In fantasy football, a playoff appearance often is decided by a single decision. Every year, there are a few players that have a breakout season and seemingly come out of nowhere. If you have one of these players, it may mean a championship. If your opponent drafts them, it may mean the opposite. Here’s a look at five key fantasy football sleepers in for a breakout season in 2019.
5. Nyheim Hines – RB, Colts
Marlon Mack has been receiving a lot of hype coming in to the 2019 season, but the real threat may lay in the 2018 draft pick Nyheim Hines. With only 314 yards rushing, he quietly ended his rookie season with 63 receptions for 425 yards and four total touchdowns. As he carves out his role in this running back rotation, he will surely receive more rushing opportunities on top of his receptions.
Hines is currently projected to be the No. 39 fantasy running back by ESPN. In the late rounds, he is an unbelievably valuable player to draft. He will be one of the best handcuffs in the NFL and can reach RB2 potential in PPR leagues with enough snaps.
4. Donte Moncrief – WR, Steelers
Donte Moncrief has a prime opportunity to take over the No. 2 receiver role in Pittsburgh. With Antonio Brown gone, there are very few talented receivers on this offense. Whoever can obtain that No. 2 spot behind JuJu Smith-Schuster will have fantasy WR2 potential. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 5,100 yards and 34 touchdowns last year., and there is no reason to assume that those numbers will drop significantly in 2019.
Moncrief was ranked the No. 55 fantasy wide receiver in 2018 according to Pro Football Reference. Fortunately, it was his only year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished the season with 48 receptions for 668 yards and three touchdowns. The only player that may threaten his production in 2019 is James Washington. Washington, a second-round pick in last year’s draft, had a disappointing rookie year and will likely be their WR3 in Pittsburgh.
3. Will Dissly – TE, Seahawks
Will Dissly might be the most underrated player coming into this season. As a fourth-round pick in 2018, Dissly solidified himself as one of Russell Wilson’s favorite targets before injury. In only four games with limited snaps, he snagged eight catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. In a full season, he would be on track to have 624 yards and eight touchdowns in only his rookie season.
Dissly is projected to be the No. 30 fantasy tight end by ESPN. By this projection, it is likely that he will be drafted late or go undrafted in most fantasy leagues. With a full recovery from his torn patella tendon (which is a somewhat difficult injury to return from, I’ll admit) Dissly is definitely worth having on your team. Many of the top tight ends fell to injury last year, making it an even more valuable position to own. Having a potential starting tight end on your bench will be very important late in the year, either to be used in a trade or to replace your own injured starter.
2. Justice Hill – RB, Ravens
Justice Hill is the only rookie on this list, and for good reason. He was an explosive receiving threat at Oklahoma State, and he is bound to get quite a few snaps in his first season. The Baltimore Ravens are building an extremely run-heavy offense, which will require a healthy rotation of at least three running backs. He is without a doubt the best backfield receiver on the team. With a good performance, he could be playing a big role as soon as week one.
Hill was a fourth-round pick in this past draft. He had an exceptional combine performance, running a 4.40 40-yard dash. His situation is similar to Alvin Kamara’s in 2017. Mark Ingram remains the starting back, but Hill will come in early and often as a change of pace. There’s no guarantee that Hill will have the same kind of season that Kamara did, but the potential is there.
1. Tyler Lockett, WR – Seahawks
Tyler Lockett had the best 2018 season that no one is talking about. He finished the year with 57 receptions for 965 yards and 10 touchdowns – all while maintaining a perfect passer rating when targeted by Russell Wilson. Coming into his fifth season on a fresh new 3-year, $31.8 million contract extension, he is set to take over as the No. 1 receiver in Seattle.
The situation may change, but right now it seems like Doug Baldwin will never play another snap for the Seahawks. That leaves Lockett and rookie third round pick D.K. Metcalf to be the starting receivers in 2019. As his volume of targets increases, he is bound to have an explosive year.
Fortunately, he will be an easy receiver to draft. Lockett is projected to be the No. 24 fantasy wide receiver by ESPN. At this ranking, he is easily the most valuable pick to make. His upside is tremendous, and his floor is high. At minimum, he will be an above-average WR3 and, at best, he can be your WR1.
