With NFL fantasy football drafts quickly approaching, it's time to start looking for sleeper picks that could help you build a winning team. With an abundance of wide receivers available, there are often hidden gems that go unnoticed at draft time. The fantasy player who is smart enough to find those players ends up doing very well.

Wide receiver Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints ranks as one of my top sleeper picks for the 2016 season.

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A Deeper Dive into Michael Thomas

Drafting a rookie is always a bit of a gamble, but Thomas makes a lot of sense this year. Despite being unproven in the NFL, he brings a great skill set and gets to play in a high-octane offense, with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

With no professional stats to go off of, it's difficult to predict exactly where Thomas should be selected in fantasy drafts. He was taken in the second round of this year's NFL Draft by the Saints, so obviously there's some high potential there. Plus, he has a good pedigree, as his uncle is former All-Pro receiver and Super Bowl champion Keyshawn Johnson.

Looking at his college numbers, Thomas performed very well while with the Buckeyes. He led the team in receptions in 2014 and 2015 and racked up a team-high 781 receiving yards in 2015. Overall, he left Columbus with 113 receptions for 1,602 yards and 18 touchdowns. He played at Ohio State for three seasons but made just three catches during his freshman campaign, meaning that the majority of his career stats were put up in his final two seasons.

According to Fantasy Pros, Thomas is currently being taken at 52 among wide receivers and 140 overall. Obviously, fantasy players are not willing to make a big chance on him, but he's being taken in front of returning players such as Kamar Aiken (56) , Ted Ginn (57), Mike Wallace (58), and Victor Cruz (61).

So why should  you choose an unproven rookie over some established wide receivers?

To start, Thomas landed in a very favorable spot for a wide receiver. With Drew Brees slinging the ball around in Sean Payton's offense, there will be plenty of opportunities for Thomas to make plays. Also playing in his favor is the fact that Marques Colston is no longer on the team, leaving a hole at the split end position.

Standing at six-foot-three, 212 pounds, Thomas has the perfect size for the position. He has a knack for making plays and being able to go up and get jump balls in the red zone, something the Saints were lacking in 2015.

With Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead making plays down the field on the outside, Thomas seems like the perfect addition to the passing attack, especially considering that Cooks and Snead are both under six feet tall.

The Saints have never been shy to throw the ball under Payton. They were the top passing team in the NFL last season, finishing with an average of 310.6 passing yards per game. As a whole, the Saints averaged a second-best 403.8 total yards per game. With no big improvement in the run department likely this season and a bad defense, it's not impossible to think that the Saints will once again be forced to throw the ball early and often.

Not only does New Orleans throw the ball a lot, but it gets spread around all over the field. Seven different Saints had at least 30 receptions a year ago, with five of them making at least 45 catches.

With a coach  and quarterback who love to spread the wealth on offense, Thomas is in one of the best possible landing spots for a rookie wide receiver. If he can develop an early chemistry with Brees, he could be able to put up some big numbers, both for the Saints and for his fantasy owners.

According to CBSSports.com, Thomas has already made an impression on both Payton and Brees. He appears to be quickly learning the offense and should be ready to perform when the season rolls around. Thomas certainly appears to be on track to be a very impactful rookie in 2016.

If you are planning on targeting Thomas in your draft, just be aware that he'll likely be a popular sleeper pick among your fellow draft mates. When you start drafting bench players, you may want to make him one of your first selections. Thomas is being drafted as a WR5 with finishing as a WR3(top 36 wide receiver) well within his range of outcomes. When rookies get priced closer to their floor than their ceiling, they become one of the more attractive sleeper options in fantasy football drafts.

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