Look — it’s possible that we should simply retire the term “sleeper” from the fantasy football lexicon, because no two people can ever agree on the precise definition.
For some of you, every NFL player who hasn’t appeared in a State Farm ad is a sleeper.
For others, the only guy who might qualify as a sleeper is that one rugby dude on the Chiefs, but even he’s getting a little too mainstream.
Hopefully, we can all agree that quarterback is a ridiculous position at which to refer to anyone as a sleeper, because literally every player in our consensus top 30 has achieved some significant degree of fame. Every person on the list — even the guys you want nothing to do with in fantasy — was a pretty huge star at the college level. None of them are sleeping, exactly.
Instead, let’s just say today’s names are under-rostered, overlooked and available at extremely friendly draft prices. We’ve previously discussed a few tempting late-round options, but we didn’t hit every possible value at this position.
Let the record show that Cousins was one of the right answers in fantasy football for the first eight weeks of the 2023 season before a torn Achilles abruptly ended a potential monster year. Had he played a full 17 games at his first-half pace, he would have finished with 4,953 passing yards and 38 scores. Both of those totals would have led the league, which of course would have forced his name into an already-weird MVP conversation.
After landing in Atlanta, the setup for Cousins isn’t quite as ideal as it might have been had he re-signed with Minnesota, but it’s not a massive downgrade, either. He’ll have a few legit weapons at his disposal, including this 6-foot-4, third-year receiver who’s never experienced NFL life with a serious QB:
Offseason reports on Cousins’ recovery have been plenty encouraging, so we don’t have any significant worries on that front. He may not pick up precisely where he left off in 2023, but his new OC Zac Robinson is installing an offense that isn’t entirely unfamiliar to Kirk — it’s just a different branch of the Sean McVay tree. The floor for Cousins in a healthy season remains 4,000-plus yards and 25 TD passes.
Smith is just one year removed from a season in which he finished as the overall QB5 while leading the league in completion percentage, yet we’re fleeing from him in early fantasy drafts. His production last year fell short of his 2022 numbers, but not by much on a per-game basis. He was stellar in late-and-close situations, too, directing a league-best five game-winning drives.
This season, Smith will be at the controls of a Ryan Grubb offense with the potential to deliver the kind of pass volume we’ve never seen from a Seahawks quarterback. If we get anything close to 600 attempts from the guy throwing to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Noah Fant, you’re gonna like the results.
At 36, Stafford is still capable of making throws that are simply not available to most quarterbacks:
He’s just an absolute wizard. If Stafford manages to play all 17 games this year (which hasn’t happened since 2021) and both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp remain healthy, it’s not far-fetched to believe a passing title is within the range of possible outcomes. We’ve already seen Stafford deliver a 4,886-yard, 41-TD season for the Rams in the pre-Puka era.
Stafford has rushed for only 117 yards and one score over his three seasons in L.A., so there’s basically no chance of him cracking the top three at a position increasingly dominated by dual-threat cyborgs. However, if he gets anywhere near his ceiling as a passer, he’s an easy top-10 QB.
OK, yeah, this one admittedly requires a bit of imagination on your part. Levis had a mostly unremarkable first season after erupting for four touchdown passes in his ridiculous NFL debut:
Whatever else you thought of his work last year, you can’t deny that he has plenty of arm.
Tennessee certainly got to work in the offseason, enhancing a vulnerable offensive line both via the draft and free agency (and the coaching staff), plus the team added veteran receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd. Suddenly, Levis looks like he might just have reliable protection and an equally reliable receiving room. If you’re any sort of believer in Levis’ raw ability, then you should probably invest in his second-year upside. His setup has improved as much as anyone’s throughout the spring and summer.
At the very least, Levis is now an appealing, late Superflex option with a path to a top-16 fantasy finish.
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