With the 2016 NFL Draft behind us, it’s time to start turning our attention towards the upcoming fantasy football season! Fantasy drafts are the focal point of the entire year for certain football fanatics, and the popularity of the sport itself has grown at exponential rates each of the past 10 years. A good measure of a true fantasy guru is how much value they are able to obtain during the middle and later rounds, as well as the impact of any free agent picked up throughout the season. But this year, there seems to be plenty of talent to be had in the middle portion of the draft. This article is exclusively focusing on players who might exceed expectations and draft day valuations with their on-field production by season’s end. Here’s five fantasy sleepers to keep an eye on for the 2016 NFL season.
Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2016
- Ladarius Green – TE – Pittsburgh
After landing with the Steelers in free agency this offseason, Green has his first real chance to showcase his abilities as a starting tight end in a high octane offense. Teaming up with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was a match made in heaven. Plus, now that Martavis Bryant won’t be competing with Green for redzone targets, there is a significant chance that Green could shatter all of his personal bests in every statistical category, thus putting him in the conversation as a top-tier tight end in fantasy football this season.
- Jameis Winston – QB – Tampa Bay
Heading into Winston’s second season as the Buccaneer’s starting quarterback there are some expectations for him to grow as a leader, and obviously as a player overall. Winston was able to show great poise throughout his rookie season, and made plenty of plays with his arms and legs to allow Tampa Bay to give him more responsibilities. Along with these new expectations and responsibilities, Winston will be allowed more freedom as a decision maker at the line of scrimmage pre-snap. A lot of quarterbacks truly hit their stride after gaining such trust and confidence from teammates and coaches alike. Additionally, now that Doug Martin has reasserted himself as a premier NFL running back, and with Mike Evans lurking on the outside, Winston seems to have every opportunity to showcase his development as a professional quarterback. Not to mention the formidable defense assembling on the other side of the ball for Tampa Bay, Winston and the Bucs are both legitimate sleepers to win fantasy and division titles, respectively.
- Ezekiel Elliott – RB – Dallas
After being selected fourth overall by the Cowboys in the 2016 NFL draft, Elliott finds himself in a dream scenario running behind the best offensive line in football. Dallas has had a different running back finish in the top five of the league in rushing yards back-to-back years. With arguably the most talented player they’ve had during that span set to start for them right away as a rookie, don’t be surprised if that streak continues. Elliot has superb vision out of the backfield, and is a breakaway threat at any given moment. It only takes inches of daylight for him to burst through the hole and climb to the second and third level of any defense. Fortunately for Tony Romo, Elliot is also one of the best pass-protecting running backs ever scouted, a huge bonus for Dallas as Romo’s injury plagued season last year is what got them the fourth pick in the draft. He might go pretty high in some fantasy drafts this fall, but Ezekiel Elliot could easily be the consensus top pick for everyone’s fantasy team next year, following a dominant rookie campaign for the Cowboys.
- Robert Griffin III – QB – Cleveland
The number one determining factor for Griffin making this list…health. One of the most injury prone quarterbacks in recent memory found a new home this offseason, and even after much speculation that the Browns would draft a quarterback with the number two pick, Cleveland played it ultra-safe and traded down twice. Leaving the starting quarterback reigns open for RG3. If Griffin indeed starts week one for the Browns, what kind of fantasy production could he have in store for potential owners? Health permitting, RG3 would be heavily involved in both the running game and the deep passing attack. At his best, during his rookie season, Griffin was a lethal run-and-gun quarterback with the ability to make you pay with heavy yards if you didn’t respect his speed. Plenty of people still believe in RG3’s skillset, most of the doubt comes from his shaky decision making when it comes to avoiding contact and of course the added injury risk that comes with each potential hit. If, and I know there are plenty of ifs here, he can only stay upright for 12-14 games this season, Griffin has a solid chance to put up top 10 fantasy quarterback numbers.
- Andrew Luck – QB – Indianapolis
Edging out RG3 on another list, Andrew Luck is my number one sleeper candidate to have a massive resurgence amongst the quarterback rankings for the upcoming NFL season. After a lacerated kidney ended Luck’s season last year, he will head into this season fully healthy and could establish himself as an MVP candidate again if he can get his Colts back in the playoff after Indianapolis failed to make the postseason with an 8-8 record in 2015. Regardless, Luck’s fantasy value has been somewhat tarnished by multiple injuries and games missed last year; and there will be fantasy owners who refuse to take him in the first few rounds of their draft. However, I would buy all the stock I could and enjoy a significant bounce back season by one Andrew Luck.
