Fantasy Football: All Sleeper Team

Everyone loves a good fantasy football sleeper. If you hit on the right one, they can be a difference maker on the way to winning a championship. Let’s look at players who are being selected outside the top 100 in drafts and create an “All Sleeper” team made up of one quarterback, one running back, one wide receiver, and one tight end. All ADP data comes from 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP.

Quarterback: Tyler Shough, Saints (ADP 133)

After the Spencer Rattler experience crashed and burned last season, the Saints turned to Tyler Shough at quarterback. He became a breath of fresh air for their offense, ultimately helping them become more explosive. Not only did he complete 67.6% of his pass attempts, but his average target depth was 8.3 yards. The schedule worked in his favor down the stretch, with his final four games coming against the Panthers, Jets, Titans, and Falcons. He didn’t let those matchups go to waste, throwing for a combined 1,172 yards and five touchdowns while completing 70.6% of his passes.

Shough became the Saints starter in Week 9. Per 4for4’s Fantasy Points Browser, he was QB12 in fantasy points per game from that point until the end of the season. The schedule helped his cause, but it also worked in his favor during some critical points of this season. According to 4for4’s Hot Spots: Team Level Strength of Schedule, Shough doesn’t even face an opponent that is considered as moderately strong until a Week 5 matchup against the Vikings. The middle of the season brings some difficult foes, but he could then shine again during the fantasy playoffs. None of his final three opponents are considered as difficult matchups against quarterbacks, while he has one that is considered moderately weak (Week 18 at Falcons) and another that is very weak (Week 15 at Buccaneers). The Saints beginning the season without Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) is disappointing, but with Chris Olave in the fold and a lot of talent at tight end, Shough isn’t void of weapons. He has the potential to outproduce his ADP.

Running Back: Jordan Mason, Vikings (ADP 104)

Jordan Mason gains yards in chunks. When he was given his first significant workload as a member of the 49ers in 2024, he averaged 5.2 yards over 153 carries. That included nine carries of at least 20 yards. The Vikings gave him a similar workload last season, and he averaged 4.8 yards over 159 rushing attempts. He had a broken tackle rate of 20.1% that contributed to his averaging 3.1 yards after contact. That outproduced teammate Aaron Jones, who had a 9.1% broken tackle rate and averaged 2.5 yards after contact.

Jones is still in Minnesota, which caps the upside of Mason to an extent. However, Jones has battled injuries, playing 12 or fewer games in two of the last three seasons. The Vikings could also have a more productive offense, in general, with Kyler Murray taking over as the starting quarterback. That would likely be a benefit to Mason, who was the Vikings’ preferred option when they got in close. He received 29 red zone carries last year, seven of which came from within five yards. Jones had 15 carries inside the red zone, with three coming from inside the five-yard line. The arrow is pointing up for Mason right now.

Wide Receiver: De’Zhaun Stribling, 49ers (ADP 116)

Injuries are once again wreaking havoc on the 49ers. Ricky Pearsall (knee) has been lost for the season. Christian Kirk has battled a calf injury that has his status in doubt for Week 1 and beyond. Even prized offseason acquisition Mike Evans is battling a quadriceps injury that puts question marks about his availability. In a bit of good news for their passing game, tight end George Kittle (Achilles) was activated from the active/PUP list, so he is trending in the right direction.

Even if Kittle and Evans are on the field in Week 1, they could have limited workloads. The 49ers added Deebo Samuel for depth, but he is coming off a season with the Commanders in which his average depth of target was 5.2 yards. Now 30 years old, he’s not the player that he was in his prime during his first stint in San Francisco. All of this has created a runway for De’Zhaun Stribling to immediately fill an important role. The 49ers think highly of him after selecting him with the 33rd pick in the 2026 Draft. He showed big-play upside in college, averaging at least 14.1 yards per reception in each of the last three seasons. Not only could he be the team’s WR2 to begin the season, but he’s one Evans injury away from an even larger role. For those searching for a wide receiver in the later rounds, Stribling should be considered a priority.

Tight End: Dalton Schultz, Texans (ADP 175)

The Texans didn’t have much talent at wide receiver behind Nico Collins last year. Running back wasn’t much better with Joe Mixon (foot) missing the entire campaign. They won games on the strength of their defense, but Dalton Schultz was also an important member of their passing attack. He finished second on the team with 110 targets, which wasn’t that far behind Collins’ 127 targets. A distant third was Jayden Higgins (72), who is already out for this year because of a torn ACL. The top wide receivers behind Collins right now include Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell, who is still working his way back from a torn kneecap and ACL tear. The Texans also acquired Kayshon Boutte in a trade with the Patriots.

Schultz made the most of his expanded role last year, setting career highs in receptions (82) and receiving yards (777). He was a valuable security blanket for C.J. Stroud, dropping only one pass all season. Even prior to last year, Schultz posted 88 and 85 targets during his first two seasons with the Texans. Another 100+ targets could be headed his way. He finished as the TE14 last year in fantasy points per game among players who appeared in at least 10 games, so he could be a starting-caliber player in 12-team leagues.