.Look, we all know who the top dogs in the game are. Everyone wants Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey, and Travis Kelce on their teams, but the real players who can help you win a fantasy championship are the sleepers. So what exactly does the term “sleeper” mean? Well, they’re not just people you don’t talk about; more specifically, sleepers are players who are expected to out-perform other players at a similar ADP. Players can become sleepers due to underperforming a year before and being overlooked, gaining increased opportunities, or playing in a new system, but one thing they have in common is that they should all provide a ton of value where you draft them. Without wasting any more of your time, let’s dive in and look at some of our top ten fantasy sleepers for the 2023 season.

Fantasy Football Sleepers

Samaje Perine, RB Denver Broncos

Samaje Perine has never gotten much respect as a backup, and he’s never finished a season with more than 700 scrimmage yards, but the offseason move to Denver gives him PLENTY of opportunity to finally make his mark as a fantasy-relevant running back. Despite the coach speak that Javonte Williams may be ready for training camp, it’s not a realistic expectation for him to be ready by the start of the season. This gives Perine the reins (shameless Broncos pun) to the RB1 role because, let’s face it, he’s not going to split much with Tony Jones or Damarea Crockett. Even when Williams returns, Perine could be used in the “joker” role that Sean Payton loves to use with pass-catching running backs, so he could be PPR gold.

Kendre Miller, RB New Orleans Saints

The initial hype surrounding Kendre Miller has revolved around fellow running back Alvin Kamara’s legal situation and potential suspension, but if you dive in, there’s much more to him than a potential fill-in role. While at TCU, Miller had the most rushing yards for a back since someone by the name of Ladainian Tomlinson…you may have heard of him. The Saints did bring in Jamaal Williams, but he doesn’t have the same kind of power and agility that Miller has, so even if Kamara avoids suspension, Miller could have that 1A/1B role that we saw with Kamara and Mark Ingram with Kamara as a pass-catcher and Ingram as the bulldozer. Don’t be surprised if more people catch on to this and inflate his ADP as the summer moves on.

Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

Tank Bigsby has already claimed his spot as the number two running back behind Travis Etienne, and recent reports suggest that he may have an even bigger role beyond that. In late May, Jaguars’ offensive coordinator Press Taylor suggested that they may cut down on Etienne’s workload, saying that the snap share “wouldn’t be decided until the season.” If Bigsby has a good training camp, he will undoubtedly see a bulk of those carries, and could take over as the power back. In his final season at Auburn, Bigsby had a 6.04 yards per carry average despite Auburn’s overall poor gameplay, and if Taylor chooses to make Etienne the primary pass-catching back, Bigsby’s efficiency could solidify him in a big role. Keep an eye on him throughout training camp, but it looks like big things could be in store.

Update: July 18, 2023: It seems that the Bigsby hype train is rolling full steam ahead after a report that he impressed Jaguars' staff with his play-making ability. Expect his stock to rise throughout the summer.

Jerome Ford, RB Cleveland Browns

Despite rising 20 something spots in ADP, Jerome Ford is still being slept on. Nick Chubb is still the lead back, but the departure of Kareem Hunt in free agency left plenty of vacated opportunity. In 17 games in 2022, Hunt saw a 41.5% snap share and carried the ball 123 times. He also saw 44 targets, ranking 23rd among all running backs. Now that Ford is in that clear number two role behind Chubb, he should see similar volume on a team that ranked sixth in rushing plays per game, and he is a proven power runner who should be able to capitalize on those touches. At RB54, he’s a zero-RB truther’s dream.

Elijah Moore, WR Cleveland Browns

Everyone was expecting Elijah Moore to break out last season, but the addition of Garrett Wilson and some philosophical differences between him and the coaching staff didn’t allow that to come to fruition. Now that Moore is with the Browns, expect that to change. As their primary slot receiver, the front office in Cleveland has said they are focused on “feeding” Moore and have worked on it extensively in OTAs. With a full year of practice under his belt, Deshaun Watson should also show some improvement, giving Moore a HUGE upgrade at quarterback than what he had in New York. The explosiveness and speed that Moore has shown throughout his time in the league shouldn’t be underestimated, and if he indeed gets “fed,” expect him to put up huge numbers in PPR formats

Allen Lazard, WR New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers packed more than his bags to move to New York City; he also brought along a few of his friends, Allen Lazard included. While Lazard won’t be the WR1 on the team with Garrett Wilson there, he should still be Rodgers’ security blanket in the end zone. Last year, Lazard ranked 12th in red zone targets, and the year before, with Davante Adams, he still ranked 16th. He may not get the huge target volume or yardage, but with his weekly touchdown potential, Lazard should easily be able to produce as a flex, and at WR51 right now, he’s an absolute steal.

Alec Pierce, WR Indianapolis Colts

Most of us liked Alec Pierce going into his rookie season, but poor quarterback play and the utter inefficiency in the Colts’ offense didn’t allow him to live up to his potential. He’s best suited as a deep threat, and as we all know, Matt Ryan had a horrible time moving the ball downfield. Even so, Pierce still managed to put up nearly 600 yards competing with Parris Campbell for snaps. This year, Pierce not only gets an upgrade with Anthony Richardson as his quarterback, who has a cannon for an arm, but he also moves up into that WR2 spot in Campbell’s absence, guaranteeing him snaps on the outside. His ADP currently seems like his floor, and if Shane Steichen can reform this offense, don’t be surprised if he jumps into the WR3 range in fantasy. 

Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams had a litany of problems last year, the biggest one being injuries to almost everyone on their offense. Van Jefferson wasn’t immune to this, playing only 11 games, and when he was on the field, he had Baker Mayfield and even John Wolford throwing him the ball at times. This severely limited his efficiency, finishing 2022 as the WR72 in fantasy points per game…so why should he be on anyone’s radar this year? Well, along with Cooper Kupp returning, quarterback Matthew Stafford should be back to full health, and he’s an obvious upgrade over the quarterback carousel the Rams dealt with last year. Jefferson is also just a year removed from a WR36 finish in 2021, a year in which the Rams ranked 10th in passing attempts per game. Jefferson will get plenty of opportunity as the team’s WR2, and his deep threat ability can’t be ignored. 

Greg Dulcich, TE Denver Broncos

I’ve tooted the horn for Greg Dulcich a lot this offseason, so for a more in depth analysis, check out this article. For a quick summary, Dulcich showed loads of potential in the ten games he played last season, finishing as the TE17 in fantasy points per game. This may not seem that great, but when you remember how abysmal the Broncos’ offense was, it makes it a little more impressive. Expect the offensive efficiency of Denver to improve dramatically with Sean Payton at the helm, and with a history of utilizing pass-catching tight ends, expect Dulcich to slide into that role. In the wasteland that is the tight end position, he has the most upside of anyone in this range.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Maybe it’s his injury history over the past couple of seasons, but it’s very surprising that Matthew Stafford is falling all the way to QB22. In 2021, his last healthy season, he finished as the QB5 overall, and with a healthy Cooper Kupp and an improved offensive line, he should return to his QB1 ways. The injury obviously affected his deep ball ability last year, but in 2021, he ranked third in yards per attempt, second in passing touchdowns, and fourth in pressured completion percentage. At his current ADP, Stafford is a steal if he even sniffs his 2021 numbers.