Ah, the age-old fantasy football term – “sleepers.” No one knows what it means! We all have a common thought, but the definition may be slightly different for each owner. For some, this means lower level, late-round picks that are finally startable assets. For others, it simply means players whose value and output will be much better than their Precision Ranking and ADP. Either way, heading into 2022, RB sleepers are once again the hottest commodity to go into the draft, as everyone looks to hit on this year’s big running back breakout.
But, again, the exact definition of “sleeper” seems as vague as the true meaning of “MVP”.
2022 Standard Ranking:
QB | rb | WR | TES | D/ST | kickers | Top 200 | superflex
The truth is, it doesn’t matter how you define “sleeper”. However, it makes a lot of sense that you get mid-to-mid-round production for mid- to late-round draft picks. Fantasy championships are rarely won in the first few rounds. It obviously doesn’t hurt to get your first three picks, but it’s not the only thing that needs to happen to win it all. Top-heavy teams don’t win in fantasy football.
2022 PPR Ranking:
QB | rb | WR | TES | D/ST | kickers | Top 200 | superflex
A sleeper can be a rookie that your peers haven’t taken the time to research (Tyler Algier or Damon Pierce, anyone?); It could be an undervalued stud who recently recovered from a major injury (remember Travis Etienne Jr.?); Or perhaps it’s just a player who seems destined for a bigger role, whether because of talent or the departure of a teammate (see Khalil Herbert, AJ Dillon).
Sometimes, the sleeper is just an extremely valuable handcuff or backrest that turns into the RB1/RB2 position the moment the lead in his offense gets hurt. And Plenty Patting on the back will hurt. We’re looking at you, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliot and Aaron Jones! These stud injuries have given way to fictional relevance for the likes of Chuba Hubbard, Toni Pollard, and the aforementioned Dillon. Those guys weren’t necessarily league-winners, but they certainly helped win weeks for a lot of teams.
Again, everyone is free to have their own rules and parameters for the term “sleeper,” but there’s one thing we can all agree on: The more sleepers you research, the draft, and the week-winner. Change in the beginning, better your chances. Reaching fantasy glory this winter. You don’t need to enjoy the terminology to understand the science of winning.
Let’s go to our sleepers. The following 11 RBs stand out to us as potential X-factors that appear to be very low on most ranking lists, fake drafts or ADPs.
2022 Fantasy RB Sleeper
Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguarso
Clyde Edwards-Heller, Chiefs
