7 Sleepers to Target in ESPN Fantasy Football Leagues

Aug 16, 2024

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Not unlike other industries, ease of access is one of the true barriers to entry in fantasy football. No site generates more daily traffic than ESPN, making its product one of the most consistent offerings around. Fantasy football leagues on the worldwide leader in sports are highly customizable but are initially set to 10-team leagues with point per reception (PPR) scoring. Managers must start one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one FLEX, one defense/special teams, and one kicker and are able to stash seven players on their bench each week.

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While other settings are available on ESPN’s platform, we’ll focus on the default options laid out above for the remainder of this article. We’ll also use an average draft position (ADP) of 160 to define sleepers as we can assume the players above that range to be drafted at great frequency due to the number of positions on each roster and teams in each league. Using those guidelines, target these seven sleepers in ESPN fantasy football leagues to dominate your opponents!

Ray Davis, RB – Bills (ESPN ADP: RB59, 165 overall)

The 24-year-old rookie averaged 202 carries, 26 receptions, and 13 touchdowns in three fully healthy collegiate seasons, erupting for 1,452 combined yards and 21 total touchdowns in his final year at the University of Kentucky. Ray Davis is diminutive in stature at only 5’8” but packs immense power, weighing in at a stout 211 pounds for an 88^th percentile body mass index. A proven track record of success through the air should earn Davis immediate playing time in Buffalo as the change of pace and clear passing down running back considering the struggles of third-year starter James Cook in that area, the latter of whom committed over a 9.1% drop rate in each of his two seasons with the Bills.

Furthermore, the Bills are currently projected to be top five in scoring in 2024 and have little in the way of depth behind the top two options, meaning Davis carries league-breaking upside should anything happen to Cook during the grueling season. Draft Davis and stash him as a bye-week fill-in with immense contingency upside.