Three Fantasy Football Late Round Sleepers
With Fantasy Football season approaching, here are 3 players to keep your eye on in the later rounds!
Antonio Gibson: Gibson is a rookie from the University of Memphis who was drafted 66th overall by The Washington Football Team (formerly known as the Washington Redskins). At the NFL combine Gibson was measured at 6’0 and 228 pounds, a great combination of size and speed. He finished his senior year at Memphis with 38 receptions, 735 yards, and 8 touchdowns to go along with 33 carries, 369 yards (11.2 YPC), and 4 touchdowns. Gibson also had 23 kick returns for 645 yards (28 yards per return). He has been compared to Christian McCaffrey (a bit of stretch, I know), he won’t be nearly as productive as McCaffrey, but he does have the ability to make an impact rushing the ball and as a pass catcher. With Derrius Guice’s injury history, and Adrian Peterson coming off of a season where he averaged 14 carries per game, Gibson may play a significant role in the offense. In my opinion he's worth a late round pick, especially in PPR leagues.
Source for Antonio Gibson’s college stats found here
Source for the image below found here
Damien Harris: The Patriot’s have used a committee of running backs the past couple of years that included Sony Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead. Harris is a second year player who appeared in 2 games last season and had a total of 4 carries, however he will definitely have the ball in his hands more this season. Sony Michel had foot surgery in May, and on July 27th according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Michel may not be cleared before the start of official practice on August 12th. James White does most of his damage catching passes, and averaged only 4.5 rushing attempts per game last season. Rex Burkhead averaged just 5 rushing attempts per game last season. The Patriots as a team finished 18th in rushing yards per game (106.4) and 25th in yards per carry (3.8), however they were 9th in rushing attempts per game (27.9). This offense may be even more run heavy this upcoming season because they will have a new starting quarterback (which in my opinion will be Cam Newton). Harris is a strong downhill runner who may see a majority of the team’s carries at the start of the season depending on the health of Michel. If you draft him, expect decent production at the start of the year, and keep him as a handcuff for Sony Michel.
Source for James White and Rex Burkhead’s stats found here
Source for Patriot’s team rushing stats found here
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Joshua Kelley: Kelley is a rookie out of UCLA who was selected 112th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2020 NFL draft. Kelley is listed at 5’11 and 212 pounds, he’s a physical back who runs well between the tackles. In two seasons at UCLA Kelley had 454 carries, 2,303 yards (5.1 YPC), and 24 touchdowns. Last season Austin Ekeler finished 4th among running backs in PPR leagues, and 7th in standard scoring leagues. Ekeler was 2nd to Christian McCaffrey in receptions and receiving yards among running backs, however he averaged just 8.3 carries per game. It is unlikely that the Chargers will use Ekeler as a workhorse back because of his size, and with Melvin Gordon gone there will be some carries to go around. With that being said, there will be some competition for these touches between Kelley and Justin Jackson. In his two years with the Chargers Jackson has produced very solid numbers, 79 carries for 406 yards (5.1 YPC). He is also a sleeper pick in our opinion, but since the Chargers took Kelley in the draft we believe he will get the chance to prove himself before Jackson. Draft with caution as we may see a committee approach.
Source for Joshua Kelley’s college stats found here
Source for Austin Ekeler’s stats found here
Source for Justin Jackson’s stats found here
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