10 Fantasy Football Late Round Sleepers 2020
Deep Sleepers to Target in the Final Rounds
Plenty of people remain uncertain as to how the 2020 NFL season will play out but looking forward to another fantasy football season is what a lot of us are doing to keep a positive outlook and have something to look forward to. In this strange world of isolation and negativity, we march forward with draft prep, research, and analysis in the hopes of being able to have something to look forward to soon.
Part of the annual fantasy preparation involves plenty of mock drafting and roster building. By studying average draft position (ADP), which can help us recognize tiers and identify undervalued players. These sleepers often are the most popular topics for the well-prepared fantasy fan and can make all the difference between a competitive roster and a championship-contending squad.
2020 may have had its share of calamities but the grunt work for another season of pigskin is well underway. That includes looking at those late-round sleeper candidates that can help solidify rosters and offer that all-important upside. Many of these players are going undrafted, which makes them even more appealing as late-round fliers. Here are some of those deep sleeper candidates to consider this summer.
10. Boston Scott (RB) Philadelphia Eagles - Recently on the On The Clock Podcast I mentioned that I was worried that Miles Sanders offered little value because he is already being drafted at his peak ADP. Sanders is a phenomenal talent but Doug Pederson has a well-established history of employing multiple backs into his system. This was on display as recently as last season as Scott excelled as Philadelphia's satellite back after Darren Sproles was injured. Scott played over half of the Eagles' snaps down the stretch and fared extremely well in Fantasy Data's Advanced Efficiency Metrics, putting up and impressive 1.11 fantasy points per opportunity. That figured ranked fifth among all running backs- one spot ahead of Christian McCaffrey. Scott is an excellent pass-catcher and more than capable of returning weekly RB3 value with 10-12 touches per game.
9. Justin Jackson (RB) Los Angeles Chargers - With Melvin Gordon's departure, the Chargers now have 17 touches per game to divide up in their new backfield. Austin Ekeler will likely command a significant share of those but it remains to be seen how efficient Ekeler will be with an expanded workload. Most likely, Anthony Lynn will take a similar approach, which will leave 15 or more touches per week up for grabs between Jackson and fourth-round rookie Joshua Kelley. Jackson already has two years' experience under his belt and has averaged a healthy 5.1 yards per carry in the pros. Meanwhile, Kelley could struggle to carve out any role without the benefit of OTAs and an abbreviated preseason slate. Jackson is also a solid receiver who has nabbed 24-of-30 career targets. With double-digit targets, Jackson can put up usable weekly fantasy production and is a solid hand-cuff for Ekeler owners.
8. Reggie Bonnafon (RB) Carolina Panthers - Christian McCaffrey is the no-bout 1.01 of any league this summer and has been remarkably durable for an elite athlete with such a heavy workload. But the history of running backs coming off of 400-touch season is alarming and new head coach Matt Rhule may choose to scale back CMCs touches a tad to protect the league's best dual-threat running back. Bonnafon only got 69 snaps last season but did manage to average an impressive 7.3 yards per carry and snag 6-of-9 targets. Rhule didn't add any real competition, so Bonnafon should open 2020 as McCaffrey's direct backup, and that certainly makes him fantasy-relevant. If McCaffrey were to go down, Bonnafon would immediately be in the RB2 conversation. That makes the sophomore rusher a must-have hand-cuff for McCaffrey owners in deeper leagues.
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Jody Smith
Jody is a member of both the Pro Football Writer's of America (PFWA) and Fantasy Sports Writer's Association (FSWA) and has been covering the NFL and fantasy football for over a decade. Jody won FantasyPro's Most Accurate Expert contest and also garnered the FSTA's accuracy award in 2012. A Houston native, Jody has covered the Texans locally since 2016 for both digital and radio audiences. Past writing stops include CBS Sportsline, Gridiron Experts, Pro Football Focus, Fanball, FantasyPro's. Jody is also a frequent guest on SiriusXM and Houston radio and his work regularly appears in print on newsstands each summer.