Fantasy football sleepers, steals, value picks to target in your 2017 draft

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Wed, 6 Sept 2017, 4:23 pm

Fantasy football sleepers, steals, value picks to target in your 2017 draft

Fantasy football isn't about big names -- it's about big game. As is the case every year with every draft, there are tons of undervalued players and potential sleepers in the 2017 rankings -- you just have to know how to find them and make sure they're probably labeled on your cheat sheet.

Based on consensus rankings by the experts and current average draft position (ADP) on Fantasy Pros, here are 25 undervalued studs and sleepers you should look to steal all over the board when you're on the clock for real.

DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2017 fantasy football cheat sheet

Fantasy Football 2017: Value picks

Michael Thomas, WR, Saints (No. 15 in rankings, No. 16 in ADP)

Thomas is going as the seventh wideout off the board, and given he's the No. 1 target in the league's premier passing offense, that's still low for him. As the occasional deep threat, Ted Ginn won't be targeted nearly as much as Brandin Cooks, leaving plenty more for Thomas to build on his strong rookie season. He has more upside than the veterans being taken right ahead off him, A.J. Green and Jordy Nelson.

Leonard Fournette, RB, Jaguars (No. 19 in rankings, No. 21 in ADP)

Fournette is going as a lower-end RB1, in between Todd Gurley and suspended Ezekiel Elliott, Isaiah Crowell and Lamar Miller. Jacksonville has all but given up on Blake Bortles and plans to go through with fully loading Fournette as soon as he's good to go from his minor foot injury in Week 1. The Jaguars' interior blocking is solid, and Fournette has more pure talent than Gurley.

Carlos Hyde, RB, 49ers (No. 30 in rankings, No. 38 in ADP)

Hyde has done a 180 in the offense under Kyle Shanahan since he was first inherited by the new coaching staff. He's looking healthy and good through practices and preseason games, to the point he's well separated from rookies Joe Williams and Matt Breida. On top of his early-down status, he's surprised Shanahan by being more of an asset on third downs. He's more of a solid RB1 than fringe RB2 now.

Davante Adams, WR, Packers (No. 38 in rankings, No. 44 in ADP)

Adams was a touchdown machine for Green Bay last season, turning around his career production prospects in a hurry. Jordy Nelson is 32, and as Adams has shot past more slot-suited Randall Cobb for No. 2, he's edging closer to being a co-go-to guy for Aaron Rodgers. He's a better pick than the Terrelle Pryor-Alshon Jeffery-Allen Robinson run a little earlier.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals (No. 51 in rankings, No. 62 in ADP)

The Cards' deal at wideout behind the venerable one is a mess, with John Brown having various issues, Jaron Brown coming off a torn ACL and J.J. Nelson being seen more as a No. 3. Fitzgerald remains the Mr. Reliable for Carson Palmer, with a chance to add more TDs to his century worth of catches. Forget the age: He is in incredible shape and will keep adding to his Canton credentials.

Bilal Powell, RB, Jets (No. 60 in rankings, No. 67 in ADP)

The Jets' offense, for a lack of a better word, stinks. Mostly. The quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends are completely undraftable. But Powell, with Matt Forte hamstrung, is about to eat up a ton of backfield touches. The TDs may be low, but Powell, based on volume alone, should be going as a RB2. New York figures to trail often, which is good for PPR-friendly dumpoffs to rack up garbage second-half yards. Powell remains an underrated overall back.

Jimmy Graham, TE, Seahawks (No. 61 in rankings, No. 55 in ADP)

Graham exploded during his first big "contract year" with the Saints. He also led all NFL tight ends in end-zone looks last season. Well settled into the Seahawks' offense now, he'll build well off Doug Baldwin's inside-outside production. Graham can challenge for the best TE1 this season and is a better pick than injury-prone Jordan Reed.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Redskins (No. 67 in rankings, No. 84 in ADP)

Pryor is getting plenty of buzz as a new target for Kirk Cousins, and so is '16 first-round pick Josh Doctson, trending toward much better health in '17. But Crowder is the most familiar of his wideouts, and in addition to his ace slot duties that made him a viable WR3 at times, he's expected to line up more outside. With Reed's health always in question, Crowder can be Cousins' first look in many situations.

Danny Woodhead, RB, Ravens (No. 77 in rankings, No. 85 in ADP)

You can't trust Terrance West much in Baltimore as an early-down starter, but Woodhead is back healthy in a versatile, pass-friendly offense suited to his skill set. He's an underrated red-zone weapon in non-PPR -- see his best season with the Chargers -- and he should get 15 touches consistently. He's an RB3 who should be getting more RB2 consideration.

Pierre Garcon, WR, 49ers (No. 82 in rankings, No. 95 in ADP)

Yes, San Francisco's offense is going through major transition, but Garcon isn't. He had his best season under Shanahan and is a natural to connect often with stop-gap starting QB Brian Hoyer. With nothing trustworthy behind him (see Marquise Goodwin, Jeremy Kerley), Garcon should dominate targets on a team with plenty of garbage potential in the second half. He's a terrific WR3 in both PPR and standard.

Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers (No. 85 in rankings, No. 72 in ADP)

Winston and Marcus Mariota can't shake each other from the top of the 2015 draft, and both have similar buzz surrounding their young teams and fantasy rankings this year. Winston is the easy choice, in the higher-volume passing game with more downfield pop, and not to be forgotten, more scoring potential as a rusher. Winston is in line to finish as a top-half QB1.

DeVante Parker, WR, Dolphins (No. 88 in rankings, No. 102 in ADP)

The QB switch to Jay Cutler was awesome for Parker's value. Cutler hasn't wasted time making him his No. 1 look as a "faster Alshon", and it's the cap to Parker having a terrific training camp to indicate he'll have a breakout third season.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Ravens (No. 93 in rankings, No. 99 in ADP)

File him under Woodhead, soon to be the lifeblood of Baltimore's passing offense. He'll be the next Anquan Boldin/Steve Smith Sr. for Joe Flacco, eating up targets in the slot and playing well off the outside speed threat of Mike Wallace. With tight end being a mess, Maclin will take some of that production, too.

DRAFT STRATEGY AND TIERS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST

Derrick Henry, RB, Titans (No. 94 in rankings, No. 86 in ADP)

DeMarco Murray's workload from Dallas, Philadelphia and Tennessee is bound to catch up to him a little bit more unless the Titans are proactive and lighten his load a bit, knowing Henry can be just as productive behind their elite offensive line. Henry is the must-have No. 2 back in fantasy.

Derek Carr, QB, Raiders (No. 96 in rankings, No. 76 in ADP)

Carr is being taken as a borderline QB1, but with his new contract in hand and armed with a better red-zone target, Jared Cook. the upside is sky high, especially with Amari Cooper primed to truly explode, too.

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers (No. 103 in rankings, No. 115 in ADP)

Los Angeles' power running game is being overrated because of the Anthony Lynn factor, given it's another tricky transition for Melvin Gordon coming off multiple injuries. Rivers' weapons remain deep, even with 2017 first-round pick Mike Williams shelved until at least October. Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Dontrelle Inman, Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates also can help the annually underrated Rivers to another sneaky QB1 finish.

Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs (No. 105 in rankings, No. 96 in ADP)

Spencer Ware has had a pretty good preseason, but Hunt keeps finding a new way to impress Andy Reid and the rest of the coaching staff. This is already more of a committee than you think, with Hunt next in line ahead of Charcandrick West and C.J. Spiller. Reid will want to get Hunt's explosive talent on the field to supplement an offense in more need of dynamic playmakers.

Jordan Matthews, WR, Bills (No. 111 in rankings, No. 143 in ADP)

So, Sammy Watkins is gone, Anquan Boldin retired, and Zay Jones is a rookie. Matthews (rib) is banged up as he learns a new offense, but his size and experience set him up to be the default No. 1 in a low-volume passing offense. He's a better value in PPR than standard.

DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2017 fantasy football cheat sheet

Darren McFadden, RB, Cowboys (No. 124 in rankings, No. 117 in ADP)

Ezekiel Elliott is ready to miss about half of the season, yet he's going much higher than his top backup-turned-starter for the first six games. With no Lance Dunbar, McFadden can see a feature role as the much better replacement receiver than Alfred Morris. Run with DMC much earlier as a RB2, even if you don't end up owning Zeke.

C.J. Prosise, RB, Seahawks (No. 127 in rankings, No. 128 in ADP)

Eddie Lacy is still slow, Thomas Rawls is having more ankle issues, and Chris Carson, even as impressive as he's been, is an undrafted rookie RB4. Prosise already will have a big role as a receiving back for Seattle's uptempo offense, and he's not incapable of doing well with more early-down touches. He's the Seahawks' back to ideally own.

Darren Sproles, RB, Eagles (No. 136 in rankings, No. 152 in ADP)

LeGarrette Blount has looked terrible for his new team, with major questions about his conditioning. Wendell Smallwood has run cold and hot in his second preseason, and both Donnel Pumphrey and Corey Clement are rookies. Sproles proved he can be both busy and effective for Doug Pederson, and at 34, he may need to see an even more expanded role by default. Philadelphia's backfield is looking like a situation to avoid, but if you must tap in, go for the PPR attraction of Sproles.

Jamaal Williams, RB, Packers (No. 137 in rankings, No. 142 in ADP)

Ty Montgomery is battling a leg injury on top of questions about whether he can make the transition to feature back. Williams has held steady as a strong No. 2 throughout the preseason and will continue his push for more touches. This could easily, quickly turn from a Montgomery-led situation over three downs to Williams-leaning early-down work.

Austin Hooper, TE, Falcons (No. 144 in rankings, No. 165 in ADP)

Hooper is ready to be a bigger part of Atlanta's passing game after his strong finish to 2016. Matt Ryan will look more to Hooper to supplement the red-zone passing, where, for some reason, Julio Jones seems to have a ceiling.

Rex Burkhead, RB, Patriots (No. 157 in rankings, No. 175 in ADP)

If you must dive into New England's backfield, Burkhead is suddenly looking like an important situational guy with Mike Gillislee (hamstring) hurt and both James White and Dion Lewis not being as versatile. You knew this was coming as soon as the Patriots signed Burkhead away from the Bengals.

New England Patriots D/ST (No. 165 in rankings, No. 130 in ADP)

The Patriots are going as the No. 7 defense off the board, despite the fact they are loaded on every level to rack up sacks and big plays off takeaways. They also will be teeing off against some extremely limited and mistake-prone offenses in the AFC East. With Lewis around in the return game, too, they have a case to challenge Denver and Seattle as fantasy's top D/ST.