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- 3 Rookie Sleepers To Target
One of my favorite things about this time of year is how sleepers can emerge out of seemingly nowhere.
It’s tempting to dismiss buzz or preseason hype for rookies you had never even heard of a few months ago, but it’s important to remain flexible and adjust to new information.
Below are three intriguing rookies who should be on your radar—as either late-round picks in your draft this week or at the very least on speed dial for your Week 1 waiver wire run…
Commanders WR—Jaylin Lane: Washington selected Lane in Round 4 of the 2025 draft, but he has mostly flown underneath the fantasy radar until the past couple of weeks. There are three main selling points here: 1) He’s very fast (4.34 40-yard dash), 2) His QB is Jayden Daniels, and 3) the Commanders rested him with the starters in their final preseason game.
Combine all this with a deceptively thin WR depth chart and you have the ingredients for a legit sleeper.
Browns TE—Harold Fannin: Look, no one wants to draft Browns players … much less a rookie backup TE on a team that projects to be one of the worst in football. And yet it is impossible to ignore the drumbeat on Fannin. Like Lane, he’s been getting the starters’ treatment throughout the preseason and scored a nice TD over the weekend. But it’s not just recent buzz that makes Fannin compelling—he’s a legit prospect who ranks No. 3 overall in Dwain’s TE Super Model thanks to his absurd age-adjusted production at Bowling Green.
I know it seems thin, but this is one of those spots to zoom out and bet on the talent—even if he runs like a duck.
Dolphins RB—Ollie Gordon: It’s hard to imagine things breaking better for an RB than they have for Gordon. Alexander Mattison is out for the season with a neck injury, De’Von Achane is dealing with a soft tissue injury, and Jaylen Wright has looked abysmal in the preseason while also getting banged up. This opens up the door for the UDFA to have a sneaky role as early as Week 1, specifically around the goal line.
Ian gave him an aggressive bump (RB73 > RB54) in his recent rankings update.
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Fantasy
Editors’ Picks
You either had fantasy drafts this past weekend … or tonight … or this week … or Labor Day Weekend. We know, and we’re here for you with more great content. First, don’t forget your Fantasy Life cheat sheets when you enter your draft. You can also peek at our Projections and ADP tools to get even more ready.
 | The third and final weekend of preseason games are over. Hooray for the next football we see being the real thing. Dwain was still plenty busy with his completed Preseason Week 3 Takeaways. |
 | The Deposit King is ready to show his cards. Pete Overzet not only shared his three My Guys, but brings receipts on how often he’s drafted them. Hint: It’s A LOT! |
 | We can’t get enough of preseason observations. Ian Hartitz has kept tabs on all the preseason and training camp action and has some thoughts to share, starting in the Big Apple. |
Fantasy
Great Offenses, Cheap Players to Target
To borrow from the great Eleanor Roosevelt: "Fantasy football is all about points. Hot, nasty, bad-ass points."
It's not as if every league winner plays on a high-scoring offense—but it's certainly easier for a guy to outperform expectations in a big way if his team is one of the best in the league at moving down the field and putting the ball in the paint.
So it makes sense to target players on teams likely to put up a lot of points.
And oftentimes players on these teams are not always as expensive as you may assume. Or, at the very least, there are cheaper alternatives that give you exposure to these high-upside offenses.
Matthew Freedman has identified the eight teams with the shortest odds to lead the league in scoring and outlined his favorite value picks for drafts from each of these teams.
From veteran wideouts like Hollywood Brown to preseason All-Stars like Isaac TeSlaa, these are the guys you want to target late in your drafts. ⤵️
Fantasy
TE Sleepers: Dalton Kincaid and Tyler Warren are Ready
Tight end may be the most important, and hard to figure, onesie position in fantasy football. Quarterbacks, even if you miss the elites, there are enticing passers late in the draft to target. Tight ends? If you miss on the big dogs, you might have missed all together. Or could we see some players who are available late in drafts and are ready to pop?
Dwain McFarland, Kendall Valenzuela, Matthew Freedman, and Ian Hartitz joined forces to provide tight end sleepers for your reading—and drafting—pleasure. This is the culmination of the four-part series where they also covered Quarterbacks, Running Backs, and Wide Receivers. See which tight ends you’ll be drafting coming up. ⬇️
Fantasy
Are You Drafting Tonight?
Before we sign off, we wanted to make sure every single one of you drafting tonight has everything you need to go in with confidence.
Our full (and free) 2025 fantasy football draft kit is updated and chock-full of sleepers, breakouts, busts, strategy, rankings, and everything in between.
Looking for positional strategy from every single draft position? You’re covered.
Looking for league winners at each position? Check.
Looking for the perfect draft strategy and contingency plans to accommodate it? You got it.
Everything you need for your draft is here, and free. ⤵️
Fantasy
Around the Watercooler
Just a few fun links on a Monday.
🚫 We have plenty of targets. How about some NOT My Guys?
📝 Thor’s 2026 NFL Draft positional previews continue. Onto the front seven.
😯 A veteran RB sleeper who should be on your radar. It’s about time.
🙏 The Cowboys can’t afford any RB injuries. Get well soon.
🤔 What will Brian Robinson’s role on the Niners be? Straight from Shanahan.
🤓 How to Build a Winning Draft Strategy in Fantasy Football. Great episode of Talk Data To Me.
📔 A solid list of Preseason Week 3 notes. Read up.
🛠️ Have this tool at the ready in your drafts.
👀 Draft how many RBs in the first six rounds?
🌮 Jake brings you The League in 2025.
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