Fantasy Football 2016: Funniest Preseason Team Names and Top Sleepers

Fantasy football names and sleepers are the key component of any good team.

Ever been in a league where a team with a boring name won the top prize? It's a loss for everyone, including the guy or gal who reeled in the trophy or whatever agreed upon rite of passage gets rewarded.

Along those lines, a team won't ever find itself in contention, no matter how great the team name, if an owner cannot nail down sleepers; not only to provide starter-type production if necessary, but to line the bench for those pesky bye weeks and injuries.

It's a balancing act, and quite the difficult one, with only so much time before the season begins. Here's some help via the hottest preseason team names and sleepers.

Funniest Preseason Team Names

Le’Veon a Prayer

The Pittsburgh Steelers need running back Le'Veon Bell this year and so do fantasy owners.

Unfortunately for all involved, Bell is looking at a four-game suspension for his second substance abuse violation. He will find out his fate around the team's second preseason game, per Sporting News' Alex Marvez.

Bell only mustered 83 points last year because he suited up in just six games, but it was yet another sampling of the elite production he can post—in four of those games he went for double-digit production.

Fantasy owners aren't going to stop drafting Bell simply because he could miss four games. If the suspension holds, he's looking at returning fresh. This name feels timely and adequate, with an all-time classic song as inspiration.

Here’s my Number, Call my Brady

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Look, one had to know some of the funniest team names this year would revolve around guys in a little bit of hot water. 

Look at New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. He's accepted a four-game suspension for his role in the well-publicized Deflategate scandal, giving fantasy owners a tougher decision than usual.

"I've just tried to move on from it," Brady said according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. "I'll be excited to be back when I'm back, and I'll be cheering our team and hopefully we'll go out and win every game."

Owners won't have an easy time with Brady's "personal decision" because last year he managed 23 or more points in seven games and failed to hit double digits just once.

Like Bell, owners won't stop drafting Brady. This team name in particular hits the funny bone with reference to Brady's alleged destroyed cell phone, though unlike Bell, it doesn't have roots in what could be called a "classic" song.

Honorable Mentions

Team name	Inspiration
Forgetting Brandon Marshall	Brandon Marshall
Walking Dez	Dez Bryant, The Walking Dead
Troubled Bridgewaters	Teddy Bridgewater

Top Sleepers

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Tennessee Titans

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The Marcus Mariota-Dorial Green-Beckham marriage looked like the wave of the future for the Tennessee Titans when the franchise selected both in the 2015 draft.

Owners knew better than to take a risk on DGB though. Hoping a rookie quarterback could dial in on one target often wasn't a good idea, especially with the evidence of iffy Titans passing games in the past. 

DGB wound up catching just 32 passes, though he did average better than 17 yards per and notched four touchdowns.

Owners can expect a better return this year since both players sport a year of experience. Because he has to spar with Harry Douglas and Kendall Wright for attention, DGB has an average draft position of 10.09, 48th among wideouts.

It's a smart move for owners to take advantage of this because the scrambling Mariota will seek out his biggest, most reliable target.

Marvin Jones, WR, Detroit Lions

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

It seems like owners have little respect for Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones.

He's boasting an average draft position of 9.02 right now, 40th among wideouts. It's an odd number after Jones posted 101 points last year with the Cincinnati Bengals. The receiver went for double digits four times in an offense where he was buried behind A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert, as well as the running game. 

Now Jones looks like one of the top targets in a Detroit offense that attempted 632 passes last year. Calvin Johnson is retired and tight end Eric Ebron suffered an injury in camp, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Jones is a guy who scored 10 touchdowns in 2013. Now he's arguably a No. 1 on a pass-first offense. He's likely to produce well above his ADP, so the savvy owners will grab him earlier.

Honorable Mentions

Name	Pos	Team
Tyrod Taylor	QB	BUF
Duke Johnson Jr.	RB	CLE
Sammie Coates	WR	PIT
Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE	TB

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. ADP courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator.