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We're officially in the thick of the fantasy football draft season. The preseason is over and teams have cut down to 53 players for their active rosters. With NFL action beginning on Thursday, September 7, we know who is healthy or injured and which players are attractive in the early rounds of best ball drafts.
However, fantasy football leagues are often won in the double-digit rounds by identifying sleepers who could emerge as tremendous late-round values. That is where this Fantasy Football Best Ball Sleepers article comes in.
We'll go over some late-round targets in this piece that could help you win your league. Who should you be targeting after round 10 in your upcoming best ball drafts? Let's dive into it.
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Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers
ADP: 131.3, RB44
Elijah Mitchell is the direct backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco's run-centric offense that has been elite, regardless of who has been featured in it. The 25-year-old running back has been productive over his first 252 rushing attempts in the NFL, totaling 1,242 yards and seven scores.
Ultimately, the Niners will likely manage McCaffrey's workload so as to not get him banged up before the stretch run to the playoffs, so Mitchell makes for an excellent best ball option.
You'll never need to know when to start him, and he is a prime contender to deliver plenty of boom weeks. In one of the league's elite offenses, he has plenty of touchdown upside. At his price tag, he's one of the most attractive backup running backs in all of fantasy football.
Damien Harris, Buffalo Bills
ADP: 138.3, RB45
Damien Harris won't see a massive workload while sharing time with James Cook, but he looks to have a command of the short-yardage role in a top-five NFL offense. While his lack of receiving work will keep him from being a weekly producer, there should be plenty of boom weeks in his future.
The former Patriots running back found the end zone 15 times in 2021, so his sledgehammer skill set is well-proven. As Josh Allen ages, expect Buffalo to limit his goal-line carries in order to keep him healthy. The signing of Harris this offseason signals that this could be the year.
Fantasy drafters are often scared of a committee backfield, especially in non-best ball formats. However, Harris' RB45 ADP doesn't make much sense from an upside perspective anyway. Draft him with confidence.
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
ADP: 140.2, RB47
Raheem Mostert led the Dolphins in attempts (181), rushing yards (891), yards per carry (4.9), longest rush (67), 20-plus yard runs (six), and rushing touchdowns (three) last season. T
he Dolphins were reportedly in on the Dalvin Cook sweepstakes and took a shot at trading for Jonathan Taylor -- yet Mostert is still primed to be the lead back in Mike McDaniel's offense after neither move materialized.
Rookie third-round pick De'Von Achane (shoulder) has already dealt with two injuries before his debut campaign even kicks off. Which isn't all that surprising considering Achane's sub-190-pound frame. Jeff Wilson Jr. has also been banged up and was placed on Injured Reserve to begin the season.
Ultimately, all three backs will see work when healthy in the Dolphins' explosive offense, but Mostert should continue to be the lead dog and still has big-play upside, even at age 31.
Again, this is best ball, so we're focusing on the spike week potential this late into drafts. He checks all of the boxes to target in the double-digit rounds.
Allen Lazard, New York Jets
ADP: 124.5, WR57
While Lazard has no shot at the Jets' WR1 job thanks to Garrett Wilson, he should have plenty of fantasy football value given his familiarity with Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has been known to be a stickler for making his teammates earn targets, and Lazard already did that in his time with the Green Bay Packers.
Last season, Lazard saw at least seven targets in seven of his 15 active games. He posted half-PPR weekly finishes as the WR22, WR16, WR18, WR9, WR5, and WR20 last season and ranked 33rd overall in total fantasy points.
Obviously, Wilson is a stud and will eat up a ton of targets, but Lazard will only have to hold off Mecole Hardman Jr., Randall Cobb, Jason Brownlee, and Tyler Conklin to be second in Rodgers' pecking order.
The Jets should also have more touchdown upside than the Packers did last year, so Lazard is close to a sure-fire bet to outplay his ADP. The Jets gave Lazard a contract with an $11 million salary. He'll be featured often in 2023.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
ADP: 131.5, WR59
Marvis Mims was an underrated prospect heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, and evidently, Sean Payton agreed. The Broncos traded up into the second round to select Mims as the first pick of the Payton era.
Tim Patrick (Achilles) will miss the entirety of the 2023 season and it sounds like Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) could be sidelined for the first month of regular season action as well.
Quarterback Russell Wilson posted the worst year of his career last season, yet still ranked 12th in yards per attempt (7.2) and 4th in air yards per attempt (9.2) among qualified QBs. He was the No. 7 deep ball passer in 2022 according to NextGenStats.
And what does Mims do well? Get down the field and catch the deep ball. Mims posted a whopping 19.5 yards per reception over three seasons at Oklahoma. The stars are aligning for Mims to make a significant impact right away -- especially in best ball where volatility is acceptable and attractive.
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints
ADP: 182.8, WR77
Rashid Shaheed played in 12 games as a rookie, catching 28 passes for 488 yards and two touchdowns. Heading into 2023, he's primed to start alongside Michael Thomas and Chris Olave in three wide receiver sets and gets a quarterback upgrade in Derek Carr.
The 2022 undrafted free agent from Weber State has wasted no time making an impact for New Orleans and could do the same for your best ball roster this season.
He's being selected after the first 75 wideouts, so all he needs is one or two boom weeks to be worth the cost. Needless to say, there's also plenty of injury risk for Thomas, which means Shaheed could be elevated to the No. 2 wide receiver role for at least a handful of weeks.
There's virtually no risk with this selection in the 16th round of 12-team best ball leagues and no other player in this range provides the weekly upside that Shaheed presents.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
ADP: 155.9, TE18
When diving into late-round tight end options, there are a few things to look for --
- Are they in a good offense?
- Do they have a history of decent production?
- Are they athletic?
Everett checks those three boxes, so he's an attractive target as your TE2 or desperation TE1. The Chargers have one of the most high-flying passing offenses in the NFL, Everett has improved his receiving output every season since entering the league, and his athletic measurables are all at least above average among NFL tight ends.
The scoring difference between TE7 to TE16 is miniscule every season, so there's no point in taking players who have no realistic high-end TE1 season upside. Given the touchdown upside in the Chargers offense, Everett could outplay his ADP mightily if things break right.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
ADP: 191.1, TE26
Tyler Conklin won't blow anyone away with his speed, but he does have well above-average agility and burst scores. He's set to play in what is expected to be an ascending offense and has a greater history or production than he is given credit for.
In each of the last two seasons, Conklin has seen 87 targets, caught at least 58 passes for 550 receiving yards, and scored three touchdowns. With Aaron Rodgers in the fold and a lack of high-end target competition outside of Garrett Wilson, he could be a late-career breakout tight end waiting to happen.
Ultimately, Lazard and Conklin are both majorly underpriced given the upside in their range of outcomes. At Conklin's price, he is another player who won't cost you anything if he turns out to be a major bust.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
ADP: 156.2, QB22
Brock Purdy's underdog story is well documented by now, and his starting role is officially secure after the 49ers traded Trey Lance to Dallas. Now, his ADP should be skyrocketing, but it hasn't.
In the five games that Purdy started last season, he averaged 18.62 fantasy points per game. Among quarterbacks who started at least five games, 18.62 FPPG would've ranked 8th in 2022 -- ahead of Geno Smith, Daniel Jones, and Tua Tagovailoa. Yet, Purdy is still being drafted as a mere low-end QB2.
Ultimately, there are plenty of Purdy doubters out there, but the supporting cast of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Elijah Mitchell gives him the ammo to at least come close to his rookie fantasy production.
His lack of elite rushing upside will obviously keep him out of the top territory of fantasy quarterbacks, but a high-end QB2 or low-end QB1 season should be the expectation. Yet, he's been selected behind Kenny Pickett and Jordan Love. Don't make that mistake.
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
ADP: 198.9, QB27
The addition of DeAndre Hopkins signaled that the Tennessee Titans are not in rebuild mode -- meaning Tannehill should be locked into the starting quarterback job once again, barring injury.
Tannehill missed five games last season, played behind the worst offensive line in football, and had Robert Woods and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as his top two receiving options for most of the 2022 campaign. And he finished QB27 -- which is where he's being drafted in best ball.
It's easy to forget, but Tannehill was the QB12 in 2021, QB7 in 2020, and QB9 (FPPG) in 2019. With Hopkins in the fold and a potential breakout season coming from Treylon Burks, Tannehill could easily enter high-end QB2 territory once again.
Tennessee kept three tight ends and seven wide receivers on its 53-man roster, signaling a change in philosophy to a more pass-happy attack under new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.
In previous seasons, Tennessee kept as many as five tight ends. If the passing volume ramps up even a little bit, Tannehill will inevitably outplay his current cost.
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