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What is a sleeper in 2018?

The NFL is covered extensively both in and out of season to the point that you almost always hear about even the faintest hint of a positive report on any player. With so much information out there, rarely are we taken by surprise when a player breaks out or ascends from the bench to become a fantasy producer.

Interpreting what a sleeper is could be a personal pursuit. If you are nothing more than a causal observer who likes to play fantasy football as a social activity, someone like Alvin Kamara may have shocked you by what seemingly was a gigantic fantasy season out of nowhere. Those who are more invested in the daily happenings of the offseason, training camp and preseason games knew Kamara had potential.

One good way to define a sleeper is a player who is getting overlooked in draft value. Jamaal Williams was a top-10 fantasy RB in the second half of last season, yet current ADP puts him outside the top 35 RBs for this season. Last year, I considered Williams a sleeper because he had a chance to rise to the top of the Packers depth chart, and he did. This year, he has sleeper potential because his perceived value is lower than what it has the potential to be in 2018.

You may also consider a sleeper someone you draft to be a bench player with starting potential. David Njoku and Patrick Mahomes II are perfect examples of players who can be drafted as fantasy backups knowing they have the upside and talent to turn into mainstays in a starting lineup.

Here we've picked out the top sleepers at every position. You won't find any kickers or defenses because I don't rank them. They aren't important, and there are no sleepers in those categories. They are streaming positions that are addressed on a week-to-week basis during the season.

Note: All ADP data and fantasy stats used to calculate finishes from FantasyPros. All advanced stats calculated using data from Pro Football Reference. All stats are based on points per reception (PPR) format.