10 Fantasy Football Sleepers: A Chiefs WR Is Bound to Break Out

There aren't many better feelings in fantasy football than setting your draft queue full of names you want to target in the middle and late rounds and then having some of those sleeper names lead your team to fantasy glory.

Of course, sleepers inherently come with some level of uncertainty -- or else they'd be drafted earlier and everyone would want them -- but these 10 names have strong cases to be made to be true fantasy football sleepers in 2023.

All players are outside the top 100 in average draft position (ADP) via FantasyPros' consensus ADP.

Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts

FantasyPros ADP: 108.0

Anthony Richardson has all the traits of a high-end fantasy quarterback but won't cost you premium draft equity, as he is being drafted as the QB15 on average.

But overlooking the athleticism scores and controlled environments, simply, the math is just there based on the projections.

Richardson is projected to be one of the highest-volume rushing quarterbacks in the NFL this season (by numberFire, by ESPN, by CBS, by FantasyPros -- you get the picture).

I'll leave you with this stat from an outlook on late-round quarterbacks to target I did earlier this offseason:

"Since 2000, QBs finishing fifth or better in rushes among the position have an average fantasy rank of 10.2, and 67.2% of them finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback with 48.3% of them finishing as a top-8 fantasy quarterback."

For a QB15 draft position? Sounds good to me. — Brandon Gdula

Kadarius Toney, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

FantasyPros ADP: 110.0

I’m a sucker for late-round player who will get snaps in a top-shelf offense. Well, that’s Kadarius Toney.

There’s an opportunity for someone in the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense other than Travis Kelce to step up and be a quality fantasy contributor. While you can make a case for Skyy Moore or Jerick McKinnon -- two other guys with ADPs outside the top 100 -- Toney is the one I’m most drawn to thanks to his combination of enticing athletic traits and the lack of receiver competition on the depth chart. — Austan Kas

Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

FantasyPros ADP: 114.0

Courtland Sutton finished with the 17th-most air yards last season among wide receivers and a 12.2 average depth of target, which was the 5th-highest among those 17 WRs.

Sean Payton, the new head coach, of the Denver Broncos, has proven to be a pass-first coach. From 2013 to 2021, the New Orleans Saints finished in the top half of the league in pass-play percentage five times.

Sutton's big-play ability is clear, and if the Broncos are primed to push the passing game with Russell Wilson, Sutton is a viable sleeper this season. — Tom Vecchio

Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

FantasyPros ADP: 177.3

Targeting Kansas City pass-catchers as potential “sleeper” candidates has been a dismal experience, but Rice brings a few differences that could potentially land him as Patrick Mahomes’ undisputed top wideout for years to come.

Entering the season with second-round draft capital from April, Rice is currently behind a trio of holdovers on the depth chart that commanded just 133 targets last year. Rice drew 158 himself at SMU last year and has proven to have the durability to play every regular-season contest for the Mustangs since the start of 2020 as a redshirt freshman.

As Travis Kelce ages, this is an offense begging Rice, Skyy Moore, or Justyn Ross -- coming off a lost year to injury -- to step forward. Moore’s ADP is significantly higher, but the rookie should be the one receiving the benefit of the doubt considering Skyy didn’t emerge from a similar cast last year -- until emergency duty during the Super Bowl -- with any meaningful production. — Austin Swaim

De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

FantasyPros ADP: 119.3

The Miami Dolphins' offense is designed to put the ball into the hands of their fastest players. We didn’t get to see that in action from their injured running backs last season, but rookie De’Von Achane could change that this year.

Achane was highly productive in his time at Texas A&M and has legit track speed to boot: he blazed a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He might not see the same workload as some of this year’s early-round backs, but he could run with enough efficiency to mimic their production at a much later ADP. — Aidan McGrath

Samaje Perine, RB, Denver Broncos

FantasyPros ADP: 109.3

With J.K. Dobbins last year, we saw just how difficult it can be to return from a catastrophic knee injury.

Javonte Williams tore his ACL and LCL last season, and while early training camp reports on his recovery have been positive, there is still a long way to go. Return to play does not always equal return to performance. On the first day of free agency, the Broncos signed Perine to a two-year deal that includes more money than the Minnesota Vikings gave Alexander Mattison.

Perine caught 38 passes with the Cincinnati Bengals last regular season and offers standalone value with upside for more if Williams misses time. — Zack Bussiere

Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

FantasyPros ADP: 107.7

There’s reasonable doubt regarding Michael Thomas heading into 2023 after playing just 10 games over the last three seasons, but with his current ADP of 107.7, this is the year to take a chance on him.

Not only is he working his way to being 100% for the first time since his 149-catch season in 2019, but he has a quarterback he’s connecting with in Derek Carr.

Chris Olave has an ADP of 29.3, so there’s real value here if Carr favors Thomas over the second-year receiver. Even banged up, Thomas still averaged 14.4 points per game in his three games in 2022. There’s plenty left in the tank for Thomas. — Scott Edwards

Skyy Moore, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

FantasyPros ADP: 142.7

It was a difficult rookie season for Skyy Moore, but moving from Western Michigan to the NFL is quite the leap. This season, he can be a second-year breakout receiver that we often see.

The target hierarchy with the Kansas City Chiefs behind Travis Kelce is up in the air. JuJu Smith-Schuster is gone, and Kadrius Toney has had trouble getting on the field in his two years in the NFL, so Moore could be in line for a high target share.

He’s received positive reports from Andy Reid and could be the Chiefs’ top slot receiver in 2023, a valuable role for fantasy. — Nick Vazquez

Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets

FantasyPros ADP: 107.7

The four-time MVP quarterback will head to Gotham City to join the New York Jets in 2023, which will be his first season in the AFC. In Year 19, Aaron Rodgers looks to return to elite form after a down year in 2022.

As displayed on HBO Hard Knocks, Rodgers will have the opportunity to mesh with young offensive talent like 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson and other young playmakers in Breece Hall and Mecole Hardman.

Additionally, trusted receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb have also joined Gang Green. In a familiar scheme, Rodgers should be able to bump up his 27 total touchdowns last year; he had averaged 39.3 in that category over the prior three seasons. — Gabriel Santiago

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens

FantasyPros ADP: 130.3

With an ADP outside the top 120, Zay Flowers is going later than the other three first-round receivers from this year's draft class, but he’s the one with the clearest path to volume.

The Boston College product had been one of the most explosive players in the country over the past three seasons, and he finished with a career average depth of target of 13.0 while lining up across the formation. As the Baltimore Ravens lean more into the passing game under Todd Monken, Flowers could be the latest rookie receiver to star in fantasy, and he’s an absolute steal in the late rounds of drafts. — Aidan Cotter

While you wait for Week 1's daily fantasy football slates to lock, you can get in on some best-ball fantasy football drafts on FanDuel, as well. Just draft your team and watch the points pile up throughout the season.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.