Fantasy Football Staff Sleepers: Ray Davis, Greg Dortch and 12 More Values

It’s time for Round 2 of our fantasy football flavors — and in case you missed it, here’s Round 1. Quick reminder: the term “sleepers” has lost its meaning because every player is covered and mentioned somewhere on the internet. Our definition of personnel is mostly “underrated.” Which players in the 2024 season will generate the most value because they are undervalued by the general public? That’s what we’re here to discuss. Feel free to drop your favorite sleepers in the comments!

---

MANY DOLLS

Will Levis, TEN

It’s clear the Titans want to become a passing team. All the offseason moves prove that. Brian Callahan is the new coach who has served as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator for five years in which the team ranked in the top five in passing percentage. The offensive line was improved, Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd were added along with Tony Pollard along with DeAndre Hopkins and Tyjae Spears. Levis made eight starts last season but played in a run-first offense behind a poor offensive line without many weapons. The offense is much more fantasy-friendly for Levis this season. — Adam Ronis

Sam Darnold, MIN

Justin Jefferson makes any quarterback better. Likewise, HC Kevin O’Connell has turned the Vikings into a Top 10 offense with a heavy emphasis on passing the ball. He might not be your starter, but Darnold as a backup looks pretty decent. We haven’t seen much of what Darnold can do outside of San Francisco’s garbage time, but all his years in the league could lend themselves well to his position as a starter. — Greg Scholz

---

REAR DOLLS

Tyjae Spears, TEN

I find it odd that Spears is RB35 in FantasyPros ADP despite finishing RB34 in half-PPR last season as a rookie behind NFL rushing attempt leader Derrick Henry. Tony Pollard is not Henry’s replacement. He proved ill-suited to the bell cow role in Dallas — despite 17 games with double-digit carries, he reached 80 rushing yards just once — so Spears should split the backfield carries somewhat evenly, as reported. And among 30+ targets, Spears had PFF’s seventh-best receiving grade among RBs compared to Pollard’s 40th. It’s easy to make the case that the two backs should trade spots at current ADP with Spears being Pollard’s current RB26 spot. — Brandon Funston

Brian Robinson Jr., WAS

Departing as the RB33, Robinson is slated to get the bulk of Washington’s reps behind rookie QB Jaylen Daniels. Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, can run the ball like few quarterbacks in the NFL. This forces defenses to focus on him and allows Robinson to gain yards with less defensive pressure on his back. The team brought in Austin Ekeler from the Chargers, but he will be used more as a third back. This job allows Robinson to finish ahead of not only teammate Ekeler, but many running backs who will be selected above him in fantasy drafts. — Dominick Petrillo

Rico Dowdle, DAL

Finding starting RB workloads keeps getting harder as drafts go on – let alone one with a high powered offense. Sure, Dallas parted ways with Ezekiel Elliott after Tony Pollard left for Tennessee, but that’s about it. I can’t help but wonder if Zeke even has enough left in the tank to be effective when it looked like he’s already lost a step in 2023. Some camp reports have already speculated that Dowdle, a former UDFA, is the most explosive. practices and could make the lion’s share of the backfield touches as early as Week 1. If the Cowboys come out and name him the starter, you can expect at least a five-round boost, and I’d rather it be early than late. — John Laghezza

Ray Davis, BUF

A handful of rookie RBs are outright handcuffed ADPs. Davis is one of the best options out there, and he’s available well below other top-end handcuffs, with a current ADP of RB50. Davis is the perfect lottery ticket draft pick for fantasy managers looking for upside in the double-digit rounds of drafts. He would step in seamlessly as a similar replacement should James Cook miss out and has the ability to cut into Cook’s weekly touches despite the injury. Davis posted back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards in the SEC and had 7 TD catches last year at Kentucky. Joe Brady’s offense has been RB friendly and Davis is a perfect fit. Already working with the first-team offense, he had 58 rushing yards in Buffalo’s preseason win over Pittsburgh. — Theo Gremminger

---

WIDE RECEIVERS

Jameson Williams, DET

Williams has been a fantasy disappointment in the past, but don’t forget that he set the Alabama program record for touchdowns over 70 yards and led the nation in touchdowns over 30 yards in 2021. Lions head coach Dan Campbell has made it clear that Williams will be a much bigger part of the downfield passing game this year and said Williams has been “a man on a mission” this preseason. When you add this to Williams playing in one of the best offenses in the NFL, he can vastly outpace the WR4/WR5 ADP range. — KC Joyner

Greg Dortch, ARI

With all the hype surrounding rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., Dortch is flying under the radar. He’s lit up training camp with highlight-reel catches, has been the subject of constant praise from the head coach, and is slated to be the Cardinals’ starting slot receiver this season. Dortch and quarterback Kyler Murray have played just 14 games together over the past two seasons, with Dortch averaging 8.7 points per game (PPR). But in the one games played in which Dortch played at least 30 snaps, the average jumps to 10.6. Even so, Dortch scored 10 or more points in seven of those 14 games and over 13 points in five. Dortch can easily return value as a solid flex play with spike weeks. Tickets to Dortchland are currently free. Get yours before the price goes up. — Jay Felicio

Brian Thomas Jr., JAC

Malik Nabers and Jayden Daniels aren’t the only former LSU Tigers making immediate fantasy impacts in their rookie year this season. Thomas is quickly climbing up the ADP draft and has a legitimate chance to lead the Jacksonville WR room in scoring despite being priced in Round 8 or lower. BTJ has glimpsed early and often in training camp and preseason games. While he’s not an elite linebacker, he makes up for it with his Speed ​​(4.33 40), size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) and athleticism. In Jacksonville’s preseason win against Kansas City, he had a 41-yard one-handed catch with a defender on top of him. His usage and final stats may be much closer to Calvin Ridley’s 2023 numbers than his ADP price suggests. Ridley led the NFL with 25 end zone targets – expect BTJ to inherit a lot of those. — Theo Gremminger

DJ Chark, LAC

During the last sleeper round, I picked WR Luke McCaffrey, so this time I dug a little deeper. Chark hasn’t played more than 15 games on the season, so the injury concerns are real. Last season, however, he looked healthy and managed to put up decent numbers as a member of the underpowered Panthers. This year, he’s with the Chargers. With Herbert under center and a wide receiver corps with no true No. 1 option, Chark could be a steal at current ADP. On top of that, his schedule is pretty recipient friendly. He recently limped off the practice field with a potential hip flexor injury, which could certainly be an issue, but his ADP and change of scenery are too enticing to pass up. — Greg Scholz

Skyy Moore, KC

If I say Skyy Moore sleeps, do you hold it against me? I know, I know. How can a two-time Super Bowl champion be a sleeper? Moore was everyone’s favorite sleeper in the betting last year – what I like to call a wakeful sleeper. But he was terrible again in his second season and fell quickly in KC. Coach talk won’t count for much in training camp, but we do know Moore will at least make the 53-man roster in his third year. As a general fantasy strategy, I think targeting guys who were all over the top a year after they were interested in them has proven to be profitable. Buy a dip if you want. With Moore, he’s a player nobody wants in fantasy, so you can really get him for free. — Michael Waterloo

Deebo Samuel, SF

Samuel is WR10 in my rankings and WR20 in the market. I’ve long assumed that Brandon Aiyuk isn’t going anywhere and this whole trade thing was a complicated negotiation, at least from the 49ers perspective. Samuel is my WR10 assuming the band is back together. Everything else is gravy. Last year, Samuel had a .344 PPR points per snap, which was Fifth among WRs. Aiyuk was .310 which is also great. But Samuel made 708 snaps, not the 850 we expected over the course of the season (even with his relatively low WR snap percentage). 850 snaps yield 292 points, which would have been WR5 last year. So I’m very happy with the WR10, although I’ll pick it up for the WR15 or later. — Michael Salfino

Darnell Mooney, ATL

There has been no shortage of buzz around the Atlanta offense this offseason. Bijan Robinson is challenging the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey for the No. 1 spot at running back. Drake London will be on the top 10 fantasy world list. Kyle Pitts is no longer dead to us. But what’s missing is that the Falcons gave Darnell Mooney $13 million per season with $26 million guaranteed to be Atlanta’s WR2. It’s not as if Mooney hasn’t shown he can produce — his 81/1,055/4 line in 2021 put him in the top 25 at his position in PPR scoring … and that’s with passes from Andy Dalton and Nick Foles in Chicago. That may be an optimistic projection, but the WR3 numbers are hardly out of the question, especially given Pitts and London’s coverage of opposing defenses. Last I checked, getting a WR3 in drafts is a good thing. — Gary Davenport

Dontayvion Wicks, GB

I’ve been high on Wicks since his fifth-round pick in last year’s rookie draft. Despite having the best young receiver corps in the NFL, trying to figure out who the WR1 is for the Packers is silly. In fact, Wicks probably won’t be better than the team’s WR4 heading into Week 1. But the rookie scored four touchdowns in the last four games, including one in a wild-card win over the Cowboys in Week 1 of the playoffs. Look at his 2023 game log and you’ll see increased usage, ending the regular season with 22 goals in his last four games. Even better, the first-year player had 16 catches, including three touchdowns. Wicks has worked his way into the conversation by being on the field early and often and is almost certain to improve on his 39/581/4 2023 stat line. I’m drafting Wicks significantly higher than his WR64 for Fantasy Pros. — Jeff Haverlack

(Additional photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images; Main photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)