👉 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE SPRING
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


Five Wide Receiver Sleepers - 2017 Fantasy Football ADP Values

Legend has it that only true love's kiss can wake a sleeping beauty. I present to you five wide receivers that are in a deep comatose state buried on your draft board. Whether it was because of injuries, lack-luster offenses, or incapable quarterbacks, these five players are presenting you with the opportunity to be the hero of your league.

Don't be afraid of the dragon in the shape of a bogus "Pre-Rank" next to their names on the screen. Scroll down that list and take these studs with confidence because when awaken, they will be beautiful.

Okay Prince Charming, do your thing.

Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!

 

2017 Wide Receiver Sleepers

Pierre Garcon, SF (ADP: WR36 Standard, WR34 PPR)

In 2013, Garcon played his first full season in Kyle Shanahan's offense with the Redskins. He finished that year with a career high 113 Receptions and 1,346 Yards. Fast forward to 2017 and the two are reunited out in the Bay. Still 31 years young, Garcon is coming off his only other career 1,000 yard season, but was only able to score three TD in the crowded Redskins aerial attack. In fact, he only caught five passes in the red zone all year.

But I don't see this being an issue in 2017, as the 49ers don't have another viable threat to compete with Garcon for those red zone targets, especially after trading TE Vance McDonald to the Steelers this week. Marquise Goodwin is a fantastic vertical threat, and Jeremy Kerley was just released. Brian Hoyer will lock on to Garcon with all his might from the get-go, and Kyle Shanahan is capable of making sure his #1 WR doesn't get negated by the defense. Remember the 2015 campaign DeAndre Hopkins had himself with Brian Hoyer targeting him a hundred times a game? Okay, not really 100, but he did get 22 in one game and 192 on the season.

I don't understand what is keeping Garcon on the board so long on draft day. In PPR leagues especially, with the target share that he is going to be fed, he could easily be sitting in the top 20 WR range by season's end. If its the 49ers projected record that is scaring you, then I will tell you that in 2013 when Garcon had his most successful season, the Redskins went 3-13. Bottom line: Kyle Shanahan + Brian Hoyer + terrible WR depth = all the Garcon shares I can handle.

 

John Brown, ARI (ADP: WR45 Standard, WR50 PPR)

Before he went out and lit up the Falcons for two touchdowns last week, John "Smokey" Brown was flying WAY under the radar in 2017.  Due to difficulty recovering from injuries due to the sickle-cell trait, Brown missed most of 2016. But if you think back to 2015, Smokey hauled in seven TD along with over 1,000 yards as he proved to be just too fast for defenses to cover when healthy. He claims to be at "90 percent" right now, which for Smokey is plenty healthy enough to duplicate those 2015 numbers again this season, especially with Michael Floyd no longer posing a threat to his deep-zone air space. The 207 FP (PPR) he earned in 2015 would have ranked inside the top 25 WR last year, and that's the kind of ceiling you should be targeting with your WR3/4 spot. The floor is a bit Smokey, but the sky is the limit in that Bruce Arians offense.

 

Adam Thielen, MIN (ADP: WR46 Standard, WR41 PPR)

Every day this guy's ADP is slowly creeping up. This is mostly due to the fact that he has now taken over the slot position for the Vikings, as Stefon Diggs moves to the outside, and people are realizing what this could mean in terms of PPR points. But Adam Thielen is still ripe with value even at his present ADP. Fantasy football doesn't always portray just how good some guys are at this game, and Thielen is one of the cases. Only five WR in the entire league ranked in the top 10 of both DYAR (Defense Adjusted- Yards Above Replacement) and DVOA (Defense-Adjusted Value over Average) during the 2016 season. Yes, these are just Football Outsiders attempt at making a WAR-like statistic for football, but back to the point. Adam Thielen was one of the heralded five. He boasted a 75% catch rate, which was only bested by four other wide-outs, one of which being his teammate Diggs.

Fantasy-wise, Thielen was the sneakiest top 30 WR of the year in 2016. He became Sam Bradford's go-to man to move the sticks, and the connection-and targets grew with every month. Now add a full off-season into the chemistry maker, and we'll get even more volume. 62% of Bradford's passes last year were of the "short" variety, which is why Thielen will at least repeat his 2016 Top 30 WR performance again in PPR leagues in 2017.

 

Jordan Matthews, BUF (ADP: WR50 Standard, WR47 PPR)

With the departures of Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, and Marquise Goodwin, there are currently around 250 targets up for grabs in the Bills passing game. As of right now, based on the fantasy football community and social media, one would be led to believe rookie Zay Jones is going to fill every bit of that void by himself. But let's pump the breaks. Yes Zay Jones was amazing at East Carolina, but we all remember how dominant Jordan Matthews was at Vandy, right? Matthews scored eight TD in both of his first two seasons in the NFL, and has reached 800 Rec Yds in all three seasons. So we have two rare specimen of human beings fighting for targets and you expect me to believe the one with zero NFL experience is going to box out the guy with three seasons under his belt because of some success in preseason? Get out of here.

Tyrod Taylor was fantastic in the red zone last season, boasting a 11:0 TD:INT ratio. But... only four of those TD were to a player still on the roster. Enter Matthews, who has hauled in 14 red zone TD already in his short career. Just two years ago, he owned the sixth highest target percentage among WR inside the 10 yard line. This is where Matthews will make his mark. Matthews will be all healed up from his chest injury by week 1, and if Tyrod stays healthy, the often-trailing Bills should be able to force feed Matthews enough volume to finish as a top 35 WR. I have been landing Matthews in the tenth round in my 2017 drafts, and I feel like a thief looking at him in my WR4 slot. The fact that the new #1 on the team is being drafted behind the likes of Donte Moncrief, Randall Cobb, and Corey Coleman is just absurd.

 

Robby Anderson, NYJ (ADP: WR56 Standard, WR56 PPR)

Plain and simple, I don't care how ugly the team is, or who is throwing the ball. The clear #1 WR on any offense, especially one that will be playing from behind so much, has to be drafted before this! Kenny Britt and Corey Coleman are being drafted 4-5 rounds prior to Robby and they're playing in Cleveland with a rookie QB, while stealing targets from each other. Stop the hate people. Yes, the butt fumble will always be funny, but good fantasy numbers can come out of awful football. Anderson was targeted over 10 times just twice last season. He scored 33 FP (PPR) between the two, and that's what we have to look forward to when the Jets are losing by 30 and the garbage-time force feeding begins.

As I am writing this of course, the Jets trade for Jermaine Kearse. The addition of Jermaine Kearse doesn't scare me away from Robby Anderson, it actually makes me feel safer about drafting him. Now the Jets have a competent WR that can provide some respite for Robby from the defenses' focus. Neither of the two will be anything close to studs this year, but things would have to go historically bad for Robby to not provide value at his current ADP.

 

More Sleepers & Draft Values




REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Josh Hader

Set to Return from Injured List on Tuesday
Chris Brazzell II

a Year 1 Breakout Candidate in Carolina?
Ja'Kobi Lane

a Great Fit for Ravens, Potential Steal in Rookie Drafts
Josh Jacobs

Back at Practice on Tuesday
Max Klare

Crowded Tight End Room Impacting Max Klare's Dynasty Stock?
Romeo Doubs

Still a Solid Dynasty Option in New England?
CFB

SEC Coach Calls Buster Faulkner a "Home-Run Hire"
CFB

Auburn a Sleeper in the SEC Under Alex Golesh?
CFB

Noah Fifita Primed for Strong 2026 Campaign
CFB

Oregon Assistant Coach Charged with DUII, Reckless Driving
Makai Lemon

Set for Major Role in Debut Season?
CFB

Tight End Nick Pollack Commits to Clemson
Drake Maye

Does Latest Addition Put Drake Maye Among the Upper Echelon of Fantasy Elite?
Jalen Hurts

Could Face Regression After Loss of Top Pass Catcher
DeVonta Smith

Poised for WR1 Role in the Aftermath of Trade?
Daniel Jones

Participating in 7-on-7s
Akshay Bhatia

Needs the Driver to be True in Ohio
Aaron Rai

Primed to take on the Memorial Tournament
J.J. Spaun

Rebounded at Charles Schwab Challenge
Xander Schauffele

One to Watch This Week in Ohio
Hideki Matsuyama

Putter Could be Vital at the Memorial
Nicolai Hojgaard

Rust Concerns at Muirfield Village
Ryan Gerard

Surfaces After Long Cold Stretch with Top 10 Result
Wyndham Clark

May Struggle at the Memorial Tournament
Elly De La Cruz

to Miss 2-4 Weeks of Action
Chase Burns

is Scratched Due to Illness
A.J. Brown

Traded to Patriots in Blockbuster Deal
Deiveson Figueiredo

Suffers Second-Round Submission Loss
Song Yadong

Gets Second-Round Submission Win
Russell Wilson

Taking a Job with CBS for 2026 Season
JuJu Smith-Schuster

Giants Adding JuJu Smith-Schuster on a One-Year Deal
Zhang Mingyang

Suffers Back-To-Back Losses
Alonzo Menifield

Gets Back In The Win Column
Braxton Berrios

New York Giants Agree to One-Year Deal with Braxton Berrios
Odell Beckham Jr.

Signing with Giants
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Myles Garrett

and Jared Verse Swap Teams in Blockbuster Deal
Sergei Pavlovich

Scores First-Round Knockout Win
Cameron Smotherman

Suffers Third Loss In A Row
Edwin Arroyo

Reds Promote Top Infield Prospect Edwin Arroyo, Viewed as Priority Pick Up Ahead of MLB Debut
Kai Asakura

Earns His First UFC Win
Elly De La Cruz

Placed on IL with Right Hamstring Tightness
Mason Taylor

Dynasty Value Takes a Hit for Now
Denny Hamlin

Earns the first Nashville Cup Series Victory of his Career on Sunday
Zachariah Branch

a Steal in the Second Round of Rookie Drafts?
Christopher Bell

Finishes as the Runner-Up at Nashville
Chase Briscoe

Earns First Career Podium Finish at Nashville
Ryan Blaney

Scores A Solid Top-10 Finish at Nashville
Eli Stowers

Worth Targeting Now Before Eventual Breakout?
Kyle Larson

Top-10 Streak at Nashville Ends after Late Flat Tire Spin
Germie Bernard

Expected to Require Some Patience in Dynasty Leagues
Denzel Boston

a First-Round Target in Dynasty Rookie Drafts
Elly De La Cruz

Exits with Hamstring Tightness
Tyler Reddick

Is One of the Top Favorites to Win at Nashville
Kyle Larson

May Continue his Top-10 Consistency at Nashville this week
Christopher Bell

Is One of the Top Competitors for the Win at Nashville
Chase Briscoe

Is A Must Start for Nashville DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

has Plenty of Upside for Nashville DFS Lineups
William Byron

Is William Byron A Playable DFS Option for Nashville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar

Is Likely to have Another Solid Result at Nashville
NASCAR

Should Fantasy Players Roster Bubba Wallace at Nashville?
Chris Buescher

Is A Decent All-Around DFS Option for Nashville Lineups
Daniel Suarez

is Likely to Drop Positions during the Cracker Barrel 400
Garrett Crochet

Suffers Setback, Likely to Undergo MRI for Lat Tightness
Denny Hamlin

Could Denny Hamlin Dominate at Nashville?
Ryan Blaney

Is a DFS Tournament Option at Nashville
Ty Gibbs

Don't Overlook Ty Gibbs at Nashville
Joey Logano

Could Show Life at Nashville
Ross Chastain

Needs a Good Run at Nashville
Chet Holmgren

Fails to Step Up in the Season Finale
Cason Wallace

Ends Postseason with Strong Showing
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Caps MVP Season with Game 7 Exit
Stephon Castle

Continues Postseason Run with 16 Points
Julian Champagnie

Shines in Series-Clinching Win
De'Aaron Fox

Provides Secondary Punch in Game 7 Triumph
Victor Wembanyama

Earns Conference Finals MVP in Spurs' Game 7 Win
NBA

Warriors Prioritize Depth Around Returning Steve Kerr
Donovan Mitchell

Remains Cleveland's Top Priority
Adou Thiero

Remains a Lakers Development Project
NBA

76ers Hire Mike Gansey as President of Basketball Operations
NBA

Chicago Bulls Explore Kevin Young as Coaching Candidate
Kyrie Irving

Reports He's Nearing Full Strength in ACL Recovery
Lane Hutson

Posts a Power-Play Assist in Game 5 Loss
Cole Caufield

Nets a Power-Play Goal in Season-Ending Loss
Seth Jarvis

Closes Out East Finals With Multi-Point Game
Logan Stankoven

Notches Three Points in Big Game 5 Win
Taylor Hall

Racks Up Three Points in Series-Clinching Win
Frederik Andersen

Remains Stellar as Hurricanes Clinch Finals Berth
Jacob Gonzalez

is Heading to the Big Leagues
Munetaka Murakami

Exits with Hamstring Tightness
Mitchell Robinson

Plans to Play in Game 1 After Finger Surgery
Ajay Mitchell

Ruled Out for Game 7
Jalen Williams

Unavailable in Decisive Game 7
NBA

Magic Finalizing Hire of Sean Sweeney as Head Coach
Eury Pérez

Eury Perez is Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Deiveson Figueiredo

Set For UFC Macau Main Event
MMA

Yadong Song Returns At UFC Macau
Alonzo Menifield

An Underdog At UFC Macau
Zhang Mingyang

Set For UFC Macau Co-Main Event
Tallison Teixeira

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Sergei Pavlovich

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Cameron Smotherman

Looks To Bounce Back
Kai Asakura

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
CFB

Faizon Brandon In Position to Start Week 1
CFB

Dane Weber Commits to Cal
CFB

Joey McGuire Attempts to Add Texas to Schedule
CFB

Mike Leach on 2027 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
CFB

Maryland, Baylor Schedule Home-and-Home
CFB

Taron Dickens Decommits From North Carolina
Jalen Williams

Limited in Game 6 Return
Jared McCain

Provides Bench Spark in Game 6 Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Posts Lowest-Scoring Night of His MVP Season
De'Aaron Fox

Struggles From the Field Thursday
MLB

MLB Proposes Hard Salary Cap as Part of Next CBA
Kenley Jansen

Tigers Place Kenley Jansen on Injured List With Pelvic Inflammation
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Heading to Injured List With Hamstring Strain
MON

Lane Hutson Struggles in Game 4 Loss
CAR

Logan Stankoven Nets Eighth Postseason Goal
CAR

Sebastian Aho Pots Game-Winner on Power Play
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Tallies Two Helpers in Impressive Road Win
CAR

Shayne Gostisbehere Records Two Assists in Game 4 Win
CAR

Frederik Andersen Establishes Hurricanes New Postseason Shutout Record
Yordan Alvarez

Continues Homer Barrage With Two More Long Balls on Wednesday
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Makes History With Seven More Shutout Innings Against Padres
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Lifted From Wednesday's Game Early With Hamstring Strain
Kenley Jansen

Exits Relief Appearance on Wednesday With Groin Injury
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF