With Fantasy Football season just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about which players to take in drafts. Which players should you avoid, and which ones are draft day targets? Ultimately, it is crucial to have a plan of attack before the draft so you are not left questioning every decision at every turn. One of the more underrated aspects of drafts is the later rounds, where owners can often find sleeper players at a cheap price. In this article, I'll analyze five deep sleepers that are capable of putting up Big Numbers this year.
1. David Njoku (Cleveland Browns TE)
I almost never suggest drafting a Cleveland Browns player, simply because they often don't score enough fantasy points to warrant spending a draft pick on them. I also hate drafting rookies, who never seem to live up to expectations. But I'll make an exception for the underrated Njoku, who has shined in practices and seems to be developing chemistry with Browns quarterbacks. Pretty much nobody thinks Njoku is capable of being a high quality fantasy tight end next year, so the price is low. Take a chance and draft the underrated Browns tight end.
2. Mike Gillislee (New England Patriots RB)
ESPN doesn't think Gillislee can really be a good fantasy football running back, but someone has to get the production that Blount is leaving behind.
The most likely candidate for goal line touches is Gillislee, and that alone is enough to consider drafting the New England Patriots running back. Don't forget that Gillislee also averaged over 5 yards per carry last season, and is actually a very talented runner.
3. Cameron Meredith (Chicago Bears WR)
The Bears weren't good last year, but Meredith was definitely one of the bright spots.
He scored double digit fantasy points in his last four games in Chicago, and emerged clearly as the number one option without Alshon Jeffery on the field. Kevin White hasn't yet proved he is capable of taking the number one receiver role, so that means Meredith still has it. Usually a number one wide receiver on any team can put up some solid numbers, and Meredith continues to be ignored by fantasy football owners.
4. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals QB)
Anybody who has played fantasy before should know that quarterbacks are a dime a dozen. That's why you shouldn't be spending picks on guys like this, and should instead focus on sleeper quarterbacks like Dalton. Andy Dalton wasn't great last season, but that was partially due to an injury to Tyler Eifert, who was one of his favorite targets two years ago. Now, nobody is even interested in the Bengals quarterback. Fantasy owners looking for a sleeper quarterback in 2017 should consider drafting Dalton, who is more than capable of finishing in the top 10 of scoring among quarterbacks.
