The Top NFL Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2021

Last year’s NFL season was super weird. With players opting out of competition and testing positive for COVID-19 (or being contact-traced), and with game schedules fluctuating, fantasy managers were dealt a difficult hand. That’s what you should be telling yourself to make you feel better about your underwhelming finish in 2020.

But it’s a new year, and it’s time to turn the page. Erase 2020 from your memory. So you drafted Saquon Barkley over Christian McCaffrey – that’s ancient history. Yeah, you took a shot at that guy in your league who selected Josh Allen – forget about it.

New fantasy season, new you. You aren’t leaving this thing up to luck. You’re willing your title into existence. That’s why you, my friend, are here for some top-rate fantasy advice. As you know, if you want to win your league, you don’t merely need to nail your top picks. You also need to identify a sleeper or two – someone who will slide way too far in the draft, soon making managers say, “I can’t believe I passed on that guy!”

Below, check out our top fantasy sleepers of 2021.

Ahmed isn’t a starter, so don’t reach too much for him, as Myles Gaskin is RB1 in South Beach. Nonetheless, we’re bullish on Ahmed’s prospects in 2021.

Despite going undrafted and being waived by San Francisco in the preseason, the 22-year-old impressed in his rookie season with Miami. He featured prominently in three games, receiving 63 touches for 291 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 15 against New England, Ahmed played a big role in a pivotal win for the Fins, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown.

At worst, he should be viewed as a top-flight handcuff to Gaskin, who has never played more than 10 games in a season.

Yeah, we said it: this will be the New York QB’s breakout year. After a promising rookie campaign, hopes were high for Jones last season, but Danny Dimes disappointed. His QBR dropped from 87.7 to 80.4 and TDs plummeted from 24 to 11.

But Jones had tough luck, with one of the NFL’s top weapons (Barkley) sidelined nearly the entire year. This year, Barkley’s back, Jones has another year of experience, and he has a dynamic new playmaker at wideout in Kenny Golladay. First-round pick WR Kadarius Toney should also provide some relief.

Jones is a low-risk pick with major payoff potential.

Williams, like Jones, had a promising 2019, cracking the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career, before regressing in 2020. But consider last season an aberration – expect a major rebound from Williams in 2021.

The Clemson product stands as the weapon most likely to benefit from another year with Justin Hebert, not to mention the departure of Hunter Henry to New England. When Herbert uncorks his cannon to toss a deep ball, Williams is the receiver who’ll probably be sprinting underneath. Expect plenty of game breaks to Williams TDs this season.

Even the Chargers’ offensive coordinator is predicting Williams will put up “nice numbers.”

It seems Reagor is being forgotten, with all eyes on Philly focusing on Jalen Hurts and new first-round weapon Devonta Smith. That’s with good reason – the reunion between the former Alabama teammates, Hurts and reigning Heisman winner Smith, should be fun to watch.

That said, it’s easy to overlook Reagor, who himself was a first-round pick just one year ago. He struggled at times as a rookie, playing in 11 games (all as a starter) and hauling in 31 passes for 396 yards and one touchdown. He did flash potential as a playmaker, however, like when he caught that touchdown against Dallas in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football, or when he sprinted past Green Bay for a 73-yard punt return touchdown in Week 13.

The scheme is different this year, with Nick Sirianni replacing Doug Pederson, and Reagor will probably slide in your draft. Consider him a low-risk, high-reward option at WR.

Who knows when Michael Thomas will return, or if he’ll even return to New Orleans? Either way, there are plenty of touches to be dispersed in the New Orleans offense this season.

Emmanuel Sanders and Jared Cook are gone, and someone other than Thomas and Alvin Kamara has to get the pigskin. Expect that someone to be 2020 third-round pick Adam Trautman, who flashed potential in a limited role – because he was playing behind Cook – as a rookie. You might recall that Trautman hauled in a score against Tampa Bay in New Orleans’ memorable Week 9 romp of the eventual Super Bowl champs, and he finished the year with 15 catches for 171 yards.

Trautman’s potential is high with Taysom Hill but higher with Jameis Winston, whom many are expecting to be the Week 1 starter. Given his dearth of experience and the absence of Drew Brees, Trautman shouldn’t be viewed among the elite tight ends – but he should be on your radar in the next tier.

Yes, Melvin Gordon is the obvious main guy at RB for Denver – but don’t sleep on Williams. An early second-round pick, Williams was explosive as a North Carolina Tar Heel, racking up 1,445 yards and 22 scores on 7.9 yards per touch while terrorizing ACC defenses in his final campaign.

In his NFL preseason debut, Williams had 29 yards on five carries, wowing fans with his ability to break tackles. He also crossed into paydirt, but the score was called back on a penalty. NFL.com gave Williams an A- for the performance.

Expect a heavy dose of the run in Denver, with Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater manning the ship, and Williams will be a consistent weapon even if Gordon is the focal back. Indeed, check out the Denver Post’s evaluation: “Here’s a double fist bump [for Broncos GM George Paton] for the selection of Williams. If the rookie stays healthy, he’s a lock for 1,000 yards rushing.”

Yes, Smith is finally getting his opportunity as the main tight end in Minnesota. Kyle Rudolph has moved on to Big Blue, meaning the talented former Alabama tight end steps into the spotlight.

Smith has looked great in two seasons in the pros, last season catching 30 passes for 336 yards and five touchdowns. In a Christmas Week 16 game against New Orleans, the 6’2” Smith had six catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns.

Minnesota clearly has plenty of weapons, with Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and Dalvin Cook each grabbing a seat at the table. But as Rudolph showed, there’s still room for a tight end to eat in this offense.

Expect Smith to line up both as a conventional tight end and receiver, expect Kirk Cousins to look his way often in the red zone – and expect your fantasy opponents to curse you for shrewdly selecting the third-year tight end.