Fantasy Football: Top 15 sleepers to target in 2020
By Kole Berrey
Fantasy Football Sleepers to Target – Number 9: Dionte Johnson
Wide Receiver. Pittsburgh Steelers. Dionte Johnson. 9. player. 55.
Dionte Johnson is a weird one for me. He is probably one of the bigger bust candidates that will make this list, but also has potential to be something special in Pittsburgh.
The return of Big Ben is a big factor as well, and Johnson has a chance to step up and fill the shoes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, as he tries to step up himself and fill the role that Antonio Brown left when he forced himself out of Pittsburgh.
Johnson put up respectable, albeit unexciting numbers, in 2019. In a vacuum, his 680 yards and five touchdowns won’t blow you away.
The context around his situation does paint a positive picture for him going forward though. Pittsburgh may have had the worst quarterback play in all the league. Despite that, Johnson still was able to go over 50 yards in eight of 16 games.
That total may not be staggering, but with Big Ben set to return, a natural uptick in what Johnson can do should be expected. Johnson is only 24, and as a former third round pick, has the kind of talent that can expode.
Pittsburgh is also notorious for cultivating top wide receivers. Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Wallace, Santanio Holmes and Plaxico Burress have all had fantasy success playing with Ben Roethlisberger. Johnson may just be the next man up to add his name to that impressive list.
Fantasy Football Sleepers to Target – Number 8: Cam Akers
8. player. 51. . Running Back. Los Angeles Rams. Cam Akers
Cam Akers is a player on this list who could bust. He is a rookie arriving in a weird offseason, but something he has going for him is that there is no longer an established veteran to compete with.
While J.K. Dobbins has a giant Mark Ingram sized obstacle in his way, Akers only has to compete with second year running back Darrell Henderson for the starting role.
Another thing going in Akers’ favor is that the team had an extended look at Henderson last season and still felt the need to draft a running back in the second round. That bodes well for Akers.
Being in a Sean McVay offense also doesn’t hurt, considering what Todd Gurley was able to do for fantasy over a two year period.
Akers has a chance to way outperform his ADP, where he is currently projected as an early seventh round selection. If he is able to grab the starting job early and roll with it, Akers may be able to creep into RB2 territory.
If you find yourself going receiver heavy first, and need running back depth, start thinking of Akers name in the sixth round.