Five super-sleepers for fantasy drafts

What does it take to be named a “super-sleeper?" At this point, talent and anonymity. While rostered in less than 10% of Yahoo leagues , these NFL players could help win you a fantasy championship.

RB Chris Rodriguez | Washington Commanders | 1% rostered

The second-year back may be third on the Commanders unofficial depth chart, but the former Kentucky Wildcat led the team with 4.8 yards on limited carries last season and his two touchdowns against a tough Jets defense in Week 16 were only three fewer than starter Brian Robinson Jr. ran for in 15 games.

Of course, Rodriguez also sits behind free agent addition Austin Ekeler on the depth chart, but at this point in his career not even Ekeler believes he can carry the load for an NFL team anymore. If something were to happen to either player, Rodriguez would see plenty of snaps in a run-friendly offense built around rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

RB Deneric Prince | Kansas City Chiefs | 1% rostered

Clyde Edwards-Helaire is listed as the team’s No. 2 back behind Isiah Pacheco but he won’t be for long if Prince keeps making plays like this:

Pacheco has been fairly healthy in two NFL seasons but his punishing style forced him to miss two games with a shoulder injury last year.

Edwards-Helaire, meanwhile, set career-low marks in carries (70), yards (223) and yards per carry (3.2) in 15 games. According to reports, Prince, who spent time on the Chiefs practice roster in 2023, has been seeing more second-team reps in camp and could be a better pick than C.E.H.

TE Greg Dulcich | Denver Broncos | 2% rostered

A third-round pick of the Broncos in 2022, Dulcich had 33 catches for 411 yards and two scores but missed seven games with a hamstring injury as a rookie. Another hamstring injury cost him all but two games in 2023, but if he can stay healthy he’s worth a look in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.

Dulcich finished as the team’s second-leading receiver while averaging 13.5 yards per catch for 30 yards against the Packers on Sunday night, more than doubling the collective yardage of the team’s other tight ends. Projected starter Adam Trautman had a career-high three touchdowns last year, but has yet to surpass 263 yards in four NFL seasons.

RB Jordan Mason | San Francisco 49ers | 4% rostered

At the moment, Mason and teammate Elijah Mitchell both occupy the spot behind starter Christian McCaffrey on the team’s unofficial depth chart. The oft-injured Mitchell saw 36 more carries in 2023 but was less effective than Mason, who averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

Should McCaffrey miss any time, the 223-pound Mason would surely see goal line work over Mitchell, who is 200 pounds. Mason sat out the team’s last preseason game with hip soreness but had six carries for 34 yards and a touchdown a week earlier against the Titans.

RB Braelon Allen | New York Jets | 7% rostered

Stater Breece Hall played all 17 games for the Jets last year but missed 10 games in 2022 with an ACL tear. Allen averaged 5.9 yards per carry for 3,219 yards and 34 scores with Wisconsin last year and according to the team’s depth chart, this year’s fourth-round pick is now Hall’s primary backup.

Allen led all running backs with 54 yards in New York’s first preseason game and led the team with eight carries against the Panthers. Even if Hall avoids injury, Allen should see a healthy dose of touches in 2024.