While having a good draft is essential to your fantasy football team’s success this year, a (good) fantasy veteran knows that your league will be won or loss by how well you work the waiver wire. The constant flow of injuries, changes in depth charts, and plug-and-play during bye weeks makes it very critical to know which players you need to target to keep up with the landscape of the NFL, in real-time. This column will allow you an edge over your opponent with not only players that you can plug into your lineups right away, but also a forward look at players that may be worth stashing for an impact on your team later in the season. Even though the season has not yet started, there are for sure gems hiding on your waiver wire. If you haven’t already drafted, this column should help serve as a super-deep sleeper list for players to target in the later rounds when everyone else in your league is scrambling for Kickers and D/ST’s!
The Following is a position rank of players who are currently available in 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues:
Quarterback
1. Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins, 18.5% ownership: Tannehill should be primed for a breakout year in his 3rd NFL season. Last year Tannehill averaged 14.1 fantasy points per game in standard scoring leagues and finished ranked 16th amongst QB’s. The reports out of Dolphins training camp is that Tannehill and WR Mike Wallace have a much better connection than they did last season, which should bode well for Tannehill’s fantasy prospectus.
2. Geno Smith, Jets, 7.2% ownership: The New York Jets QB is being extremely undervalued as a viable fantasy option for this upcoming season. Last year Smith recorded 5 games of 20 or more fantasy points (more than Andrew Luck.) While he was largely inconsistent during his rookie season, Smith is primed for a more even keel level of play with a better understanding of how to lead men in an NFL huddle. Smith will also largely benefit from having better weapons surrounding him like Erick Decker, Chris Johnson, and rookie TE Jace Amaro.
3. Jake Locker, Titans, 6.2% ownership: In 6 games that Locker started last season, he had an average of 15.8 fantasy points per game, which would have had him ranked 11th amongst fantasy QB’s, just ahead of Ben Rothlisberger. All of the potential is there for Locker, but he finds himself ranked last on this list because of his obvious injury concerns.
Running Back
1. Devonta Freeman, Falcons, 44.9% ownership: The rookie RB from the national championship Florida State Seminoles could be primed for a decent fantasy season even without incumbent RB Steven Jackson getting injured (even though he seems to go down every season.) Freeman will get looks as the change of pace back/3rd down back in a pass happy Atlanta offense.
2. Ahmad Bradshaw, Colts, 19.5% ownership: The major caveat to Ahmad Bradshaw’s fantasy potential is his health. The Colts coaching staff were becoming frustrated with Trent Richardson by the end of last season, and Bradshaw has the experience to upend Richardson if his feet allow him to stay on the field.
3. James White, Patriots, 2.4% ownership: James White is the true deep sleeper on this list. A lot of NFL fans might not have ever heard of his name before, but the rookie RB from Wisconsin, is in the perfect position to surprise people. He is a powerful runner, and with coach Belichick’s growing disdain for Stevan Ridley’s fumbling problems and Shane Vereen’s injury concerns, James White could find himself as the feature back in the Patriots offense this season. He is the perfect player to stash for later use.
Wide Receiver
1. Miles Austin, Browns, 6.1% ownership: Austin is my gold star, sleeper fantasy pick for the 2014 season. His ownership is so low at 6% that it’s borderline criminal. With the Browns being without Josh Gordon for the season and cutting WR Nate Burleson, Austin has emerged as the #1 WR on the Browns depth chart. Provided his hamstring’s don’t pop like a rubber band, he can potentially have a huge impact on your fantasy team.
2. Markus Wheaton, Steelers, 34.9% ownership: Wheaton is a speedster WR who should get a lot of targets playing opposite of Antonio Brown this season. His upside might not be that high, but should consistently put up numbers in the “Emmanuel Sanders” role.
3. Kenny Stills, Saints, 14.9% ownership: Stills will be the deep threat in a Drew Brees led offense, that alone is worth consideration to add him to your bench.
Tight Ends
1. Ladarius Green, Chargers, 28.4%ownership: Green has emerged as a big redzone target in the Chargers offense, and should see a lot of action in 2 TE sets with Antonio Gates on the field, and if Gates were to be injured Green could vault into the top 10 TE’s.
2. Travis Kelce, Chiefs, 7.4% ownership: The chargers were missing a decent TE option last year, and Kelce had an outstanding preseason as he graded out as the top TE option by pro football focus. With Dwayne Bowe’s continued struggle, and Alex Smith’s tendency to be the NFL’s “check down king,” Kelce could be in for a lot of targets this season.
3. Richard Rogers, Packers, 2% ownership. Rogers has emerged as the starter at TE in Green Bay, and with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball, could be in for a potentially big season.
Defense/Special teams
1. Packers, 7.6% ownership
2. Lions, 5.9% ownership
3. Jets, 4.7% ownership
Kicker
1. Nate Freese, Lions, 3.9% ownership
2. Ryan Succup, Chiefs, 1.1% ownership
3. Josh Scobee, Jaguars, 0.5% ownership