Fantasy Football Sleepers: The AFC North

What is a sleeper in fantasy football? Basically, it is a player who exceeds their average draft position (ADP) over other players from the same position with a similar draft cost. An example from 2021 of this would be Mark Andrews. He outperformed all others at his position in fantasy points per game (FPPG) while being drafted as the fifth tight end in the 5th round. That’s big value with a lesser price tag. It’s like bargain shopping against your friends and family!

To help you out with identifying a number of athletes who could fall into the ‘sleeper” category, I will list one player from each NFL team that could provide a huge boost for your squad at a nicely discounted price. We’ll go by divisions for this article so you can more easily access these spicy picks. 

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens – WR Rashod Bateman

As the Ravens’ 1st  Round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, big things are expected from wide receiver Rashod Bateman. His early season was derailed by injury and he missed the first five games. As such, he took a little more time getting accustomed to the pro level and was on the field for more than 70% of plays just once through Week 13. In Week 13, however, he clearly impressed his coaches, catching seven of eight targets for 103 yards. For the rest of the season, he was on the field for no less than 81% of the offensive plays.

The departure of Marquise Brown opens up 146 targets to be distributed amongst Ravens pass catchers and a large portion of those should go to Bateman, who only saw 68 in his rookie year. Even on a team that doesn’t pass as much as others, that’s a lot of added opportunity for the young star to work with.

His current ADP has him being drafted in the 8th round behind wide receivers like Elijah Moore and DeVonta Smith. Those are just two players who he should easily surpass in targets, catches and yards by the season’s end. Yes, if you’re on Twitter a lot, Bateman won’t exactly be a “sleeper”. However, in your home leagues and more traditional drafts, he’s someone you could get a nice value on with a fair amount of upside. 

Cincinnati Bengals – WR Tyler Boyd

It’s easy to see why Tyler Boyd doesn’t get respect in fantasy football drafts. Anyone who comes in behind Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase on the depth chart would get overlooked. In 2021, alongside Higgins and Chase, Boyd was still targeted 94 times and caught 67 balls for 12.36 yards per reception, adding five touchdowns. With the stellar play of Joe Mixon in the backfield, the Bengals were able to abuse opposing defenses through the air while they had to continually account for another big run.

There was very little change with the Bengals’ offense during the offseason with the departure of C.J. Uzomah and the addition of Hayden Hurst. It’s highly likely that much will change for their successful offensive scheme in 2022 after getting into the Super Bowl last year.

Boyd’s 12th-round ADP is a joke. Coming off of the board behind the likes of DeVante Parker, rookie Treylon Burks, and Kadarius Toney. Boyd is primed to exceed them all with another season of 60+ receptions and 800+ receiving yards. 

Cleveland Browns – TE David Njoku

With the huge investment of over $54 million across four seasons, there are clearly plans for David Njoku to play an important role for Cleveland. Njoku is an athletic specimen and tight end that earned his 1st Round selection back in 2017. He was known as an uber-athletic and “raw” prospect who would take some time to develop in the NFL. He used his abilities to average 13.2 yards per reception and score four times in 2021.

The Browns made some significant moves this offseason, parting ways with veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry and tight end Austin Hooper while bringing in Amari Cooper. The addition of Cooper could seem a little scary for Njoku’s stock, but there are 233 vacated targets to go around, which is more than enough for Cooper and Njoku to feast upon. 80 targets is well within the realm of possibility for the starting tight end. With that many chances, we could see some healthy numbers for Njoku.

When I accounted for his contract and the vacated targets and then went back to look at the ADP, I was shocked to see Njoku being drafted as the 26th tight end in the 14th round. He’s basically free as someone you can use your last pick on or grab off the waiver wire. While I’m not projecting him as top 10 at the position, the former Hurricane is a strong streaming candidate at tight end for anyone punting the position.

Pittsburgh Steelers – QB Mitch Trubisky

Mitch Trubisky “took a year off” with Buffalo after being dumped by Chicago. He saw virtually no time on the field behind Josh Allen’s massive performance. In his four years with Chicago, he showed moderate success, sporting a winning record in three of those seasons. He has also demonstrated some explosive performances, most notably his 354 passing yards and six touchdown game in 2018. He now gets another chance at the helm of an NFL offense with Pittsburgh this year.

Ben Roethlisberger left some pretty big shoes to fill. In the long term, that role should fall to rookie Kenny Pickett. As for 2022, it’s Trubisky’s job to command the offense, at least to start the year off. Arguably, the offensive weapons in Pittsburgh are stronger than anything he had to work with in Chicago. Chase Claypool is a massive threat for deep plays, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth are sure-handed guys across the middle and Najee Harris has the backfield locked down. If the former second overall pick is going to thrive, he’ll do it this season.

The current ADP on Trubisky is in the 14th round, making him a potentially profitable choice at the end of drafts. Other 14th-round quarterbacks like Jameis Winston and Zach Wilson don’t project as high for me when I’m taking a late flier at the position. He’s also a great add in 2QB or Superflex leagues.

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