Deep PPR Fantasy Sleepers
For those in the fantasy community who choose to participate in leagues with a PPR scoring format, the strategy on draft day is a much different animal. Players that would normally get tossed under the rug in standard format leagues due to inefficiency in the red zone, or inconsistent touchdown production, suddenly rise the ADP boards due to the targets they will receive on any given week. Both consistent wide receivers, and heavily targeted running backs become immensely valuable, especially in the case of last year in which we saw a ridiculous number of injuries to starting position players across the NFL. Consistency is the name of the game in PPR formats, which is easy to find in the early rounds of fantasy drafts, but plucking late round PPR gems can prove overwhelmingly difficult from year to year. Here are a few players to get you on the right track.
Tevin Coleman
RB | Atlanta Falcons
The Devonta Freeman hype-train isn’t going to appreciate this first one, but it’s become more and more evident that Freeman will not see as many carries as he did last year. Tevin Coleman, who was drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, was the projected starter coming out of training camp last year prior to his rib injury. It was because of this injury that Devonta Freeman was able to take over and establish himself in the primary back role for the Atlanta Falcons. Momentum and improving trust in Freeman worked against Coleman all last season, and he also struggled with the typical rookie growing pains of fumble management and defensive personnel recognition.
With the injury behind him, and with a full year in the NFL under his belt, Coleman should be able to step into a larger role with the Atlanta Falcons. They have already come out and said that they expect Coleman to return punts and kickoffs this year, which could add to his value in particular fantasy formats. In addition to this, however, he should be able to see his share of touches, and could poach red zone carries from Freeman. An analogous running back group in the NFL would be the Buccaneers with Doug Martin and Charles Simms. With freshly acquired Mohamed Sanu being the only real pass catching talent in Atlanta besides Freeman and Julio Jones, a juicy role is Tevin Coleman’s for the taking. Not only does Coleman have PPR value with Devonta Freeman active and ahead of him on the depth chart, but he also offers the possibility of high RB2 upside if Freeman were to go down for any reason. Going in the 9th round in 2016 drafts, Coleman is a little pricey, but the upside is there in PPR formats for those willing to take a chance.
Rishard Matthews
WR | Tennessee Titans
The situation in Tennessee this year is the farthest thing from ideal from a fantasy standpoint. Mike Mularkey has come out to the media multiple times saying that he intends to establish a smash-mouth, run-first team. This statement was backed by action with their signing of Demarco Murray, and then their pick of Heisman winner Derrick Henry in the 2016 NFL draft. With this said; however, their defense is far from where it needs to be for a run first approach to truly work in Tennessee. Being in a division with such high scoring offenses as the Jaguars, Colts, and Texans, you can fully expect the Titans to be playing from behind a large portion of the time. Mularkey will be forced to call pass plays to close the deficits late in games, and therefore there will be targets to go around.
Marcus Mariota is so far unproven but is a confidence inspiring quarterback who has great mobility both in and out of the pocket. Coming into his second year in the NFL, Mariota should be able to extend plays a little better with an improved offensive line in front of him. Combine this with the fact that Dorial-Green Beckham is gone, and that Kendall Wright has proved to be the definition of inconsistency; you have a winning formula for Rishard Matthews. Rookie Tajae Sharpe appears to be getting some first team reps in training camp thus far, but his expectations need to be held in check. Being a rookie on a run-first offense is not usually the best recipe for success. Matthews is easily the best route-runner on the team, and has the most experience by a mile, which could prove helpful in developing an early rapport with Mariota. As a young quarterback, Marcus is going to be looking for a receiver he can trust and develop confidence in. Entering his fourth year in the league, Matthews could prove a sneaky play that is going near the 14th round of fantasy drafts. He has his chance to prove the critics of Tennessee’s receiving corps wrong in 2016, and an opportunity to make you look excellent in your upcoming fantasy season.
Tavon Austin
WR | Los Angeles Rams
Tavon Austin has no business being on this list after he proved to be one of the best ‘do it all’ utility players in football. Austin had 907 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns last year that came on an exact split of 52 rush attempts and 52 receptions. However, despite this solid performance, some defenses are being taken off the board before this guy in 12 team PPR redraft leagues.
Currently, with an ADP of 123rd overall, Austin is going in the back of the 10th round. There is little to no competition for Austin at the receiver position in Los Angeles, and he is the best non-rookie receiver on the roster by a mile. Especially with Todd Gurley having proved himself out of the backfield during his own rookie campaign, the Rams shouldn’t have to lean on any of their newly drafted receivers this year, and thus they will offer very little competition to incumbent Austin. If you are in a PPR league, and you have the opportunity to snag Tavon Austin past the 10th round, you should immediately take him. Jeff Fisher will find ways to get this skilled utility player the ball, and your fantasy team will undoubtedly benefit from it at a ridiculously good price-tag.
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Christian Kirchner | 8 PPR Fantasy Sleepers To Target Late - Gridiron Experts