Every year fantasy football managers are scrounging the teams’ depth charts to find those sleepers that you can draft in the late rounds to turn into league winners.
For every Terrell Davis or Puka Nacua we find, there are dozens of others that failed miserably and ended up on waiver wires by Week 2.
Here are five players who I think can make impacts for their teams and your fantasy teams this season.
Let’s get into these 5 sleepers!
Sleepers You Need to Know
Jonah Coleman, Denver (FantasyPros Expert Consensus RB52)
Jonah Coleman, a fourth-round pick out of the University of Washington, has received plenty of praise this preseason from the Denver coaching staff. And He comes into the NFL averaging at least 4.9 yards a carry in all of his four years in college and had a nose for the end zone, scoring 27 TDs in his final two seasons.
The Broncos’ backfield is obviously crowded with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey returning. However, Dobbins has been injury-prone most of his career, including missing seven games last season. Harvey played well when Dobbins was hurt last season, but he’s also the smallest back of the three.
Coleman doesn’t need to beat out the entire room immediately as coach Sean Payton has favored a running back by committee approach in his tenures with New Orleans and Denver, but if injuries create additional opportunities, Coleman has the talent to turn limited touches into legitimate fantasy production.
Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh (FantasyPros Expert Consensus WR84)
Germie Bernard, a second-round pick from Alabama, is buried behind two proven NFL WRs in DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., and he’s competing with Roman Wilson as the Steelers No. 3 WR.
But the Steelers staff has been encouraged by his confident hands and good body control through the offseason workouts, while his versatility makes him a natural candidate to work from the slot.
He had a nice first preseason game as he finished with 4 catches on 5 targets for 51 yards and one first down.
Malik Benson, Las Vegas (FantasyPros Expert Consensus WR131)
This is my deep, deep sleeper if you are playing in leagues with extended rosters or taxi player spots.
Malik Benson, a sixth-round pick out of Oregon, comes to the Raiders with something former owner Al Davis and his current owner Mark Davis love – speed.
Benson brings a blazing 4.37 40 time and he’s been using it to his advantage in the offseason.
Currently, Tre Tucker and Jack Bech are Las Vegas’ top two WRs, while Benson has been challenging veteran Jalen Nailor for the No. 3 spot.
Plus, he has the return skills to return kicks and punts.
He had 2 catches for four targets for 26 yards in the Raiders’ first preseason game.
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Bryce Lance, New Orleans (FantasyPros Expert Consensus WR120)
Bryce Lance is another deep, deep sleeper but the opportunity may be knocking on his door.
The fourth-round pick out of North Dakota State has been a pleasant surprise in camp with his ability make big plays.
And with Jordyn Tyson expected to miss up to two months with his hamstring injury, leaving the door open for more playing time for Lance.
Lance has the size – 6-foot-4 and 203 pounds – and speed (4.34 40) to become an elite WR in the NFL.
Chig Okonkwo, Washington (FantasyPros Expert Consensus TE17)
Finally, Chig Okonkwo should be used an elite TE1.
The Commanders have thrown to their tight ends a combined 181 times the last two seasons and QB Jayden Daniels loved finding Zach Ertz for check downs.
Now Washington has added WR Stefon Diggs alongside Terry McLaurin which open up the middle even more for Okonkwo.
Okonkwo never exceed 80 targets in his last three season with Tennessee, while Ertz saw 91 targets in 2024 and 72 in 2025.
And Daniels is elite in completion percentage, completing 66.6 percent of his passes in the NFL. Mason Rudolph was Okonkwo’s top QB with a completion percentage of 64 percent in 2024.
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