Fantasy Football: One sleeper to target from each team

AFC North Fantasy Football sleepers

Cincinnati Bengals: Tyler Boyd, WR

Let me start by saying that the Bengals were the hardest team to find a sleeper for. Auden Tate is underrated, but his durability issues are legitimate. And rookie passers rarely do well enough, so sorry Joe Burrow. Although Tyler Boyd is a little high to really be slept on (FantasyPros lists Boyd’s ADP as WR33), I still find it hard to believe that he won’t be at least a top-20 receiver.

After all, he was the 18th-highest scoring receiver in PPR leagues last season. Second-round receiver Tee Higgins could steal a target or two from Boyd, but Boyd typically lined up in the slot, whereas Higgins is a boundary receiver. In fact, ESPN’s Matthew Berry pointed out that Boyd leads all players in yards from the slot since 2018. Pair him with Burrow — who thrived when throwing to the slot at LSU — and expect Boyd to certainly outperform his ADP. Confidence Meter: Medium

Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield, QB

The excuses are running out for the former first-overall pick. What would it say about Mayfield if he can’t produce with all those toys in Cleveland? A new head coach might hurt his development, or Kevin Stefanski can finally be the coach Mayfield needs. Considering the lack of late-round quarterbacks with upside, I’ll buy Mayfield as a high-upside option.

FantasyPros says Mayfield has the easiest schedule for quarterbacks in 2020, which could help mitigate any early-season struggles. Considering the presence of COVID-19, the first few games become that much more important. For what it’s worth, Kareem Hunt could outperform his draft spot, too. Confidence Meter: Low

Baltimore Ravens: J.K. Dobbins, RB

Mark Ingram is a 30-year-old veteran entering his second season in a three-year, $15 million contract. J.K. Dobbins is a 21-year-old rookie who was just a second-round draft pick. Don’t be fooled, Dobbins is the future in Baltimore. He may not see much of the field with Ingram penned in as the starter, at least not early on. But Dobbins’ ceiling is far higher than Ingram’s, especially since Dobbins is a better catcher than Ingram.

You may have to be patient with Dobbins, but the payoff could be huge. If Ingram were to go down or lose the starting job, Dobbins would immediately be a weekly starter. Make no mistake, Dobbins will eventually be the feature back alongside Lamar Jackson. It’s just a matter of when that happens. Confidence Meter: High

Pittsburgh Steelers: Diontae Johnson, WR

The Steelers have spent a second-round pick on a wide receiver in each of the last three seasons, so the receiver room might be a little crowded for Johnson — a third-round pick in 2019 — to breakout. However, Johnson arguably has the biggest potential for a breakout campaign among Pittsburgh receivers not named JuJu. He has the experience as he played in all 16 games, and he only saw less than five targets in a game four times.

Johnson also has the skillset to thrive, especially as a coveted slot receiver. Those are golden in fantasy. The team’s leader in receptions should benefit from Ben Roethlisberger’s return, too. Johnson should only improve after a strong rookie season. At WR42, his upside is way too high to ignore. Confidence Meter: High