Fantasy Football: Top 15 Sleepers to Target in 2019
By Kole Berrey
FANTASY FOOTBALL SLEEPERS TO TARGET IN 2019
NUMBER 9 – DARWIN THOMPSON
Our first Chief clocks in at number nine, and we start off the hometown love with Darwin Thompson. Thompson is also the first rookie to make this list, and happens to be another crush of mine.
I have documented my extended love for him in other posts, so I will try not to gush too much here. It is hard, though, because Thompson has a very interesting skill set that should translate BEAUTIFULLY in the hands of Andy Reid.
My player comparison for Thompson is Tarik Cohen with more power. Maybe even a faster Maurice Jones-Drew really. He is that good.
Most people will dismiss any and all film based on the level of competition he played last year at Utah State, but that would be silly. He was seventh among running backs in the NCAA last year in forced missed tackles and often times embarrassed defenders who dared to try to tackle him with anything less than maximum effort.
Obviously, it will be harder to do this with NFL caliber players, but don’t expect that skill to simply evaporate.
Thompson’s value is hard to gauge right now. Damien Williams is the unquestioned starter going into the season, but this situation reminds me a lot of when Spencer Ware was the starter for the Chiefs when Kareem Hunt was a rookie.
Ware was the starter going into the season, then Hunt had a huge preseason and started turning heads. The process was expedited with the injury to Spencer Ware, but Hunt was going to be starting sooner rather than later in Kansas City.
Don’t get me wrong, I also am higher on Williams than most, but Thompson has the chance to be special.
Thompson’s blend of power, vision, burst, and balance are so fun to watch. If he has a big preseason, the Chiefs may be forced to approach the running back position by a committee after all, (even if ofensive cooridnator Eric Bieniemy is against that idea.) .
Regardless of if Thompson starts or not, his ADP is #213, which means he isn’t even owned in most 12 team leagues. That is crazy.
At worst, he is a a good handcuff to Damien Williams, and his value only increases if anyone in front of him on the depth chart misses time. Loading up on running backs in an Andy Reid offense led by an MVP quarterback is NEVER a bad strategy.
When you start getting late into your draft and need a high-reward flyer, remember Thompson’s name. Most non-Chief fans won’t.
Recommended Target Draft Range: Round 13 (higher if he balls out in preseason or Williams sustains ANY sort of injury)