We all love targeting sleepers on Draft Day in our Fantasy leagues. These are players you can draft with a mid-round pick, or someone you pick with one of your last selections. And the latter is something that can be the most gratifying when that player succeeds. It's why you clicked on this story.
For this story, I'm going to look at wide receivers you can draft at pick No. 140 overall and later. I'll use the Average Draft Position data on CBS Sports, and hopefully you can find some great values now before the ADP changes later this month.
You can call these players as deep sleepers. And some of them are being selected after kickers, which is amazing, because several of these players will be league-winners in 2020.
Some wide receivers drafted in this range last year who were potential starters in all leagues included John Brown, Deebo Samuel, Anthony Miller and Cole Beasley. None of them were stars, but given the investment, you'd be happy with the production you got from any of those receivers in 2019.
Now, let's find more of those guys for 2020. These are 20 receivers you should be targeting at the end of your draft.
Editor's note: Players are listed in order of Jamey Eisenberg's rankings.
Miller is one of my favorite late-round targets in all leagues, and he could be a third-year breakout in 2020. He should be locked into a featured role as the No. 2 receiver in Chicago behind Allen Robinson, and he should have a career season. Miller produced at a high level when Taylor Gabriel missed the final five games last year with a concussion, and Gabriel was released this offseason, with no significant replacement option brought in to compete for targets. With Gabriel out, Miller scored at least 13 PPR points in three of the final five outings of the season, including two games with at least 23 PPR points. Chicago also should get improved quarterback play from Nick Foles over Mitchell Trubisky, which is a plus for Miller and Robinson. Miller is a tremendous value at his current ADP.
Now that Williams is healthy after last year's torn ACL, he could push DeVante Parker to be the No. 1 receiver for the Dolphins. He was trending in that direction last year before getting hurt. In his final three games at Buffalo in Week 7, at Pittsburgh in Week 8 and against the Jets in Week 9, Williams scored at least 12 PPR points in two of those outings, including 24 PPR points against the Jets. We'll see how he does coming off the injury, but he's a great No. 4 Fantasy receiver to draft, with the upside to finish much better than that.
I'm hopeful that Hardman proves to be the No. 2 receiver for the Chiefs this season, behind Tyreek Hill and ahead of Sammy Watkins. But even if he's No. 3 on the depth chart, he should still produce at a quality level if he sees a slight uptick in targets. As a rookie in 2019, Hardman had four games with at least five targets -- and none more than six. In three of those games, Hardman scored at least 11 PPR points. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Kansas City with Hill, Watkins, Travis Kelce and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but Hardman could be a sophomore sensation. He's a great stash candidate to see what develops, especially since he's such a value pick.
You may have heard that the Packers didn't do much to enhance their receiving corps this offseason, especially after free-agent addition Devin Funchess opted out over concerns related to COVID-19. But Lazard should be the No. 2 receiver behind Davante Adams, and he's worth drafting as a low-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver this year. Last season, Lazard got the chance for increased playing time starting in Week 6, and his role continued to grow. He had five games with at least five targets, including the final two regular-season games with 17 combined, and he averaged 11.0 PPR points in those outings. While he might not become a superstar if Adams stays healthy, he should be a borderline starter or flex if things go right.
Two receivers I plan to draft with late-round picks in most leagues are Sims and Antonio Gandy-Golden (ADP No. 201.7 overall). While Gandy-Golden, a fourth-round rookie from Liberty, is more of a flier, I'm excited about Sims in 2020, especially in PPR. He closed 2019 on a tear with at least 15 PPR points in each of his final three games. Over that span, he had 16 catches for 190 yards and four touchdowns on 29 targets, and he should be the slot receiver for Dwayne Haskins this year. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the second-best receiver in Washington behind Terry McLaurin. Gandy-Golden's path to consistent playing time opened up with Kelvin Harmon (ACL) getting hurt, and I expect Gandy-Golden to be one of the better rookie receivers in 2020.
The Giants have a lot of weapons in the passing game with Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley, but don't discount Tate playing a big role. He was better than you think in 2019. In the 11 games he played last season (he was suspended four games to open the year and missed one game due to injury), he scored at least 11 PPR points in nine of them. And he had nine games with at least six targets. He could easily outscore his value this season based on his low ADP.
I can see Harry's ADP continue to rise now that the Patriots have Cam Newton as their likely starting quarterback. Newton, if healthy, should be a plus for Harry, who had a down rookie season in 2019. He appeared in just seven games following an ankle injury, and he caught only 12 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 24 targets. He should be considered the No. 2 receiver behind Julian Edelman, and I'd much rather have Harry on my Fantasy roster than Mohamed Sanu, who you could also draft in this range with an ADP of No. 210.2 overall. Newton should allow Harry to make plays down the field, and he could lead all Patriots receivers in touchdowns this season.
Samuel was a failed breakout candidate in 2019, and he got more competition for targets this season with the addition of Robby Anderson. With Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Ian Thomas, there are suddenly plenty of mouths to feed in this Carolina offense. But I expect to see the Panthers be slightly more pass happy than we saw in 2019 with a new coaching staff, as well as Teddy Bridgewater under center. That could give Samuel some renewed hope in his fourth year in the NFL. Bridgewater should help Samuel with his accuracy compared to what he had in 2019 once Newton got hurt, catching passes -- or trying to -- from Kyle Allen and Will Grier. It's a minimal investment in Samuel that could lead to a good reward as a potential No. 3 Fantasy receiver. I haven't completely moved on from Samuel if I can draft him in this range. And I like Samuel better than Anderson, whose ADP is 146.9 overall.
It's likely that Aiyuk will climb out of this ADP range as we get closer to most real Fantasy drafts, especially if Deebo Samuel remains sidelined with his foot injury. Aiyuk could be the No. 1 receiver for the 49ers, and I can see myself ranking him higher as well. Samuel suffered a Jones fracture in June, and there's a chance he could miss the start of the season. Aiyuk could battle Jalen Hurd and Kendrick Bourne for targets, but Aiyuk has a much higher ceiling as a first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft. If Samuel misses multiple weeks in the season, Aiyuk could challenge to be the best rookie receiver in the Class of 2020.
Jackson is worth drafting with a late-round flier, and he could be the best receiver in Philadelphia this year. The longer Alshon Jeffery (foot) stays out, the better it is for Jackson. While Jalen Reagor has a high ceiling as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, the Eagles could opt to ease him into a big role in the offense. Jackson, even though he's 33 and was limited to three games last year, still has the best knowledge of the offense and rapport with Carson Wentz. And Jeffery (ADP No. 156.2) is also worth a flier in this range in deeper leagues. It sounds like he could miss the start of the season, but if healthy, he could be a steal at this spot in your Fantasy draft.
Shenault landed in a great spot with the Jaguars since he could be the No. 2 receiver right away behind D.J. Chark. Shenault didn't have a dominant campaign as a receiver in 2019 at Colorado with 56 catches for 764 yards and four touchdowns, but he also added 23 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. And in 2018, he had 86 catches for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns, as well as 17 carries for 115 yards and five touchdowns. He is expected to touch the ball in a variety of ways with the Jaguars, much as he did in college, and he should see a quality amount of targets from Gardner Minshew. He's a great receiver to stash on your bench with a late-round pick. And, if you need a receiver in deeper leagues, you can still draft Dede Westbrook (ADP No. 172.3 overall) in this range. I would much rather have Shenault, but Westbrook isn't a bad flier in a 14-team league or larger.
Michael Pittman is at ADP No. 134.1 overall, so I excluded him from this list. And it will be fun to see who ends up as the second-best receiver for the Colts this season behind T.Y. Hilton. For now, I'm giving Campbell the edge. He could also have a solid sophomore season, and he should see plenty of time in the slot for Philip Rivers. Campbell's rookie campaign in 2019 was derailed by injuries, and he appeared in just seven games. He didn't do much when active, but hopefully he's fully healthy this year. Like all the Colts receivers, he should benefit having Rivers under center, and I expect coach Frank Reich to be creative getting Campbell the ball. He's a good receiver to target in this range in PPR.
I'm excited for Diontae Johnson in his second year, and he's my second-favorite receiver for the Steelers behind JuJu Smith-Schuster. But what if Washington or rookie Chase Claypoool (ADP No. 161.7 overall) are better than Johnson? It could happen, and both should get the chance to be the No. 3 receiver for Pittsburgh this year. With Ben Roethlisberger (elbow) back at 100 percent, this passing attack should be dramatically better. And it's not a bad idea to take a flier on either Washington or Claypool with a late-round pick, well after Smith-Schuster and Johnson have come off the board.
The veteran might be getting forgotten about too soon after the Cardinals added DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, with more also expected from Christian Kirk. I agree that Fitzgerald is a distant third, but he could still command over 100 targets in this offense. And he might still have something to offer at 36. He did have four games with at least 11 PPR points in his final seven outings last year. And with defenses focusing on Hopkins, Fitzgerald could benefit with easier coverage. He's likely not going to turn back the clock and go for 100-plus catches, 1,100-plus yards and score six touchdowns, which he did as recently as 2017. But he could surprise us one final time if this is his last year in the NFL, and he's a cheap option at this ADP.
I continue to go back and forth on Perriman and Denzel Mims (ADP No. 141.4 overall) and which one I like better, and I'm going with Perriman now as the veteran. Hopefully, the way he closed last season in Tampa Bay when Chris Godwin and Mike Evans were out with injuries -- scoring at least 13 PPR points in five games in a row -- carries over to this year. Now, Mims might be the upside play as a second-round pick out of Baylor, and he had 28 touchdowns in his final three years in college. With Anderson gone, there are 96 targets available for Perriman or Mims to take -- if not more. Both will compete for the No. 1 outside role -- Jamison Crowder will remain in the slot -- and hopefully one emerges as a decent Fantasy option this year.
The Falcons didn't make an effort to replace Sanu after trading him last season, and Gage should be the No. 3 receiver to open the year behind Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. Gage scored at least 13 PPR points in three of his final six games last year, and he had at least six targets in five of those outings. The Falcons led the NFL in pass attempts in 2019 and should be up there in attempts again. Gage is a sleeper to target with a late-round pick in deeper leagues, and he could emerge as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver during the season.
It appears like the Raiders are going to give Edwards the chance to start as a rookie along with Henry Ruggs and Tyrell Williams. That likely makes Hunter Renfrow the No. 4 receiver, but he could still have value in deeper leagues with an ADP at 161.5 overall, although that will decline. Edwards is a sneaky Fantasy option given his production at South Carolina, and he had 71 catches for 816 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games last year. It won't be a surprise if the Raiders two top receivers this season are rookies in Ruggs and Edwards.
I'm curious to see how the Rams use Reynolds and rookie Van Jefferson (ADP No. 185.7 overall) now that Brandin Cooks is gone. It might be a situation of neither plays much with the Rams keeping Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett on the field together with Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Or maybe Reynolds or Jefferson prove too valuable to keep off the field. Reynolds makes more sense to take a flier on first given his experience in Year 4, but Jefferson might have more upside. Cooks is leaving 72 targets for either to fill from his stats in 2019.
I wouldn't completely dismiss Beasley this season because the Bills added Stefon Diggs to go with John Brown as well. Beasley should still have a big role for Josh Allen, and he excelled in 2019 while averaging a career-best 12.3 PPR points per game on 67 catches for 778 yards and six touchdowns on 105 targets. It's doubtful he gets better production than that, but he could be in a similar range. And for someone you can draft this late, Beasley's not a bad flier in deeper PPR leagues.
We're hopeful A.J. Green (foot) is going to be healthy this season after being out all of 2019, but any absence for him again should be good for Ross and Tee Higgins, who is just outside this ADP range at 134.1 overall. Ross should have a role even if Green is healthy, and in 2019 he had 55 PPR points in his first two games on 20 targets for 11 catches, 270 yards and three touchdowns. He only appeared in eight games in 2019 because of his own injury problems, but he had at least six targets in five of them. He's a boom or bust receiver, but when he's on he could help you win your Fantasy matchup.
So what Fantasy football sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which WR1 candidate can you wait on until late? Visit SportsLine now to get cheat sheets from the model that was all over Derrick Henry's huge season, and find out.
