As it’s the last week before the NFL season begins, and because its time for final fantasy lineup tinkering before the season, I’d like to take some time to highlight some fantasy sleepers for this year.
Joseph Randle, RB, Dallas Cowboys
I’ve heard a lot of different takes on Joseph Randle so far, but trust me, he’s going to be great this year. Well, let me rephrase, the Cowboys’ offensive line is going to be great this year. They were undoubtedly the best in the league last year, and they will only get better with age. Stuff like that can happen when you have 3 pro-bowlers under the age of 25. While Randle didn’t have a ton of playing time last year, a great offensive line begets a good to great RB.
Jordan Cameron, TE, Miami Dolphins
Jordan Cameron has been showing flashes of brilliance since he entered the league several years ago. His biggest obstacle to being a top five tight end has been his injury history, not to mention the waves of mediocre quarterbacks that he suffered at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. Given that Ryan Tannehill doesn’t have the greatest wide receivers, and that he’s actually a decent quarterback, expect Cameron to get plenty of targets. If he can stay healthy, he can be the third best tight end in the league, behind Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham.
Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Let me talk this one through. So obviously the Jaguars are going to suck. A lot. But they have to generate offense somehow. Blake Bortles has to throw to someone, and Allen Robinson will there to catch what he throws. Although he only caught two touchdowns last season, that will change this year. Extrapolate his stats from last year over a full season and you get 84 catches, 974 yards and 4 touchdowns. Not bad for a rookie wide receiver catching balls from a rookie quarterback. Expect them both to get better — an 80 catches, 1100-plus yards and 6-plus touchdowns stat isn’t out of the question.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Detroit Lions
Alright, so I’m kind of piggybacking a Grantland article by Chris Ryan (https://grantland.com/the-triangle/ameer-abdullah-is-imitating-barry-sanders-football-is-back/) from a couple of weeks ago, but bear with me. Abdullah is going to be huge. Just watch this GIF:
http://i2.wp.com/espngrantland.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/pjiaw.gif?zoom=2
He’s basically Barry Sanders 2.0. Buy low on this guy. He can catch balls out of the backfield, and he can ruin people’s lives with the ball in his hands. What’s not to like? I give him a couple of weeks until he wins the job from Joique Bell, assuming he’s healthy enough to start the season.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
So probably everyone knows who this is. But he’s a talented passer and he has a lot of the pieces necessary to make it a successful rookie campaign. Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson are really easy to throw to. Just watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwJZQqokbrA
These are professional athletes and Evans made him look like a pre-puberty freshman playing against a Division I senior recruit on the first day of high school football practice. That shouldn’t happen. He also catches the ball pretty well, too. Assuming that Winston gets enough time to throw the ball, he’s going to have no problem putting up some big stats.
