Finding value late in redraft and best ball fantasy leagues can be challenging. Particularly if you are drafting with sharp fantasy players, or in real-money best ball leagues.
Oftentimes, your success in season-long best ball comes down to how well you draft late. The first 6-8 rounds of a best ball league typically go as expected, with no major surprises. However, the cream tends to rise to the top when the big name players are off the board and players are left to find their own sleepers.
In this article, we will share our top 5 deep sleeper picks for the 2024 NFL season, and break down our outlook for each player.
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As John Harbaugh said, Justice Hill is a starting running back in the NFL. While he’ll have to give up goal-line carries to newly acquired Derrick Henry, Hill has produced above-average seasons for Baltimore since coming into the league and has bounced back after missing the ‘21 season due to injury with about 5 YPC over the last two years.
While Hill doesn’t provide touchdown upside, his guaranteed 100+ touches this year should provide more than just handcuff value. Justice Hill is one of my favorite RB3 targets in a volatile fantasy RB market.
Watch out for Darnell Mooney on the Falcons this season. As a person who isn’t extremely high on Drake London just yet, Mooney has a real chance to come into Atlanta and finish as a WR25 or better with Kirk Cousins as his Quarterback and the spotlight off of him as the Falcons have Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and London as offensive weapons.
In 2021, Mooney finished with 81 catches for just over 1k yards and 4 TDs (WR23). Jordan Addison caught 10 touchdowns opposite Justin Jefferson as Cousins’ WR2 last season - this should tell you everything about Mooney’s upside and at his current ADP in redrafts and best ball.
Mooney is the top deep sleeper WR target heading into the 2024 NFL season.
With Drake Maye slowly creeping up the ladder for the starting QB role, DeMario Douglas is a name to keep your eye on should he move into more of a slot role this season. In 2023, Douglas caught 49 balls for over 500 yards as a rookie with top-25 target separation and target rate among wideouts.
As a slot guy for a rookie QB, Douglas has the upside for an 80+ reception season should the chemistry click with Maye and as a player that can get his yards after catch, Douglas as a WR4 isn’t the worst play when trying to lock in a high floor, high upside wideout.
Following the trade that sent Jahan Dotson to the Eagles, a division rival of the Commanders, the dynamics of Washington’s wide receiver room have shifted in Dyami Brown’s favor. Brown is now poised to step into the WR2 role for a team led by Jayden Daniels, a dual-threat, mobile quarterback who can extend plays for his receivers.
Although Brown hasn’t started during his first three seasons, the arrival of a new regime and Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator should bring a more open and dynamic offense to D.C.
Brown is particularly intriguing late in Best Ball drafts where big play/touchdown volatility is rewarded.
As a rookie, Jalen McMillan has risen his way to the WR3 role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unlike former WR3 Trey Palmer, McMillan matches plus size with plus speed for Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay, who have been searching for a viable target alongside Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for quite some time now.
After an extremely successful first season with Tampa, look for Baker to spread his targets around this season in the red zone, where McMillan dominated for UW when healthy.
Given Evans's age and Godwin's injury history, there is a path for McMillan to spend time as the WR2 in this offense, which could make him one of the best late-round picks this fantasy season.