The 7 Fantasy Football Sleepers No One is Talking About
Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco threw for 3,986 yards and 27 touchdowns last year, and his top wide receivers aren't being drafted until picks 98 and 109 in current drafts. Renowned quarterback whisperer and new offensive coordinator, Marc Trestman, made it a habit in Chicago to make sure both Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery were productive fantasy assets, yet there is seemingly no belief he can do the same for anyone in Baltimore.
Since 2011, and with more conservative coaches and play calling, Flacco has consistently flirted with 4,000 yards and will most likely do it again (our projections expect him to throw for 3,844 yards). Then again, he could just as easily exceed that number in 2015.
The Ravens also need to replace 171 targets following the departures of Owen Daniels and Torrey Smith. While Kamar Aiken is a nice player, he doesn't seem in line for a drastic uptick in targets.
Given Steve Smith's modest ADP of 79th overall, you might expect that another Ravens receiver was getting all the love, but you'd be wrong! First-round draft pick Breshad Perriman is being drafted around the 12th round as the 55th receiver off the board.
He steps in to replace Torrey Smith, who in 2014 produced a very good Reception NEP per target of 0.88. That mark ranked eighth among the 62 receivers who saw at least 75 targets in 2014. However, the downfield threat's catch rate continues to hover around 50 percent, and it was a career-best 53.26 percent last season. That ranked 53rd among the 75-plus target receivers last year.
His career catch rate is just 49.47 percent, which is subpar despite his production when he does catch the ball. This was likely one of the reasons Baltimore was okay to see the young receiver walk in free agency, something that came as a surprise to many.
His replacement is Perriman, and I apologize for the love affair that is about to follow. Much of that love is also expressed in this great post draft report on the former Central Florida receiver.
Perriman is big, strong and explosive, and there is a difference between having bad hands (Darrius Heyward-Bey) and concentration drops (Terrell Owens). Perriman doesn't fight the ball like the former, even if he drops an occasional pass. This is an exceptionally talented player who was stuck in a terrible college offense with a quarterback who couldn't hit Perriman in stride on his best day.
While his lack of training camp repetitions and injury situation is concerning, Odell Beckham Jr. proved last year that talent and situation can allow a player to thrive even without a full offseason. While Perriman isn't as talented as the Giants' star, you don't need him to be in order to be a breakout player early this season.
