Four Post Hype Sleepers We've Left For Dead

Sometimes we get very excited about players who disappoint us, and then we throw them away forever. Once in a while, we have an opportunity to buy on those players when they are dirt cheap. Here are four post-hype sleepers who could wind up being very fantasy relevant in 2020.

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

Sam Darnold, QB, Jets (ADP: 172)

Darnold is entering his third NFL season, and it’s about time to put up or shut up. He has battled injuries, coaching turnover, and generally poor roster construction in his first two seasons and those have conspired to create some pretty awful statistics. But, he’s very talented and he’s flashed it. For a stretch last season, Darnold, healthy for once, hit a nice slate of friendly defenses and went on a bit of a tear. From Weeks 11-14, Darnold averaged 279.3 yards and two touchdowns per game, and that includes an inexplicable dud against the Bengals. Overall though, Darnold’s output has been pedestrian at best, and at times putrid enough to be the reason you lost if you had started him. Things should be a bit better in 2020.

He’s in Year 2 with head coach Adam Gase; I don’t believe in Gase at all, but at least it’s continuity. The Jets have invested in the offensive line, drafting a left tackle and adding more help via free agency and later in the draft. They drafted WR Denzel Mims, whom they hope evolves into their WR1, and Mims joins Jamison Crowder, a premier slot receiver, free agent addition Breshad Perriman, and a returning TE Chris Herndon. These are not standout names, but they are improvements upon one of 2019’s worst skill position crews. Lastly, he still has RB Le’Veon Bell, who can help him as a premier receiver out of the backfield. Darnold costs nothing, and has nowhere to go but up. If you’re the type who likes to draft a second QB in the hopes of striking gold, there’s a glimmer here.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Panthers (ADP: 184)

Bridgewater filled in admirably last season for Drew Brees, and years after his knee detonated in training camp he’s finally back as a bona fide starter. Bridgewater has never been particularly exciting for fantasy because he’s never been one to post big stats. He maxed out at 3,231 yards in his second season in Minnesota with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. That was in 2015. Last season, he threw for 1,384 yards and nine touchdowns in just five starts while completing a career-best 67.9% of his passes. He also posted a career-high 7.5 air yards per attempt; that’s not a big number, but it’s better and shows he is capable of airing it out at times. Entering Matt Rhule’s offense in Carolina, Bridgewater is going to be surrounded by an underrated skill group that can do damage if he’s willing to do more than dink and dunk.

WRs D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel are being joined by Robby Anderson, one of the fastest players in the NFL. He returns Christian McCaffery, who just put up one of the greatest RB seasons in NFL history. The tools are there for Bridgewater to succeed, so he makes some sense as a late QB gamble. We just have to hope the Panthers’ offensive line, which finished 29th as a pass protecting unit per Football Outsiders last season, can protect him.

O.J. Howard, TE, Buccaneers (ADP: 192)

I wrote here that Howard was a big loser of this offseason, but there’s some hope that his talent won’t be completely wasted. News recently came out that the Buccaneers are planning to use two tight ends in their base offense, pairing Howard with Rob Gronkowski. It’s reminiscent of Gronk’s prime, when he shared the field with an uber-athletic, very fast tight end named Aaron Hernandez. Let’s put aside the horrific crimes associated with Hernandez for a minute and take note of what an effective player he was. He regularly battled injuries, but never scored fewer than five touchdowns in his three NFL seasons, and peaked with 79 receptions, 910 yards and seven touchdowns in 2011. Howard is one of the most athletic, fastest tight ends in football, and showed his big play capability in his first two seasons. He averaged 16.6 yards per reception in 2017 and 2018 and scored six and five touchdowns, respectively, while being targeted fewer than 50 times in both years. He regressed in 2019, painfully, but Tom Brady is a QB who uses his tight ends. If Howard is on the field in the red zone, along with Gronk, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, he may become a touchdown monster strictly due to mismatches. With Howard, the talent is not in question. It has always been usage, and having Brady in the fold could evolve Bruce Arians’ offense in Howard’s favor.

Breshad Perriman, WR, Jets (ADP: 197)

Perriman was once a first round pick (2015) whom many were waiting on to become an entrenched WR1 for the Ravens. Instead, he became a distant, unwelcome memory until he suddenly started balling out for the Bucs last year. He finished the season with 36 catches, 645 yards and six touchdowns, despite only seeing regular targets in Week 11. Tampa Bay was hit hard with injuries, and from Week 11 on Perriman was on the field for more than 80% of the snaps. In that time, he averaged five catches and 104.8 yards per game with five touchdowns. It could be a statistical blip, but the Jets are going to be a team that allows him to play and prove it was no fluke. They let go of Robby Anderson in the hopes that Perriman, a player with similar explosiveness, can assume that role and play like he did down the stretch of 2019. If he’s the real deal, he can do damage opposite rookie Denzel Mims, and with Crowder drawing attention in the slot. At 6’2, 215 lbs. Perriman has the size to be a regular red zone target for Sam Darnold, and their revamped offensive line might actually allow him time to get down the field. Perriman is the definition of a post-hype sleeper, and he is in a perfect situation to prove himself.