2023 Fantasy Football: Wide Receiver Deep Sleepers

In the high-stakes market, most deep sleeper wideouts will be found after round 16 (pick 192) in 12-team formats. Some potential under-the-radar players started drawing attention in early August, pushing them up draft boards. With any news blurb, a player can jump a tier in the category pecking order – a deep sleeper moves to a sleeper, or a sleeper becomes a breakout candidate.

John Metchie, HOU

The Texans’ passing options won’t draw much attention in the fantasy market, but someone will emerge as a viable starting fantasy wide receiver in 2023. I put Nathaniel Dell with my sleeper wideouts while waiting to see some tape/news on Metchie. Over the weekend, Houston posted a clip of Metchie on Twitter, showcasing his elite quickness. As a result, his name started to creep up draft boards. He missed all of his rookie season due to his recovery from Leukemia. The issue also gave his left knee more time to heel after tearing his ACL in December of 2022 at Alabama. I expect Dell or Metchie to lead the Texans’ wide receivers in catches due to their ability to work the short areas of the field. Metchie will be upgraded in my next edition of the projections (8/1).