Late-round steals are often times a cornerstone of success in fantasy football. Like everything else in this game/life-derailing obsession, finding these diamonds in the rough requires some stats/general knowledge of every team's depth chart, baseless speculation about how a team plan to utilize said player and above all, a whole lot of luck. Here are the guys I'd recommend taking a "calculated" risk this season.
Quarterback: Matt Ryan (Falcons) (ADP: Yahoo!: 107.3 ESPN: 108.8 NFL.com: 131.6)
How Ryan ended up going in the same range as inconsistent young QB's like Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota and Dak Prescott is beyond me. The Falcons franchise signalcaller is a perennial threat to clear 4,000 passing yards and has enough talent around him at the skill positions to conceivably improve upon his middling TD total (20) from a year ago.
Honorable Mentions: Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers), Andrew Luck (Colts), Alex Smith (Redskins)
Potential Rookie Sleeper: Sam Darnold (Jets)
Running Back: Latavius Murray (Vikings) (ADP: Yahoo!: 123.4 ESPN: 133.5 NFL.com: 146.8)
Overdrafting RB's due to the very shaky depth at the position is a harsh reality fantasy owners are going to have to deal with this season. That being said, Murray's very low price tag proves that you can still find high-upside players in the latter stages of the draft. Even if Dalvin Cook seamlessly bounces back from the torn ACL that shortened his rookie season, Murray's wealth of experience as a starter (42 in 4 healthy seasons as a pro) and proficiency around the goalline (26 TD's in the past 3 seasons) should make him an important cog in the Vikings offensive attack.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Carson (Seahawks), Corey Clement (Eagles), Duke Johnson Jr. (Browns)
Potential Rookie Sleeper: Kerryon Johnson (Lions)
Wide Receiver: Marquise Goodwin (49ers) (ADP: Yahoo!: 104.6 ESPN: 76.9 NFL.com: 121.2)
Goodwin was the top beneficiary of Jimmy Garoppolo's arrival in San Francisco last November (384 YDS and 1 TD in the final 5 games of the year) and even with sneakily productive possession receiver Pierre Garcon retuning to the fold, I don't expect that to change this season. His pretty expansive route tree, top-end speed and strong rapport with Garoppolo makes 1,000+ yards, 5-8 TD season very attainable.
Honorable Mentions: Cooper Kuup (Rams), Kelvin Benjamin (Bills), Kenny Golladay (Lions)
Potential Rookie Sleeper: Calvin Ridley (Falcons)
Tight End: Jack Doyle (Colts) (ADP: Yahoo!: 126.2 ESPN: 106.9 NFL.com: 99.9)
2-tight end sets are likely going to be a fixture on the Colts offense thanks to the addition of Eric Ebron in free agency, but Doyle's strong red zone presence (9 TD's in his 2 seasons as a starter) and benefit of being the only receiver not named T.Y. Hilton that has an established chemistry with Andrew Luck make him the TE to target in Indy.
Honorable Mentions: George Kittle (49ers), Charles Clay (Bills), Cameron Brate (Buccaneers)
Potential Rookie Sleeper: Mike Gesicki (Dolphins)
Defense/Special Teams: Baltimore Ravens (ADP: 118.8 Yahoo!: ESPN: 122.3 NFL.com: 91.6)
Terrell Suggs might be the only reminder of the Ravens dominant defenses of yesteryear, but 2018's group could sneak up on a lot of people. They have a group that can get after the QB, force turnovers and doesn't allow a lot of points to teams that don't play in Pittsburgh. A top 5 overall finish wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.
Honorable Mentions: Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans
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