Fantasy Football 2015: Ranking the 10 Best Sleepers for PPR Leagues
The 2015 NFL preseason is just over two weeks away, which means that the fantasy-draft season is upon us.
For the serious fantasy footballer, there is no better time of year unless, of course, you manage to actually win your league. Those few weeks when you can use a fantasy title to mock and belittle your co-workers, friends and loved ones can feel pretty terrific, after all.
Today, we're here to help you win your league by providing an extended look at the top 10 sleepers for season-long points-per-reception (PPR) leagues. These are the underrated pass-catchers you should target in the later rounds of your draft to help propel your team to fantasy glory.
Factors used to help rank these players include past production, current situation and projected draft status. In other words, the better the potential value, the higher the ranking.
What Does a PPR Sleeper Look Like?
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By now, experienced fantasy owners are familiar with the PPR scoring system. For the uninitiated, however, we'll give a crash course in the concept.
In standard fantasy leagues, players are typically awarded points for receiving yardage (often one point per 10 yards), receiving touchdowns (usually six points) and for two-point conversions (two points, obviously). In PPR leagues, players can usually earn one point for each reception on top of the scoring methods previously mentioned.
For example, wide receiver Andre Johnson would have scored fewer fantasy points last season than receiver Terrance Williams in most standard scoring leagues.
| Receptions x 0 Points | Yards x 0.1 Points | TDs x 6 Points | Fumbles x -2.0 Points | Total Points | |
| Williams | 0 | 62.1 | 48 | 0 | 110.1 |
| Johnson | 0 | 93.6 | 18 | -6 | 105.6 |
In a PPR league, however, Johnson's 85 receptions would give him a big edge over a player like Williams, who scored often but caught far fewer passes.
| Receptions x 1 points | Yards x 0.1 Points | TDs x 6 Points | Fumbles x -2.0 Points | Total Points | |
| Williams | 37 | 62.1 | 48 | 0 | 147.1 |
| Johnson | 85 | 93.6 | 18 | -6 | 190.6 |
Here's a hint: Johnson is not a fantasy sleeper.
Some leagues will award bonus points for things like long receptions (25-plus yards, for example) or 100-yard games. Be sure to check your league's scoring settings before drafting.
To find PPR sleepers, we're looking at players ranked no higher than 90th overall based on average draft position (ADP). All ADP values here are from FantasyPros.com.
10. Andrew Hawkins, WR, Cleveland Browns
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We're kicking off our list with a deep, deep sleeper who isn't even ranked among the top 246 players, according to ADP.
We're talking about Cleveland Browns slot receiver Andrew Hawkins.
Hawkins isn't going to be a popular choice on draft day because there is a ton of uncertainty surrounding the Josh McCown-led Cleveland Browns offense this season. However, there is reason to believe Hawkins can be a major PPR star.
His combination of reliability and explosiveness makes him the best overall receiving option on Cleveland's roster. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com recently listed Hawkins at No. 5 on his list of top NFL slot receivers and wrote the following:
"Hawkins is an electric open-field runner with the balance, body control and elusiveness to weave through traffic with the ball in his hands. Browns quarterbacks were unable to take full advantage of Hawkins' skills last year, but he could become a dominant playmaker in the new offense of John DeFilippo, which features more catch-and-run opportunities.
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Hawkins spent most of last season out of position as an outside receiver, but he still produced a respectable 63 receptions for 824 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
He was an even better PPR producer before the Cleveland offense, and really the Browns as a whole fell apart with five straight losses to end the season.
Hawkins played in 10 games over the first 12 weeks of the 2014 season and averaged five receptions and 69.4 yards per game in that span. Expect similar consistent production from Hawkins throughout the 2015 season.
9. Danny Woodhead, RB, San Diego Chargers
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How has a 5'8", 200-pound running back from Chadron State managed to last in the NFL for seven seasons? He's lasted because his name is Danny Woodhead and he happens to be a versatile football player.
Woodhead was lost after three games and a broken fibula in 2014, which might be why he sits at 117th overall. Well, there's that, and there's the fact the San Diego Chargers just spent a first-round draft pick on Melvin Gordon.
However, Woodhead has always been a depth player. Being a backup didn't stop him from racking up 76 receptions and more than 1,000 combined yards when healthy in 2013, and it won't stop him from producing this season.
In 2013, Woodhead was rated second overall among running backs as a receiver by Pro Football Focus.
Gordon will likely be the primary runner, but he comes to San Diego with just 22 collegiate receptions. As a rookie, he may not see much work in passing situations. Now healthy, Woodhead should resume his role as the primary receiving back in the Chargers offense.
Avoid Woodhead in standard-scoring leagues, but try stashing him on your bench if your league plays by PPR rules.
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8. Kendall Wright, WR, Tennessee Titans
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We're putting Tennessee Titans receiver Kendall Wright on our list because there has to be some hope that rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota can be an improvement over the abomination that was the Titans' passing attack of 2014.
Sure, the Titans averaged 213.2 passing yards per game last season, but the team was also often playing from behind. According to Pro Football Focus, they actually had the fourth-worst passing game in the league.
Yet, receiver Kendall Wright still managed to produce 57 receptions for 715 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games last season. With all due respect to Clipboard Jesus, we think Mariota can make Wright a more productive player in 2015.
When healthy two years ago, Wright amassed 94 receptions for 1,079 yards with two touchdowns. If Mariota really is an improvement at the quarterback position, Wright could easily see another 90-catch season.
His current ADP is just 111th overall. This makes grabbing him a nearly ideal bye-week and injury-replacement plan.
There is some risk with Wright because we don't yet know what to expect from Mariota. However, there is also a lot of PPR potential here, which is why Wright has to be considered a sleeper.
7. Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
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Next up is Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, who is coming off a season essentially lost to a dislocated elbow. He should be considered a sleeper in PPR leagues.
He appeared in just one game last season, but he is making this list because a healthy Eifert will be replacing Jermaine Gresham in the Cincinnati offense this season.
Last season, Gresham hauled in 62 passes for 460 yards and five scores. Those passes and probably more will now be going to the 6'6", 250-pound Eifert. The Notre Dame product proved he is an NFL producer as a rookie in 2013, when he caught 42 passes for 445 yards and two scores despite playing with Gresham.
With Gresham out of the picture, Eifert is largely the first and only real option.
"After Eifert, the Bengals have zero NFL snaps between backups [Tyler] Kroft, [C.J.] Uzomah, Jake Murphy, Matt Lengel and John Peters," Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com recently wrote of the situation. "Looking at projected depth charts across the NFL, the Bengals are the only team with a rookie as their No. 2 tight end."
Eifert should see a heavy workload at tight end, which is why he should be more valuable than his ADP of 129th overall would suggest.
There is some risk, of course, because it can be difficult to predict how a player will respond to injury. The good news is that Eifert is back up to his playing weight and the Bengals expect him to hold up physically like he did in 2013, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
6. Owen Daniels, TE, Denver Broncos
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There used to be a time when any pass-catcher on a Peyton Manning-led offense was considered a viable fantasy option. This could change now that Gary Kubiak is bringing his balanced-offense philosophy to the Denver Broncos.
However, this shouldn't take away from the value of tight end Owen Daniels, who has played in Kubiak's system his entire nine-year career. In fact, it could mean a big rise in production for Owens, who will almost certainly be the primary pass-catcher at tight end in 2015.
He caught 48 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns last season with the Baltimore Ravens. If Manning learns to trust Owens in critical situations, his numbers could rise significantly.
There is a reason why former Broncos tight end Julius Thomas racked up 108 receptions and 24 touchdowns over the past two seasons, and its name is Peyton.
Yet, Daniels' ADP sits at 143rd overall and 17th among tight ends, which means you can draft him as a bench player and then act surprised when Kubiak starts feeding him the football.
Joe Redemann of NumberFire.com recently wrote the following:
"His only [healthy] season since his rookie year where he would have accumulated less than 90 targets would have been 2014, where he was playing second fiddle to Dennis Pitta for part of the season. Add six more balls thrown his way, and that’s a pace of 90 or more targets every year for the last eight years consecutively; that just doesn’t happen for tight ends.
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Expect Daniels to be a major piece of the Broncos offense in 2015, so make him a piece of your fantasy team.
5. Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints
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Except for perhaps age, there really doesn't seem to be much reason for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston to be receiving so much fantasy disrespect this offseason.
Yes, he's 32 and was largely overshadowed by Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills last season. Should this really drop his ADP down to 116th overall?
Here's a little news for you: Graham and Stills are no longer with the team.
Colston racked up 59 receptions, 902 yards and five touchdowns in 2014 when Graham and Stills were battering defenses. He'll be splitting catches with promising second-year man Brandin Cooks, but there isn't a ton of depth after these two, and Colston has nine years worth of chemistry with quarterback Drew Brees.
Brees, by the way, was ranked second overall among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus last season.
Colston logged at least 75 receptions in each of the five years prior to 2014. Expect him to reclaim his spot as Brees' favorite target in critical situations and in the red zone now that Graham is a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
4. Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders
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Now that the Oakland Raiders have potentially found a franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, it's time to start looking to the Bay Area for fantasy candidates once again.
Wide receiver Michael Crabtree is an interesting sleeper because he is a capable pass-catcher and immediately becomes either the No. 1 or No. 2 wideout in Oakland opposite rookie Amari Cooper.
"Crabtree has been awesome, not only just on the field, but in the locker room,” Carr recently told 95.7 FM in San Francisco, per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “He’s such a great teammate. I love the guy. I talk to him all the time. We’re always talking about the game. We’re always talking ball."
The rookie Cooper is going to be the popular choice on draft day, but Crabtree is the seasoned veteran on the roster and a true PPR sleeper. His ADP sits at 164th overall, more than 100 spots lower than Cooper's.
Crabtree hauled in 68 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns last season. He has averaged just less than five receptions per game over the past four seasons.
There will likely be more passing going on in Oakland than Crabtree ever saw with the San Francisco 49ers thanks to a running game (77.5 yards per game) and a defense (28.2 points per game allowed) that were both last in the league a season ago. Expect his production to rise accordingly.
3. John Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals
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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver John Brown was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, catching 48 passes for 696 yards and five touchdowns in 2014.
These types of numbers don't necessarily make Brown look like a prime PPR-sleeper candidate. The fact that he produced these numbers largely with backup quarterbacks Drew Stanton and Ryan Lindley, however, does.
Starting quarterback Carson Palmer appeared in just six games a season ago, but he is now healthy, and the Arizona passing attack should be much more efficient in 2015 because of it.
Matt Harmon of NFL.com recently predicted that Brown will far outperform his ADP this season, citing the receiver's relationship with Palmer and his ability to thrive in Bruce Arians' offense as primary reasons why. Harmon even went so far as to write the following:
"Palmer certainly recognizes that there is a ton of room for improvement in this player that just found his way to the NFL from a Division II college. So should fantasy owners. Larry Fitzgerald is still a capable veteran, and Michael Floyd has some yet untapped upside. Still, it is well within the range of possibility that John Brown is universally regarded as the best Cardinals receiver by this time next year.
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Brown's ADP is 102nd overall, which puts him behind both Fitzgerald and Floyd. If Brown really does follow the path of former Arians proteges like T.Y. Hilton and Antonio Brown, then he will be well worth a middle- or late-round selection.
2. Anquan Boldin, WR, San Francisco 49ers
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Age discrimination is an ugly thing in the real world, but it can buy you some real value in fantasy football.
While everyone is being wowed by young first- and second-year superstar receivers, seasoned veterans like San Francisco 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin are being criminally undervalued.
Boldin has an ADP of 94th overall and is 42nd among receivers. It's difficult to believe that 41 wideouts are going to outproduce Boldin in PPR formats.
Evan Silva of Rotoworld (via Yahoo Sports) recently wrote the following:
"Barring an unforeseen fall off the age cliff, Boldin is headed for another season of 125-plus targets, and perhaps more if San Francisco trails on the scoreboard as often as many expect. In some respects, the addition of lid-lifter Torrey Smith could be seen as a net positive for Boldin, clearing out coverage on the perimeter.
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Boldin racked up 1,062 yards and five touchdowns last season on 83 receptions. He has had at least 80 receptions in each of the past two seasons and has averaged 78 receptions per season for the past decade.
He is the epitome of consistent fantasy production, which is why sleeping on him would be a huge mistake, even if he is nearing 35 years of age.
1. Steve Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens
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"Old" is the new "unproven" in fantasy football circles. Where it once was a good idea to take a late-round flier on a first-year pass-catcher, it is now smart to use that flier on a guy who could soon be flashing his AARP card.
Take 36-year-old Baltimore Ravens receiver Steve Smith Sr., for example. He racked up 79 receptions for 1,065 yards and six scores in 2014. Yet, his current ADP is 99th overall, 13 spots below teammate and rookie receiver Breshad Perriman.
Perriman has physical potential, sure, but he has no NFL experience. Smith is going to be the guy quarterback Joe Flacco trusts.
Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports recently explained why Smith is still a solid fantasy option:
"Some within the "expert" community are gaga over Breshad Perriman. The rookie's muscular frame and fleet feet are certainly attractive. However, he struggled with drops in mini-camp and overall sports a green route tree. With the Torrey Smith roadshow of underachievement now playing in San Francisco and Owen Daniels also out of the picture, Smith Sr. and Justin Forsett are Joe Flacco's only reliable options. The trash-talking target, who ranked No. 13 in yards per route run in a more conservative scheme last year, is primed for another 125-plus looks.
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Smith's situation makes him a valuable sleeper in PPR leagues. With there being few other reliable options and pass-happy Marc Trestman taking over the Baltimore offense, Smith's receptions may actually climb in 2015.
The setting is seemingly perfect for Smith to become one of the biggest steals of your fantasy draft.
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