It’s easy to draft great players at the top. What managers need to really give them an advantage, though, is to nail those late-round fantasy football sleepers. We’ve been going division by division to identify where some of those players may lie. Today, we’re discussing AFC South fantasy football sleepers.
AFC South fantasy football sleepers for 2021
The AFC South is one of the weaker divisions when it comes to fantasy assets. As a result, it’s an ideal division to target for fantasy football sleepers.
Houston Texans
It’s looking exceedingly likely that the Texans will be without Deshaun Watson for the 2021 NFL season. That naturally lowers the overall upside for Texans players, but it opens the door for fantasy football sleepers to emerge.
Brandin Cooks, WR | ADP: 91
It feels like every season Brandin Cooks is disrespected amongst fantasy managers. All he’s done is record over 1,000 receiving yards five out of the last six seasons. Even more impressively, he’s done it on four different teams.
Here are Cooks’ PPR ppg fantasy finishes (minimum eight games played) since 2015: WR19, WR12, WR18, WR18, WR68, WR17.
It seems fair to write off 2019 as an anomaly. Every other season, Cooks was a mid-WR2 or better. Even with Tyrod Taylor under center, Cooks should return much better value than where he’s being drafted. He remains the clear No. 1 receiver on the Texans and is one of the best fantasy football sleepers in the AFC South.
Indianapolis Colts
Much like the Texans, the Colts have quarterback issues of their own, with Carson Wentz recovering from his foot injury. The bad news is he may miss the first few games of the season. The good news is he should return at near 100%, and the concern is depressing the value of his teammates, creating fantasy football sleeper opportunities.
Nyheim Hines, RB | ADP: 122
Fantasy managers often look at late-season matchups during fantasy drafts, factoring in the fantasy playoffs. Frequently overlooked can be early-season weeks. You want to win those games in September. At the running back position, it’s especially advantageous to prioritize early-season production — you can more easily find running backs as the season progresses.
Nyheim Hines has quickly become one of my favorite fantasy football sleepers. With the Colts likely having to endure at least a couple of games with either Jacob Eason or Sam Ehlinger under center, we should see a bit more of Hines in September. Between the projected negative game script and the tendency of inexperienced quarterbacks to check it down, Hines could have a strong PPR September before fading once Wentz and stud offensive lineman Quenton Nelson return from injury.
Parris Campbell WR | ADP: 197
We have more than one Colt on this list. Parris Campbell’s price is just about free, having all the makings of an ideal late-round dart throw.
Campbell is entering his third NFL season but has played in just nine games due to various injuries. We know he is athletic — we saw evidence in the lone game he played last season that he could be a PPR monster. Campbell caught 6 passes on 9 targets for 71 yards in Week 1 of 2020.
The Colts lack a true alpha wide receiver with T.Y. Hilton just about done and Michael Pittman yet to establish himself. The door is open for Campbell to be a fantasy WR3 at a WR5 price. He just needs to stay healthy, and we will look back on him as a top fantasy football sleeper.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have been a fantasy wasteland for years. Now, with Trevor Lawrence possibly being the rising tide that lifts all boats, there are opportunities for fantasy football sleepers.
Marvin Jones, WR | ADP: 161
Perhaps I’m being swayed too much by the first preseason game, but I’m warming up to Marvin Jones. Last year’s WR25 averaged 14.2 ppg. Although he’s on a new team with a rookie quarterback, he’s in a position to beat his ADP once again.
D.J. Chark flopped last season and will miss the rest of training camp with a broken finger. Laviska Shenault is talented, but he does not profile as a go-to receiver. That leaves Jones as the most likely wide receiver to be Lawrence’s safety blanket. As long as his price stays low, Jones should do enough to be an excellent fantasy football sleeper.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are one of the most difficult teams in the AFC South to find sleepers. Their fantasy points should be mostly consolidated into Derrick Henry, Julio Jones, and A.J. Brown.
Anthony Firkser, TE | ADP: 199
I don’t love Anthony Firkser, but he’s really the only Titan that qualifies as a fantasy football sleeper.
Firkser at least flashed ability in 2020, posting a 100-yard receiving effort in Week 6. With Jonnu Smith off to New England, Firkser enters the 2021 season as the Titans’ clear primary tight end. The hope with Firkser is that he improves upon his 53 targets from last year. I wouldn’t necessarily bank on it, but if you completely punt on the tight end position, Firkser is a guy you can take in the last round that at least has some fantasy football sleeper appeal.
Jason Katz is a Fantasy Analyst at Pro Football Network. You can follow him on Twitter @jasonkatz13 and find more of his work here.