brady’s final season with Tampa Bay in 2022.
Mayfield once again proved his toughness by playing through multiple injuries over the final month of the season and managed to win a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round, where he was excellent — throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns.
His strong season helped him secure a big payday with the Buccaneers this offseason, receiving a three-year deal to remain the starting quarterback in Tampa Bay.
It remains to be seen whether Mayfield can sustain his high level of play in consecutive years due to his injury history, the loss of his offensive coordinator (Dave Canales), and his record of inconsistent production over his six years in the NFL.
However, with the same cast of pass-catching characters returning with some improvement along the interior of the offensive line (namely with the selection of Graham Barton in the NFL Draft), Mayfield projects as a solid streaming option at the QB position in 2024.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
To give you a better idea of just how rough Bryce Young’s rookie season in Carolina was, he finished with fewer fantasy points than Joshua Dobbs. It is worth mentioning that Dobbs played three fewer games and changed teams in the middle of the season.
Young’s rookie season was so bad that his very future as the team’s franchise quarterback is likely at stake after throwing the same amount of touchdowns (11) last year as he had fumbles throughout his rookie season.
He failed to top 200 yards passing in 11 out of his 16 games and had eight contests where he failed to throw a touchdown pass. And for the cherry on top of the disaster cake, Young was sacked 62 times in 2023, which was the most of any quarterback in the league not named Sam Howell.
Now, it’s time to provide a little bit of context behind this whole mess.
Young had arguably the worst collection of pass-catchers in the league, his offensive line was inconsistent at best, and his first head coach in the NFL got fired in the middle of the season. That is a recipe for disaster for almost any quarterback, even a No. 1 overall pick.
One small bright spot for Young was his rushing contributions — he had 253 yards on the ground despite that not really being his game. Due to his receivers’ lack of separation, Young was forced to extend plays and hang in the pocket while going through his progressions to find somewhere to go with the football.
Young still showcased plenty of exceptional processing skills and anticipation. They weren’t enough to save his disastrous 2023 campaign, but the signs of him playing quarterback at a high level in the NFL were far from completely absent.
Fortunately, new head coach Dave Canales has made it a point to bring in a new crop of playmakers to surround Young with talent heading into Year 2. The additions of Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, and possibly Jonathon Brooks could all have a profoundly positive impact on the second-year signal-caller.
If these pieces can gel together to provide some easier snap-to-snap answers for Young in 2024, we could be reminded quite quickly why the Panthers traded up to the No. 1 pick to select the talented QB prospect in the first place.
Justin Fields, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
We are all well aware that Russell Wilson still has the inside track to being the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers when the 2024 NFL season begins. Yet, Justin Fields impressive training camp is going to make it incredibly difficult to keep on the bench for very long.
Fields has already showcased his elite fantasy ceiling over the last two years with a rushing production upside that few fantasy QBs can claim they possess. Additionally, he’s entering an offensive scheme under Arthur Smith, who isn’t afraid to utilize his quarterback in the running game.
In 2022, the Atlanta Falcons under Smith gave Marcus Mariota 4.5 designed QB runs (DQR) per game. Justin Fields averaged 6.06 DQR per game that season, but finished with 1,143 rushing yards to Mariota’s 438.
I say all that to say this: If Fields manages to take the starting role in Pittsburgh, he instantly becomes a top-10 fantasy option at quarterback. He has all fantasy upside at his current ADP of No. 200 overall in the 17th round.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants
The New York Giants’ offense isn’t one fantasy managers are rushing to invest in come draft day. The removal of Saquon Barkley, however, does make New York’s backfield one where a potential newcomer could emerge to carve out a significant role.
Devin Singletary’s signing this offseason does give him the inside track to the leading role, given his familiarity with Brian Daboll’s offensive scheme during their days together with the Buffalo Bills. Yet, rookie RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s explosive athleticism, exceptional creativity as a ball carrier, and pass-catching upside have me very intrigued at the end of the fantasy drafts.
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For those unfamiliar with Tracy’s college career path, he’s a converted wide receiver who made the switch heading into his final season at Purdue. This change had excellent results, with Tracy becoming one of the most elusive backs in the country with his short-area quickness, top-shelf lateral agility, and improved play strength after adding more than 10 pounds of muscle entering the last year of his college career.
Singletary is a quality running back, but he lacks the top-end speed to provide explosive plays in the running game at the same rate Tracy flashed during his limited time as an RB.
Additionally, Singletary’s career-high 216 carries in 2023 was coupled with a career-low 4.16 yards per carry. If Tracy can provide a spark to the Giants’ offense early in the season in a complementary role, it’s not that farfetched to suggest his role could expand exponentially throughout the season.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos
Second-year running backs that showed they can be highly efficient ball carriers during their rookie campaigns should be on your radar late in fantasy drafts.
On the surface, most are going to assume that Javonte Williams will lead Denver’s backfield again in 2024. Yet, jumping to that conclusion means you either expect Williams to be far more efficient than he was last year or the coaching staff that didn’t draft him is willing to overlook his lack of production on a per-touch basis for a second straight year.
Williams averaged 3.6 yards per carry in 2023, which is a far cry worse than Jaleel McLaughlin’s mark of 5.4 in his rookie year. Do these numbers require some context? Sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that the undrafted newcomer was the far more efficient and explosive ball carrier last year.
On the subject of explosive plays, McLaughlin had two more runs of 20+ yards than Williams on 141 fewer carries last year.
Unfortunately, Williams is likely not McLaughlin’s only competition for touches in this backfield. Samaje Perine caught 50 passes (19 more than McLaughlin) in 2023, and the Broncos selected the bruising running back from Notre Dame, Audric Estimé, on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Do these other backs and the lack of optimism surrounding the Broncos’ offense make a full-blown McLaughlin breakout season in 2024 a bit murkier? Sure, but the price tag for a highly efficient player in an undetermined backfield is exactly what has me so intrigued about his upside entering his second NFL season.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. may enter the 2024 season as the unquestioned alpha in Indianapolis’ WR room because of his 109 receptions for 1,152 yards and four scores on 156 targets in 2023, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook the other options in this passing attack in 2024.
The situation behind Pittman should not scare fantasy managers away from investing middle-round draft capital on rookie WR Adonai Mitchell heading into his rookie year.
Sure, Josh Downs had his fair share of moments as a rookie and should have a consistent role as a slot option. But his best games were with Gardner Minshew II under center, and Downs doesn’t exactly have the WR2 role locked down.
Don’t even get me started on Alec Pierce, whose immense snap share from last season is sure to evaporate with Mitchell now on the roster after posting a brutal 0.87 yards per route run in 2023.
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Mitchell entered this draft process with a somewhat polarizing prospect profile. His ideal size (6’2”, 205 pounds) and vertical speed (4.34-second 40-yard dash) give him an immediate opportunity to operate as an outside vertical playmaker.
In addition, Mitchell flashed exceptional fluidity and creativity as a route runner to consistently create separation at the breakpoint in college. This fit from a schematic standpoint is outstanding for both Richardson and the Colts’ offense.
One could even see a similar role for Mitchell to that of DeVonta Smith in Philadelphia — who thrived in Shane Steichen’s scheme as a vertical playmaking second option alongside A.J. Brown. Smith and Mitchell are different prospects, but they do share plenty of vertical speed and great route-running ability as an outside option in the passing game.
If Mitchell is on the football field over 90% of the time like Pierce was last season, fantasy managers should expect Mitchell to significantly outproduce Pierce’s 2023 output of just 32 receptions for 514 yards.
The volume is a bit tricky to pinpoint for Mitchell entering his rookie year, but the snap share opportunity, perfect schematic fit, great physical tools, and route-running nuance all set him up for a fantasy-relevant role in 2024. Downs suffering a high ankle sprain in early August does potentially open up more snaps and targets to start the year if Downs misses any time or isn’t 100% for the start of the season.
Mitchell’s ADP currently sits at No. 124 overall (WR60 off the board). Mitchell is being drafted behind other receivers like Brandin Cooks, Jakobi Meyers, and Dontavyion Wicks.
I will gladly take the chance on Mitchell and his upside in this offense over the receivers going in his range.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills
Through the first seven games of the 2023 season, Khalil Shakir looked like nothing more than a package-specific role player in the Buffalo Bills offense, with just eight receptions for 75 yards and one score as the WR103 in full-PPR formats.
Yet, Shakir’s expanded role and production against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9, which resulted in six receptions for 92 yards on six targets, led to his role significantly expanding over the back half of his second NFL season.
From Week 8 through the rest of the regular season, Shakir was the WR46 in full-PPR formats. He totaled 31 receptions for 536 yards and one score, with an average of 9.2 fantasy points per game through that span.
These may not be league-winning numbers, but this role alongside Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Dalton Kincaid certainly isn’t worth scoffing at either. In fact, Shakir actually outscored Davis during this span by 8.7 fantasy points.
When you look at Shakir’s overall production from 2023, he finished as the WR61 overall with 39 receptions for 611 yards and two scores. He took a nice step in the right direction last year, but he’s still a bit away from being a reliable fantasy starter based on those numbers alone.
One encouraging sign was Shakir’s average of 7.2 yards after the catch, which actually ranked third behind only Deebo Samuel Sr. and Rashee Rice among players with 30+ receptions in 2023. Both are in the conversation of the best RAC threats at the WR position in the NFL. Shakir can be a very dangerous player when he has the ball in his hands.
Entering 2024, the Bills have purged 241 targets, 152 receptions, 1,929 yards, and 15 touchdowns worth of receiving production off the roster this offseason with the departures of Diggs and Davis. While this is exciting for Shakir potentially seeing a bigger role in the passing game, this has been coupled with Buffalo signing Curtis Samuel and drafting Keon Coleman this offseason.
Samuel is a proven veteran with a similar skill set to Shakir, and Coleman has the physical tools to potentially operate outside as an X receiver but has some issues consistently creating separation.
In an ideal world, Shakir could see a similar role to Cole Beasley’s in 2020, when the former Bill finished as the WR27 with 82 receptions for 967 yards and four scores from 107 targets.
Shakir lined up in the slot for 69% of his snaps last year, which echoes Beasley’s usage in this offense during his best years with the Bills. Since Buffalo doesn’t have an established alpha target earner on the roster anymore, this certainly feels like it’s within the range of outcomes.
Shakir’s ADP of No. 129 overall (WR52 off the board) means fantasy managers aren’t quite convinced he’ll become a reliable fantasy starter in 2024. I don’t share those concerns.
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Shakir really emerged as a reliable option for Allen down the stretch. His great ability to create yards after the catch makes him a great potential option for Allen to find for easy completions with the lack of a true WR1 in this offense.
Ultimately, you want a piece of this Buffalo passing offense. Shakir is currently the cheapest option among all of the pass catchers on the Bills’ roster on fantasy draft day, so I want him on my team.
Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers
The TE position can always be a bit tricky to predict. It becomes even more difficult to project a breakout option at the position if there are two TEs in the same offense who showed plenty of promise in their rookie year.
Prior to suffering a lacerated kidney, Musgrave was dominating the snap share from the tight end position in this Green Bay offense and produced 32 receptions for 340 yards through the first nine games of his rookie year where he played more than 50% of the offensive snaps.
Tucker Kraft has already missed some time this training camp while dealing with a pectoral injury, which could give Musgrave another opportunity to establish himself at the top of this timeshare.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
Go ahead and roll your eyes at me if you would like, but the fantasy success we’ve seen from Taysom Hill at the TE position speaks for itself.
In full-PPR formats, Hill has finished as a top-12 option in three of his last four seasons. His TE12 overall finish in full-PPR formats in 2023 actually jumped all the way to TE7 in non-PPR formats.
Last year, Hill caught a career-high 33 passes for 291 yards. This matters because the team did not make any significant additions to the wide receiver or tight end rooms this offseason.
Hill also added to his fantasy value by rushing for 401 yards and four scores while throwing for 83 yards and a score in 2023.
The tight end position is deeper this season than it has been in years, but if you can accept some volatile performances — Hill can still be a valuable asset to your fantasy team with his slate-breaking upside on any given week.