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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Undervalued Wide Receiver Sleepers for 2024 - Rashee Rice, Demario Douglas, Josh Downs, more

Rashee Rice - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL wr, Draft Sleepers

Adam Koffler identifies four wide receiver sleepers that are undervalued in 2024 fantasy football. You should consider drafting these four wide receivers for your team.

Every year we go through average draft position (ADP) with a fine-tooth comb to spot the players we believe are undervalued and the players we believe are overvalued. This is usually due to a specific reason, but sometimes, it can simply be recency bias as well.

In this article, we'll highlight four undervalued wide receivers that can be considered sleepers in 2024. These guys could all very well outperform their ADP this season. They all have one thing in common, they're all young players that have yet to reach their full potential. Given the opportunity ahead of them in 2024, all have the chance to reach new heights.

Instead of taking the boring veterans that lack upside in your fantasy drafts, try these undervalued youngsters instead. All of them are being slept on by the fantasy football community, and all of them should be getting your attention in 2024. Here are four undervalued wide receiver sleepers to consider drafting this season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

If not for the looming fear of a suspension, Rice would be talked about among the top 20 wide receivers this season. But instead, he’s got a current average draft position (ADP) of WR36 on FantasyPros. That’s just ahead of teammates Marquise Brown (WR37) and Xavier Worthy (WR41). Yes, Travis Kelce is still churning out yards and touchdowns, but have we forgotten this is the Kansas City Chiefs? One of these receivers is going to smash their ADP, and Rice could very well be the guy.

He started slow as a rookie. But once he found his footing, it was off to the races. After the Bye Week, Rice averaged 17 PPR fantasy points per game. That would have tied A.J. Brown for WR8 on the season. It wasn’t quite as good as Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 19.3 PPR points per game after the Bye in his rookie season, but it’s pretty close. The next season ARSB went on to average 18.6 PPR points per game. Generally speaking, it's not wise to fade rookie receivers who put up numbers like that once thrust into a full-time role. Much like St. Brown, Rice took almost 50% of his snaps from the slot as a rookie. And thus far in training camp, the rapport with the best quarterback in the world has been evident:

As a rookie, Rice commanded a respectable 17.9% target share with a dominant 27.4% target rate, per PlayerProfiler. His 22 red zone targets last season were seventh among wide receivers despite having just a 58.6% snap share and a 61.6% route participation rate. According to WR guru Matt Harmon, Rice had a nearly 80% success rate vs. zone as a “big slot” receiver. Luckily for him (and for you, the fantasy player), 62% of his routes came against zone coverage. Even if that’s his role going forward, it’s one you should feel confident about when matched with Patrick Mahomes. Heck, he might even become the next Travis Kelce! Don't pass on this guy at cost. In fact, do what you can to get him on all your fantasy teams this season.

 

Demario Douglas, New England Patriots

Douglas had a PFF receiving grade of 74.4 as a rookie, sandwiched between McLaurin and Pickens. That’s not bad at all. It was just under Zay Flowers (76.3), who many consider to be a top breakout candidate in his sophomore season. Flowers’ ADP is WR25, while Douglas has an ADP of WR70. That’s an insane difference, especially considering the pecking order in New England is completely ambiguous heading into the season. It’s not necessarily an apples-to-apples comparison, though, as Flowers did have a higher target share than Pop in their rookie seasons. However, it is to say Douglas has a lot of potential as well at a much lower acquisition cost.

One of the biggest things going for Douglas heading into his sophomore season is the new offense being installed by former Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.

Ja'Lynn Polk is also having a good camp, but he has yet to show his ability as a high-volume target earner. He was good at Washington, but he played third-fiddle to Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. Javon Baker is another rookie the Patriots brought in, but he seems to be fighting for a role as a depth piece at the moment. That leaves Douglas to compete for targets with veterans Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and K.J. Osborne. That’s not so scary, is it? It’s always time to buy talented and undervalued wide receivers in ambiguous offenses.

 

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts

Update: Downs suffered a high ankle sprain in practice on 8/7. His expected recovery time is between 4-6 weeks, which puts his playing status in jeopardy for Week 1 against the Texans on 9/8.

Josh Downs has an ADP of WR64. Compare that to Michael Pittman Jr.’s ADP of WR17 and you’ve got a very large discrepancy between the WR1 and WR2 in Indianapolis. The questions are: should it be that big of a gap, and why is it that big of a gap? Let’s take a look.

Before Downs went down (pun intended) with a knee injury in Week 9, he was on a really nice trajectory as a rookie. In his first eight NFL games, he averaged 59.1 receiving yards on seven targets per game. That was good for 12.4 PPR fantasy points per game. That was more than Chris Godwin, George Pickens, and Terry McLaurin averaged per game last season. Meanwhile, Pittman averaged 15.4 points per game in those first eight games with a healthy Downs. That would have been good for WR17 on the season.

Per PlayerProfiler, Downs had a route win rate of 52.7% as a rookie, which was 18th-best among wide receivers. His 17.9% target share and 20.2% target rate were also respectable numbers.

Sure, there are some question marks this season around quarterback Anthony Richardson, but those same question marks should exist for Pittman too. Why, then, is Pittman coming off the board as WR17 and Downs as WR64 this season? The answer is most likely recency bias, as Downs had a lackluster second half of the season. There’s a strong chance he was never fully healthy after suffering that knee injury in Week 9, so let’s give him somewhat of a pass.

All we’ve heard in training camp is how good this kid looks. Here’s head coach Shane Steichen on the chemistry between Richardson and Downs:



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

NFL

Preston Smith Signs With the Washington Commanders
New York Knicks

Trey Jemison III Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension

RANKINGS

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