With the NFL preseason underway this weekend, and the regular season just a few weeks away, Fantasy Football drafts are in full swing. If your league hasn’t drafted yet, or you’re looking for waiver wire pick ups, Jack Humphrey has some sleepers in the NFC for you!
Want to dominate your league? Read on…
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Michael Gallup (WR): Gallup flashed some real promise late last year and in the postseason, and could emerge as a big-play threat opposite Cooper. People don’t realise that Gallup actually saw more targets with Amari Cooper in the lineup.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jordan Howard (RB): It was only a couple seasons ago that Howard amassed over 1300 rushing yards on over 5 yards per attempt as a rookie. Howard should see the early down and goal line work to start the season for Philly.
Washington Redskins
Terry McLaurin (WR): Not only do the Redskins have a major need at wide receiver, but Terry McLaurin now gets reunited with his college quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
New York Giants
Any healthy wide receivers. Eli has to throw to someone, sorry 3 yard dump off to someone, other than Saquon and Engram.
NFC South
New Orleans Saints
Latavius Murray (RB): With Mark Ingram in Baltimore, somebody has to be the Saints’ goal-line back. That should be Murray. Sean Payton loves to rotate his running backs, so the former Viking should get plenty of non-red zone carries too.
Atlanta Falcons
Brian Hill (RB): Hill just refuses to disappear from the backup running back competition in Atlanta. With Tevin Coleman in San Francisco, and with Devonta Freeman being injury prone, Hill has every opportunity to gain a significant amount of workload in Atlanta. Workload = fantasy points.
Carolina Panthers
Curtis Samuel (WR): Samuel is a smooth route-runner with top-end speed and a soft pair of hands. Note I loved him coming out of college and if it wasn’t for injuries he would not be a sleeper at this point. I’ve likened him to Tyreek Hill minus the off field concerns. Why take DJ Moore when you can take Samuel 10 rounds later. (3rd season breakout)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jameis Winston (QB): It’s a make-or-break for Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay. Off field issues a lack of maturity on the field have marred his NFL career to this point. reason for optimism in Tampa Bay is new coach Bruce Arians. Who has a history of turning around Quarterbacks. Despite the problems with Winston if you combined him and Fitz Magic last year they was the QB 5 in fantasy.
NFC West
L.A. Rams
Josh Reynolds (WR): Is Kupp healthy? After Week 10 (when Kupp went out), Reynolds had 22 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the final three games of the regular season. At 6-foot-3, Reynolds became a viable threat in the red zone for The Rams. Yes he is the 4th option at WR but it could take Kupp 5-6 weeks to get up to speed. (Stash if you have the room)
Seattle Seahawks
D.K. Metcalf (WR): With his combination of size and speed, rookie D.K. Metcalf is impossible to miss on the field, and has been impressive through his first training camp with the Seattle Seahawks. Tyler Lockett is due for regression and someone has to mop up a retired Doug Baldwin’s targets.
San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel (WR): Dante Pettis is a popular breakout candidate, but don’t sleep on the rookie out of South Carolina. He’s a terror with the ball in his hands (OBJ Like) and Kyle Shanahan will take advantage of that skill, drawing up plays to get him the ball in space.
Arizona Cardinals
Andy Isabella (WR): Podcast favourite Isabella. Kyler Murray has many options to throw to, including second-round speedster Andy Isabella. Isabella has 4.31 speed, with terrific Wes Welker-type hands in the slot. He is a mismatch for almost any opposing cornerback and has shown instant chemistry with Murray in training camp.
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Anthony Miller (WR): Miller’s average draft position (ADP) is currently in the 11th round; he’s been the 50th wide receiver off the board in most leagues. His natural talent, along with the expected uptick in production from Chicago’s passing game, combine to make Miller a steal.
Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins (QB): You Like That! There was a weird attack on Kirk Cousins last year, and if you didn’t watch a Minnesota Vikings game, you’d expect Cousins to have horrific numbers the way he was talked about. Cousins averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game, and finished as QB13. Cousins remains a weekly option in all formats.
Green Bay Packers
Geronimo Allison (WR): This year there are a few guys in the Packers offence worth taking shots on, and one of them is Geronimo Allison. He had a really strong start to the season, but was injured mostly in the second half. Allison suits up better for PPR leagues, and is being taken as the WR44 off the board.
Detroit Lions
T.J. Hockenson (TE): My rookie 1.01 pre nfl draft! Now, there’s a rule in fantasy stay away from rookie Tight Ends. Yet the Detroit Lions used the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to pick up T.J. Hockenson. If you’re not getting one of the elite tight ends in fantasy, sometimes the best you can hope for is to grab a player you’re confident will get targets, and the investment of a first-round draft pick seems to indicate that Hockenson is a big part of the Lions plans this year.
Feature Image Credit: The Seattle Times