With fantasy football draft time starting to roll, here are some deep sleepers to have on your radar for 2016.
Quarterback-Mark Sanchez, Denver Broncos
Sanchez is little more than a punchline at this point, and his grip on the starting job in Denver seems tenuous. That said, he posted 13 fantasy points (ESPN scoring) in each of his two starts for the Philadelphia Eagles last year and the year before with the Eagles he topped 290 passing yards in five of eight starts (four 300-yard games).
The Broncos are likely to be a run-heavy offense, but Sanchez has two good wide receivers to throw to and Gary Kubiak‘s offense has proven to be quarterback-friendly. With a ADP completely off the grid right now, it’s all upside to have Sanchez on a roster as a low-end QB2 in 12 and 14-team leagues.
Running Back-David Cobb, Tennessee Titans
A calf injury delayed Cobb’s NFL debut in 2015, and he didn’t do much until Week 17 with 19 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts. DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry are now clearly ahead of Cobb on the depth chart, and he’s possibly on the roster bubble entering training camp. But if Murray disappoints again, and Henry struggles, there’s a possible path to playing time in an offense that Titans’ head coach Mike Mularkey has called “exotic smashmouth.”
Cobb showed he can handle a big workload over his final two college seasons at Minnesota, with 2,828 rushing yards on 551 carries over that span. He’s deep league flier for 2016 right now, and a sneaky roster hold in dynasty leagues.
Wide Receiver-Seth Roberts, Oakland Raiders
Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are clearly Oakland’s top two wide receivers, but Roberts had 17 receptions (on 26 targets) for 241 yards and three touchdowns over the final seven games of 2015 and is clearly the team’s No. 3 wide receiver. Quarterback Derek Carr recently talked up Roberts’ route running last season, and he’s an injury away from a starting job with some appeal right off the bat this year in deeper leagues.
Tight End-Vance McDonald, San Francisco 49ers
After totaling just seven receptions and 11 targets over his first seven games in 2015, McDonald had 23 catches (35 targets) for 281 yards and three touchdowns over seven games with Blaine Gabbert starting under center. Beyond Torrey Smith the 49ers have big question marks at wide receiver, so McDonald has a legit chance to be No. 2 in the pecking order for targets and a potential TE1 for fantasy owners.
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