It feels absolutely amazing to be a week closer to football. The season is finally almost here, and while NFL squads have begun winding down the preseason & trimming their rosters, we here at home gather around our couches and plan winning moves in fantasy football. Months have been spent analyzing stats, scrutinizing team situations, and practically reading the tea leaves for what can give us an edge with our fantasy rosters come draft day. Now it all comes down to this, and with this list, I hope to shine a spotlight on a few sleepers I’m monitoring for the 2024 season.
For this write-up, I scoured ADP for ESPN, Sleeper, and NFL rankings and put together an ascending list of players who I believe will outperform current expectations based on where they’re being selected. I fully intend to revisit this article and see what panned out and what didn’t, at the season’s end. As of the publish date, these are the current rankings (since this changes on a whim).
2024 Fantasy Sleepers
Ben Sinnott, TE – Washington Commanders
Overall TE23
ESPN Ranking: 212 / Sleeper Ranking: 161 / NFL Ranking: 233
I, for one, am very high on Ben Sinnott. The 6’4″, 245-pound TE out of Kansas State was selected as the second TE overall in the 2024 class and did some steady if not spectacular work for the Wildcats, leading the team in 676 yards in 12 games as a senior. His profile and measurables are very similar to those of stars T.J. Hockenson and Sam LaPorta, both absolute gems in what has been years of a TE wasteland outside of the top few picks. After the season that rookie sensation LaPorta had in Detroit, there’s a drive to try and replicate as much of that production as possible (a steep hill, I know), and Sinnott would be my choice to get the closest.
Atop the depth chart in Washington sits veteran Zach Ertz, and while it is likely that Ertz draws targets as a safety net for rookie QB (and franchise-hope) Jayden Daniels, it’s clear by the Day 2 selection and his preseason performance that Sinnott will have a role going forward. Currently, the fantasy world is finally beginning to notice what he has the potential to do this year – but with an average ADP of 206.3, you can likely take a very late-round flyer on him and watch it pay dividends.
Geno Smith, QB – Seattle Seahawks
Overall QB24
ESPN Ranking: 200 / Sleeper Ranking: 200 / NFL Ranking: 196
Geno Smith is at an interesting point entering this season. Going from a breakout, career-reviving season in replacing franchise stalwart Russell Wilson, to the relatively disappointing follow-up in 2023, many (at least for fantasy football) have written Smith off. I’d argue the future is still bright for the 34-year-old former West Virginia Mountaineer, and it has to do with the plethora of weapons around him.
Smith still has the pleasure of airing the ball out to the likes of star wideouts D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, all while being bolstered by a healthy and re-quipped o-line, and a stellar run game with stud RBs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. It also helps that coaching has been revitalized in the Pacific Northwest, as head coach Mike McDonald claims the reigns, bringing in with him OC Ryan Grubb and his monster aerial attack out of the University of Washington.
The tools are in place for Smith and the offense, the roster is healthy, and the future is interestingly bright in Seattle – for these reasons, I think 2024 will be a great year for outperforming his expectations.
Will Levis, QB – Tennessee Titans
Overall QB23
ESPN Ranking: 202 / Sleeper Ranking: 191 / NFL Ranking: 216
There are not many people high on the Titans as we approach this upcoming season, and probably for good reason. They managed to lose the face of the franchise in Derrick Henry, did poorly enough to warrant the firing of coach Mike Vrabel, and have question marks in multiple areas of the roster. That didn’t outright stop the team from trying in the offseason under new coaching hire Brian Callahan however, as they pulled out the funds to sign free-agent additions Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd, upgrading the weapons available for Levis. With the veteran presence of DeAndre Hopkins added to the mix and the scheme Callahan brings from his time with Joe Burrow and company in Cincinnati, it doesn’t look all too shabby in Nashville here and now.
Oddly enough, it’s the addition of legendary coach Bill Callahan to steady the offensive line that has me the most curious about Levis and his upside. The senior Callahan has fielded some excellent units in his 46 years of experience and might be the best man possible to fix a unit ranked dead last in 2023. Levis has flashed in his short career so far, and with all of the resources available to him, he just might be worth considering when searching for a QB in the late rounds.
Jaylen Wright, RB – Miami Dolphins
Overall RB49
ESPN Ranking: 189 / Sleeper Ranking: 150 / NFL Ranking: 227
This might just be wishful thinking on my part, but I can’t help but feel pretty high on Wright and his situation in Miami this year. The rookie out of the University of Tennessee strikes me as Raheem Mostert 2.0, and we’ve seen how that played out under Mike McDaniel‘s offense last year. The problem however lies in the fact that, well – Mostert is still there in Miami. And even he isn’t the feature out of that backfield – DeVon Achane is. With all of the other weapons that the Dolphins can employ to score, you’d be hard-pressed to see exactly how Wright would receive crumbs, let alone feast, in 2024.
Allow me to interject with these key points; for starters, Mostert and Achane aren’t exactly bastions of health and wellness, missing a combined nine games in 2023. Secondly, speed kills in this scheme, and with a 4.38 40-time, Wright isn’t just another body in the backfield. At an average ADP of 171.0, Wright would be an excellent gamble for the long 17-game season, if just to see what he’s capable of.
Zach Charbonnet, RB – Seattle Seahawks
Overall RB43
ESPN Ranking: 137 / Sleeper Ranking: 137 / NFL Ranking: 164
Charbonnet is a bit of an enigma when it comes to projections for the 2024 season. When Kenneth Walker III sat out two games with an injury last season, it was Charbonnet who received the start, and he did alright with the opportunity. He managed to maintain a solid 4.3-yard average on 108 carries throughout the season as the backup, and while it wasn’t the most eye-popping of rookie performances, there’s clearly some promise to be had out of that backfield this year.
As I mentioned earlier with the coaching change in Seattle, there’s an air of “new” throughout the Seahawks locker room. The biggest factor, however, that helps Charbonnet in my view is the additions (and returns) on the offensive line. Seattle was injury-ravaged in this position last year and invested via the draft and free agency to shore this weakness up moving forward. KWIII likely eats well this year for the same reason, sure – but with a projected strength of schedule rating of fifth-easiest for RBs in 2024, there’s room for Charbonnet to beat his 140.8 ADP and eat good too.
Dallas Goedert, TE – Philadelphia Eagles
Overall TE12
ESPN Ranking: 116 / Sleeper Ranking: 102 / NFL Ranking: 103
Philly has quite the weaponry at its disposal entering 2024. They broke the bank in a franchise first for an RB in Saquon Barkley, hired Kellen Moore as Offensive Coordinator to boost the underachieving unit, and signed start wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to multi-year extensions. With every option top-tier for the Eagles, it’s hard to project just where Goedert fits in the pecking order. On top of that, Goedert’s injury history is concerning, as he’s missed multiple games in every season he’s played in the league.
It would seem with all of the adversity here, his ADP is essentially baked in to reflect that. TE12 isn’t the worst ranking with all of the factors being considered, but I’d argue the ceiling here is slightly higher than what many would think it’d be. Goedert has no real threat in the TE room for snaps, and Moore hasn’t had a TE quite as talented since Dalton Schultz in Dallas, who he helped push to TE3 overall in 2021. It’s interesting to me that in PPR formats, Goedert finished at TE12 anyway, despite missing three games with a broken arm. Call me optimistic, but I think he can beat that.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR – Seattle Seahawks
Overall WR44
ESPN Ranking: 97 / Sleeper Ranking: 100 / NFL Ranking: 114
Maybe I’m just really high on Seattle. The third Seahawk on my Sleepers list, JSN is probably the player I’m most excited for in this offense. The highly hyped second-year wideout from THE Ohio State University had a moderate performance in his rookie year but looks to build on that in the biggest way entering 2024. What Ryan Grubb did for Michael Penix Jr. & Rome Odunze at the University of Washington can’t be understated, and it gives a blueprint for what is possible this year: a capable, top-10 offensive unit in this league spearheaded by the talent that JSN is.
There are obviously a lot of mouths to feed in Seattle right now, and Metcalf can’t simply be written off, nor can veteran Tyler Lockett, though age may catch up with him eventually. I think it’s the usage and promise that JSN was drafted for that gives me the most hope – especially his potential downfield, something the UW offense loved to do under Grubb.
David Montgomery, RB – Detroit Lions
Overall RB21
ESPN Ranking: 64 / Sleeper Ranking: 65 / NFL Ranking: 58
I think Montgomery is getting slept on a bit this year, and I’m not exactly sure why. Sure, you have second-year stud RB Jahmyr Gibbs blowing up throughout his rookie season last year. But it’s not like Monty fell off a cliff or anything, either – he finished as RB15 last year and broke 1,000 yards rushing for the second time in his career. It also helps that the Lions brought back offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to continue calling plays with that top-tier offensive line that took Detroit to the NFC Championship game. Gibbs probably is the future (and is excellent even now in the present), but the here-and-now still showcases the former Chicago Bear out of the backfield.
Montgomery dominated goal-line touches last year and will likely continue to do so behind a mauler of an o-line. Coach Dan Campbell likes a traditional bruiser, and while it will probably end up as an RB1A & B situation for Monty and Gibbs, I like Montgomery to exceed the RB21 ADP he’s being projected at. That’s a floor, not a ceiling to me.
D’Andre Swift, RB – Chicago Bears
Overall RB20
ESPN Ranking: 63 / Sleeper Ranking: 62 / NFL Ranking: 74
I don’t think Chicago, with its franchise-savior rookie QB Caleb Williams, wasted millions on an aging and underperforming RB in D’Andre Swift. Nope, quite the contrary – I think they expect great things from the fifth-year free agent signing out of Philly and will use him with purpose in the 2024 season. Swift didn’t exactly have the easiest sledding with the Eagles behind their elite offensive line, but I’d argue scheme and usage did more to hurt Swift’s production than lack of talent ever did.
Chicago is (possibly) entering its golden age with Williams and the Bears’ offensive revival. There is so much hope and optimism, and Hard Knocks has done nothing but amplify that for a global audience. It stands to believe that a strong running game could help offset any learning curve for the former USC Trojan star, and with just another couple of guys (apparently) in the backfield behind Swift, I think he’ll pass his projections easily.
DeVonta Smith, WR – Philadelphia Eagles
Overall WR22
ESPN Ranking: 46 / Sleeper Ranking: 49 / NFL Ranking: 37
While I’m not the biggest Eagles fan in the world, it’s hard not to appreciate what they’re doing in Philly. For my last sleeper pick, on a Hail Mary of a prediction, I feel like DeVonta Smith just fits the bill this year perfectly, though he’s hardly getting passed on in most drafts. I chose him for this list because, even ranked as a high-round selection, I do think he’ll surpass all expectations.
Hear me out: OC Kellen Moore loves slot receivers. For all of the talk about A.J. Brown and his connection to QB Jalen Hurts, I feel like this is finally the year Smith becomes a true alpha in the Eagles offense. We know the weaponry that is available to Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni as we enter a potential make-or-break year. And much like Dallas Goedert, I think the abundance of options is what opens things up for Smith, especially in terms of receptions. I can see Smith being targeted substantially more in Moore’s scheme, and for this reason, I’m projecting him to surpass his WR22 expectations. It’s a tall task, but I have my eye on the talented fourth-year receiver.
Photos courtesy of respective owners | Adapted by Aaron Polcare (@bearydoesgfx on X)