Fantasy Football 2023: Most Exciting Sleepers to Target in Mock Drafts

An NFL game will take place for the first time in six months when the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns take part in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game.

That means the bulk of this season's fantasy football drafts are around the corner, and this year is a unique one in that the NFL's shift to more pass-happy offenses is reflecting itself in early rankings, where wide receivers are going early and often.

So there may be a race to obtain pass-catchers early on. However, the key to the back end of draft will always be selecting those sleepers who could end up winning your league.

Last year, players such as Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams (now of the New Orleans Saints), Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and New York Jets wideout Garrett Wilson all dominated despite being late-round projections.

We'll soon find out who emerges this season, but here's a take on one potential sleeper for quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end.

Fantasy Football Calculator's ADP (average draft position) rankings for 12-team PPR (point-per-reception) leagues will be used.

The rule of thumb for sleepers here was that no choice could have an ADP from the first 10 rounds.

Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith

AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith looks to make a throw during a "Back Together Weekend" event at the NFL football team's training facility, Sunday, July 30, 2023, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

You may be asking yourself why a player like Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who was nothing short of spectacular en route to NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors last year, finds himself on a sleeper list.

The fact of the matter is that Smith has a 13th-round ADP. Nineteen quarterbacks are ranked above him in fantasy. That's despite Smith scoring the fifth-most points among all signal-callers in 2022.

Sure, there's potential that Smith is a flash in the pain after bouncing around the NFL for a better part of a decade (mainly as a backup) before flourishing with the Seahawks.

But he just led the league with a 69.8 completion percentage and has three bona fide studs at wide receiver (DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba). Brandon Thorn of Establish the Run also ranks Seattle's offensive line as the ninth-best unit in football. Why can't Smith run it back?

At No. 5 overall, the Seahawks had a chance to trade up for a potential star quarterback in this year's draft, which saw Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson go in the top four. They didn't go that route and instead invested around Smith on both sides of the ball. The Seahawks clearly believe in him, and it might be time for others too as well.

Cleveland Browns RB Jerome Ford

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Cleveland Browns' Jerome Ford catches the ball on a a kickoff during an NFL football practice, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Josh Norris of Underdog Fantasy has been banging the drum on Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford for months now, and it's clear why that's the case. RB2 is open in Cleveland after the Browns let Kareem Hunt walk, and Ford is in line to take his place.

As Norris noted, Hunt amassed 123 carries and 44 targets last year. Ford can fill that volume void as a backup to starter Nick Chubb.

Despite the potential opportunities, Ford has a 14th-round ADP. That's simply too low for what the ex-Cincinnati Bearcat can be in Cleveland.

Granted, Ford-for-Hunt may not be a one-for-one comparison. Perhaps the Browns end up giving Chubb more work or giving a running back deeper on the depth chart more looks.

However, Browns general manager Andrew Berry has said that they drafted Ford in 2022 for his receiving ability, and it figures he gets those looks here. He didn't get a ton of work in that regard in school (21 catches for 220 yards and a touchdown), but Ford was also incredibly efficient (6.1 yards per carry in his career) and could easily fill the Hunt role in Cleveland.

New York Giants WR Jalin Hyatt

Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 01: Jalin Hyatt #84 of the New York Giants during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on August 1, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The guess is that New York Giants rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt wins a lot of people fantasy leagues with dominant late-season performances.

Yes, he entered the league with plenty of questions about his route-running, and it's not common for third-round draft picks to just come in and take the league by storm.

But you can't ignore what's going on at training camp right now between his incredible speed (clocked at 24 mph in camp), his first-team reps, his playmaking ability and his post-practice work with quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Giants have a host of people to work into the offense, and tight end Darren Waller is looking like he may lead the team in targets. Wide receivers Parris Campbell, Isaiah Hodgins and Darius Slayton are also due work at minimum on a team that has a bunch of other pass-catchers on the roster too.

That being said, Hyatt was a gamebreaker at Tennessee (1,267 yards, 15 touchdowns last year) and he has the potential to offer Jones another deep threat (alongside Slayton) as well. Simply put, Hyatt may just force the Giants' hands into keeping him on the field. That would make him a massive steal for someone not even ranked in FantasyPros' top-75 wideout rankings in ADP right now.

Los Angeles Chargers TE Gerald Everett

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COSTA MESA, CA - MAY 22: Los Angeles Chargers tight end Gerald Everett (7) runs a drill during the team's OTA practice on May 22, 2023, at the Hoag Performance Center in Costa Mesa, CA. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Last season, Everett finished as a fringe TE1, amassing the 13th-most points per game at his position. That's despite the Chargers deploying a disappointing offense which finished 13th in points per game.

After an offensive coordinator change, ex-Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore is running the show, and he figures to bring the fireworks to L.A. In four years as Dallas' OC, the Cowboys finished top six in points three times and No. 2 in passing yards twice. L.A.'s offense figures to be more vertical, and that can only benefit everyone involved.

The argument against Everett is that this team has a lot of mouths to feed between running back Austin Ekeler and a quartet of wideouts in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston.

On the flip side, Everett is the 14th tight end off the boards right now at a 12th-round ADP. He has clear TE1 upside in fantasy after a year where he still posted respectable numbers and got plenty of looks on 84 targets in an up-and-down offense (58 receptions for 555 yards and four scores).

If the Bolts' offense blossoms under Moore, expect more opportunities for the tight end.