The explosion of fantasy football analysis across websites, social media, and other platforms has meant that sleepers are becoming a rarer and rarer commodity. Across all the different avenues available to fantasy managers, nearly every player is getting some form of hype (or being downplayed) somewhere.
At Pro Football Network, we’re looking to cut through the noise to provide you with the players who we believe offer the best value in redraft leagues in 2024. That will allow you to walk into your drafts between now and September with the confidence to find talent in any round of the draft in order to assemble a team capable of winning it all.
Over the next two months, our analysts will continue to scour the ADP charts, looking for players who present value to you in drafts. This list will evolve over time, and as values fluctuate, new players may be added. Others, meanwhile, may be removed if their value creeps out of the range that we consider to be a value.
Who Are the Top Redraft Sleepers for 2024?
A few years ago, you were probably considering a sleeper anywhere outside of the top eight rounds, but we’re going to dig deeper to try and identify those really low-cost options that could present a high return on investment.
For the purposes of this article, we’re looking at options outside of the top 120 in ADP. This means players that are outside of the top 10 rounds in 12-team leagues, which prevents any obvious names from being listed.
At this early stage of the 2024 fantasy season, ADP fluctuations can be wide, so some of these players may have a higher average draft position on certain sites. Additionally, across different scoring formats, ADP can vary, so be sure to check your scoring system and site’s ADP before locking in the players listed below.
MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers
The Packers elected to go with youth in their backfield, offloading 29-year-old Aaron Jones and investing in 26-year-old Josh Jacobs before drafting the 23-year-old MarShawn Lloyd.
There’s no question that Jacobs will enter the 2024 season as Green Bay’s bell cow, but the Packers are in win-now mode before Jordan Love’s contract bump and elected to add depth to their backfield.
#Packers OC Adam Stenavich on whether MarShawn Lloyd will see limited action his rookie season, ala AJ Dillon:
“No, I would like to get him out there as much as possible. He’s got a skill set that’s a little bit different than AJ’s, as far as his speed… It’ll be nice to get him… pic.twitter.com/PSWW3CbCOZ
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) May 6, 2024
What if Jacobs (over 1,500 career touches) is the running back version of Geno Smith in that a strong 2022 season proves to be the outlier and not the expectation? AJ Dillon averaged just 3.4 yards per carry last season, opening the door for Lloyd to step into a viable role in an upward-trending offense without much squinting.
The rookie averaged 8.2 yards per touch with USC last season and is the only Green Bay RB I’m investing in this season.
– Kyle Soppe, Fantasy Football Analyst
Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Coachspeak is a dangerous drug. Fortunately, the incredible Coachspeak Index X account helps us determine which coaches tell the truth. The good news is that Sean McVay is one of the more reliable coaches.
Historically, McVay has always utilized one running back. From Todd Gurley to C.J. Anderson to Darrell Henderson to Cam Akers back to Henderson to Sony Michel to Kyren Williams, one guy plays all three downs. This year, he’s indicated a desire to pull back a bit on that in an effort to keep Williams healthy.
The Rams drafted Blake Corum in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That’s not insignificant draft capital. Thus, I don’t think McVay is going to stray too far from his roots.
Ultimately, when the games start and Williams is producing, he’s not going to come off the field. But you’re not drafting Corum for standalone value. You’re drafting him because he should enter the season as the clear RB2 and the guy who stands to benefit if Williams goes down.
Of course, we never root for injuries. Still, Corum is one injury away from potentially being an RB1. If replacement-level talents like Anderson and Henderson can be RB1s in this offense, if sub-replacement-level talent, Michel can be an RB1 for a stretch, then I’m quite confident Corum, who projects to at least be replacement-level, can also be an RB1 if thrust into the starting role.
This is the exact type of RB to target in the later rounds.
– Jason Katz, Fantasy Football Analyst
Mike Williams, WR, New York Jets
During his last two seasons in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers funneled over five targets per game to a tall WR2 (Romeo Doubs in 2022 and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in 2021), a role that Mike Williams finds himself in.
There is risk involved (health or otherwise) with any player you pick at this point, making this as good a time as any to take someone like Williams. Over his past 12 games with over five targets earned, Williams has produced 1.885 PPR fantasy points per target.
- 2023 DK Metcalf: 1.895 points per target
- 2023 A.J. Brown: 1.858 points per target
Obviously, Williams isn’t one of those guys, but the idea that he can be that efficient outside of the first 100 picks is encouraging. What if we used a receiver over 6’ tall operating as the clear-cut WR2 in a new offense as a data point?
- 2023 Jakobi Meyers: 1.884 points per target
If we get Meyers’ numbers (71-807-8 in 16 games) from Williams at this spot, we’re profiting. And that’s without adjusting for the potential that Rodgers returns to even 80% of his pre-injury form.
– Kyle Soppe, Fantasy Football Analyst
Curtis Samuel, WR, Buffalo Bills
It’s one of life’s great mysteries how Curtis Samuel is still only 28 years old. Still incredibly fast and firmly in his prime, Samuel has the talent to produce in the right circumstances and may very well find himself in that spot this season.
Josh Allen is easily the best quarterback Samuel has ever played with. Although Samuel has mostly been a WR4 in fantasy, he averaged 14.1 fantasy points per game in 2020. I still believe that upside exists.
The Bills traded away Stefon Diggs and replaced him with a contested catch specialist in Keon Coleman. Now, I hope I am completely wrong about Coleman because he seems like an awesome dude. But everything about his prospect profile screams bust to me.
Here's every instance of a WR (drafted Rounds 1-3 since 2020) who saw at least 27.5% of their targets come on contested targets in a single season (min. 50 targets): pic.twitter.com/D5bigptf4T
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) March 5, 2024
Whenever you hear someone say a WR prospect excels at contested catches, what you should actually hear is, “X WR can’t get open.” In the NFL, if a wide receiver cannot get open, then he cannot play. Just look at the names on this list.
If Coleman struggles, then Samuel’s role has to increase. He’s a professional WR, a savvy veteran, and reliable. Khalil Shakir came on strong over the second half of last season, but he’s not going to suddenly be this dominant target hog.
TE Dalton Kincaid should be the top option in the passing game, and Samuel may very well be second. You’re telling me I can get Allen’s top WR and second target outside the top 48 receivers? Sign me up.
– Jason Katz, Fantasy Football Analyst
Jermaine Burton, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
If you haven’t been paying attention to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins’ contract situations lately, the massive deal we just saw Justin Jefferson sign is sure to make both want to secure their bags here soon.
In recent history, when the Cincinnati Bengals place the franchise tag on a player, that player doesn’t end up getting a long-term deal. This puts the spotlight squarely on Higgins, who was hit with the tag earlier this calendar year.
Now, combine Higgins’ fluid contract situation with the fact Tyler Boyd is a member of the Tennessee Titans, and Cincinnati’s passing offense under QB Joe Burrow could have a sizable role available in 2024. Some may want to throw a dart at Andre Iosivas or Charlie Jones to emerge as the next man up, but my money is on rookie WR Jermaine Burton.
Burton’s top speed, combined with his tempo variation over his route stem and an expansive arsenal of techniques at the breakpoint, make him an easy separator who can abuse DBs who try to check him in man coverage.
Burton’s ball-tracking skills are among the best in the class and could pair beautifully on dialed-up deep shots down the field from Burrow. Additionally, he’s a slippery and twitchy run-after-catch (RAC) threat, which makes him a slot and underneath option to complement Chase’s exceptional ability to dominate as an outside X-receiver.
If both Higgins and Chase are available for the season opener, then Burton should slide in as an immediate contributor as the third option, which could lead to him replacing Boyd’s role. If Higgins holds out, then Burton’s path to flirting with low-end WR2 production definitely exists.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst
Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, New England Patriots
Drafting players from offenses no one has high fantasy expectations for can feel boring, but seeing that production will have to go somewhere, they can present draft-day bargains. This feels like the case for New England Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk heading into next season.
Polk is a versatile possession receiver who flashes great route-running nuance when operating against both man and zone coverage. Additionally, he’s one of the best contested-catch prospects in the class, with balletic body control to haul in the ball thrown away from him and explosive verticality to elevate and high-point the ball with strong, sticky hands at the catch point.
I could see Polk becoming an immediate safety blanket for rookie quarterback Drake Maye, considering his current WR competition consists of Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, and fellow rookie Javon Baker.