Five Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Sleepers

By Rachel Wold on Thursday, June 11th 2015
Five Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Sleepers

It’s easy to identify the top wide receivers that quickly tumble down fantasy draft boards within the early rounds. However, it is nice when you end up with a late-round pick who evolves into one of the better scoring fantasy players to own later in the season.

Here’s five “sleeper” wide receivers to target in later draft rounds.

 

1. Marlon Brown, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens let former wide receiver Torrey Smith head west to San Francisco and drafted Breshad Perriman with their first-round pick. However, head coach John Harbaugh recently talked up Brown, their third-year receiver, saying, “He’s a guy we wanted to have more involved last year.”

Brown is massive at 6-foot-5 and 216 pounds. He should compete with Perriman for the starting job, while veteran wideout Steve Smith plays a complimentary role this year. Keep an eye on Brown as the summer plays out. He could be that late-round pick who pays off later in the season.

 

2. Cody Latimer, Denver Broncos

Last season, Latimer was not a fantasy household name. However, now that the Broncos are minus veteran and former slot receiver Wes Welker and tight end Julius Thomas, Latimer should see a larger role behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

Playing with one of the league’s best passing quarterbacks, Latimer could have some success lined up opposite Thomas while Sanders switches to the slot.

Sanders recently reported this of Latimer, "Cody is a special player. He has strong hands and is a physical tool. I think this is going to be the year that he jumps onto the scene. I think he's going to have a big year and I'm happy he's on my team and in our receiver group."

While Thomas and Sanders draw double coverage, look for Latimer to make some big plays this year.

 

3. Charles Johnson, Minnesota Vikings

Johnson came on somewhat strong towards the end of the 2014 where he totaled 475 yards and two touchdowns resulting from 31 receptions. He is part of an improving offense headed by second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Regardless of the addition of Mike Wallace to the team, Johnson should be an involved player in the team’s backfield. Wallace will be the one drawing double-coverage leaving Johnson open to make plays. And, forget about Cordarrelle Patterson who seems to be a natural fit for the team’s kick return role at this time.

With Johnson’s nice size and ability to get open for long plays, he will make a complimentary No. 2 guy behind Wallace. Draft him in later rounds and he may just surprise later this fall.

 

4. Kenny Stills, Miami Dolphins

When the Saints dealt Stills, they let one of the NFL’s more underrated receivers slip away. Stills averaged 16.5 yards per reception during his two seasons in New Orleans and had a 76-yard long catch on the books. He’s ultra-fast as proven by his 4.38 40-yard Combine, which makes him quick to create separation from defenders.

The Dolphins’ second-season receiver Jarvis Landry will be receiving plenty of attention in coverage as well as Miami’s rookie DeVante Parker. Look for Stills, who is currently flying under the radar, to slip to later rounds in drafting which is the perfect place to snatch him up this season.

 

5. Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia drafted Agholor after letting its finest wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin, test the free agency. Both receivers are similar in size and body type with only one inch and 10 pounds separating the two. This makes it easy to envision Agholor inheriting Maclin’s role in Chip Kelly’s pass-happy offense.

Agholor is coming from a season at USC that saw him put up 1,313 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He also had 104 receptions which ranked him seventh overall in the NCAA.

It would not be shocking to see Agholor and second-year wideout Jordan Matthews, who had 872 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season, become one of the greater wide receiving duos this season. The Eagles would not have spent a first-round pick on a guy they plan to leave on the bench. 

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