Rookie Sleepers Who Could Win Your Fantasy Football League
The 2023 NFL regular season is set to kick off in just a couple of days, which means most fantasy football leagues have already drafted.
That said, there are still plenty of leagues that are sneaking their drafts in at the last minute, giving managers as much time as possible to prepare their rankings and sleepers before putting together their roster for the upcoming season.
Whether you're getting in those last-minute preps for your late-drafting league, or you're looking for an edge for a team you've already drafted, here are a handful of rookie sleepers who could end up winning your league for you this year:
QB Anthony Richardson, Colts
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Richardson was the third quarterback off the board, but he's easily the one with the most upside. He's got a combination of size, athleticism and arm talent we've legitimately never seen at the position, and he's in an offense that's prepared to build around his strengths and let him learn on the job from Day 1.
There will be some growing pains, but Richardson could put it all together and put up some impressive numbers down the stretch that could spark a title run for your fantasy team.
RB Tank Bigsby, Jaguars
Yes, Bigsby has a 24-year-old first-round pick ahead of him on the depth chart, but that just means you should be able to steal him much later than you should. Travis Etienne has upside of his own, but he was also drafted with Urban Meyer's influence, and he's long gone.
Bigsby is a better runner between the tackles, and has the physicality to immediately vulture goal-line touches. Etienne has also dealt with injuries in the past, so if he gets banged up at any point in the season, Bigsby could take over as the lead back and never look back.
WR Jalin Hyatt, Giants
Darren Waller will be Daniel Jones' primary target, but at some point, the Giants are going to have to make opposing defenses pay for loading up the box against Jones and Saquon Barkley on the ground. Enter Hyatt, perhaps the best deep-ball receiver in the entire 2023 draft class.
He's an explosive playmaker who can take the top off the defense with elite speed (go watch his five-touchdown performance against Nick Saban's Alabama defense last year), and gives one of the league's most boring passing attacks a potential touchdown machine.
TE Dalton Kincaid, Bills
Dawson Knox is still a solid target for Josh Allen, but the Bills didn't trade up to land Kincaid in the first round of this year's draft just to make him an ancillary option in their passing game. Kincaid was widely regarded as the best pure pass-catcher in this year's deep crop of tight end prospects, and the Bills look primed to put that skill set to good use.
Even with Knox around, Kincaid should be heavily involved in the game plan, getting tons of targets in one of the most pass-heavy offenses in the entire league.