How to Make the Most of Your Salary Cap and Land Sleepers in Weekly Fantasy Football

Fantasy football is growing faster now more than ever. I personally find myself getting bombarded with exclusive deals and mobile betting options all the time. As weekly fantasy football continues to grow, so does demand for player strategy.

And that’s exactly what this article is about. I’ll be going over how to find the best fantasy football sleepers for each of the nine positions in weekly fantasy football.

With that said, you need to make a few accommodations to remain well under the cap. And you’ll learn just how to do that on this page.

I’ll teach you all about finding sleeper players to keep you from breaking the fantasy football bank. Read on to discover strategies and examples that you can use at online sportsbooks.

1. QB: Never Bet Against Them – Ben Roethlisberger – Steelers

No one epitomizes this category better than Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, as highlighted by his 3 touchdown pass performance in Week 1 versus the New York Giants.

Players like Ben are those you want to look for. Players you can never bet against but for some strange reason, odds are stacked against them.

Drew Brees is another good quarterback to place in this category because of his age and the age of the New Orleans Saints. He’s lost a step or two, but he’s still among the league’s best.

We can also dig deep and use players like Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, and Gardner Minshew as examples. All three quarterbacks have faced recent adversity. And that’s especially true for Bridgewater, who is in his first full season as a starter since 2015.

Of course, we all know Carr is among the league’s most underrated fantasy quarterbacks. And Minshew’s on a team that was supposed to suck. But each one put up good fantasy numbers even in 2019. In 2020 and in years to come, players like these make ultimate sleepers.

The takeaway is simple: Look for guys no one else wants either because of age, injury, or adversity. Then, act accordingly.

2. RB1: The System Favors Me – Nyheim Hines – Indianapolis Colts

In May 2020, Draft Engine listed Hines as one of the top three sleepers at running back for two reasons: One, because of his ability to excel in the passing game and two, the fact pass-happy quarterback Philip Rivers is coming to town.

Hines proved his fantasy worth in Week 1 when he scored on a receiving and even a rushing touchdown.

Guys in Hines’ position, who in 2018 and 2019 included players like Austin Ekeler, Tarik Cohen, and other backs, thrive in the receiving game.

Theo Riddick is probably the best classic example. Between 2013 and 2017, Riddick was constantly a forgotten man in the Detroit backfield. And he was always a decent fantasy sleeper. Cincy’s Geo Bernard also fills this example and is experiencing a career renaissance with Joe Burrow.

3. RB2: Power at the Sticks – Todd Gurley – Atlanta Falcons

The consensus is that guys like Gurley are washed up has-beens. Okay, so the 25-year-old Gurley is in the body of someone who is at least 35. But guys like him are often decent fantasy backs because of their ability to score touchdowns and convert the rock to keep drives and opportunities alive.

It gives Gurley fantasy value, and a lot of it. You can look at a lot of players in this category both in today’s game and yesteryear.

One good example is Gurley’s draft brethren, Melvin Gordon. Gordon won’t give you a decent yards per carry, but he’ll guarantee you a touchdown or two every other game.

These kind of players hold a lot of fantasy value and a good name to keep an eye on is Green Bay’s AJ Dillon. He’s a Derrick Henry type of back who should excel in the fantasy realm in Green Bay’s running back committee.

4. WR1: Obscurity With Style – DJ Chark – Jacksonville Jaguars

Guys like Chark don’t often receiver proper credit for their fantasy output because of the market or the team they’re playing for. And Chark epitomizes this example because, well, he’s supposedly playing for a tanking team.

However, even the worst teams in football have players who excel in fantasy football. We’re going to take a hike back to the late 20^th and early 21^st century and talk about the Bengals.

Where players like Carl Pickens and Corey Dillon were both hot fantasy commodities despite playing for a terrible team.

Yeah, I told you we’d take a hike here. That was back when you did fantasy football on paper rather than a phone or a tablet. The point is that when looking for sleepers, look for players like Chark who are often receiving the count out because of the team they’re playing for. Scan the worst teams in football and you will find gems.

5. WR2: Stuck at Number 2 – Diontae Johnson – Pittsburgh Steelers

Diontae Johnson proved his fantasy worth in 2019 when he caught 59 passes and 6 touchdowns from XFL-caliber talent. He’s one of those guys, however, who has to deal with being in a perpetual state of number two given the fact another has taken number one and won’t let go.

These receivers are relatively easy to point out and find. Calvin Ridley, Preston Williams, Michael Gallup, and the rookie Jerry Jeudy plus DK Metcalf are all good examples here.

Each possess outstanding fantasy value, but they’re often overlooked because they’re the second guy on each real-life roster.

But they’re outstanding pickups who won’t disappoint in fantasy, and they often won’t break the bank.

6. WR3: The Possession Man – Hunter Renfrow – Las Vegas Raiders

Guys like Renfrow are slot men who are typical third-down specialists. Renfrow epitomizes this, as do players like him, such as Larry Fitzgerald and even sleepers like N’Keal Harry. These players are sure-handed targets with a knack for moving the sticks and coming up big in the red zone.

They often grow over time, which is why I placed the second-year man in Renfrow here.

Best yet, they aren’t breaking your bank because they’re often beyond devalued. But they almost always come up big when called upon in specific situations.

They will make you look like fantasy football geniuses because literally no one thinks of these guys.

7. FLEX: Stuck at the Bottom – Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens

You know as well as I do that Brown is among the best fantasy sleepers in the game, and he’s at stud status if he’s playing in a more pass-happy system. With that said, Brown and guys like him are often somewhat of the forgotten man in an offense.

Using Brown as an example, you think of the Ravens offense and immediately a run-heavy team that loves throwing to the tight ends comes to mind.

But guys like Brown, as he showed in 2019 and in Week 1 of 2020 against Cleveland, often come up big in games.

Again, they’re likely forgotten. And in real-life fantasy football, defenses are notorious for this. Prove them wrong, and you will look good on the fantasy radar by picking up these kinds of guys.

8. TE: Red Zone Mania – Dawson Knox – Buffalo Bills

Knox didn’t have great statistics in 2019 from a fantasy standpoint, but he’s an ultimate sleeper because of his ability to get open and excel in the red zone. Yeah, he only caught 2 touchdowns in 2019, but the thing you need to remember about Knox and tight ends like him are the leaps they make.

They’re often made in Year 2 or Year 3.

In 2019, one of the men making such a leap was Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens, and the Baltimore offense is a lot like the Bills in so many ways.

With that in mind, look for offenses that tend to be run-heavy and tight end-friendly. Often, these players will receive a good deal of red zone targets and you will be one happy weekly fantasy football owner by spending a low-risk wager on guys like Knox.

9. DEF: Forgotten Men – New Orleans Saints

It seems like everyone forgets the Saints’ defense. One reason why they’re forgotten from a fantasy standpoint is the fact that they’re more known for their offense. But don’t let them fool you.

The Saints and defenses like them, such as the Ravens, Seahawks, and even the LA Chargers are fantastic sleepers who come at lower prices because everyone thinks they’re involved in shootouts with opposing offenses.

That’s not the case. In fact, it’s almost never the case when it comes to defenses whose offenses are off the charts. This ain’t the Big 12, now.

The strategy is simple: Look for defenses whose offenses are among the league’s best each week, and go after them. They’ll score you a good deal of fantasy points.

Conclusion

Looking for sleepers often comes when we don’t have enough money to nab a star in our weekly salary cap games. We often need to dig deep and look for obscure players, forgotten players, or those seemingly stuck behind someone else.

I’m sure you see some iffy names on this list. But the point is that your sleeper has the potential to be a fantasy stud even given their circumstances. Plus, they often come at low-risk prices.

What are your sleeper strategies in weekly fantasy ball? Let us know which NFL betting sites you prefer to try them at in the comments.