10 Sleepers You NEED To Draft After Round 10
Late Round Sleepers You Need To Draft In 2024 Fantasy Football
We all want to find those late round sleepers who become impactful for fantasy football. If we’re successful, it can make the difference in winning a title. Every year we see guys come from the double-digit rounds to have breakout seasons. Think about Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, or Sam LaPorta last season, just to name a few. Who will it be this year? I came up with a list of candidates with an ADP after round 10. So here are 10 late round sleepers I am targeting in 2024 fantasy drafts.
Blake Corum, RB, Rams
Kyren Williams was a fantasy football sensation in 2023. But he’s a former late-round pick who tested with subpar athleticism and is undersized. It wasn’t shocking to see the Rams go out and use a Day 2 pick on a running back. I’m not saying Blake Corum is going to come in and push Williams aside and become the RB1 in Los Angeles right out the shoot. I’m not saying that’s not going to happen, either, but that’s a conversation for a different day. My thoughts on Kyren Williams are well documented at this point.
But let’s just say Williams remains the RB1. That makes Corum potentially the No. 1 handcuff running back in all of fantasy football. And Williams dealt with a number of injuries that forced him to miss games in 2023. He is not built for the full-time workload he was receiving. So it seems inevitable that he will miss games. That will open the door for Corum to step into the RB1 chair. We know Sean McVay tends to lean heavily on whoever is his starting running back. In fact, Williams led all running backs in both touches per game and snap share last year. If that is Corum for any stretch of time, he’s going to receive a ton of touches, much like he did over the last couple years at Michigan.
And that might be all it takes for Corum to take over the backfield altogether, even once Williams is healthy. That’s because Corum is just a better fit for what the Rams want from the running back position. He’s big, he’s tough, he’s athletic. He runs hard, protects the football, and can keep quarterback Matthew Stafford upright in pass protection.
Corum is a proven talent who is just waiting for his opportunity. Whenever that comes, he will be the bellcow running back with a 75%+ opportunity share in one of the league’s most explosive offenses. There are going to be red zone and end zone opportunities for whoever is leading this backfield.
Once the double-digit rounds of fantasy drafts come along, Blake Corum needs to move to the top of your priority list. He has league-winner written all over him.
Jahan Dotson, WR, Commanders
The combination of cost and opportunity are aligning perfectly for Jahan Dotson to have a bounce back season. With a new offense and a new quarterback in Washington, my optimism is high that Dotson can have a productive season.
Curtis Samuel was a big thorn in Dotson’s side last season but he’s now in Buffalo. Dotson actually had a few quality performances in games that Samuel missed or left early. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels gives some hope for improved quarterback play which will only help the cause. Daniels showed us at LSU that he is not going to shy away from letting it rip. Dotson’s speed and playmaking ability should pair nicely with Daniels’ tendencies and work well as a complement to Terry McLaurin.
Luke Musgrave, TE, Packers
Luke Musgrave is on the short list to be this year’s breakout tight end. He performed well in spurts last season after the Packers drafted him in the second round. In 11 games, he caught 34 passes for 352 yards and one touchdown. A lacerated kidney forced him to miss six weeks in the second half of the season but he was able to return in time for the playoffs. There, he caught six passes for 66 yards in the Packers’ two playoff games which included a 38-yard touchdown against Dallas in the Wild Card round.
Musgrave enters 2024 with a chance to emerge as a prominent weapon in the Packers offense. Sure, you could argue there are a lot of mouths to feed in Green Bay, with quality weapons at wide receiver including Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, and even fellow second-year tight end Tucker Kraft. However, there is no established alpha in that group.
That opens the door for someone like Musgrave to emerge as a significant target commander. Musgrave has all the tools to become the next breakout tight end. He has size at 6-6, 253 lbs. He is an elite athlete across the board from speed, to strength, to explosion. Musgrave gives off some George Kittle vibes in that way. If I’m betting on someone in this Packers offense—and I’d be smart to do so given how well Jordan Love finished last season—it’s going to be the guy who is incredibly talented, yet flying under the radar with a 13th-round ADP as the TE17 on Underdog.
Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers
Kimani Vidal joins a Chargers backfield that consists of only Gus Edwards, JK Dobbins, who is coming off multiple serious lower body injuries, and Isaiah Spiller. Vidal has the size to be an NFL workhorse with impressive size-adjusted speed and burst. He is a between-the-tackles runner with the explosive traits to break off chunk plays. He follows his blockers well and is rarely tackled for loss yardage. Once he’s in the open field with a head of steam, Vidal is difficult to bring down. And even when you get hands on him, Vidal is always driving his legs and pushing forward to squeeze out one extra yard or two. That probably reminded Jim Harbaugh of Blake Corum
It’s not hard to see Vidal ascending up the Chargers depth chart quickly and leading this backfield in touches as a rookie. And we know the Chargers want to run the ball a ton, so there will be plenty of touches to be had. And with Justin Herbert leading the offense, the touchdown opportunities will be plentiful—something that made a big difference in Kyren Williams’ 2023 season. That could be Vidal in 2024.
Jaylen Wright, RB, Dolphins
In theory Jaylen Wright is in crowded backfield. But so was Kyren Williams at this time last year. We don’t have to squint too hard to see a path to similar fantasy production for Wright. All that is standing in his way of a significant workload is a tiny Devon Achane, who suffered multiple injuries as a rookie, and a 32-year old Raheem Mostert who has had a laundry list of injuries throughout his career. And who’s to say Wright doesn’t beat out those guys anyway?
Wright ran an incredible 4.38 40-time at the NFL Combine and he jumped out of the stadium. There are few teams that know how to maximize that type of speed and explosion better than Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins. They will be able to accentuate his strengths and mask his weaknesses as well as any organization. With the touchdown scoring potential in the Miami offense, there might be no better candidate to be this year’s Kyren Williams than Jaylen Wright.
Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals
It can’t be too surprising that Michael Wilson had a quiet rookie season after injuries held him to just 14 games over his final three collegiate seasons. Naturally, he lacked a bit of the experience required to make a significant impact as a first year NFL player. However, Wilson did enough to draw some intrigue heading into year two. He finished the season with 38 receptions and 565 receiving yards. There were five instances where he was targeted six or more times in a game. In those contests, Wilson averaged 1.94 yards per route and more than 12 fantasy points, according to FantasyPros. That’s nothing to scoff at. And we can’t forget that he was stuck with a combination of Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune for the first half of the season. Then with Kyler Murray at the helm, Wilson finished the season strong with back-to-back top-24 fantasy performances.
Wilson can use that strong finish to propel him to the No. 2 wide receiver position opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. All that’s in his way is Zay Jones—Greg Dortch will be the slot. That’s a premium position to be in in what is expected to be a potent Cardinals offense. With a healthy Murray, the additions of Harrison and running back Trey Benson, and the ascension of tight end Trey McBride, this could be one of the more explosive units in the NFL. That will only benefit a guy like Michael Wilson.
Remember, Wilson was a guy that impressed in college when he was healthy and shined at the 2023 Senior Bowl. He is a big-bodied playmaker who uses his size, physical strength, and body control to create separation and win in the red zone. He has the athleticism to add value after the catch as well.
Michael Wilson has legitimate upside as the WR2 in Arizona. He needs to be on the radar at the end of best ball and seasonal league drafts. It won’t cost much to get him and the payoff could be huge.
Drake Maye, QB, Patriots
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for Drake Maye among fantasy gamers right now. I get it. He’s a rookie on the Patriots with terrible pass catchers, a bad offensive line, and an uncertain timeline for getting on the field. However, Drake Maye is going to get on the field. It’s just a matter of how soon. It could be as early as Week 1 for all we know. Whenever he does, he has some sneaky fantasy upside that just isn’t being acknowledged.
Not only does Maye have a big arm and some young talented pass catchers, but this is a guy who ran for nearly 1,200 yards over his last two seasons at North Carolina. The dude has wheels. We know how valuable rushing production can be for quarterbacks in fantasy football. It’s being talked about with Jayden Daniels, but it’s not crazy to think Maye could match or even out-do Daniels on the ground this season. After all, we talk about the inexperienced and unproven pass catchers in New England. And the bad offensive line, for that matter. That’s all the more incentive for Maye to pull it down and look for run lanes.
We’ve seen it before with guys like Josh Allen. Remember how bad Allen was as a passer early in his career? He barely cracked 2,000 yards passing as a rookie. He completed 52.8% of his passes. But he ran for 631 yards and eight touchdowns and was the QB14 in fantasy points per game. His second season was nearly identical and he finished as a top-12 scorer. And what happens if Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker are good? And Maye exceed expectations as a passer in year one? All of a sudden, we have a CJ Stroud-like impact.
While I admit, this is probably not the likely scenario, the upside is worth tossing a pick Maye’s way at the end of drafts for the chance at hitting the lottery. The tools are there. We can write the story. Now let’s see if it comes to life.
More: Top-5 Handcuff Running Backs In 2024
Tyrone Tracy, RB, Giants
Tyrone Tracy was one of the more interesting prospects in the 2024 class heading into the draft. He’s a converted wide receiver with limited running back experience. Yet, he proved to be a quality runner in 2023 when he ran for over six yards per carry and eight touchdowns. He runs with a good combination of speed and power with open-field elusiveness and impressive balance.
Landing with the Giants is a great spot for Tyrone Tracy Jr. The backfield is devoid of talent after losing Saquon Barkley in free agency, only to replace him with Devin Singletary. While Singletary did an adequate job in Houston last season, he is not exactly immune to some competition. The other running backs on the roster are Eric Gray, Gary Brightwell, Jashaun Corbin, and Deon Jackson.
It’s not hard to see a world where Tracy winds up with a significant opportunity as a rookie. As a converted wide receiver, Tracy can jump right into a pass-catching role out of the backfield with a chance to expand that role over the course of the season. He is going to fly under the radar in fantasy drafts, but Tracy is a fun late round flier that needs to be monitored in preseason and early in the regular season. He could have a breakout in the second half if Singletary falters.
Roschon Johnson, RB, Bears
Roschon Johnson was one of my favorite rookies from the 2023 class. He is a big, powerful running back who somehow created production behind Bijan Robinson at Texas. He is a natural in the receiving game, both as a pass-catcher and in protection. We saw some flashes of that in his rookie campaign. However, it was an overall disappointing first year for Johnson. He ran for just 352 yards on 81 carries and was mostly relegated to RB3 duties behind Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman. If it weren’t for an untimely concussion, though, things could have been much different for Johnson.
Still, Johnson managed three top-24 fantasy performances in five weeks to close out the season. He did that by catching 15 passes from Weeks 12-17. He totaled more than 50 yards in four of those five games.
With the offseason signing of D’Andre Swift it’s hard to see a clear path to a significant role for Johnson right now. But Swift was underwhelming from an efficiency standpoint last season and Johnson did enough late in the year to warrant an opportunity at the RB2 job. That could turn into a prominent role as a high-end handcuff or eventual starter in what is expected to be a much improved Bears offense with the additions of Keenan Allen and Caleb Williams. A second half emergence could propel Johnson to a late-season RB1 status and make him this year’s Kyren Williams.
Jelani Woods, TE, Colts
It’s often forgotten that just two years ago Jelani Woods was the No. 2 tight end selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, going in the third round to the Colts. He flashed at times in his rookie season, catching 25 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He played in a rotational role but still managed a TE5 finish in Week 3 of that season, a TE13 performance in Week 6, and an eight-catch, 98-yard outing in Week 12 that was good enough to be the TE2.
It was expected that Woods would take on something closer to a full-time role in 2023, but a hamstring injury forced him to miss the season.
Now healthy, Woods is expected to start at tight end for the Colts and is a prime candidate for a breakout. Not only has he given us a taste of what he can do on the field, but he also possesses the high-end athleticism that often fuels breakout tight end seasons. Woods is a big 6-7, 252 lbs with 4.61 speed, incredible burst, and a massive catch radius. He has all the tools to be a downfield weapon and red zone monster for quarterback Anthony Richardson. Michael Pittman is locked-in as the alpha among the pass-catchers in Indy, but second in line for targets is up for grabs. Most expect Josh Downs or rookie Adonai Mitchell to grab those reigns, but I might just put my money on Jelani Woods.
Who are your favorite late round sleepers in 2024? Join us on Discord and let’s discuss!
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