My 2015 Fantasy Football Sleepers by Fantasy Rakers (Guest Post)

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Nowadays, the definition of the word “sleeper” as it pertains to Fantasy Football has become quite loose. Many experts and analysts group players with upside that had disappointing seasons or injuries over the last year or two into that bucket. While high value players acquired lower in the draft can clearly make a team much better, scouting and picking players by looking for specific characteristics and using your instincts is what separates the boys from the men, and yields consistent Fantasy success year over year. Picking up Eli Manning this year in Round 5 because everyone hates him and he has a top 5 receiving core in the league along with a 6’6″ tight end in Larry Donnell does not make you a fantasy guru.

With that in mind, I give you my 4 favorite Fantasy Sleepers in 2015.

Teddy Bridgewater

Putting the facts first, Teddy is coming off a season in which he threw 14 TDs, 12 INT’s, 2,919 Yds in 13 games. Not eye popping, but it’s the progression that is most important. In the last 5 games of the season, Teddy had a 72.1% completion percentage. He also had a QB rating of 103, and 8.79 yds per attempt which was second to Russell Wilson in that final 5 game stretch.

Where it gets interesting is where you think of this progression, and then factor in the return of ALL DAY Adrian Peterson, and the addition of Mike Wallace. AP is going to add SO MUCH to this offense. I legitimately would consider taking him 1 overall, but that’s another discussion. Cordarrelle Patterson will also stretch the field quite nicely.

All of this taken into consideration, Teddy is projecting as the 16th QB overall in the draft, so he could easily be a later round snag with strong backup potential and tremendous upside. Looking forward to seeing how this season unfolds.

John Brown

John Brown caught 185 passes for 3,380 yards and 34 TDs at Pittsburg State, ran a 4.34 40 in the combine, and continued to impress in preseason last year when he hauled in 10 passes for 165 and a TD. Last year was a bit rough for Brown, who dealt with a messy situation at QB, caught less than 50% of his targets, and only managed to eclipse the 100 yard mark once all season. He was the 3rd option to Floyd and Larry Fitz.

Sources say that Brown has been putting in WORK this offseason, and has reportedly gained 10 lbs of straight muscle. He is still ridiculously quick and explosive off the line, making him a serious threat off the line of scrimmage. Larry Fitz is only getting older, and Michael Floyd has really never been all that impressive. With an improvement in Arizona’s QB situation, look for John Brown to be a steal of a sleeper with an ADP hovering around 155 overall, and the 51st receiver in the draft.

Breshad Perriman

Breshad Perriman was drafted by Baltimore in the 2015 draft. Coming off a 50-1044-9 season at UCF and a 4.3 40 in the combine, Perriman is looked at as a greener replacement to Torrey Smith. He will need work without a doubt, but with his speed and Joe Flacco‘s love for the deep ball, Perriman has high upside given his ADP of the 44th receiver overall, and with Steve Smith‘s old age seemingly cramping his back half production in a major way. Not much more analysis here given where we are in OTA’s, but definitely keep him on your radar leading up to your drafts, and consider him as early as the 8th or 9th round in 12 man leagues.

Josh Hill

Some analysts are saying Hill is loosing his tag as a sleeper, yet he is still sitting at the 13th tight end to be drafted overall when averaging the ADP’s of ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, and FFC. For those who are still unaware of Hill’s existence, he is projecting as the starting TE for the New Orleans Saints. Jimmy Graham is gone, and old habits are hard to break, especially when you may not have to break them.

If Brees can connect with Hill early, he really won’t have much competition for targets aside from Brandin Cooks. Hill had 5 TD’s last year on 20 targets and 14 receptions, so there was definitely some confidence there going into OTA’s, and you can be rest assured that Hill and Brees will be putting in extra snaps to get that rhythm going. The tight end position is a black hole as any experienced player knows, and I could easily see hill finishing in the top 6 in terms of TE productivity. Even if the cat is out of the bag on Hill, as long as he’s being valued low, you should pounce on him.

What to y’all think? Who are your top Fantasy Sleepers this year? Be sure to comment, drop me a line, swing by my site FantasyRakers.com or follow me on Twitter @fantasyrakers, and keep coming to Going For 2 for your expert Fantasy Football insight.

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