Standard-sized leagues get most of the pub since they’re the most populated. Still, deeper leagues must also get love, and this piece will look at players with an average draft position (ADP) after the 250th pick in half-PPR formats. Thus, they’re players going undrafted even in deeper formats. Here are some deep sleepers to consider in fantasy football drafts.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football All-Undrafted Team (ADP of 250+)
Quarterback
Sam Howell (SEA – QB): 264.0 ADP
Understandably, there’s no projected starter or even a quarterback in a competition for the starting gig with an ADP after 250. With a new head coach, offensive coordinator and general manager, John Schneider, in charge of personnel decisions after Pete Carroll was listed by Pro-Football-Reference as having personnel authority previously, the Seahawks thought enough of Howell to swap draft picks to acquire him before the NFL Draft.
For all of Howell’s real-life faults at quarterback, he was a rock-solid fantasy QB2 in 2023. Among quarterbacks with more than eight starts last season, Howell was the QB18 in points per game (16.3). The Seahawks have a better collection of pass-catching weapons than the 2023 Commanders, enhancing Howell’s fantasy outlook if he starts any games for the Seahawks this year, making him a worthwhile bench stash for QB-needy teams in leagues where backup quarterbacks are stashed.
Running Backs
Nyheim Hines (CLE – RB): 266.0 ADP
Nyheim Hines doesn’t fit the mold of a handcuff with bell-cow potential. Instead, he’s a specialty player who might have a role immediately and for the entire season. Thus, Hines could have deep-league value all season.
Last month, I highlighted Jerome Ford as a running back to avoid because he was an underwhelming runner and pass-catching option for the Browns last season. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Ford was 34th in their receiving grade (55.3) and 26th in yards per route run (0.96 Y/RR) among 44 running backs targeted at least 30 times (including the postseason) last year.
Hines was out the entire 2023 season after suffering a season-ending torn ACL in a freak jet ski accident. He was an explosive passing-game weapon before the injury. In his previous three seasons, he had 1.66 Y/RR and was targeted on 27.0% of his routes. According to Spotrac, Hines was guaranteed $1.35 million of his $1.995 million one-year contract, and the veteran running back is familiar with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after concluding his 2022 campaign on the Bills. Even if Nick Chubb doesn’t skip a beat from reconstructive knee surgery, Hines can be his pass-catching complement. Hines should also be the favorite to serve as the passing-down back — if he returns to even 80% of his pre-surgery form — in an early-season committee with Ford and D’Onta Foreman if Chubb is sidelined at the beginning of the year.
Evan Hull (IND – RB): 286.0 ADP
ESPN’s Stephen Holder said about Trey Sermon and Indianapolis’s No. 2 running back spot, ” For now, the likeliest option appears to be Sermon, whose hard-running style has earned him the first crack at the job.” An early-summer endorsem*nt for a young running back who’s already a journeyman isn’t a death sentence for Evan Hull’s fantasy potential. Sermon has had 78 rush attempts and six receptions for three teams through three professional seasons.
Meanwhile, Hull is still basically a mystery box. He tore his MCL and meniscus after only eight snaps in his rookie season. The Colts picked Hull in the fifth round (178th overall) of last year’s NFL Draft after a productive collegiate career at Northwestern.
Hull shined brightest as a receiver, namely in his final college season. He was targeted on 22.8% of his routes and had 54 receptions, 536 receiving yards, 9.9 yards per reception, 1.85 Y/RR, a 1.1-yard average depth of target (aDOT) and two receiving touchdowns in 12 games in 2022.
Hull wasn’t a non-contributor on the ground, though. He ran for 914 yards and five touchdowns on 220 attempts in 2022 and 1,009 and seven on 196 in 2021. Hull was also an athletic-testing stud.
Evan Hull was drafted with pick 176 of round 5 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.32 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 119 out of 1745 RB from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/UNNcny65ca pic.twitter.com/t5rq2tfv3m
– Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
Even if Sermon is Jonathan Taylor‘s direct backup as a runner, Hull’s receiving chops could make him the team’s pass-catching back, even when Taylor’s healthy. Taylor’s never been a top-shelf receiver, and shifting some of Taylor’s passing-game responsibilities to Hull is a way to avoid running Taylor into the ground.
Wide Receivers
Bo Melton (GB – WR): 279.5 ADP
The Packers have a young nucleus of wideouts and tight ends, and Jordan Love is an exciting rocket-armed signal-caller. According to PFF, among 30 quarterbacks with at least 300 dropbacks last year (including the postseason), Love was tied for the fourth-deepest average depth of target (8.9-yard aDOT). Furthermore, among 37 quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts from Week 10 through the Super Bowl, Love was second in PFF’s passing grade (90.5) and tied for third in big-time-throw rate (7.2 BTT%).
Bo Melton is a stylistic fit with Love’s big arm and thrived in a rotational role. Through the first 14 weeks of 2023, Melton played only two snaps. However, he emerged as a field-stretching weapon thereafter. From Week 15 through Green Bay’s Divisional Round loss, Melton was sixth on the team in routes (90), fourth in targets (26), fourth in receptions (18), third in receiving yards (244), third in yards per route run (2.71 Y/RR) and had two receiving touchdowns. Melton also had a 13.6-yard aDOT and was targeted on 28.9% of his routes.
Melton’s high targets per route run rate and deep aDOT are ideal for him to provide deep-league gamers with value, even if he’s an ancillary option in a deep passing game. Finally, Melton also has contingent value if any of the wideouts ahead of him on the depth chart are injured.
Cedric Tillman (CLE – WR): 283.0 ADP
Cedric Tillman had a disappointing rookie season. He was fourth on the Browns in routes (358) but had only 21 receptions (1.5 per game), 224 receiving yards (16.0 per game), 0.63 Y/RR, a 55.4 PFF receiving grade and a 11.7% targets per route run rate (TPRR%).
Still, Amari Cooper and David Njoku were Cleveland’s only consistently reliable pass-catchers, and Elijah Moore fumbled a prominent role. Moore ran the most routes (607) for the Browns but had a 16.6 TPRR%, 61 receptions (3.4 per game), 652 receiving yards (36.2 per game), 1.07 Y/RR and two touchdown receptions in 18 games. Yuck.
The Browns traded for Jerry Jeudy to bolster the passing attack, but there’s still room for Tillman to take a step forward in his sophom*ore campaign. Tillman has earned offseason praise from head coach Kevin Stefanski and wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea. Tillman also might be the early favorite to play opposite Cooper on the perimeter in three-wideout sets, with Jeudy handling the slot. The second-year wideout is big and has adequate speed and stellar leaping ability.
Cedric Tillman is a WR prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 8.66 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 408 out of 3048 WR from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/ocgJJReqjf pic.twitter.com/ieRZxtSfOD
– Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 15, 2023
If his offseason work translates to the gridiron, the 2023 third-round pick could be a useful big-play receiver, albeit likely in a high-volatility, low target rate and high-aDOT gig.
Tight End
Erick All (CIN – TE): 318.0 ADP
Erick All isn’t an ideal choice for gamers who need instant impact at tight end. Yet, gamers with an unexciting low-ceiling veteran tight end should consider All as a bench stash in deeper formats. Mike Gesicki is a jumbo slot, not a true tight end. More importantly, he’s been quiet the previous two years. Since 2022, Gesicki’s had just 63 receptions (1.8 per game), 620 receiving yards (17.7 per game), 0.86 Y/RR, a 13.8 TPRR% and eight touchdowns in 35 games. As a result, per Spotrac, Gesicki landed only a one-year deal worth $2.5 million and $400k guaranteed in free agency.
Moreover, the Bengals re-signed Tanner Hudson, extended Drew Sample through the 2026 season and picked All in the fourth round and Tanner McLachlan in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft. Their actions speak louder than any offseason puff pieces about Gesicki.
Unfortunately, All’s college career was marred by injuries. He had back surgery in 2022 and tore his ACL in 2023. All had stellar numbers in 2021 and an injury-shortened 2023, though. In 13 games in 2021, All had a 23.5 TPRR%, 38 receptions (2.9 per game), 437 receiving yards (33.6 per game), 2.14 Y/RR and two touchdown receptions for Michigan. In seven games in 2023, All had a 29.8 TPRR%, 21 receptions (3.0 per game), 299 receiving yards (42.7 per game), 2.62 Y/RR and three receiving touchdowns for Iowa. When All shakes the rust off from surgery to repair his torn ACL, he could ascend to the top of Cincinnati’s depth chart. A tight end with receiving chops in a Joe Burrow-led offense could be a fantasy asset in deep leagues.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
