Lance's 2021 Fantasy Sleepers: Kicker
Top: Joey Slye (Carolina)
I like the Darnold move by the Panthers, but it’s the Terrace Marshall, Chuba Hubbard and Tommy Tremble rookie additions that I think will help push Carolina’s offense up a level. Last year Slye was just on the outside looking in, this year he has fantasy starter status written all over him once again.
3 Others: Matt Gay (LA Rams), Nick Folk (New England), Brandon McManus (Denver)
The hope in LA is that Stafford’s presence will help take the Rams offense back to the mountaintop. In my opinion, they’re still missing pieces, but if Stafford can turn the ball over less than Goff did last season that will be a major win for Gay.
Folk might seem like a ‘bleh’ option at Kicker, but if you’re the type of person who waits until after all of the top players at the position are gone, then Folk may be the one for you. The Pats struggled on offense last year, but Folk was still middle of the pack in fantasy football. This year they’ve added Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry to their Receiving corps, and Mac Jones to help light a fire under Newton, or replace him if need be. This offense should move the ball a lot better and provide Folk with more scoring opportunities.
Last year McManus was my top sleeper, and it didn’t really work out (he finished at about 14th depending on your scoring). That was mostly due to the fact that I had way too much faith in Drew Lock and he did not play up to my expectations. The Teddy Bridgewater move should help change that. Bridgewater isn’t going to send this offense to the moon, but he’s a solid, smart player who is stepping into the most talented offense he’s ever been a part of. He should help the offense play well enough to put up consistent points.
Rookie: Evan McPherson (Cincinnati)
Burrow is healthy, Ja’Marr Chase is now in the fold, Tee Higgins will be heading into his second full season, this offense is ready to move up the ladder. McPherson is the lucky winner that gets to come along for the ride. He was the only Kicker drafted, and Cincy used a fifth rounder on him which means he should at the very least start the season as K1. That’s more than what can be said for the undrafted rookie Kickers out there.
Dark Horse: Dustin Hopkins (Washington)
The further I got into writing these articles the more I realized Washington is probably my biggest sleeper team. The defense is even more stacked than they were last year, and with Fitzpatrick under Center the offense can open up, allowing them to move the ball more easily and giving Hopkins a chance to push for fantasy relevance.
