The 2023 NFL regular season is officially over. Before we say goodbye to football for seven months, though, we have four more weeks of action. With that comes playoff fantasy football!
Here are a handful of fantasy football sleepers to target for full-length playoff leagues.
NFL Playoffs Fantasy Football Sleepers | Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (at DET)
The San Francisco 49ers may be the clear favorites to make the Super Bowl out of the NFC, but they are beatable. This is as wide open of a year as I can remember.
The NFL scriptwriters knew what they were doing with this one, drawing up Matthew Stafford against his former team, the Detroit Lions, in the Wild Card round. Would you really put it past the Los Angeles Rams to go on a mini-run?
Whether you’re in a large-scale pool where you can pick whatever players you want, or participating in a draft, Stafford is a great contrarian play. Given how much of a long shot the Rams are to make the Super Bowl, you could definitely pull off a Rams stack with Stafford, one of his wide receivers, and perhaps even Kyren Williams.
The Rams very possibly could defeat the Lions. If they do, they will likely travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers, who Stafford is no stranger to beating in the playoffs. Stranger things have happened.
Stafford has a great Wild Card Round matchup in what is projected to be the highest-scoring game of the weekend. At the very least, he could get you off to a strong start.
NFL Playoffs Fantasy Football Sleepers | Running Backs
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. PHI)
Has any team limped into the playoffs more than the Philadelphia Eagles? After looking like a lock to win the NFC East, the Eagles lost four of their last five, and now have to be road warriors if they want to return to the Super Bowl.
Last year, no one really thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had much of a chance to do anything with Tom Brady on the last leg of his career. This year’s team is being similarly slept on, but it’s a much better unit as a whole.
MORE: Soppe’s NFL Playoffs Fantasy Football RB Rankings
Rachaad White has been one of the least efficient options at the RB position in 2023, but that doesn’t matter. He’s one of the best receivers at the position and turned that into an RB1 season.
Call me crazy, but I think the Bucs are going to topple the Eagles this weekend. They’re probably not getting past the 49ers or Cowboys, but not every player you select is going to play 3+ games.
Given the perception of the Bucs, fantasy managers are unlikely to view White as anything more than a one-and-done player. If you can get two games out of White, with the way he’s been playing, that could give you an edge on your competition.
James Cook, Buffalo Bills (vs. PIT)
The Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC East on national television in the final game of the regular season. In that game, James Cook contributed very little on the ground and dropped a wide-open touchdown through the air.
Vividness bias is a real thing. Even with Buffalo as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl out of the AFC, fantasy managers may view Cook as the player they can leave out, even if they’re stacking Bills. It’s this exact line of thinking that makes him a nice sleeper pick.
The Bills went back to their pass-heavy ways to defeat the Miami Dolphins. But as two-score home favorites over a Pittsburgh Steelers team unlikely to be a serious threat, they could lean on the run, especially if T.J. Watt misses this week with his injury. That gives Cook a chance to be a strong start this weekend.
Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the Bills are well-positioned to play at least three games. And they are quite live to upset the Baltimore Ravens should these two teams meet in the AFC Championship Game.
Having Cook on your roster could end up being quite the advantage as the number of teams remaining dwindles.
NFL Playoffs Fantasy Football Sleepers | Wide Receivers
Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys (vs. GB)
In full-length playoff leagues, whether large-scale pools or drafts, going all in on a bunch of players from the same team is the way you win. The Dallas Cowboys have this stigma about them that they can’t win in the playoffs. They haven’t been to the NFC Championship Game in over 25 years.
As a result, you just know your fellow competitors are going to mostly fade them. This gives you a rare situation where you can take one of the favorites and create a contrarian roster.
The Cowboys’ last two playoff runs fell at the hands of the 49ers. Well, this year, even if history repeats itself, it can’t happen until the NFC title game. Dallas will have two games at home before a potential trip to San Francisco. Plus, it’s not as if the Cowboys have no chance.
MORE: Soppe’s NFL Playoffs Fantasy Football WR Rankings
Brandin Cooks has been the Cowboys’ clear WR2. He’s been a touchdown machine, scoring eight times this season, including five of his last seven.
With Dallas leaning heavily on Dak Prescott and being a pass-first offense, Cooks is a sleeper play not only for this weekend but for the entire playoffs as well, with a decent shot at getting to play three games.
If Dallas does make the Super Bowl and you stacked Cowboys, you will be sitting pretty.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. MIA)
The 2023 Kansas City Chiefs have not felt like the powerhouse they’ve been during the entirety of the Patrick Mahomes era. You kind of get the sense many football fans are writing them off as serious Super Bowl contenders.
However, I don’t think we should put anything past the best player to ever step on a football field. (Tom Brady is still the GOAT, though.)
The Chiefs have a home game. And, well, they’re the Chiefs. While I don’t think they make it back to the Super Bowl this year, anyone who says it would be shocking if they did is lying to themselves. Kansas City is always in it with Mahomes at quarterback.
Since Week 12, Rashee Rice has averaged 18.5 fantasy points per game. Only six wide receivers were better over that span. He’s the team’s clear WR1 and is now playing a full complement of snaps. There’s no more rotation.
There hasn’t been a season where it’s been this easy to put together a Chiefs stack. Between Mahomes’ disappointing fantasy year and Kansas City’s pedestrian season, fantasy managers are not likely to be champing at the bit to load up on Chiefs. You could very possibly compile a roster of Mahomes, Rice, and Travis Kelce in a draft.
At the bare minimum, the Chiefs are favored at home against the Dolphins in the first round. In theory, they should get to play at least two games. Rice is not likely to be a very widely-rostered player, making him a nice sleeper pick for those fantasy managers looking to differentiate their roster from others.
NFL Playoffs Fantasy Football Sleepers | Tight Ends
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns (at HOU)
It goes without saying the Baltimore Ravens are the AFC favorites. But they’ve already lost to the Cleveland Browns. In fact, both top seeds in this year’s playoffs have.
The Browns are the team no one wants to play. Yes, Joe Flacco could melt down at any time, but the Browns are dangerous, and it wouldn’t shock me if they went on a run.
Since Week 8, care to guess where David Njoku ranked in fantasy points per game among tight ends? I’ll give you a second to think on it. Got it?
MORE: NFL Playoff Fantasy Football Strategy — One-and-Done Formats
Did you guess No. 1? If you did, you’re correct! From Weeks 8-17, Njoku averaged 15.8 fantasy points per game.
C.J. Stroud has been phenomenal. He’s going to win several playoff games during his long career, but we’ve seen stellar young quarterbacks go into the playoffs before and lose to veterans.
I think the Browns win this game, meaning fantasy managers would get at least two games out of Njoku. And who’s to say Cleveland can’t beat Baltimore again? They are the ultimate sleeper team.