2016 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Sleepers 2.0

Looking at average draft position, Heath Cummings finds 12 players who are being drafted far too late in Sleepers 2.0

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Cummings 2.0: Breakouts | Busts

This is the second version of my sleepers column, and it comes on the heels of Jamey Eisenberg's third version. Why does that matter? Well, there aren't 60 sleepers in Fantasy Football this year. At least not 60 you want to read about.

I've done my best to bring some new fresh names below, but first I want to talk about one guy that didn't make the second edition despite the fact I still think he's a great value. Michael Thomas, who appeared in my Sleepers 1.0 and Jamey's 3.0 is still one of my favorite sleepers this season.

Thomas has become known this preseason for his spectacular catches and his immaculate footwork. The biggest knock on him is the fact that he'll battle several players for targets in New Orleans. That's legitimate in most offenses, but I'm not sure it applies in a Drew Brees offense. I also don't think it's inconceivable that Thomas could become the top red zone threat on this offense by the end of the year.

First 10 rounds

As popular as the fabled Zero-RB strategy has become I'm surprised that Jennings isn't more popular. You get to a point in the sixth or seventh round where there are two starting running backs left: Jennings and Justin Forsett. For me it's pretty obvious which one is more valuable.

Jennings was moderately efficient in 2015, but his main fault was that he just didn't score touchdowns. I would expect the Giants offense to far more successful, providing more opportunities for Jennings to score. The Giants have talked about giving Jennings a more consistent workload, which would also help his value tremendously.

I don't see anyone on this roster who is challenging Jennings for work early in the year, so 1,000 yards and 6-8 touchdowns seems very possible. I'd feel confident drafting him towards the end of the sixth round as a No. 3 RB, but if you start wide receiver heavy and he's your starter, it isn't the end of the world.

Like Jennings, Blount lacks a certain level of upside, but he's also being severely underdrafted. With a four-game absence to Tom Brady and the injury to Dion Lewis, I would expect Blount to see a steady diet of work early in the season. He won't be a factor in the passing game and he's touchdown dependent, but if you project his work from last season over 16 games you'll see just what a steal could be.

Blount averaged nearly 10 FP/g in 2015, which would have placed him 15th last season in standard scoring leagues. That's a better per game average than C.J. Anderson, Eddie Lacy, and Jennings. I don't rank Blount near that high, but we don't really have a reason to expect Blount's touchdown numbers to regress. He's a steal in Round 9.

There are plenty of backups who could be sleepers if the starting running back gets hurt. Sims is certainly one of them. The difference with Sims is that he's proven he can be a sleeper even when Doug Martin is healthy. Sims was a was a top-25 back in 2015 despite Martin's resurgence, and I wouldn't expect his role to change this season. So for a 10th-round pick, you're getting a floor that's more like eighth round with a ceiling of a borderline No. 1 back.

In what was a disappointing year for rookie wide receivers, Snead was a pleasant surprise. The Saints wide out came close to 1,000 and definitely has room for growth if he can just get into the end zone a few times. The Saints have added pieces to the passing game, which has two effects. For one, teams won't be able to double team Snead or Cooks any longer. The risk is that Snead is surpassed in the pecking order but I have a hard time believing he'll see less than the 101 targets he saw in 2015.

I see Snead as a borderline No. 3 wide receiver who is being drafted as a low-end No. 4. If Drew Brees produces his typical 4,800 yard season, there's no reason to think Snead won't be around 1,000 yards with 5-6 touchdowns.

Towards the end of your standard draft

Jackson is one of the holdovers from my first version of sleepers at least partially because his ADP has gone backwards over the least couple of weeks. Jackson is now being drafted in the 12th round as the 51st wide receiver off the board. I get that people are looking for upside late in the draft and generally think of young players when they think of upside. That's not always the case.

If you're expecting Jameis Winston to take a step forward in 2016, you have to think Jackson is a steal here. With Mike Evans taking attention on the other side of the field, I could very easily see a 900-yard season with 60 catches and 5-7 touchdowns. In the 12th round that's a ton of value.

Few players have moved up my rankings as Stafford has this preseason. Part of it is how well he's played, but more important is the things I'm hearing about the Lions offense. Jim Bob Cooter wants to play very fast and the Lions want to spread the ball around to their trio of talented wide receivers. In the preseason, Stafford has looked extremely comfortable, especially with new addition Marvin Jones. As Jamey Eisenberg has said throughout the offseason I'd expect Stafford to league the NFL in pass attempts. If that's the case, he has a chance to slide into the top seven in the QB rankings.

Allen's 2015 stat line doesn't inspire much confidence, but the circumstances couldn't be much different. Allen has an opportunity to play 16 games with Andrew Luck and without Coby Fleener for the first time in his career. Of course, it would also be the first time he played 16 games since his rookie year. There's plenty of risk here, but the upside is the touchdown potential (eight in 13 games in 2014). This late in the draft, that's a risk that's well worth the reward.

Sanu has topped 80 targets just once in his career and he finished with a 56-790-5 line as the No. 30 wide receiver. In Atlanta he has an opportunity to set career highs in just about every category, but especially in targets. The Falcons are desperate for a second option outside of Julio Jones, and Sanu is the only player on the roster capable of filling that role.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Sanu produce No. 3 WR numbers and feel like he's pretty much a lock to finish in the top 48 at the position. He's being drafted as the 67th wide receiver off the board.

Beyond Pick 200

Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals

One of the players tasked with filling the void Sanu and Marvin Jones left in Cincinnati is rookie Tyler Boyd. Boyd has had an impressive preseason, and much like Sanu he doesn't face a lot of competition for targets. There are serious questions about Tyler Eifert's early season availability, and Brandon LaFell recently suffered an injury as well. Boyd profiles much better in PPR leagues, especially until Eifert is 100 percent. Boyd is the one player being drafted in this range that I'd be happy to draft in a standard league.

Before you enter your angry comment, I'm not suggesting drafting Griffin III in a standard league. Obviously he' someone to keep an eye over the first couple of weeks, but there's way too much risk to draft him as even a backup in a one-QB league. Where I have consistently drafted Griffin is in two-QB leagues. He makes an excellent third quarterback with the upside to start for you anytime he's in the lineup.

My main hope is that the Browns can keep their quarterback healthy. There is something exciting thinking about an offense in Week 5 with Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman, Gary Barnidge, Terrelle Pryor and Duke Johnson. With that set of weapons even an average QB could be special.

We're really getting into the weeds here, with Clay's ADP in the 21st round. I'd take him much earlier than that, and think this is another example of a player being overlooked because people don't think he presents enough upside. I believe in Clay's quarterback, and with the way the Bills offseason has gone, they may have to pass more often than in 2015. If Clay stays healthy, he has a chance to be Taylor's second favorite target with Sammy Watkins leaving the middle of the field wide open.

James White played 14 games in 2015 but he didn't really become a major cog in the offense until Week 13. From that point forward he was the best pass-catching back in the league. With Dion Lewis likely out for the first half of the season, White will look to pick up right where he left off. His current ADP is in the 22nd round, but that is virtually irrelevant. It's going to skyrocket. If you can get White any time in the double-digit rounds, he could provide great value in PPR league.