The deeper we go into this Top 100, the longer the odds grow against these players delivering elite production. But they all could do it if things break right.
Could Deebo Samuel build something big off his impressive rookie season? Could Tyler Higbee be the player he was down the stretch in 2019? Could Derrius Guice and Will Fuller stay healthy and break out? Of course, and those are the kinds of upside hunches that win Fantasy leagues.
As you get ready for the 2020 Fantasy season, the best place to start is by getting to know the player pool, and the best way to do that is to dive into Heath Cummings' breakdown of our top-100 players for 2020. He'll make the case for and against each player, so that when you get ready to pick, you can make up your own mind.
You can also prepare by subscribing to Fantasy Football Today for non-stop Fantasy football content. Check out our latest episode below where the team discusses their favorite sleepers for 2020.
You can read about No. 81-90 below, and find the rest of the top-100 here:
- No. 1-10 - Christian McCaffrey through Miles Sanders
- No. 11-20 - Travis Kelce through D.J. Moore
- No. 21-30 - Cooper Kupp through Aaron Jones
- No. 31-40 - Melvin Gordon through James Conner
- No. 41-50 - Lamar Jackson through Courtland Sutton
- No. 51-60 - Stefon Diggs through Cam Akers
- No. 61-70 - Devin Singletary through Hunter Henry
- No. 71-80 - Michael Gallup through Tarik Cohen
- No. 91-100 - CeeDee Lamb through Tevin Coleman
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The Case For: Deebo Samuel took things to another level in the second half of 2019, averaging 87 total yards per game and scoring four touchdowns in his final eight games. The second-round pick averaged 9.9 yards per target for the season and scored as many rushing touchdowns (three) as receiving touchdowns. With that type of efficiency, you should expect his role to grow in 2020.
The Case Against: There were only two games that Samuel caught more than five passes last year. Those were the two games George Kittle missed. Then the 49ers drafted Brandon Aiyuk in the first round. The 49ers are a team that may run the ball more than throw it, and Samuel will struggle to get to even 100 targets if Kittle and Aiyuk stay healthy.
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The Case For: Over the final five games of 2019, Tyler Higbee was the No. 1 tight end in Fantasy, and it wasn't particularly close. He averaged more than 10 catches and 100 yards per game in that stretch. While it's not fair to expect a repeat in 2020, the departure of Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley should give Higbee enough opportunity to be a top eight tight end.
The Case Against: In the three and half seasons before Higbee's breakout, he had exactly two games with more than 50 yards. What happened in those five games is that Sean McVay changed his offensive philosophy, running more two-tight-end sets. What we don't know is whether that will be the case in 2020. There's plenty of upside with Higbee, but he has a floor that is unplayable.
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The Case For: In week 13, Derrius Guice ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns, flashing the upside that caused Washington to select him in the second round in 2018. Now he just has to stay healthy for an entire season. Washington's offense should be improved under new leadership and Guice is being drafted after the top 25 running backs.
The Case Against: Forget about the fact that he's only played five games in two seasons. Washington has Adrian Peterson, Peyton Barber, J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson. There's no reason to think they'll give Guice anything more than 10 to 15 touches per game, and that doesn't give him enough upside to make up for his risk.
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The Case For: Michel is a 25-year-old running back who has finished as a top 25 running back in non-PPR each of the past two seasons, but he's generally available after the first 30 running backs have been selected, often far later. We don't know exactly what the Patriots will do without Tom Brady, but they've behaved like a team that wants to run the football and play defense. That could help Michel top his 247 carries from 2019 and post his first top-20 finish.
The Case Against: It's going to be really tough to run the ball if defenses don't respect the Patriots passing game. Plus, they still have James White, Rex Burkhead, Brandon Bolden and Damien Harris. There's just too much uncertainty in New England to draft a back who doesn't have a path to true workhorse role.
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The Case For: The thing that hurt Ronald Jones in 2019 could be the thing that helps him in 2020; how long it takes to earn Bruce Arians' trust. Jones only real competition for carries is third-round pick Ke'Shawn Vaughn, and the rookie is at a serious disadvantage with this shortened offseason. Jones was hot and cold in 2019, but he finished the season with back-to-back 100-yard games. He should get a chance to pick up where he left off in 2020. It's his job to lose.
The Case Against: We haven't seen Vaughn block anyone in the NFL yet, but it's hard to imagine he'll be worse at it than Jones was. Even if Jones starts Week 1, it's hard to imagine he'll hold on to the job all season after we saw him lose snaps last year to Peyton Barber. And there's still a decent chance Dare Ogunbowale is the passing-downs back while Jones and Vaughn are stuck battling for early-down work.
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The Case For: In 13 games with Sam Darnold in 2019, Jamison Crowder was on a 131-target pace. That should come as no surprise, because the slot has been the feature role in Adam Gase's offense for the past five years. Crowder will be the Jarvis Landry of this offense and should be a top-25 receiver in PPR.
The Case Against: In those 13 games last year, Crowder only had 758 yards and six touchdowns. Even with an abnormally high touchdown rate, he wasn't a top-25 receiver on a per-game basis. Crowder is a low-upside receiver who could lose targets if Denzel Mims and/or Chris Herndon hit their upside.
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The Case For: In three years in San Francisco, Matt Breida has averaged 5 yards per carry and 8.4 yards per reception. Now he heads to Miami where his only real competition for touches is the uninspiring Jordan Howard. Breida will begin the year in a timeshare, but he has top-20 upside if he takes the job from Howard.
The Case Against: One of the reasons Breida has been able to be so efficient is because he's never had more than 180 touches in a season. He's earned more than 15 carries just three times in 43 career games. That won't likely change in Miami. What will change is the talent around him. Expect Breida's efficiency to take a hit behind the Dolphins offensive line.
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The Case For: Few receivers have more upside than Will Fuller, and that's even more true now that DeAndre Hopkins has been shipped off to Arizona. Fuller has a legitimate shot to be Deshaun Watson's No. 1 receiver, and for a guy who has been over 9 yards per target each of the past two seasons, he doesn't need a huge boost in targets to be a huge bargain in Round 7.
The Case Against: Fuller has never played more than 14 games in a season and he hasn't topped 11 games since his rookie season. Last year he had two good games all season. While Hopkins is gone, Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb and David Johnson could absorb all of those targets. Fuller has a lot of appeal in Best Ball leagues, but in redraft he's as likely to be on the waiver wire midseason as in your starting lineup.
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The Case For: Jerry Jeudy has the size, speed and college production of a future No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL. We don't know if that will happen in Year 1, but it's worth an eighth-round pick to find out. The only receiver definitively ahead of Jeudy in the pecking order is Courtland Sutton, and Jeudy has the pedigree to surpass Sutton early in his career.
The Case Against: You should be skeptical of all the rookies with this abbreviated offseason, but maybe even more so a rookie receiver with an unproven quarterback like Drew Lock and a defensive head coach like Vic Fangio. If Fangio's defense can hold up its end of the bargain, I wouldn't expect enough pass production to support Sutton, Noah Fant, Jeudy, and KJ Hamler.
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The Case For: Even in PPR, Jordan Howard has been consistently productive. He was a top-10 back in 2016, No. 14 in 2017 and No. 20 in 2018. Last year he ranked No. 17 before injury cost him the final seven games of the season. Now he's being drafted outside the top 30 backs. If you're tempted by Zero-RB, Howard should be a primary target.
The Case Against: The 2020 Dolphins won't likely be as good as the teams Howard has played on the past four seasons, and Matt Breida is going to provide stiff competition for touches. Howard's involvement in the passing game will be limited and the Dolphins offense may not provide many scoring opportunities. If he played 16 games, he'll probably finish in the top 25, but you'll never feel great about starting him.
So what Fantasy football sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which WR1 candidate can you wait on until late? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy Football cheat sheets from the model that was all over Derrick Henry's huge season, and find out.
