Fantasy Football 2016: Cheatsheet for Sleepers and Busts Heading into Your Draft

The Olympics rage on, European soccer has returned and college football is right around the corner, but let’s be honest: Your mind is on fantasy football.

Hey, I don’t blame you. My mind is there, too.

So let’s embark upon one of August’s most time-honored traditions: obsessing over potential sleepers and busts for the upcoming NFL season.

      

Sleepers

We won’t be going over each and every potential sleeper in great detail, but we’ll try to offer a brief look at why several of the players listed above are sleeper candidates.

    

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota each flashed major potential in their rookie seasons, so it’s hardly a stretch to think they’ll show improvement in 2016. Winston is the better passer, so his floor is higher. Mariota is a danger on the ground with his legs, so his ceiling is higher. Each has plenty to overcome to be considered a true fantasy option—Winston has to scale back the turnovers, Mariota has to stay healthy—but each could make a lot of noise in 2016.

Colin Kaepernick is the deepest of sleepers, but if he wins the starting job in San Francisco and adjusts to head coach Chip Kelly’s offense, he could be a fantasy monster given his ability on the ground. 

Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders continue to look better and better with each passing year. He had eight games with 17 or more fantasy points in standard-scoring leagues a year ago. Look for his consistency and output to continue to improve. Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Clive Walford give Carr a nice arsenal to utilize.

       

Running Backs

Here’s your theme for running back: look for younger players who could end up winning the starting job due to a lack of talent in front of them, injury-prone players ahead of them or a specific skill set that should give them a solid role in the offense. 

I love Duke Johnson this year, but don’t be surprised if he goes off the board in the middle rounds. Even then, he has the ability to be an RB2. Ameer Abdullah and Melvin Gordon should earn the early-down work in Detroit and San Diego, respectively, while players such as Paul Perkins are probably already the best players on the depth chart and should be the starters soon enough.

             

Wide Receiver

Few positions are as deep as wide receiver, so finding sleepers here is probably less important than at positions like running back or tight end. But pay attention to four groups of players:

Proven veterans due for bounce-back seasons (Torrey Smith). Young, talented players primed for breakout campaigns (DeVante Parker, Dorial Green-Beckham). Rookies or young players in excellent systems where they’ll get plenty of opportunities (Sterling Shepard, Michael Thomas, Sammie Coates). Josh Gordon. Because why not?

         

Tight Ends

Coby Fleener gets Drew Brees. Not a ton else needs to be said there.

Walford, meanwhile, showed signs as a rookie last season, and another year working with Carr should help him immensely. Every young quarterback needs a safety net. Walford could be a nice one, assuming he stays healthy.

Finally, Eric Ebron has been a bust thus far, but with Calvin Johnson gone, more red-zone targets should be heading his way. In general, players like Golden Tate, …

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