The 2024 NFL season is almost underway and your final Fantasy Football drafts are likely to take place over the next 24-48 hours. With that in mind, it's important to catch up -- a cheat sheet if you will -- on all of the Fantasy Football Today team's favorite sleepers for the 2024 season. I caught up with Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Heath Cummings -- plus a bonus three from Adam Aizer and Jacob Gibbs -- to find out who their top three sleeper picks for the 2024 season are and without further ado, let's jump right in:
Jamey's Top-3 Sleepers
Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills
Shakir will likely be my favorite Bills receiver to draft this year, and he might be my favorite overall sleeper. While Keon Coleman has more upside, and Curtis Samuel might be a favorite for offensive coordinator Joe Brady since the two were together in Carolina, I like the potential of Shakir in his third season. And his ADP (125.6) is fantastic value for his upside. Shakir didn't do much for most of his sophomore campaign playing behind Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, but Shakir stepped up at the end of the season when Davis was hurt and Diggs struggled. Starting in Week 18 when Davis was injured at Miami, Shakir had six catches for 105 yards on six targets. And then in two playoff games against Pittsburgh and Kansas City, Shakir had 10 catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 12 targets. Josh Allen trusts Shakir, and I expect him to set career highs in all receiving categories. Shakir might not be a star, but he can be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues this season.
Josh Palmer, WR, Chargers
The Chargers must replace 320 targets with Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Gerald Everett and Mike Williams gone. Several players were brought in to replace those guys, including rookie Ladd McConkey and veteran D.J. Chark, and the Chargers offense won't be as pass happy as last season under new coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Palmer might be the new No. 1 receiver for Justin Herbert, and he averaged 12.6 PPR points per game last season in the eight outings from when Williams tore his ACL in Week 3. I'm excited to see what Palmer can do in a featured role, and hopefully Herbert (foot) will be 100 percent all season after he missed time in training camp. While the pass volume in Los Angeles will come down -- the Chargers averaged 671.5 passes the past two years -- Palmer can still emerge as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. And his ADP is great for his value at 134.4.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Broncos
We heard reports out of Denver this offseason that McLaughlin, not Javonte Williams, would be the best running back for the Broncos this year. Williams has looked the part in training camp and the preseason, and he seems poised for a big season. But McLaughin is also expected to have a big role, and he's easily worth his ADP (145.1). As a rookie in 2023, McLaughlin had a limited role with 76 carries for 410 yards and one touchdown and 31 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 36 targets. He had three games with at least 10 total touches, and he averaged 16.0 PPR points per game over that span. His 5.4 yards per carry was also tied for second in the NFL of running backs with at least 50 carries, trailing only De'Von Achane (7.8). It would be fun to see what McLaughlin could do with an increased workload, but he can still be successful in tandem with Williams. The Broncos should lean on Williams and McLaughlin enough that McLaughlin could be a flex option as early as Week 1.
Dave's Top-3 Sleepers
Josh Palmer, WR, Chargers
I said all summer long that Palmer was one of my favorite sleepers. I meant it. Palmer stands out as the Chargers best all-around receiver. Close to the same size as ex-Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, Palmer has good downfield speed but especially gets away from defensive backs with polished footwork and quick agility out of his breaks. He's got proven versatility -- he played more than a third of his snaps in the slot in two of the past three seasons -- and has put up average depth of targets as low as 8.68 yards and as high as 11.36 yards.But he's got something else going for him: experience with Justin Herbert. The Bolts' roster cut-down to 53 players including seven receivers, but only one of them has more than two years of experience catching passes from Herbert. That's Palmer. In three seasons of work as mostly a backup behind a dynamic duo of Allen and Mike Williams, Palmer has a 65.5% catch rate from Herbert with just six drops, a 16% explosive play rate and modest averages per catch (11.7 yards) and per target (7.7 yards). Now Palmer is making the jump from No. 3 receiver to No. 1. Newcomer D.J. Chark might be faster and rookie Ladd McConkey might be shiftier, but neither offer the same kind of total package that Palmer does.
The best part is that whenever Palmer's been given an opportunity in Fantasy he's succeeded. In 16 career games with at least seven targets, Palmer's hit at least 10 PPR points 14 times and at least 13 PPR points 10 times. Mind you, this includes multiple games where he's played second or even third fiddle to another receiver, and it includes games without Herbert. He should take a step forward with Herbert in an offense
Not bad for a guy entering a contract year. For more analysis on Palmer and other sleepers, check out Dave's sleepers.
Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Patriots
When it's all said and done I expect Polk to lead the Patriots in targets. He's more of a solid possession type than a do-it-all explosive receiver, but the Pats need all the help they can get and I suspect they'll throw a bunch, especially once Drake Maye gets comfortable. Polk is a high-floor bench receiver. I'd draft him: Around 115th overall
Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders
The tight end has way more good things going for him than a typical almost 34-year-old non-quarterback should. For one thing, he's been a priority in Kliff Kingsbury's offense before. In 21 regular-season games over two seasons in Arizona, Ertz averaged 11.8 PPR points per game, catching 103 of 150 targets (7.1 per game) for 980 yards and seven scores. He had at least six targets in 13 of the 21 games, hitting the good-enough mark of 10-plus PPR points 11 times. At a bare minimum, Ertz should be good enough to get your team off to a decent start as a streaming option. The Commanders open 2024 at Tampa Bay before hosting the Giants. The Bucs allowed the third-most Fantasy points per game to tight ends last year and really didn't make any significant changes this offseason to bolster that; the Giants were fifth-best last year against tight ends but safety Xavier McKinney isn't on the team anymore, removing their best defender against the position. I am targeting Ertz if I whiff on the first 11 tight ends in my rankings. He's the go-to streamer with potential to be a weekly low-end starter.
Heath's Top-3 Sleepers
Rome Odunze, WR, Bears
The 22-year-old was the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after catching 92 passes for 1640 yards and 13 TDs in his final year at Washington. He's paired with rookie QB Caleb Williams in what could be one of the best duos in the NFL for the next decade. The talent and upside are immense here, but the presence of D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen holds back Odunze's ADP.
While I don't want to discount the veteran presence, Allen is 32 years old, reportedly 15 pounds heavier than last year, and has not looked particularly good in preseason action. His skill set doesn't fit quite as well with Williams either, because the rookie QB loves to extend the play and hunt downfield shots. When he's done that this preseason, it's often been Odunze he's been looking for. It's so rare you get a shot at a rookie as talented as Odunze this late in the draft, don't miss this shot.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers
Hubbard will be the Panthers' starting running back Week 1 and until Jonathon Brooks is 100%. I would not be surprised if that is at least the first month of the season that Hubbard is a viable RB2 for Fantasy purposes, with potentially another month with flex appeal. He averaged 12 FPPG as a starter last year. He is the perfect target if you go Zero-RB and want to pair him with a bunch of high-upside backups, hoping they become starters before loses his job. Fellow NFC South sleeper Bucky Irving would be a great guy to pair with him.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars
While Brian Thomas Jr. keeps moving up our redraft rankings, he's going the opposite direction in ADP. He had a rough start to training camp, but in the last couple of weeks, everything seemed to click for him. Thomas profiles as the best downfield threat for Jacksonville and potentially their top red zone threat. Trevor Lawrence was one of the best downfield passers in the NFL last year but lost a bunch of production to drops and pass-interference calls. A lot of those lost opportunities went to Calvin Ridley, which is the role I expect Thomas to play this year. Don't be surprised if the rookie is a top 24 wide receiver in the second half of the season.
Adam's Top-3 Sleepers
Caleb Williams, QB, Bears
Williams checks in at QB15 in CBS ADP. We are talking about the best quarterback prospect in years who will be throwing to a fantastic trio of wide receivers. Additionally, Williams rushed for 380 or more yards in two of his three college seasons, and he scored double-digit rushing TDs in two straight seasons at USC. If Caleb Williams achieves just 70% of those rushing totals, he'll crush his ADP.
The receiving corps gives him a floor (that rhymed!). His ability to run makes his upside fun (rhymed!). You should feel comfortable with Williams as your starting Fantasy QB in Week 1. However, I do like to pair him with a solid veteran QB like Brock Purdy or Tua Tagovailoa just in case Williams struggles as a rookie or doesn't run much. You can wait until Round 9 or later to start drafting QBs and end up with Williams and a reliable veteran QB.
Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints
Here's one of the high-end sleepers I'd like to highlight. I do not understand Kamara's ADP. It's an insult! This guy was a top 5 RB on a per-game basis in 2023, yet he is RB18 in ADP and being drafted around the 4/5 turn. I get the concerns: He is 29 years old, he is inefficient and has now gone three straight seasons without a carry of more than 30 yards. Yikes! However, in those last three seasons, Kamara has been RB6, RB13, and RB4 per game in PPR. In 0.5 PPR, he has been RB5, RB14, and RB4 per game. As long as he continues to be among the leaders in receptions among RBs, he is a slam-dunk must-start RB.
Kamara was RB4 per game with only six TDs in 13 games. Even with Taysom Hill stealing goal-line touches and raising the blood pressure of Fantasy managers everywhere, Kamara could easily have a higher TD rate in 2024, particularly as a receiver (only 1 TD catch last season). I know Kamara is risky, but so is just about every other non-QB being drafted in this range. You can't tell me there is a RB with more upside than Kamara being drafted in the same range or later.
Josh Palmer, WR, Chargers
Let's keep this simple and look at the sample sizes for Josh Palmer when playing without Keenan Allen, Mike Williams or both:
2022: 7.8 targets per game; 12.4 PPR Fantasy Points per game
2023: 6.9 targets per game; 10.8 PPR Fantasy Points per game
The targets are good enough, the production is meh. There is no reason Palmer can't improve on his Fantasy production, but even if it stays the same he is a steal. Palmer is currently not a top 50 WR in ADP. Let's work together to change that!
Jacob's Top-3 Sleepers
Ray Davis, RB, Bills
"Big Play" Ray has some receiving chops too, bet you didn't expect that! I sure didn't. At first glance, the 5-foot-8 and 216-pound rookie running back is easy to type-cast as a between-the-tackles grinder. And he's good at doing just that, so that's a conclusion that I initially landed on when digging into his rushing data. I think he's a lot more than that, though!
Over his final two collegiate seasons, Davis piled up 492 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns on 76 targets. He registered route participation rates of 57% and 60% in those two seasons, one with Kentucky and one with Vanderbilt. For two different coaching staffs, Davis was trusted to play a lot of passing downs and he was productive with his opportunities.
Bucky Irving, RB, Buccaneers
Irving was awesome at Oregon. He avoided tackles at a high rate and piled up receptions. His prospect profile certainly looks appealing "in the spreadsheets" but it was his preseason tape that really stood out to me. He could have a bigger role than expected in 2024.
Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr. has been the most impressive receiver that I have watched this preseason. There is a massive opportunity available to Thomas Jr. in his rookie season. If the rookie can replicate the elite touchdown conversion that was on display during his 17-touchdown junior season at LSU, we may see a Fantasy point eruption. Thomas Jr. had an 18.3% target per route run rate while sharing the field with Nabers across his final two seasons, and that rate rose to 27.9% with Nabers off of the field. That type of target rate is absolutely enough for BTJ to make noise at the NFL level. Rome Odunze's best single-season target per route run rate was 25.6%. The door is at least open for Thomas Jr. to take on a larger-than-expected target share in this offense. I'd place Thomas Jr.'s name at or near the top of the list of players whose perceived Fantasy value could swing dramatically to the upside with a Week 1 splash performance.