Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 18: Antonio Brown, WR, Free Agent
Out of all the risky players in this article, Brown carries the biggest asterisk. If he signs with a team this year, the former All-Pro will miss some time with a suspension. It’s just a question of how many weeks Brown must sit out before he can return. There’s also the risk that he falls back on bad habits and ends up without a team again.
There’s no guarantee Brown plays football in 2020, but he’d still be a top-15 receiver talent-wise. In 2018, Brown finished second among receivers in standard leagues with 219.7 points. His 323.7 points ranked fifth among receivers in PPR leagues.
Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 17: Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers shook up their backfield this offseason. Melvin Gordon departed for Denver, which shifted Austin Ekeler to the starting spot. While Ekeler can carry a heavy load on the ground, he’s a better receiving back. That opens the door for rookie Joshua Kelley and Jackson to battle for a heavy workload.
Jackson only carried the ball 29 times last year and finished with 200 yards. However, Gordon’s departure frees up 162 carries and 55 targets. Even if he splits some of those touches with Kelley, Jackson’s production should skyrocket in 2020.
Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 16: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Betting on Tagovailoa’s success as a rookie could backfire on fantasy owners, but it’s a tempting risk. Tagovailoa battled injuries at Alabama and could start the season on the bench. With Ryan Fitzpatrick leading the Dolphins to a 5-11 record last season, there’s no rush to play Tagovailoa. However, the rookie should begin seeing regular action by Week 4.
Tagovailoa won’t make a huge impact at the start of the season, but he could become a hot commodity during the fantasy football playoffs. Fitzpatrick scored 254.46 fantasy points in 15 appearances and 13 starts last year. I don’t think Tagovailoa hits that total in 2020, but he should average around 16-20 points per game by the season’s final weeks.
One of the top five quarterback prospects from the past decade, Tagovailoa’s ceiling is as high as his injuries allow him to go.