July 31, 2017

Michael Swindells profiles Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver (WR) John Ross as a fantasy football sleeper for 2017. He could be a draft value according to ADP.

After an extremely successful collegiate career, the Cincinnati Bengals selected John Ross with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft. He went a bit higher than many expected, but his elite athleticism obviously struck a chord with the Bengals front office.

Rookie wide receivers don't often make a huge impact in fantasy terms, but every so often a player emerges as a big-play threat right away. The Bengals already have an elite wideout and aren't a pass-reliant team, however. What would make Ross a viable candidate to be a sleeper for 2017?

Breaking the NFL Combine record for fastest 40-yard dash time is certainly encouraging enough. As you'll see, Ross isn't just a one-trick pony and even if he is, that trick is pretty good. Here are some reasons why Ross could be a sleeper in standard fantasy drafts for 2017:

Speed Kills

Ross will complement Cincinnati’s offense tremendously, using his stunning speed to present opportunities underneath for AJ Green and Tyler Eifert. Unlike most prototypical speed receivers, Ross is fully capable of running the entire route tree well. This will allow Offensive Coordinator, Ken Zampese to utilize Ross more habitually. AJ Green is irrefutably the WR1 entering the 2017 campaign, following a season where he averaged 10 targets per game, and approximately a 28.7% target rate in the Bengal’s offense. Ross will be competing with Tyler Boyd for the WR2 role, with the odds favouring Ross significantly.

Additionally, Andy Dalton has demonstrated an effective deep ball, finishing the 2016 season with 2447 air yards on 67 deep attempts. However, the Bengals lost two significant offensive linemen in Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth this past offseason, and will be depending on rookies Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi to fill the void. PFF currently has Cincinnati’s offensive line ranked 31^st in the league, barely ahead of Seattle’s.  Cincinnati’s abysmal offensive line will surely affect Dalton’s deep ball completion percentage of 40.3% from this past season negatively, decreasing the amount of quality looks Ross will get vertically.

As mentioned earlier, Ross is an exceptional athlete, which he has already demonstrated in various ways. He was a special teams force with the University of Washington Huskies, returning at least one kickoff for a touchdown in all three seasons with the team. He is undeniably an athletic specimen, with a rather remarkable sprinting background dating all the way back to his high school years at Long Beach Jordan High School. The Second Team All American topped Chris Johnson’s 4.24 40-yard dash combine record set in 2008, a feat that had appeared rather unattainable in years past. Also worth noting, Ross is a versatile player, even playing defensive back for the Washington Huskies following the dismissal of current Kansas City Chiefs standout cornerback Marcus Peters, recording 16 tackles and 1 interception.

Ross has drawn comparisons to Chiefs receiver, Tyreek Hill by NFL scouts, while his frame and combine statistics best compare him to Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace. In the past, Ross has struggled greatly with injuries, leaving uncertainty regarding his durability. In spite of this, Ross has definitely proven doubters he can execute on an elite level regardless of his past, recording 1,150 yards and 16 touchdowns following an offseason rehabilitating two separate knee injuries. The fact that he missed OTAs and will be limited for the start of training camp may draw concern, but that's not unusual for players recovering from offseason injuries and shouldn't be overstated. Like many veterans, he doesn't necessarily need to prove anything in exhibition games to be a factor once the regular season starts.

Similar to most speed receivers, Ross will have the ability to win you your week, or destroy it entirely. Anticipate boom or bust production from Ross this upcoming season, serving as a high-risk flex play in standard leagues, with slightly higher upside due to special teams contributions in leagues that count return TD and/or yardage.

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