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


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

2018 PPR Mock Draft Review: Sleepers

If Rotoballer's first mock draft of the 2018 fantasy football (redraft) season is any indication of what things will look like in August, balance is the operative word. Yet sleepers still lay waiting in the grass.

Through three rounds, sixteen running backs and sixteen wide receivers were drafted in the 16-round 12-team PPR draft. Despite the even flow of running backs and wide receivers, there are still some sleepers that slipped through the cracks and could provide major dividends for the fantasy owner who decides to believe to dream.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

(Note: Most data referenced was sourced from ffstatistics.com)

Early Sleepers

Rd 6 - Jamison Crowder (WR, WAS)

Last year's Washington receiving corps was a complete disappointment. Terrell Pryor was taken early in most drafts and to call him a bust would be disrespectful to fantasy football's busts. No wide receiver had more than two double-digit scoring weeks. Josh Doctson was the team's leading touchdown-getter with six.

With those rough stats, it's no wonder many are a little sheepish on going Washington wide receiver early. That mindset should be abolished with Alex Smith coming into the fold and Crowder still there to gobble up a lot of targets. The fact is what Smith does best and what Crowder does well are one and the same. What Smith is to throwing to underneath routes is what Crowder is to running routes in that same space.

When you combine NextGenStats stating free agent signee Paul Richardson, was the sixth biggest deep threat last year, and Crowder creating the eighth best separation on routes, the window for Smith to find Crowder should be roomier than a high-rollers' suite in Vegas.

Rd 8 - Marlon Mack (RB, IND)

It's easy to point to Marlon Mack's 3.8 yards per carry last year and be hesitant to pull the trigger on the second-year back. With Frank Gore in Miami and upgrades to the offensive line through the draft, however, there is no reason to believe Mack can't be a RB1 or RB2 candidate.

There are plenty of numbers to support Mack as a sleeper candidate. The most obvious is the 299 targets up for grabs with the departure of Gore. Looking specifically at Mack, his explosiveness and big play ability have been greatly undersold. Last season, Mack gained 80 percent of his yards after contact.  The Colts spent two of their first three draft picks on interior lineman which should help improve 30 of his 93 rookie carries going for no gain or negative yardage. According to Pro Football Focus, Mack ranked third in breakaway percentage, as well as having another 20 carries go for six or more yards, finishing 12th out of 53 qualifiers in elusive rating.

With only two rookie running backs behind him on the depth chart, Mack can be a vital cog on your fantasy team, especially if Andrew Luck is able to return and keep team's honest on defense.

Rd 11 - Randall Cobb (WR, GB)

We'll make this quick and easy. Aaron Rodgers is the best fantasy quarterback in the league today. Randall Cobb is unchallenged as the secondary target on the Packers. He had 92 targets last year. Jordy Nelson's 88 targets from last year will be picked up by someone. Despite everyone's excitement on Jimmy Graham's arrival in Green Bay, Rodgers' highest fantasy ranked tight end is ninth in 2011. Even if Graham takes every single target from Nelson, plus the tight end targets from last year (almost impossible), Cobb will still be valued in the top 40 wide receivers.

The 40th wide receiver taken in our mock draft went in the eighth round.

Rd 12 - Kenneth Dixon (RB, BAL)

It seems like fantasy owners have been waiting a decade for Dixon to finally live up to the sneak peek potential he offered at the end of his rookie year. In the second half of 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, "Dixon led the league in touches per missed tackle, forcing one once every 3.4 touches and ended up ranking 22nd in PPR fantasy points per opportunity (0.48)" – the same rate as top-three fantasy performer, Le'Veon Bell.

Baltimore's offense was a mess last year. Dixon was expected to be the starting running back position before a torn meniscus ended his 2017 campaign. Danny Woodhead was brought in to provide a receiving threat, but was hurt in Week One. No Raven wide receiver played all 16 games. Despite all of those inconsistencies, Baltimore still averaged a little over 35 passes per game, the 11th most pass-happy team in the NFL. Out of the chaos emerged Alex Collins as the de facto starting running back heading into 2018, and an almost entirely new wide receiver group.

Even if Collins holds on to the starting role--Dixon is more athletic and showed more explosiveness in comparison--there is still a huge role to carve out in the passing attack. With Marty Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator, Baltimore has targeted running backs out of the backfield 26.9 percent (2016) and 26.5 percent (2017).  The last three years under head coach John Harbaugh, Baltimore's top running backs have finished 20, 23 and 29. The more valuable statistic is that Baltimore's back-up running back or pass-catching back has finished 23, 47 and 41.

If Dixon stays healthy--a big if--he could play a prominent role in fantasy football this season.

Undrafted - Rico Gathers (TE, DAL)

While all Jason Garrett comments regarding Rico Gathers have been tethered to how green Gathers is as a football player, there is no denying Gathers' potential given his size and basketball background.

Dallas made some important changes to its red zone offense this offseason. With Dez Bryant's release and Jason Witten's retirement, the top two red zone weapons are gone as well as their 33 targets.

Gathers is still second or third on the depth chart, but at 6-6, 285 pounds it would be foolish for the Cowboys not to utilize that size and ingrained knowledge of how to occupy space in a tight area thanks to his time in the paint as part of the Baylor basketball team. He gave the world a glimpse during last year's preseason when he caught seven balls for 106 yards (15.1 YPC) and a pair of scores in two games.

He would be touchdown dependent, but at a position where the difference between eighth and 16th is less than two points per game, you could do worse than a late-flier on a guy with undeniable talent.

 

More Fantasy Football Mock Drafts and Analysis


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kyren Williams26 mins ago

Eclipses Century Mark On Thursday
Evan Engram2 hours ago

Done For Season
Joaquin Buckley2 hours ago

Looks For His Sixth Win In A Row
Colby Covington2 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Dalton Kincaid2 hours ago

Expected To Return In Week 15
Bruno Silva3 hours ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Manel Kape3 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Tampa
Keon Coleman3 hours ago

Expected To Play Against Lions
Tuco Tokkos3 hours ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
Navajo Stirling3 hours ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Odell Beckham Jr.3 hours ago

Dolphins Mutually Agree On Release
Kevin Lankinen3 hours ago

Frustrates Panthers With Shutout Performance
Nikita Kucherov3 hours ago

Racks Up Six Points Against Flames
Leon Draisaitl3 hours ago

Continues Multi-Point Streak Versus Wild
Bryan Rust3 hours ago

Tallies Four Points In Big Win
Scott Laughton4 hours ago

Ties Flyers Record With Four-Goal Performance
Ryan O'Reilly4 hours ago

Returns With Three-Point Effort
Victor Hedman4 hours ago

Day-To-Day With A Lower-Body Injury
Aidan O'Connell15 hours ago

Doesn't Practice On Thursday
Jusuf Nurkic16 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

Expected Back Against The Jazz
Austin Reaves16 hours ago

Likely Out Again On Friday
Patrick Williams16 hours ago

Questionable Against The Hornets
Josh Giddey17 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Kyle Bradish17 hours ago

Begins Throwing Program
Nikola Vucevic17 hours ago

Questionable Versus Charlotte
Marquise Brown17 hours ago

Receives Final Clearance To Practice
Malcolm Brogdon17 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
Jake Haener17 hours ago

Named The Starter Against Commanders
Kenneth Walker III17 hours ago

Out Again On Thursday
Nolan Arenado17 hours ago

Would Approve Of Trade To The Bronx
San Francisco 49ers17 hours ago

Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw Both Active For 49ers
Isaac Guerendo17 hours ago

Officially Active On Thursday Night
Anthony Davis18 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up On Friday
Austin Reaves18 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday
Jalen Duren18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Thursday's Contest
LeBron James18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Friday's Game
Sam Hauser18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Thursday
Jalen Duren18 hours ago

Could Miss Thursday's Game
Jimmy Butler18 hours ago

Will Play Thursday
Jayson Tatum18 hours ago

Out On Thursday Night
Jake McCabe19 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Ladd McConkey19 hours ago

Limited Again In Thursday's Practice
Scott Mayfield19 hours ago

Rejoins Islanders Lineup
Yanni Gourde19 hours ago

Absent Against Bruins
Jack Drury19 hours ago

Set For Hand Surgery
Trevor Zegras19 hours ago

To Miss Six Weeks Following Knee Surgery
Roman Josi19 hours ago

Out On Thursday
J.T. Miller19 hours ago

Returns To Action Thursday
San Francisco 49ers20 hours ago

Nick Bosa Likely To Play On Thursday
Trey McBride20 hours ago

Remains Limited On Thursday
Will Dissly20 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Thursday
Evan Engram20 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Justin Herbert20 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Thursday
George Pickens21 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Thursday
Alvin Kamara21 hours ago

Misses Another Practice
Tony Pollard22 hours ago

Not Spotted At Thursday's Practice
Francisco Lindor22 hours ago

Back Injury In The Rearview Mirror
Rafael Devers22 hours ago

Red Sox Prepared To Keep Rafael Devers At Third Base
Cody Bellinger23 hours ago

Yankees Targeting Cody Bellinger
D'Andre Swift23 hours ago

Roschon Johnson Not Practicing On Thursday
Tim Stützle1 day ago

Tim Stutzle Notches Two Power-Play Assists Wednesday
Drake Batherson1 day ago

Tallies Four Points Versus Ducks
Owen Power1 day ago

Picks Up Two Points In Losing Effort
Pete Alonso1 day ago

Mets Still Trying To Bring Back Pete Alonso
Mika Zibanejad1 day ago

Scores 300th Career Goal
Adam Fox1 day ago

Records Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Corbin Burnes1 day ago

Giants The Favorites To Land Corbin Burnes
K'Andre Miller1 day ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Javonte Green1 day ago

Questionable For Meeting With Kings
Josh Richardson1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One Week
Jimmy Butler1 day ago

Probable For Thursday's Matchup
Ausar Thompson1 day ago

Ready To Return On Thursday
Sam Hauser1 day ago

Doubtful For Thursday
Al Horford1 day ago

Available Versus Pistons
Brenton Doyle1 day ago

Rockies Plan To Hit Brenton Doyle At Leadoff
Mitch Keller2 days ago

Jared Jones, Mitch Keller Available For Trade
Shane Bieber2 days ago

Throwing From 90 Feet
Cam Talbot2 days ago

Set To Return On Thursday
Chicago White Sox2 days ago

Braden Montgomery Traded To White Sox
Kyle Teel2 days ago

White Sox Land Catching Prospect Kyle Teel
Garrett Crochet2 days ago

Red Sox Acquiring Garrett Crochet From White Sox
Kyle Tucker2 days ago

Astros Targeting Seiya Suzuki, Isaac Paredes In Potential Kyle Tucker Trade
Seattle Mariners2 days ago

Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki To Make Push For Roki Sasaki
Dylan Cease2 days ago

Orioles Interested In Acquiring Dylan Cease
Luis Robert Jr.2 days ago

Reds Interested In Luis Robert Jr.
Jake Burger2 days ago

Rangers Acquire Jake Burger From Marlins
Washington Nationals3 days ago

Nationals Win MLB Draft Lottery
Nathan Eovaldi3 days ago

Reunites With Rangers On Three-Year Deal
Andrés Giménez3 days ago

Blue Jays Acquire Andres Gimenez From Guardians
Alexandre Pantoja4 days ago

Gets Second-Round Win At UFC 310
Kai Asakura4 days ago

Submitted At UFC 310
Alexander Volkov4 days ago

Takes Split-Decision Loss
Ciryl Gane4 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC 310
MMA4 days ago

Doo Ho Choi Scores TKO Win At UFC 310
Nate Landwehr5 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 310
Kron Gracie5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 310
Bryce Mitchell5 days ago

Scores Knockout Win At UFC 310
Ian Machado Garry5 days ago

Suffers First Defeat At UFC 310
Shavkat Rakhmonov5 days ago

Remains Undefeated After UFC 310

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Sincere McCormick - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Sneaky Starts, Pivot Plays, and Post-Waiver Pickups for Week 15 - Sincere McCormick, Adam Thielen, Aaron Rodgers, and Hunter Henry

If you are reading this, congratulations! That likely means you made the fantasy playoffs unless you just enjoy reading about sneaky starts after you’re eliminated. Making the fantasy playoffs is a huge accomplishment and doing so consistently is the biggest sign of skill in this game.  But in the infamous words of the late, great […]


Video: Week 15 Must-Start Wide Receivers - 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

The fantasy football playoffs are underway for the vast majority of leagues, meaning each decision is crucial in the quest for a title for fantasy managers. Let us help with those "championship choices" by checking out our favorite 2024 fantasy football must-start wide receivers for Week 15! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" […]


Justin Herbert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 15 Lineups Include Rico Dowdle, Khalil Shakir, Russell Wilson

Finally! The fantasy playoffs are here! If you’re reading this article, congratulations on making the dance. Now that you’re in, anything can happen and the previous 14 weeks don’t matter at all. Everything comes down to these final three weeks. Throughout the season, I’ve tried to be as transparent as I can be with my […]


Dillon Gabriel - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Top College Fantasy Football Players Week 15 (2024)

The biggest stars usually shine brightest on the biggest stages. That would be conference championship week. The time before everything goes nuts with the transfer portal and opt-outs. There were only nine games last weekend. Which players showed out for the pro scouts? We will introduce you to these college players earlier than many of […]


Rico Dowdle - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 15: Jameis Winston, Rico Dowdle, DJ Moore, Amari Cooper, Stone Smartt

Week 15 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Jameis Winston, Rico Dowdle, DJ Moore, Amari Cooper, and Stone Smartt. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely outcomes, […]


Joe Mixon - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Free Week 15 NFL Betting Picks and Expert Predictions

We enter Week 15 coming off another 1-1 outing. The Steelers won comfortably in their rematch with the Cleveland Browns, and we easily cashed that ticket. The Chargers couldn’t hang on to close out the Chiefs, and we lost that moneyline play on a last-second field goal. However, we finished Week 14 up +.9 units, […]


DeVonta Smith - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 15 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Alvin Kamara, DeVonta Smith, Tyrone Tracy, Jayden Reed, Nick Chubb, Cade Otton

Welcome to the fantasy football playoffs! Week 15 of the fantasy football season has arrived, and the stakes are higher than ever. Whether you successfully navigated difficult matchups and injuries or lucked into drafting Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry in the first two rounds, you've made it to the dance and have a shot at […]


Jameis Winston - NFL DFS Picks, Waiver Wire, Fantasy Football Rankings

NFL Week 15 Fantasy Football Weather Report

The fantasy football playoffs are here! But that also means the weather is taking a turn for the worse. And in the NFL, weather can significantly impact games, particularly as we head into the colder months of the season. In this article, we will examine how various weather elements could influence the games scheduled for […]


Derrick Henry - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 15 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 15! This Week 15 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em will help you make the right lineup decisions in the first round of the fantasy football playoffs.  It's wild to think we are already in Week 15 of the NFL season and […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Week 15 (Sunday Main Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Week 15 - Sunday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now into the holiday season, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of […]


Ravens Defense - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Draft Sleepers, IDP Targets

Week 15 Fantasy Football Team Defense Rankings: Bengals D/ST, Cardinals D/ST, Chiefs D/ST, Jets D/ST, Broncos D/ST, Chargers D/ST, Falcons D/ST

It's make-or-break time for your fantasy teams, as most leagues have entered the postseason portion of the 2024 campaign. If you lose, you go home, so use our Week 15 fantasy football defense (D/ST) rankings for 2024 if you need assistance. We'll help you identify the top available D/ST streamer. Ahead of the all-important Week […]


Sincere McCormick - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Updated Waiver Wire Rankings Week 15 (2024) - Mid-Week Fantasy Football Pickups Include Braelon Allen, Christian Watson, Cedric Tillman, Stone Smartt

Most waivers in fantasy leagues run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; fantasy managers can still add players until Sunday game time. Week 15 is the beginning of the fantasy playoffs, and we are back with our updated mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 15 of the 2024 season to help your teams advance to […]


Matthew Stafford - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Week 15 Predictions: Picks and Analysis for Every Game Including Thursday Night Football

The NFL regular season is heading into the homestretch! Several divisional titles are still very much up for grabs, as we kick off Week 15 with a pivotal clash between the Rams and Niners, before moving into a jampacked slate with exciting matchups. With every team in action, the Week 15 includes two Monday Night […]