We are still 86 days away from the 2018 NFL season, but fantasy football drafts will be here before you know it. Here’s a look at some FFL sleepers that could win you your league this season.
Josh Gordon (CLE)
You had to know I was going to put Josh Gordon on this list. How in the world is he going 39th on ESPN right now? The guy had the greatest season of any receiver ever (on a per-game basis) in 2013. This past season, he returned for five games and was pretty damn good considering that he hadn’t played in years and had Deshone Kizer as his quarterback. In the final game of the regular season, Gordon put up 115 yards. Now, he enters the season with more help than he’s ever had and an entire offseason of preparation. Gordon now has Tyrod Taylor (and possibly Baker Mayfield) throwing him the football instead of the carousel of garbage that has occupied the starting spot in Cleveland for a very long time. Additionally, the addition of Jarvis Landry and the return of Corey Coleman will lessen the ability of opposing defense to focus all their attention on Gordon. Right now on ESPN, he is the 16th WR off the board, which is utterly blasphemous. Regardless of what the “experts” tell you, believe in Josh Gordon. He will shine in 2018 and beyond.
Allen Robinson (CHI)
A-Rob’s current ADP is 51 on ESPN; if you’ll remember, his 2017 season was abruptly ended in Week 1 with an ACL injury, and he had a subpar 2016 campaign. I understand some of the skepticism, but the guy certainly has the talent of a top-5 WR, and the fact that his ACL injury happened at the beginning of last season means he’s had ample time to recover. Now, he finds himself in Chicago with a decent young QB in Mitchell Trubisky. I think A-Rob finds a good deal of success this season; right now, I’d say he finishes in the top 15, but I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being a damn good WR1 (i.e., top 12).
Patrick Mahomes (KC)
Right now, the Chiefs’ young QB is going 113th on ESPN, which is far too low. I expect that ADP to rise as we get closer to draft time, as Mahomes has the talent and the help to be a star in the NFL. Surrounding him is the three-headed monster of Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce––certainly nothing to complain about there. I’ve always been of the mindset that you should wait until late in the draft to snag a QB. In fact, I took Carson Wentz in the 14th round last year, and it definitely paid off. I think Mahomes will be the Wentz of 2018. Feel confident about picking him later in the draft.
Donte Moncrief and Marqise Lee (JAC)
Moncrief is currently the 80th WR off the board, with an ADP of 170th overall––this is patently absurd. Donte Moncrief was a red zone beast while in Indianapolis, and people seem to have forgotten that just because he had a bad season with Jacoby Brissett at QB. Now, he’s on the Jags, and with defenses going all-out in the red zone to stop Leonard Fournette, expect Moncrief to notch a solid touchdown total this season. Marqise Lee is being picked a bit higher at 115th overall. His game is different than Moncrief’s, as he’s more of a yards guy than a touchdown guy. Lee will certainly be a solid target late in the draft, especially for PPR leagues. I would recommend taking both of them late in your drafts in either PPR or standard; I think both of them have solid flex appeal.
Malcolm Mitchell (NE)
The star of Super Bowl LI is back and is the best outside WR that the Patriots have––at least for the first four weeks. Expect him to get a significant share of the WR workload this season with Brandin Cooks gone, Danny Amendola in Miami, and Julian Edelman temporarily out of service. I like Mitchell as a solid flex option with the reasonable potential of ending up as a WR2 in 2018.
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