Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receivers to Pick in Your 2023 Drafts
Undervalued players in fantasy football, those who might go overlooked despite carrying week-winning upside, are often referred to as “sleepers.” Selecting the correct sleepers can make your team the envy of your fantasy league. Whether these are drafted initially or claimed off the waiver wire, it’s important to identify players who have underappreciated upside. In this article, we’ll look at three wide receivers who could go a little underrated in your fantasy drafts this year.
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2023 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receivers
Jonathan Mingo (Carolina Panthers)
Jonathan Mingo may not have had eye-popping numbers in his time at Ole Miss, but he showed a lot of promise his senior year. Mingo is an exciting prospect with a great deal of athleticism and strength. He is listed at 6’2” and 220 pounds, and he drew praise from former Panther Steve Smith, who compared to him a “bowling ball” playing wide receiver.
With a Super Bowl winning coach in Frank Reich, a veteran teammate in Adam Thielen, and a talented quarterback in Bryce Young, the Panthers have all of the ingredients to develop Mingo into a mid-season fantasy asset.
Robert Woods (Houston Texans)
The previous two seasons haven’t been very exciting for Robert Woods. However, both down years can be excused: One of them was halted by a torn ACL. The other was spent with the Tennessee Titans. In his three years prior, Woods was averaging 1,096 yards and six touchdowns.
Woods will be a veteran presence in the locker room, which should be valuable for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. His primary competition for targets will be Nico Collins, tight end Dalton Schultz, and John Metchie III, who missed out on his rookie season due to a leukemia diagnosis. It isn’t difficult to imagine Woods rebounding this season with his new team.
Allen Lazard (New York Jets)
Allen Lazard has had the best two seasons of his young career most recently. In 2021 with the Packers, Lazard had 513 receiving yards with eight touchdowns. In 2022, he posted 788 receiving yards and found the end zone six times.
While those numbers may not jump off the page, Lazard will have the benefit of continuing to grow with Aaron Rodgers under center for the Jets. Sure, Garrett Wilson is going to garner plenty of attention, but Wilson’s new teammate already has a rapport with Rodgers, an intangible that could lead to Lazard being undervalued in your drafts.
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